At its height British toymaking was a significant industry, with famous names such as Britains and Meccano known throughout the world. While in essence a specialised form of small-scale engineering, its products and market have always been unique, reflecting the current priorities of both parents and children. Yet, while individual toys and marques have been catalogued extensively, no previous history of toymaking as a whole exists. The British Toy Business provides a fascinating example of the development of a specific industry. Many early early toys were home-made. From the eighteenth century, with its growing recognition of children as something other than small adults, date the beginnings of specialised toys, usually produced by small workshops and sold by street-sellers. The nineteenth century, with its industrial growth and middle-class prosperity, saw an expansion of toymaking. The 1960s and 1970s were the most successful years of British toymaking, with companies like Lesney making record profits. Yet British toy makers failed to solve a number of fundamental problems. Following an unexpected sudden downturn in sales at a time of high interest rates, the major names in British toy making, Lesney, Airfix, Mettoy and Dunbee Combex Marx, all collapsed between 1979 and 1985, leaving the business to be dominated largely by importers.

An extensive and in-depth study of the non-military and civilian toy figures made by Britains, covering the early mechanical toys of the 1880s through to the final hollow cast toys from 1966. During the inter-war period, the British toy-buying public rejected war-like/military toys, providing Britains with the opportunity to introduce their Farm, Zoo and Circus lines -- all of which in some way reflected the social history of the time in the United Kingdom. Prolific in their output, Britains were quick to realise the potential of the huge U.S. market and exported vast numbers of toys via a number of importers in the eastern and mid-western states. Included are 970 colour photographs of toys including Miniature Garden, Civilian Vehicles, Boy Scouts, Girl Guides, Salvation Army and Cowboys and Indians, etc., along with British Royalty figures. Together with Football/Soccer and Famous Horse Racing Colors and their Jockeys, this book provides colourful insight into the hobby of collecting these hollow cast lead toys. A guide to current values is included in the captions.

A concise yet comprehensive record of products of the major manufacturers of British waterborne toy boats from 1920 onwards, featuring 564 detailed images, mainly in colour, plus a listing and description of all models made. Also includes a fascinating look at many of the smaller, lesser known manufacturers.

"A guide to the press of the United Kingdom and to the principal publications of Europe, Australia, the Far East, Gulf States, and the U.S.A.

An essential guide to planning, management and evaluation of early years activities, this full-color new edition provides detailed descriptions of the important materials, additional equipment and the role of the adults for a full range of activity types. Activities are provided for a range of ages, and the book provides a clear focus on good practice and systematic coverage of equal opportunities, safety and resources.

This edition of over 60 000 entries, including significantly more than 20% new or revised material, not only updates its predecessor but also continues the policy of extending coverage to areas dealt with only sparsely in previous editions. Special attention has been paid to the Far East, Australasia and Latin America in general, and to the People's Republic of China in particular. The cross-referencing between a defunct organization and its successor (indicated by ex and now) introduced into the last edition, has been extended. Otherwise the policies adopted in previous editions have been retained. All kinds of organizations are included - international, national, governmental, individual, large or small - but strictly local organizations have been omitted. The subject scope includes activities of all kinds, in the fields of commerce and industry, education, law, politics, public administration, religion, recreation, medicine, science and technology. The country of origin of a national organization is given in brackets, unless it is the home country of the title language or can be deduced readily from the title itself. Acronyms of parent bodies of subsidiary organizations are also added in brackets. Equivalences are used to link acronyms in different languages for the same organization. A select bibliography guides the reader to specialist works providing more detailed information.