Dress and Fashion on the Voyage

By Grace Evans
£20 hardback
ISBN 978-0-9539561-8-0
176 pages, 28 colour and 47 b/w illustrations.
Published Sep 2011

The maiden voyage of the Titanic in 1912 took place at a time when fashions were undergoing a major change on both sides of the Atlantic. The vessel carried hundreds of wealthy passengers in its First Class accommodation, and while they enjoyed the luxury state rooms, well-appointed lounges and restaurants, and gymnasium and baths, they were dressed in the latest styles by the most fashionable designers of the day. Indeed, a prominent fashion designer, Lucy, Lady Duff Gordon, was on board, as were some of her clients.
Grace Evans describes in detail the styles, fabrics and manufacture of Edwardian clothing as worn on the Titanic, from the finery of the first class, to the costumes of the second and third class passengers, men, women and children, and the vast army of crew and staff who looked after them. She explains how their clothes were made, bought, kept and cared for, and what was worn by whom, from corsets and peignoirs to top coats and furs. The major designers and their styles are discussed, and the way people of more modest means adapted or copied their styles.
Stories of selected individuals, from personal reminiscences or witness accounts, are woven lightly into the narrative, creating a realistic impression of what it felt like to be among the men and women who set sail on the newly built ship.

Review in Times Literary Supplement.

By David Phillips
£9.99 paperback
ISBN 978-0-9539561-9-7
144 pages, 28 B/W line drawings.
Published 2011

Who designed Blenheim Palace or provided the furniture for Queen Victoria’s country houses? When did billiard rooms become fashionable? Where can you see a Victorian fernery? How much did a footman earn? Find the answers to these questions and many more in this essential reference book for all lovers of country houses. Topics covered include architectural styles, construction techniques, architects and craftsmen, interior furnishings, gardens, leisure pursuits and much more besides.

A Study in Romantic Friendship

By Elizabeth Mavor
£12.99 paperback
ISBN 978-0-9539561-7-3
242 pages +xiv, 10 B/W plates
New edition. Published 2011

In 1778 two women ran away from their aristocratic homes in Ireland to make a new life together. Disowned by their families, they were soon in debt, but persevered towards their goal of living together in independence and seclusion. They settled in Llangollen, in Wales, and converted their cottage, Plas Newydd, into the Gothic residence of their dreams. They achieved celebrity status in Regency society, many of whose members visited the cottage to enjoy the Ladies company and wit and to admire their achievements and special domestic arrangements.

ELIZABETH MAVOR brings these two colourful characters vividly to life in this well researched and beautifully written account, examines the nature of their intimate relationship, the relevance or otherwise of the term ‘lesbian’, and the notion of ‘romantic friendship’ in the eighteenth century and later.

Music in the Life and Works of Jane Austen

By Patrick Piggott
£12.99 paperback
ISBN 978-0-9539561-6-6
196 pages, 12 B/W plates
Published 201

In the time of Jane Austen music was an essential part of a young lady’s education, and an important weapon in her sexual armoury. Jane Austen herself was not an outstanding performer, but she kept a handwritten music book, and the fact that she did play contributed something to her greatness as a novelist. Most of her female characters played or sang too, and Patrick Piggott shows us just how much the well-loved stories and scenes owe to music. In Emma an important part of the story hinges on the mischievous rumours and embarrassment that follow the anonymous gift of an expensive pianoforte. Evenings of musical entertainment, especially in the home, are used to draw characters and design encounters: in Pride and Prejudice Darcy and Elizabeth begin to understand and admit their mutual attraction while she takes her turn at the piano, and in Mansfield Park Mary Crawford uses her harp as a lure to fascinate Edward Bertram. Patrick Piggott begins with chapters on music in Jane Austen’s own life – what she played, what she listened to, what she liked, and on public music making in Regency England, especially in Bath. The author then turns to the novels, plunging himself completely into each musical scenario in a way that will delight Janeites of every stripe. The book finishes with chapters on the collections of Jane Austen’s music books.

