"Askaroff continues to charm us with his stories." Not so long ago, doctors made house calls, and fresh milk was delivered daily to our doors. People such as these are gone forever from our modern world-or are they? Alex Askaroff, a Sussex lad, left a thriving family business in specialty textiles to become a travelling sewing machine repairman, carrying on a disappearing trade that he had known since childhood. But, along with his tool kit, this master craftsman brought with him the enthusiasm of a poet and a pure love of story-telling. As Alex brings classic sewing machines back to life, he also picks up local stories, history and gossip. And what stories they are! They range from the lady who was presented, by Alex, with a long lost family heirloom hidden in her sewing machine, to an encounter with the ghost of Arthur Conan Doyle. There's Vic the gardener who practices the old ways of determining when to plant his crops-with his bum; and cross-dressing "Peacehaven Pansies" and their flamboyant friends. From kings to conkers this book brings to life the often eccentric-but always genuine-people who make up Sussex. Alex has spent over 20 years slowly collecting priceless anecdotes of the lives, hilarity, wisdom and history of his Corner of the Kingdom. Here are his stories, photographs, and poems, reprinted for the first time from his three original Random Threads volumes.

Corner of the Kingdom: More Tales from the Coast

Literature & Fiction

ASKAROFF, ALEX

Literary

Cortero Publishing

Little did his Quaker parents know, when the screams of their newborn child echoed around their little farmhouse near Ithaca, New York on September 3rd 1818, that they had ushered into the world the man who would go on to become the first pioneer of Canadian sewing machines and by 1875, the maker of the finest sewing machine in the world.While the largest battle in American legal history was taking place between the Sewing Machine Kings, Richard Mott Wanzer quietly slipped across the border into Canada and copied their machines! Free from prosecution he flourished, as did the town of Hamilton where his factories were.Here for the first time is the story of one of the greatest sewing machine pioneers who grew from humble beginnings into an immensely wealthy entrepreneur and business man, THEN HE LOST THE LOT! Brought to you by world renowned author Alex Askaroff.Alex Askaroff is considered one of the foremost experts in 19th Century sewing machines and their pioneers and has had Seven No1 New Releases on Amazon.

WANZER: The First Canadian Sewing Machine Company (Sewing Machine Pioneer Series)

Crafts, Hobbies & Home

Antiques & Collectibles

Independently published

No1 NEW RELEASE, AMAZON Oct 2019. The Willcox & Gibbs chain-stitch sewing machines are one of the most collected sewing machines of all time. Some say the machine represents the finest piece of 19th Century precision engineering in the world. Certainly the company thought so, advertising their machines as 'Beyond Comparison'. Today most enthusiasts try to have at least one W&G in their collection. World renowned author Alex Askaroff brings to life this amazing machine and the even more amazing men who built it.

Willcox & Gibbs: Sewing Machine Pioneer Series

No1 NEW RELEASE, AMAZON Sept 2019. Grover & Baker made the finest 19th Century sewing machines in the world. Their spectacular and revolutionary models paved the way for the modern sewing machines that we use today. Here for the first time is the rise and fall of the most prestigious sewing machine makers in America, brought to you by world renowned author Alex Askaroff.

Grover & Baker Sewing Machines: Sewing Machine Pioneer Series

Crafts & Hobbies

Adjusting the tension on a sewing machine can be incredibly frustrating. Here, qualified engineer and Master Craftsman, Alex Askaroff spills the simple secrets of a perfect stitch on most sewing machines. Alex grew up in the sewing trade and spent a lifetime repairing all types of sewing machines, from the largest industrial machines, to toy sewing machine. In easy to follow instructions Alex walks you through the enigma of sewing machine tension adjustment. Alex's specialist insight into this minefield has already saved countless thousands in unnecessary repair bills.

The Complete Guide To Sewing Machine Tension Adjustment: Sewing Machine Tension Made Easy (Sewing Machine Pioneer Series)

Reference

World renowned author Alex Askaroff gives us his insight into one of the most useful inventions of the 19th Century. The humble sewing machine changed how we dressed, how we looked and how we acted. The simple invention that joined cloth had a profound effect on the World. Here we take a brief journey to bring you some of the fascinating characters who made it possible.

A Brief History Of The Sewing Machine: Without The Boring Bits (Sewing Machine Pioneer Series)

Science & Math

Technology

Before the sewing machine industry got off the ground in the middle of the 19th Century, there was a huge problem, one that would stifle, not only competition, but the birth of true mass production in America. During the 1850's sewing machine manufacture was crippled by a handful of extraordinary characters battling in court for their patent rights. These men, who created the largest fight in American legal history, became known by the periodicals of the day as the Sewing Machine Kings. They were engaged in the Great Sewing Machine Wars using any tactics to win. Here, for the first time, is their remarkable story and their even more remarkable solution.

The Rise And Fall Of The Sewing Machine Kings: Sewing Machine Pioneer Series

In 1851 Isaac Singer brought onto the market the first practical sewing machine in history. He had combined all the ideas that had gone before to make a machine that actually worked. The result was explosive. By the 1870's the humble sewing machine had become the most wanted item on the planet. Why? Because with it, anyone could pop down their local market on Saturday and wear a new dress to church on Sunday! Cheap material from the Northern Powerhouses, and the sewing machine, meant that beautiful clothes were no longer the sole domain of the upper classes. Here is the fascinating story of the rise and fall of Singer manufacturing in Britain, brought to you by world renowned author Alex Askaroff

The Rise And Fall Of Singer Manufacturing In Britain (Sewing Machine Pioneer Series)

No 1 NEW RELEASE NOV 2014. This is not a book about Singer sewing machines but Isaac Merritt Singer, the inventor of the first practical sewing machine in history and his incredible, and often haphazard story, that led to his greatest invention. The story of Isaac Merritt Singer is straight out of American folklore. Isaac ran away from a troubled home to a carnival passing through town. From living on his wits Isaac became one of the wealthiest men of his era, long before the likes of Carnegie, Ford and Rockefeller. Isaac's story is one of wars and women, when he died he was married to the most beautiful woman in Europe, 30 years his junior. In his will he named over 20 of his children, making each one rich beyond their wildest dreams. Isaac's inventions helped kick-start the growth that made America the first Super Power. His business techniques, salesmanship and entrepreneurial skill brought jobs to millions of people around the world and made Singer a household name. Isaac's story will blow your mind and may just be the best tale that has never made it to Hollywood.

Isaac Singer: The First Capitalist (Sewing Machine Pioneer Series)

Biographies & Memoirs

Historical

We all love stories don't we. In Have I Got A Story For You, Alex carries on with his fascinating travels around the South East of England, collecting his hilarious and enchanting tales as he goes. There is the Cavendish Poltergeist, the sailor who saved King Charles in Brighton, Albert Blake who protected Eastbourne in March 1943 from the Luftwaffe. The ghost of Arthur Conan Doyle and much more. From local war heroes and smugglers to ghostly goings on, his latest book is crammed with amazing stories and photographs.Some will make you laugh, some will make you cry, but all will have you captivated. Once again Alex Askaroff brings his unique magic to the page and captures England, its history and its people, as only he can.

Have I Got A Story For You (On The Road Series)

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Books by ASKAROFF, ALEX