Wonderful things - Rated 
This book brought a tear to my eye. It is a glorious celebration, in words and pictures, of the idea that there IS such a thing as society and that you are NOT a failure as a human being if you travel by bus. And so amusingly written. Everything's here, from churches to custard, from steam trains to Shell guides, from smoky old pubs to finger posts. If you know what I'm on about, get hold of a copy of this wonderful book and go all misty-eyed.
Today's bargain--NOSTALGIA--only 2s6d - Rated
Peter Ashley's book is a delightfully quirky look at an almost lost England. Quirky because this is a very personal and different view from most books about the subject. He has cleverly combined traditional things: a village and its church, the countryside, agriculture, the seaside with commercial things: the red phone box, local shops, railways, Southdown coaches and plenty of products like Golden Syrup, Coleman's Mustard, Oxo, Hovis, Craven A or Shredded Wheat.
The ten chapters explore all this with a words and lots of images. For example chapter seven: The Open Road has a page of six milestone photos, a lovely spread with twelve signposts from past decades, car company logos, photos of village garages, road maps from the thirties and more. Chapter nine: Shopkeepers' Shops has a rich selection of grocers, butchers, Post Offices, chemists and hardware shops all described and pictured.
The traditional is here, too. Chapter ten: Coloured Counties is a wrap-up of cottages, windmills, small villages nestling in woodland, rural lanes winding through the countryside and on pages 208 and 9 twelve photos of what could rightly be called traditional views of the landscape.
Chapter four: Guidebook England is an interesting look at the various books from the thirties onwards including the famous Batsford English Life series with their amazing colour covers. Petrol companies were strong promoters of books covering each county with Shell re-issuing and updating their well-known series.
I think this is a lovely book about England from the recent past (it's beautifully designed and printed also) and the bibliography mentions another title that covers the Nation with a fond look backwards: 'The English difference' by Paul Jennings and John Gorham. Well out of print now but copies are still available. Well worth searching out also are the Robert Opie scrapbooks to each of the past decades starting with the Victorian Scrapbook (The Robert Opie Collection).
***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.
A wonderful guide to the visual essence of England today - Rated
The most absorbing read I've had in years! You are drawn into the book immediately by a warm, conversational style commentary accompanied by incredibly evocative images. I had visions of Mr Ashley touring around sunny England in an old racing green Morgan, wearing a Hacket's 'St George's flag' jersey with rangefinder in hand. It's certainly inspired my own photographic trips to East Anglia. Would have liked some notes on the photo equipment used - perhaps on the next outing?
Treasure Found - Rated
Five stars plus! Truly a treasure found. My wife is not a lover of books, but in our 36 years, I have never previously seen her so avidly engrossed in a book. Superbly researched and superbly presented. This edition will run and run and run! Here's to the next volume!
A celebration of England past and thankfully still present - Rated
The Telegraph writer, A N Wilson, wrote the following: "I defy anyone born in England more than 40 years ago not to be enchanted by the Ashley book". However, I am in my thirties and I love this book, I think he could move the goal posts further apart! This would make a wonderful present for anyone who has an appreciation of things past and present in this green and pleasant land. A good present for someone whose circumstances has moved them abroad but whose heart is still in Blighty. Wonderful photos that feature such things as diverse as red post boxes, the rolling English countryside, old black and white road signs, Ladybird book covers (such as Shopping with Mother), stills from British movies, church spires, old travel posters... Lots of interesting snippets of information. It will make you think about what treasures this nation still has to offer, and will probably make you want to do join the National Trust or some other worthwhile charity that carries out preservation work! A great Christmas present solution.
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