52 Products

In a book full of possibilities for anyone who loves lettering there are ornate outline capitals to colour in or copy, sample typefaces for inspiration, quotations from great designers, a glossary of typographical terms and lined and dotted pages for doodling, designing or even writing a journal.

Jalapeño, Scotch bonnet, Japanese Hot Claw... This set of notecards features 16 different chillies, with illustrations by Caz Hildebrand from her book An Anarchy of Chillies. The notecards are blank inside, with white envelopes, and presented in a rigid card box.

Featuring ten sheets with ten different hot chilli designs, this wrapping paper and the twelve matching gift tags are based on illustrations from An Anarchy of Chillies by Caz Hildebrand.

With poignant photographs, verses and sentiments, these postcards were either sent to soldiers at the front by families and sweethearts or offered ‘news from the front’ and ‘a line to father’ from servicemen abroad.

Onward Christian Soldiers, Sandy, Boy and Take Me Back to Dear Old Blighty are among the lyrics printed, along with coloured artworks and photographs, on the First World War One song cards reproduced in this little book.

In a course that progresses from the level of junior operative to double agent, Spy School aims to sharpen your mind using techniques developed to train Russian intelligence agents. Following the story of a counter-intelligence operation, the book presents a series of documents and diary entries along with instruction on memory formation techniques, practical exercises, tasks and questions on the central plot. This Russian bestseller was translated by Svetlana Shcholokova.

Blue Peter, the world’s longest-running children’s television programme, is known for its famous ‘makes’ – creative projects which transform everyday household objects into toys and gifts. This collection reproduces some of the most memorable designs, including the Advent Crown, the Doll’s House and Tracy Island, and has a foreword by Valerie Singleton and contributions from former presenters and the ‘Queen of Makes’, Margaret Parnell.

Extolling the virtues of motorcycles for ‘lady war workers’ and ‘absolutely waterproof’ trench coats for soldiers, the advertisements collected and discussed here illustrate how the First World War offered companies new commercial opportunities and fundamentally changed British society.

First published in 1920, this manual reveals a golden age of elegant dining. Advice on table settings and decorations, etiquette, food and wine is complemented by menus for breakfasts, al-fresco luncheons, wedding receptions and garden parties. A chapter on ‘freak dinners given by wealthy people’ offers a glimpse into the decadent world of the Jazz Era.

Rooting out etymological links between words that, at first glance, appear to have nothing to do with each other, Graeme Donald unearths much more than simple definitions: an investigation of ‘Achieve’ and ‘Handkerchief’ starts with Roman gladiators and ends with the introduction of snuff; ‘Cockpit’ and ‘Cocktail’ encompass ship’s surgeons in wooden warships and horse-racing; while ‘Panties’ and ‘Pantechnicon’ takes us back to 303 CE and the martyrdom of St Pantaleon.

Some language rules are worth knowing – but which ‘rules’ just make clear communication harder? The editor of the Guardian’s style guide cites authorities including Shakespeare, Bart Simpson and Kirsty MacColl as he explains the grammatical principles (not ‘principals’) that will help to perfect your writing. He also advises on the correct choice of words and urges us to resist jargon, euphemisms and the journalistic mistreatment of ‘ironic’ and ‘iconic’.

There are four striking bird designs in this set of greetings cards – Oystercatchers, Puffins, Gannets, and Stilt and Stints. The 15x15cm cards are blank inside, for use on any occasion and have matching envelopes in four colours. Presented in a sturdy card box.

With the ‘When Puffins Go Shopping’ design on its cover, this gift wrap book contains twelve folded sheets of wrapping paper in four Puffin and Oystercatchers designs, and twelve round stickers. Each sheet measures 594x440mm and has a gummed edge for easy removal.

The very smart address book is white with a blue spine and is covered in birds, each sitting on its letter. Inside, there are lined white pages, a blue silk marker and the A–Z of birds, from Avocet to Eggs, Yellowhammer and Zebra Finch.

The covers of this notebook are pale grey with four swallows sitting on a line, and a lone swallow on the back. Inside, there are orange endpapers and silk ribbon and lined white pages, with the occasional swallow sitting on a top line.

Puffins fly towards us in an Air Force blue sky on the covers of this study little notepad. The good-quality plain white pages are bound into very tough card covers with bright-orange endpapers, elastic closure and pencil.