In the hot seat at Millfield School

By Christopher Martin, with a preface by Estelle Morris
£14.99 hardback
ISBN 978-0-9539561-5-9
200 pages
Published 2010

Millfield School is the country’s largest co-educational boarding school. Christopher Martin was its head for almost a decade. As he describes his hectic daily round, we start to appreciate the sheer scale of the task: caring for 1,250 young people from fifty different countries dispersed over twentyeight boarding houses. Successes are many, and the reader will recognize household names among former pupils, especially sportsmen and women. There are darker stories too among the many young lives that the head had charge of. But throughout the triumphs, disasters and sheer exhaustion of his life as head, Christopher Martin’s enthusiasm and passion for education never deserted him.

“…essential reading for aspiring heads,” Times Educational Supplement

“…not only a valuable insight into life in an educational hot seat, but testament to the power of teachers to change lives,” Estelle Morris.

Postage is free in UK and worldwide (surface mail). Airmail costs an extra £3.

The Victorian diary of William Fletcher of Bridgnorth

By Jane Killick
£9.99 paperback
ISBN 978-0-9539561-4-2
160 pages, 15 B/W illustrations
Published 2009

This recently discovered diary of a young banker from Bridgnorth covers the years 1857-60, and provides an unusual insight into the life of a Victorian town, and into the heart of a young man of the time. It includes his love-letters, the coming of the Severn Valley railway, and the ups and downs of Victorian health care. An introduction sets the scene, and the conclusion traces the subsequent fate of William Fletcher and his friends and family.

Fashion and needlework in the works of Jane Austen

By Penelope Byrde
£9.99 paperback
ISBN 978-0-9539561-3-5
128 pages, 36 colour plates
Published 2008

Jane Austen loved clothes, and followed fashion with enthusiasm. She was also an expert needlewoman. Her novels use the clothes people wore and their attitudes to dress to convey their characters. Her lively letters, extensively quoted, are full of shopping trips and visits to dressmakers. Penelope Byrde, an expert in the costume of the time, explains all, from corsets to topcoats: how clothes were made and bought, what they cost, and what was worn when and by whom.

Out of print.

Investigating Coastal Exploitation in Bronze Age Qatar

Robert Carter & Robert Killick (eds.)
£12.99 e-book
ISBN 978-0-9539561-2-8
80 pages, 32 colour plates.
Published 2010

Report on archaeological investigations at Al-Khor Island, Qatar. Chapter headings are: Introduction; Survey & Excavation; The Pottery of Al-Khor Island; Discussion and Conclusions. There is also an illustrated catalogue of the archaeological features. Excavated remains dated to the Bronze Age, and Sasanian and Islamic periods.

Please note that this is an e-book available as a PDF download. You are purchasing a single-user license and it is a breach of copyright to distribute the book to others.

Saar Excavation Report Vol 1

Harriet Crawford, Robert Killick and Jane Moon (eds.)
£35 hardback
ISBN 0-7103-0487-0
116 pages, 211 illustrations, including many in colour.

Four thousand years ago the land of Dilmun (ancient Bahrain) lay at the crossroads between the civilized world and the mysterious East. Its merchants prospered greatly from a lucrative trade in copper and luxury goods. In this volume, the structure and contents of the temple at the Dilmun settlement of Saar are presented in detail. An introduction places the Saar site in its historical and geographical context, and there are chapters on the architecture, the finds in the temple including seals and pottery, the dating of the temple, and on Dilmun society and the evidence for cultic practices.

Temporarily out of stock.

Art and Commerce in Bronze Age Bahrain

Saar Excavation Report Vol 2
by Harriet Crawford
£35 hardback
ISBN 0-9539561-0-5
109 pages, many colour illustrations
Published 2001

The excavations at Saar produced the largest single corpus of Bronze Age seals and sealings found in Bahrain, the centre of the Dilmun civilization (2000 BC). This material forms a unique record of the art of the period, and provides valuable information about the commercial activities of the inhabitants of Saar. An introductory text describes the study of seals and sealings. The accompanying catalogue contains details of over two hundred seals and sealings, and is lavishly illustrated with colour photographs.