16 Handicrafts


71875 SMALL HEATH AND SPARKBROOK by Margaret D. Green


This new collection of old photographs and postcards depicts the leisure activities from shopping on the Coventry Road to watching Birmingham City play at St. Andrews, the effects of the arrival of the railway, the elegant home of George Humphries, Sparkbrook House in 1792, trolley buses, horse buses with people teetering on top, bus drivers and conductors at the depot in 1910, churches and choirs, school children, the children’s open air ward 1930 and the ‘San’, an aerial shot of factories and new roads being built on Bordesley Green Road. Do you recognise any of these faces? 128pp in large softback.


£12.99 NOW £4 72092 NATION’S


FAVOURITE: The UK’s Best- Loved Things


by Mathew Clayton


Musicals, musical films, moustache- wearing British men, popping bubble wrap and the cold side of the pillow, guitar riffs, fortified wines, first dances at weddings, desert island tracks, curries, comedians, top 100 of classical music pieces, the nation’s favourite


race horses, railway stations, TV theme tunes, TV dogs, novels and many more. 195 pages. £8.99 NOW £2.25


71080 COAST TO COAST WITH


WAINWRIGHT by A. Wainwright St. Bees Head at Whitehaven is the starting point for the Coast to Coast Walk created by fell-walker Alfred Wainwright; the destination is Robin Hood’s Bay on Yorkshire’s east coast. The 190-mile route takes the walker via Grasmere, Shap, Kirkby Stephen and Richmond, linking existing rights of way. Many of the stunning photos are panoramic double spreads including magnificent studies of Great Gable, a wide view of Steeple and Scoat Fell from Ennerdale Water, and a gorgeous picture of the Black Sail youth hostel in the middle of nowhere. Finally on Sleights Moor the weary walker glimpses the dramatic cliffs and red roofs of Robin Hood’s Bay. 270pp, amazing photography, sketch maps. £25 NOW £8


71883 THE OXFORD PLAQUE GUIDE by Elizabeth Jean Warr


Here are many stories behind the varied plaques to be found adorning buildings, monuments and cities in the university city featuring such luminaries as J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, Isaiah Berlin, Jane Morris, William Morris, T. E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia), J. S. Haldane, Paul Nash to the photographer Henry Taunt. With biographical anecdotes, sources and location details and map index arranged as convenient walks. Including handy maps and photos. 144pp in paperback. £9.99 NOW £3


71963 ROMANTIC HAUNTS OF DERBYSHIRE by Jill Armitage


The Headless Bride, the Grey Bride of Barlborough Hall, Lover’s Leap Ashwood Dale and other tales of thwarted love. Did Bonnie Prince Charlie return to Hartington Hall for the maid he had romanced? Delve into sad stories of unrequited passions and broke hearts, betrayals, suicides, murderous rivals and gruesome acts of revenge, from creepy sightings of mysterious shadowy figures and spirits such as the kitting ghost at Renishaw Hall to moving objects, unexplained sounds and blood stains that cannot be removed. Over 100 images. 128pp in paperback. £9.99 NOW £3


71992 HELEN ALLINGHAM’S HAPPY


ENGLAND: A Facsimile by Marcus Huish Helen Allingham loved to paint in the open air, almost exclusively in spring and summer. Her trees are heavy with leaves, her shrubs bowed down with blossom, her gardens filled with flowers and her country cottages are nearly always almost obscured by overhanging boughs, rambling roses, ivy and other creepers. In the happy world she painted women wearing sun bonnets and girls playing in print dresses or pinafores, the boys in smocks. Her watercolours date from the mid-1880s to the first few years of the 20th century, and in this utterly captivating collection are reproduced 80 of the best. 128pp, landscape format, colour. £12.99 NOW £3


72227 VISIONS OF ENGLAND


by Roy Strong


Here Sir Roy Strong shows how, rather than depicting reality, art and literature have ennobled and immortalised reality in a way which has directly affected how we see ourselves; thus we see Suffolk through the art of Constable, the Lake District in the poetry of Wordsworth and the English


country house emerges from the novels of Evelyn Waugh. Free of nationalism and political bias, here is a vision of England that is relevant to all. An appreciation of the countryside, a love of nature and gardening, a celebration of the writing of Shakespeare, the paintings of Turner and the music of Elgar. 229pp with colour and b/w photos and artwork. £17.99 NOW £6


72081 ENGLAND MY ENGLAND: A Treasury of All Things English by Gerry Hanson


The author has unearthed a treasure trove of poets and writers across the centuries, but he does not end there. Readers are also treated to a wealth of speeches and articles, from the historical to the more tongue-in-cheek and satirical, created by such different personalities as Alan Coren, Jeremy Paxman, John Mortimer and Ian Hislop himself. Enormously entertaining and eclectic. 224 pages with line drawings and list of useful addresses.