In this book from the Blackboard reference series, Judy Parkinson, author of I Before E (Except After C), presents an A-Z of popular expressions, their meanings and origins. With quotations from sources and anecdotes, she explains the facts - and sometimes theories - behind every saying, including who Methuselah was, how and why people were 'sold down the river' and the Shakespearean source of 'It's all Greek to me'.

For those who wish they’d been taught ancient history and classical civilization in school – or for those who weren’t paying attention – here are the basics of Greek and Roman literature and mythology, history, art and architecture, science and philosophy.

This reprint of an Edwardian guide to health and vitality provides advice on the importance of mental as well as physical rest and describes simple, low-impact bending and stretching exercises.

Across Britain, blue plaques on houses record the notable people who lived there: writers, artists, musicians, actors, sportsmen and women, scientists, politicians and social reformers. In this celebration of individual achievement, Mike Read, who helped create a series of plaques for BBC Music Day in 2017, presents 100 of these memorials. Each entry tells the story of the personality commemorated, from David Bowie to William Shakespeare, and contains an often surprising link to the next featured plaque.

Scott Addington uses infographics, fact boxes and photographs to present this concise overview of RAF history, which includes the first military balloon, the design of the roundel insignia, leading aces of the world wars and a list of pilots’ slang. Each entry has played its part in shaping the service, and the selection reflects the innovation, courage and heritage of the world’s first independent air force.

All International Rescue's fantastical equipment is explored in this celebration of Gerry Anderson's puppet adventure series. With Haynes manual-style cutaway diagrams of the Thunderbirds themselves and the facilities of Tracey Island, there are also profiles of the characters and ancillary vehicles used, and a mission file of all the episodes in the series. Off-mint.

From the illusionistic architectural spaces created by Renaissance mural painters to the op art of the 20th century, this compendium of optical tricks presents a range of images including depth inversions, vibration effects, impossible perspectives, camouflage and anamorphic art. Examples are drawn from the world of psychology, popular illustration and street art as well as the work of celebrated artists such as Escher, Picasso, Magritte and Bridget Riley.

Inspired by different typographic periods and styles, from traditional copperplate to almost abstract modern designs, this book of colourful ‘typewrap’ comprises ten 680x480mm sheets folded into the book and perforated for ease of removal, and twelve mix and match tear-out gift tags.

In 1831 26-year-old Captain Robert FitzRoy advertised for a companion to accompany him on a voyage to South America. The ship was the HMS Beagle; the successful applicant the young Charles Darwin; the result of the voyage the theory of natural selection. This entertaining compendium of 40 historical anecdotes, whose topics include science, politics, food and literature, illustrates how seemingly insignificant events can alter the course of history.

Discover the difference between dog and cat lovers and find out how a cat can improve your health. Including cat science and traditional superstitions, this is a lively guide to all things feline.

As well as colourful guides to the basics of cowboy life, including boots, horse breeds, cowboy talk, recipes (Gunslinger Beans etc) and cattle wrangling, this book has a press-out card cowboy and clothes to dress him, and a page of stickers. Age 4+

It’s unlikely anyone would capture and keep a red squirrel today, but this text is actual advice taken from a 100-year-old encyclopedia, paired with award-winning Scheffler’s witty illustrations.

In 1816, TF Salter abridged his earlier Angler’s Guide to provide the novice with this affordable work of ‘real practical Information on the Art of taking Fish’ (‘the words catch and caught are seldom used by anglers’, according to his glossary). There are chapters on each type of fish and appropriate techniques, with illustrations by the author.

Judy Parkinson’s collection of mnemonics includes rhymes, acronyms and curious phrases such as 'My Very Exotic Mistress Just Served Us Noodles’ (order of the planets): all of them learning devices for subjects ranging from spelling to the periodic table (the latter sung to the tune of Gilbert and Sullivan's 'I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General').

It’s no wonder the ‘Combined Umbrella Handle and Railway Carriage Door Key’, or the ‘Continuous Stream Enema Fountain Syringe’, were never made, yet Victorian designers were ever hopeful of relieving life’s burdens. This fascinating collection of 240 illustrations, reproduced from the National Archives, features drawings of gadgets and appliances submitted to officialdom for copyright purposes but never realized as products. Domestic needs and health concerns are among the many aspects of Victorian life revealed by the quirky ingenuity on display.

