Until the middle of the last century, the dominant feature of London's social calendar was 'the Season', and central to this was the phenomenon of the debutante. As the privileged classes descended on the capital to embark on a four-month whirlwind of key social events and smart parties, the daughters of the aristocracy and the wealthy prepared to make their 'debut' into society. From the preparations and rituals involved in court presentation to the exhausting round of parties, this book will look at the details of what it meant to be a debutante; exploring a lost world that incongruously blended glamour and privilege with archaic tradition.

Debutantes and the London Season (Shire Library)

Biographies & Memoirs

Gosling, Lucinda

Community & Culture

Shire

In 1953, Britain celebrated the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, an event greeted at the time with widespread, nationwide enthusiasm. Sixty years on, the images and memories of the event still resonate, partly for their nostalgic appeal, but also as a reminder that while the monarchy of the modern age has had to move with the times, the affirming ritual of the coronation, with its pageantry, theatre and symbolism, is centuries old. This book takes a thematic look at the phenomenon of the coronation from its earliest origins and the meaning of the ceremonial rituals, to the precise behind-the-scenes organisation and the robes and jewels worn. It will also look at public responses to coronations over the years and how the magnificence of the event from the time of William the Conqueror gradually evolved and rose to new levels with the glorious global (and televised) celebration of 1953.

Royal Coronations (Shire Library)

History

Europe

Shire Publications

A guide to popular World War I knits—with 40 patterns for knitting balaclavas, mittens, vests, hats, and other original patterns of the day During World War I a knitting craze swept across Britain, as women everywhere wanted to "kit out" their Tommies with socks, mittens, balaclavas, vests, jumpers, and all manner of knitwear. Millions of socks were sent from the home front to the front line in a bid to wage war on the dreaded "trench foot," and often seamstresses would tuck a love note or a simple message to the soldier far from home. Knitting circles and fundraisers became a daily part of women’s lives and institutions and charities across Britain, with the Red Cross printing an official guide to how to kit out Tommies with the warmest wear. The craze was not just limited to Britain, as soon as the Americans joined the war; knitting became a national sport there, too. A social and cultural history, Knitting for Tommy explores the knitting craze through magazine adverts, posters, and photographs of the day. Each chapter opens with an extended introduction, followed by pages of images, including people knitting and soldiers in knitted garments drawn from newspapers and other periodicals. In the back of the book, 40 knitting patterns detail balaclavas, mittens, vests, hats, and other original knitting patterns of the day, suitable for all levels of knitters.

Knitting for Tommy: Keeping the Great War Soldier Warm

Military

The History Press

The declaration of war in August, 1914, was to change Britain and British society irrevocably as conflict came to dominate almost every aspect of civilian life for the next four years. Popular weekly magazines, such as the Tatler, the Sketch, and the Queen, recorded the national preoccupations of the time, and in particular, the upper class experience of war. Targeted at a well-heeled, largely female audience, these magazines were veteran reporters of aristocratic balls, the latest Parisian fashions, and society engagements, but quickly adapted to war-like conditions without ever quite losing their gossipy essence. Fashion soon found itself jostling for position with items on patriotic fundraising, and Court presentations were replaced by notes on nursing convalescent soldiers. The result is a fascinating, at times amusing, and uniquely feminine perspective of life on the Home Front during World War I.

