Unique and nostalgic, this record explores the particularities of the Shell Guides and examines them in a cultural context. From their inception in the 1930s as UK county guides through their development in the 1970s as international travel guides, the Shell Guides moved away from an often elitist and ironic style to a more Modernist and serious approach. Including detailed accounts of post-World War II editors John Betjeman’s and John Piper’s writing, editing, and photography methods, this book will appeal to those interested in popular literature, design, and cultural history.

This comprehensive and versatile reference source will be a most important tool for anyone wishing to seek out information on virtually any aspect of British affairs, life and culture. The resources of a detailed bibliography, directory and journals listing are combined in this single volume, forming a unique guide to a multitude of diverse topics - British politics, government, society, literature, thought, arts, economics, history and geography. Academic subjects as taught in British colleges and universities are covered, with extensive reading lists of books and journals and sources of information for each discipline, making this an invaluable manual.

Investigating areas as diverse as travel literature, fiction, dialect, the stage, radio, television, feature film, music and sport, this book assesses the portrayal of the North of England within the national culture and how this has impacted upon attitudes to the region and its place within notions of Englishness. The relationship between these cultural forms and the construction of regional identity has received only limited consideration and this fascinating work provides not only much new information, but also a map for future writers. The North, although seen ultimately as other and the subject of much critical comment, is also shown here as capable of stimulating the creative imagination and invigorating English culture in sometimes surprising ways.

For more than 80 years The Shell Channel Pilot has been the ultimate authority on English Channel navigation and pilotage. Following the pioneering work of the legendary Adlard Coles, the book was passed to Captain John Coote RN in 1982. In his comparatively short, ten-year tenure, John Coote expanded the coverage from the English coast to include northern France. He also applied a characteristic humour to the shoreside aspect of the text which has been enthusiastically adopted by Tom Cunliffe, the present and third compiler of this unique work. Upgraded and updated regularly, this is the 8th edition published by Imray under Cunliffe¿s hand. `Shell¿ is more than a harbour guide. It also provides a reassuring hand on the shoulder for Channel navigation, with useful passage notes gleaned from the compiler¿s personal experience of more than 40 years running the tides and finding the eddies. His frank remarks regarding harbour and recreational facilities have long been relied upon by sailors of all generations and nationalities. While leading to some enlightening secrets, they have been known to cause landlords whose establishments fall short of the required standard to lose the will to live.Working with harbourmasters and a dedicated group of carefully selected yachtsmen and women, Cunliffe has kept this pilot as up to date as is humanly possible. More than being technically sound, which is to be expected from a Yachtmaster Examiner, the book is also a thoroughly enjoyable read.

Who among us hasn’t marveled at the diversity and beauty of shells? Or picked one up, held it to our ear, and then gazed in wonder at its shape and hue? Many a lifelong shell collector has cut teeth (and toes) on the beaches of the Jersey Shore, the Outer Banks, or the coasts of Sanibel Island. Some have even dived to the depths of the ocean. But most of us are not familiar with the biological origin of shells, their role in explaining evolutionary history, and the incredible variety of forms in which they come. Shells are the external skeletons of mollusks, an ancient and diverse phylum of invertebrates that are in the earliest fossil record of multicellular life over 500 million years ago. There are over 100,000 kinds of recorded mollusks, and some estimate that there are over amillion more that have yet to be discovered. Some breathe air, others live in fresh water, but most live in the ocean. They range in size from a grain of sand to a beach ball and in weight from a few grams to several hundred pounds. And in this lavishly illustrated volume, they finally get their full due. The Book of Shells offers a visually stunning and scientifically engaging guide to six hundred of the most intriguing mollusk shells, each chosen to convey the range of shapes and sizes that occur across a range of species. Each shell is reproduced here at its actual size, in full color, and is accompanied by an explanation of the shell’s range, distribution, abundance, habitat, and operculum—the piece that protects the mollusk when it’s in the shell. Brief scientific and historical accounts of each shell and related species include fun-filled facts and anecdotes that broaden its portrait. The Matchless Cone, for instance, or Conus cedonulli, was one of the rarest shells collected during the eighteenth century. So much so, in fact, that a specimen in 1796 was sold for more than six times as much as a painting by Vermeer at the same auction. But since the advent of scuba diving, this shell has become far more accessible to collectors—though not without certain risks. Some species of Conus produce venom that has caused more than thirty known human deaths. The Zebra Nerite, the Heart Cockle, the Indian Babylon, the Junonia, the Atlantic Thorny Oyster—shells from habitats spanning the poles and the tropics, from the highest mountains to the ocean’s deepest recesses, are all on display in this definitive work.

The Shell Guides to the counties of England were first published in the 1930s under the illustrious editorship of John Betjeman and later, the artist John Piper. Today, the various editions are collectors' items with rarer volumes selling for hundreds of pounds. But the series was never completed and is no longer in print. Now, the first in a new series, the Heritage Shell Guides, covers the cities, towns and villages of West Yorkshire - a part of the country never featured previously. With the same iconic mix of text and black and white photography, this is an enthusiasts' guide that celebrates well-known landmarks and hidden gems alike. Contemporary buildings appear alongside historic churches and period architecture; urban landscapes alongside rural vistas. In a new style departure, this also includes a colour plate section in addition to the 200-plus photographs throughout. A true celebration of local place and character, this is deserving of a place in every home, library and school.