£9.99 NOW £4.75


72214 DISCOVERING THE RIDGEWAY


by Howard Clarke and Vera Burden


Originally designated as an 85 mile national trail for walkers along the Wessex Downs and Chiltern Hills, the Ridgeway runs from near Avebury in Wiltshire to Ivinghoe Beacon in Buckinghamshire. In this new edition revised by Howard Clarke, the route is described twice, once in each direction so that the


description is easy to follow whether you walk eastward of westward, the whole path or just a section of it, for a week, a day or just for an hour. A. C. Fraser comments on the natural history as the walker will encounter many birds, butterflies and other wildlife, wild flowers and rare species. Info about public transport. Hand drawn maps and photos. 80 page paperback. £4.99 NOW £3


72308 SUTTON HOO AND ITS LANDSCAPE:


The Context of Monuments by Tom Williamson Combining, on the part of the author, a keen understanding of local and regional geography, Anglo- Saxon history and current debates about approaches to past landscapes, this volume is a masterly exploration of the context and meaning of an iconic set of monuments. The great barrow cemetery at Sutton Hoo is one of the most remarkable Anglo-Saxon sites in England. Yet, while it has been the subject of much archaeological research, rather less attention has been paid to why it was located precisely where it was - on a hill overlooking the estuary of the River Deben, and on the very fringes of the kingdom of East Anglia whose rulers, the Wuffingas, were buried here. To understand the cemetery’s wider context, as part of a collection of local places associated with the Wuffingas, other tactics have to be employed. 154 paperback pages illustrated in colour and b/w with a plethora of maps. £20 NOW £7.50


72704 BRECON BEACONS: The Official


National Park Guide by Roger Thomas We explore the parts from the prosperous shopping centres of Abergavenny flanked by the three peaks of the Sugar Loaf, Blorenge and Skirrid-sawr and the ruins of its castle. Discover the underground spectacle at the National Showcase Centre for Wales at Dan-yr-Ogof, Bronllys Castle with its single, cylindrical tower, the former iron and steel capital of the world Merthyr Tydfil and numerous tiny villages, beautiful waterfalls, churches, the spiritual retreat at Llanthony, the pretty bookshop town of Hay-on-Wye and the wonderfully named tiny village of Bethlehem whose post office is kept rather busy. 112pp in very large softback with glossy colour photos. £9.99 NOW £4


HANDICRAFTS


I might give up my life for my friend, but he had better not ask me to do up a parcel.


- Logan Smith


72722 KNITTED TOY TALES: Irresistible Characters for All


Ages by Laura Long Welcome to a magical world where the toys you knit tell stories, play games and even get up to mischief! The collection of sweet knitted toys here will bring out the child in all of us and by creating them you are making pieces that will be loved for


years to come. We start off with two bunny babies and their mummy, who love to chase butterflies in Polly Dolly’s garden, in which we also find Bertie and Beatrice, the bright and beautiful birds, and Frederick the Frog Prince, who sits and dreams of the day that a beautiful girl’s kiss will break the terrible spell that put him in his croaky condition. The Three Bears, the Russian doll Baby Babushkas, Simon Snake, three little piglets, mischievous mice, Eddie the Elephant, three little fish, Peter the Penguin, the Owl and the Pussycat (and their beautiful pea-green boat!) and Polly’s dresses are the other projects to be found, each fully explained with details of yarn, needles, gauge and finished size followed by full row-by-row and piece-by-piece instructions, all fully illustrated with colour photos. For the beginner there are many indispensable appendices explaining casting on, the different stitches, patterns, shaping and all the other techniques needed, so even a complete novice can enjoy creating these charming little toys. 128pp softback, 8¼”×11". £14.99 NOW £6