Great War Britain: The First World War at Home

Drawing on the archives of Mary Evans Picture Library, ‘Images of the Past – The British Seaside’ is a nostalgic promenade through the history of Britain’s seaside resorts from their early genesis as health destinations to their glorious, mid-20th century heyday, subsequent decline and recent regeneration. British coastal resorts developed during a period of vast expansion and social change. Within a century, the bathing phenomenon changed from a cautiously modest immersion in the sea to a pastime that prompted the building of vast art deco temples dedicated to the cult of swimming. Once quiet fishing villages mushroomed into bustling seafronts with every conceivable amusement and facility to entice visitors and secure their loyalty for future visits. Where transport to the coast may have once been via coach and horses or boat, soon thousands of working class day-trippers flooded seaside towns, arriving by the rail network that had so quickly transformed the British landscape. This fascinating book follows these shifts and changes from bathing machines to Butlin’s holiday camps, told through a compelling mix of photographs, cartoons, illustrations and ephemera with many images previously unpublished. Covering every aspect of the seaside experience whether swimming and sunbathing or sand castles and slot machines ‘The British Seaside’ reveals the seaside’s traditions, rich heritage and unique character in all its sandy, sunny, fun-packed glory.

The British Seaside (Images Of The Past)

Arts & Photography

Photography & Video

Pen and Sword History

Retro London is a book of historical images from the Mary Evans Photo Library depicting the development of the city and the life of its people from the start of the 20th Century to the Swinging Sixties.  This book is beautifully presented in a padded hardcover format with over 300 unique images.  Retro London reflects life in several important eras, including the War Years, Between the Wars, Surviving the Blitz and Post-war London, as well as chapters on Sports and Recreation and Iconic London. (Lucinda Gosling)

Retro London

New Holland Publishers

Remember knitted bathing suits and utility clothes? Fifties shirt-waisters and the ever-rising mini? Mods, rockers, hippies and the happening boutiques of swinging sixties London? Retro Fashion takes the reader on a journey along the ever-changing road of what we wore, from the turn of the 20th century to the 1980s.
Packed with over 400 images, the volume charts the contrasts and rapid evolution of style across the decades from the lush dance dresses of the pre-WW1 era to disco divas of the 1970s, the trusty Burberry trench coat to the space age creations of the sixties.
A chapter on everyday clothes is a nostalgic trip down memory lane while pages devoted to the influencers and arbiters of style show how fashion designers and some of history’s most iconic clothes horses have set trends that filter down to the mass market. Compiled from one of the UK’s most unique historical archives,
Mary Evans Picture Library, Retro Fashion is not only a celebration of glamour and style, but also a fascinating insight into how clothes are part of the fabric of all our lives.

Retro Fashion: The Way We Were

Graphic Design

This unique gift book highlights the special place dogs of all sizes have in the world of humans. Utilizing rare postcard images from the archives of the Mary Evans Picture Library in London and historic quotes about dogs, ‘Faithful and True’ will make you appreciate ‘Man’s Best Friend’ all that and more.
An ideal gift book for all pet lovers, or lovers of antique postcards and ephemera.
“The average dog is a nicer person than the average person.” Andy Rooney
“Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.” Roger A. Caras
“The better I get to know men, the more I find myself loving dogs.” Charles de Gaulle.

Faithful and True: A Rare Photograph Collection Celebrating Man's Best Friend

Take a walk back in time with this collection of amazingly evocative photographs of one of the great cities in the world.Retro London is a book of historical images from the Mary Evans Photo Library depicting the development of the city and the life of its people from the start of the 20th Century to the Swinging Sixties. Beautifully presented in hardc over format with over 300 unique images.Retro London reflects life in several important eras, including the War Years, Between the Wars, Surviving the Blitz and Post-war London, as well as chapters on Sports and Recreation and Iconic London.

Mini Retro London

Remember knitted bathing suits and utility clothes? Fifties shirt-waisters and the ever-rising mini? Mods, rockers, hippies and the happening boutiques of swinging sixties London?Fashion takes the reader on a journey along the ever-changing road of what we wore, from the turn of the 20th century to the 1980s. Packed with over 400 images, the volume charts the contrasts and rapid evolution of style across the decades.Compiled from one of the UK’s most unique historical archives, Mary Evans Picture Library, Fashion is a celebration of glamour and style, and an insight into how clothes are part of the fabric of our lives.

Fashion: The Evolution of Style

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Books by Gosling, Lucinda