Mervyn Peake is best remembered as the author of the Gormenghast trilogy, but he was also an artist and illustrator of immense skill and originality. In this charming little book, first published in 1946 and illustrated with his own work, he explains the secrets of pencil drawing – perspective, proportion, direction of light, thickness of line, light and shadow – in the simplest and clearest terms.

Salvador Dalí's enigmatic parting question, ‘Where is my clock?’; Louis B Meyer’s gloomy conclusion, ‘It wasn’t worth it’; Hegel’s final, impenetrable comment, ‘Only one man ever understood me, and he didn’t understand me’... The last words of 200 famous men and women, together with notes on their deaths, are gathered here in five chapters on Hedonists, Optimists, Pragmatists, Visionaries and those who delivered a Parting Shot.

As protected sacred places, churchyards provide a tranquil environment in which wild plants and animals can thrive even when their nearby natural habitats have been destroyed. With photographs, newly commissioned drawings and passages from literature, Professor Buczacki celebrates this abundance of nature among the headstones, exploring the long history of our churchyards and describing the species most commonly found there, from mighty ancient yews to woodlice (nicknamed ‘church pigs’), graveyard beetles and lichens. Foreword by Lord Harries.

The extravagant whiskers of prominent Victorians such as Charles Darwin and WG Grace seemed impossibly archaic until the recent 'hipster' fashion reinvented the wearing of long beards for young men for the first time since the hippies of the 1960s. This book traces the history of fashions in facial hair from the ancients to the present day.

This boxed set comprises four cards each of four enlarged details from the manuscript: a peacock from St Matthew’s Gospel, and lions and peacocks from decorated initials. 16 notecards with green envelopes.

Numbers are all-pervasive in our world; Pythagoras even said they rule the universe. This guide to the numbers of everyday life explains how they influence our religion, myth, fiction and linguistic idioms, why some numbers are considered lucky or unlucky, how they are exploited in games and scams, and their vital role in the realms of mathematics and science.

Originally published in 1933, this little book of witty epigrams and epitaphs by the English writer and poet Martin Armstrong (1882–1974) is illustrated with wood-engravings by Eric Ravilious (1903–1942). The subjects of the verses are 54 professionals or types, ranging from a judge to a snuff-taker and a ‘boarding-house lift man’; and each one is accompanied by its own woodcut.

Greengrocers are not alone, even PhDs can misuse apostrophes: these ‘little things’ cause more problems in the English language than any other element of grammar. By going back to the roots of the language and understanding why we use apostrophes, Patrick Notchtree promises that ‘all will be made clear’, and he presents the ‘One Easy Rule’ that will point the way to apostrophe mastery.

'Don't ask a man to drink and drive', 'Coughs and sneezes spread diseases', 'Take your litter home'... Combining snappy slogans with eye-catching graphics, post-war British governments sought to influence the way we lived – all for our own good, of course. Accompanied by informative captions, more than 40 of these posters, produced between 1945 and 1975, are reproduced in this book in handy detachable format ready to pin up as nostalgic decoration. But remember – take care how you do it.

Author and illustrator Mary Frances Ames (1853-1929) produced several quirkily patriotic books at the turn of the 20th century. This example, first published in 1902, consists of a series of short humorous verses facing colour illustrations that celebrate such symbols of Englishness as cricket and golf, the Lord Mayor and First Sea-Lord, roast beef, ping-pong and bank holidays.

All of us from time to time are tortured by forgetting simple facts that we learned long ago, or are made aware of glaring – and potentially embarrassing – gaps in our knowledge. If you still have to think about the grocer's apostrophe or can't remember your irregular French verbs, then this book will remind you of the basic English, Maths, Science, History, French and Geography that we were all taught at school.

'But how can I live here without my books?' wrote Balthazar Bonifacius Rhodiginus in 1656. 'I really seem to myself crippled and only half myself.' This compilation of literary extracts, quotations and bons mots is a must for all bibliophiles: it comprises more than 350 items describing the most bookish behaviour of the past few hundred years.

O levels were taken in Britain between 1951 and 1988 and are often considered by the people who took them to have been much harder than the GCSEs that replaced them. Whether this is true or not can be put to the test by studying this book, which collates sample questions from O level exams set between 1955 and 1959 in English, Maths, History, Geography, General Science, Music and Household Cookery.