72905 DECORATING WITH LAWRENCE LLEWELLYN- BOWEN


by Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen There is very little that celebrated interior designer, TV personality and now writer LL-B does not know about the art of interior design and neither is he averse to getting his hands painty, gluey and full of splinters. Here he invites us to roll


up our sleeves, put on our oldest jeans and crack open the paint pots and wallpaper paste along with him and turn your humdrum space into something fabulous. Laurence has made his name with his bold approach to interior design and, with his guidance, being brave with colour and pattern adds style and glamour which is surprisingly easy to do and will not break the bank. It is, he says, firstly all about planning and then adding those special, unique touches that make all the difference. In his introduction he outlines the principles of home design, discussing the theories and practice of space, contrast, colour, pattern, lighting and utilities. The following 120


page section, Rooms to Inspire, is a real treat - 30 quite breathtaking rooms, exquisitely photographed, everything from cosy cottage bedroom to stylish modern riverside apartment, with spaces and schemes to suit every taste and budget. The next 80 pages, How it’s Done, shows just how to bring the LL-B touch into your home, explaining all the techniques from hanging wallpaper and laying laminate to tiling and customising lighting. Colour throughout and step-by-step instructions all the way, plus the incorrigible LL-B’s trademark wit. 240 8¾”×11¼” sturdily bound pages. £20 NOW £6.50


72446 CREATIVE SPINNING by Alison Daykin and Jane Deane


Spinning your own yarn is an unusual hobby, but it can produce superbly creative results. A hand spindle is sufficient for the most basic spinning, and you can quickly


progress to a spinning wheel which is easier and more efficient. Wool fibres have to be separated with a special carder, or you can also use a dog comb. The first part of the book explains how to prepare the fleece and take your first steps in spinning using a simple spindle and a wool base. Spinning wheel techniques follow, together with the creation of two-ply and three-ply yarns. You are now ready to embark on the 30 projects in the second part of the book. They include making lovely yarns using Shetland wool, beautiful pink Corriedale fibres, and an English slub yarn with touches of mauve. Longwool fleeces from Wensleydale and Bluefaced Leicester sheep yield quality yarn suitable for hats, warm cardigans and socks, while the rare foxy red of the Portland sheep gives an unusual blanket yarn. The book concludes with cotton, ramie, down, silk, and recycled materials such as plastic bottles. 112pp, softback, detailed step by step illustrations and instructions, fully illustrated with gorgeous colour photos. $14.95 NOW £3.50


72580 PERSPECTIVE DRAWING


by Joseph William Hull Encouraging students to begin immediately with freehand pencil drawings, the first half of this indispensable guide examines the application of perspective to


depicting light and shade, textures, objects, and imaginary as well as existing forms. The second part addresses the laws and theories that constitute the science of perspective, dealing exclusively with rules, covering a wide scope and explaining the mechanics of perspective thoroughly and yet simply. Intended as an auxiliary to the first half’s drawing instructions, part two is organized for ready reference as students progress through part one. 137 pages 28cm x 21cm with 17 reproductions of ancient and modern art and more than 200 instructive figures. $12.95 NOW £4


72736 PAINTING FLOWERS WITH IMPACT IN WATERCOLOUR by Julie Collins


Julie Collins has been rendering flowers in watercolour for over 30 years now and, as she says in her introduction, the more she does it the more exciting she finds the process of painting. With


watercolours, as opposed to oils and acrylics, she finds the process more risky and challenging, because although you can control things to a certain extent, in the end the painting will go its own way during the drying process and even with all her experience she never knows exactly how the painting will turn out. Here Julie shows us how she works, and how her apparently free-flowing “wet” style is in fact underpinned by an extremely disciplined and ordered approach. In the first two chapters, Materials and Colours, we get a complete run- down of what is needed, then moving on to Composition, The Flowers, Leaves and Stems, White Flowers, Detailed Work and Impressions she demonstrates how to paint beautiful, vibrantly coloured artworks by means of step-by-step projects and a stunning collection of finished paintings. She also demystifies some of the more advanced techniques, such as working on vellum and painting white flowers on a white background. Her enthusiastic love of colour and how it can be enhanced leaps from these pages and it is impossible not to be inspired by her love for her art. Colour throughout, and with many full-page reproductions of finished works, this is visual treat and indispensable guide rolled into one. 128pp softback, 8½”×11". £14.99 NOW £6.50


72787 SEW STEP BY STEP by Alison Smith


If you have muddled along for years creating wobbly seams and avoiding patterns with sleeves simply because they seem too much of a challenge, you can say goodbye to all that! This excellent guide to basic sewing is not only suitable for beginners but also good


for those who need to improve their skills. Equipment, fabrics, stitches and patterns are covered in detail here and the remaining two-thirds of the book addresses actual sewing techniques. Gathers, darts and pleats are fully demystified with step-by-step diagrams and practical information - for example, gathers need to be done with a long stitch and if the material is heavy, three rows of stitching are necessary to hold the folds in place. Hemming and edging techniques are followed by a section on fasteners including hook and eye and press stud, and here at last is all you need to know about sewing a zip that lies flat, whether the zip is concealed, open ended, lapped or centred. Pockets, sleeves, waistlines, collars and belts are explained, and the author digresses from dressmaking techniques to demonstrate curtain tie-backs, together with different ways of curtain pleating. 200 different techniques are covered in this invaluable book. 224pp, glossary, colour diagrams. £12.99 NOW £5


