Advertisers in the nineteenth and early twentieth century pushed the boundaries of printing, manipulated language, inspired a new form of art and exploited many formats, including calendars, bookmarks and games. This collection of essays examines the extent to which these standalone advertisements – which have survived by chance and are now divorced from their original purpose – provide information not just on the sometimes bizarre products being sold, but also on class, gender, Britishness, war, fashion and shopping. Starting with the genesis of an advertisement through the creation of text, image, print and format, the authors go on to examine the changing profile of the consumer, notably the rise of the middle classes, and the way in which manufacturers and retailers identified and targeted their markets. Finally, they look at advertisements as documents that both reveal and conceal details about society, politics and local history. Copiously illustrated from the world-renowned John Johnson Collection of Printed Ephemera and featuring work by influential illustrators John Hassall and Dudley Hardy, this attractive book invites us to consider both the intended and unintended messages of the advertisements of the past.

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For fifty years, Britain made the best toy cars in the world, expertly shrinking every kind of reallife vehicle and producing them in their countless, die-cast millions. Dinky Toys were the 1930s pioneers, then in the 1950s came the pocket-money Matchbox series, followed by Corgi Toys bristling with ingenious features and movie stardust.

But who were the driving forces behind this phenomenon? And how did they keep putting the latest, most exciting cars into the palm of your hand year after year?

In this illustrated and expanded edition of Britain’s Toy Car Wars, Giles Chapman reveals the extraordinary battle to dominate Britain’s toy car industry, and the dramas and disasters that finally saw the tiny wheels come off …

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‘Magisterial’ Kathryn Hughes, The Sunday Times (A Sunday Times Book of the Week)

‘Rich, authoritative and highly readable, Andrew Pettegree’s tour de force will appeal to anyone for whom, whatever the circumstances, books are an abiding, indispensable part of life.’ David Kynaston

Chairman Mao was a librarian. Stalin was a published poet. Evelyn Waugh served as a commando – before leaving to write Brideshead Revisited. Since the advent of modern warfare, books have all too often found themselves on the frontline.

In The Book at War, acclaimed historian Andrew Pettegree traces the surprising ways in which written culture – from travel guides and scientific papers to Biggles and Anne Frank – has shaped, and been shaped, by the conflicts of the modern age.

From the American Civil War to the invasion of Ukraine, books, authors and readers have gone to war – and in the process become both deadly weapons and our most persuasive arguments for peace.

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Scissors and glue stick at the ready… inject a wealth of botanical beauty into your creative projects with this sumptuous collection of images from the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew archive.

Whether you’re looking for vintage botanical ephemera to enhance your journal or scrapbook pages, want to make your own collage art, or simply have a range of botanical elements at your fingertips for gift-wrapping, card-making, vision-boarding and more – this stunning collection will give you over 500 images to cut out and create with, in whatever way you choose.

Featuring over 500 images, this book presents a wide variety of botanical art across a range of chapters – from flowers to cacti, fruit and vegetables, and even fungi. The images are printed on one side only so that all images can be used, and each page is backed with lovely botanical patterns that can also be used as paper elements, so no scrap is wasted.

Botanical art is as popular today as it has ever been, perhaps even more so, as we all realise the importance of connecting with nature in an increasingly fast-paced world. It has been scientifically proven that even looking at pictures of plants can have a calming effect on the mind, lowering stress levels and supporting relaxation. The same is true of making things by hand – away from screens and digital distractions – and so combining the traditional craft of collage with botanical art is an immensely mindful activity that will benefit all who have a go.

Alongside the 500 images, you will find guidance on how to use the book, with collage ideas and tips and tricks for getting the most from this absorbing art form.

Cut it up, stick it down and watch your creative projects blossom before your very eyes with this bumper book of botanical illustrations from Kew.

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Twenty different postcards featuring the most inappropriate, confusing, poorly translated and mind-bogglingly bizarre signs from around the world.

Few things amuse and appal Telegraph readers as much as the abuse, misuse, mistranslation and outright mangling of the English language. So, for the past three years the Telegraph has run a weekly feature inviting members of the public to send in photographs of menus, health and safety warnings, road signs, adverts, headlines and personals columns – anything in which the language has gone egregiously, hilariously and, usually, unintentionally wrong. These have been published in the best-selling Sign Language series and are now available for you to keep, send or frame in these easy tear-off postcards. 

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