In 1939, at the age of 17, Jerry Robinson was taken on by cartoonist Bob Kane to work on his new creation, Batman, and over the next few years helped create the superhero's sidekick, Robin, and his chief antagonist, the Joker. This illustrated biography charts the career of the influential artist from comic books, satirical cartoons and newspaper comic strips to his later work as a curator of comic book art and campaigner for artist's rights.

In this classic work, Belgian comics writer and scholar Thierry Smolderen digs deep into the origins of the 20th-century comic strip. He establishes how the picture stories and illustrations of artists like William Hogarth, Rodolphe Töpffer and Gustave Doré laid the foundation of the form, which flourished with the evolution of visual culture caused by developments in printing technology, photography, audio recording and cinema. First published in 2000, the book is translated here by Bart Beaty and Nick Nguyen.

When furniture shortages in Britain hit an all-time high following the Blitz, the government responded by setting up the Utility Furniture scheme. This comprehensive guide, which accompanies a facsimile reproduction of the first catalogue, offers an insight into the privations of the war years and, for those who remember this sturdy furniture, a chance to reminisce.