LESSONS FROM BARRINGTON BARBER


Practical and Inspirational Workbooks 72842 FUNDAMENTALS OF


DRAWING: With DVD Inspiring Projects by Barrington Barber According to the famous author, anyone with a little persistence and the desire can learn to draw well. This is the starting point for his practical and comprehensive course for students of all abilities. The methods used here have been utilised through the centuries


by art students and professional artists. Barber brings his considerable expertise as a working artist and teacher to the task of showing you how to create successful drawings. No matter what your level of expertise, you will find his clear approach encouraging and his way of teaching inspirational. Opportunities for improvement are offered across a wide spectrum of subjects: still life, plants, landscapes, animals, figure drawing and portraiture, and are supported by demonstrations of a broad range of skills and techniques including composition and perspective. The final page on Aids to Better Drawing offers seven tips that you will find invaluable, including the advice to revisit the exercises provided in the First Stages section whenever you are having problems, just as a concert pianist will revert to the basic practice techniques to make sure that he or she is properly limbered up. 208 pages 30cm x 22cm with free drawing masterclass DVD.


£14.99 NOW £8.50


72848 FUNDAMENTALS OF OIL PAINTING: A Complete Course in Techniques,


Subjects and Styles by Barrington Barber From investing in the right equipment and making those first marks on canvas, through developing the range of subject matter available to you, this book is the perfect guide to an


absorbing - and maybe remunerative - activity, and covers everything you need to know. Suitable for both beginners and intermediate artists, it gives step- by-step tuition together with beautiful examples. The author shows how, whether the subject is a still life, a landscape, a human portrait or a canvas full of moving figures, paintings can be broken down into simple steps. From understanding basic colour ranges and the uses of a variety of tools such as maulsticks and filbert brushes, to working in different mediums, such as impasto and glazes, you will soon be confident enough to experiment for yourself. We were particularly impressed by the ease with which the author described the process of painting that most difficult of subjects - a glass jug. 208 paperback pages 30cm x 21cm in super colour.


£12.99 NOW £6.50


72841 ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO DRAWING: A Practical


and Inspirational Workbook by Barrington Barber and Duncan Smith


Readers’ confidence in their own abilities as artists will be boosted with this splendid guide to simple, effective drawing techniques, which uses clear instructions, building from basic processes to


subjects requiring greater technical skill. Rather than copying every element of a subject, readers are encouraged to focus on expression and style to achieve ‘artistic truth’ and develop their own way of seeing subjects. There is, of course, practical advice on proportion, perspective, light sources, mark-making and much more. The book covers all traditional areas, such as still life, landscape, architecture, interiors, human and animal forms and portraiture, each collected into different sections for ease of access. 160 pages 28.5cm x 25.5cm with a practical, tough, ringbound cover and plastic dividers.


£12.99 NOW £7.50


72788 STITCH STEP BY STEP


by Maggi Gordon and Ellie Vance


Clothes, furnishings and accessories can all be transformed by creative embroidery, and in this attractively produced and user-friendly Dorling Kindersley book the authors demonstrate over 170 different


stitches and numerous projects to brighten your life. Introducing the projects with a stitch gallery followed by embroidery basics, the main part of the book offers designs using an impressive range of stitches from the whole gallery. Starting with surface embroidery using cross-stitch, leaf stitch and backstitch, together with whipping techniques to give texture, the authors go on to beading and needlepoint. Needlepoint is an ancient technique which is still popular for accessories such as spectacle cases and chair seats and there are some spectacular designs here, from the classic tulip motif to pretty cushion stitching and the gorgeous textures of star stitches. The fashion beadwork covered here introduces sequins and shisha mirrors. Smocking is a wonderful way of adding original features to dressmaking, and a section on openwork includes details to add finish such as buttonhole bars, eyelets, picot and threadwork. A final chapter gives examples of colourful and elegant Florentine designs such as the swirling pomegranate motif. Each stitch and design is fully illustrated with colour photos and step-by-step instructions. 224pp, glossary.


£12.99 NOW £5


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