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  THE BEST OF JUNE AND SCHOOLFRIEND ~ Schoolfriend was the biggest-selling girls' comic throughout the '50s, followed closely by the slightly more modern June , then publishers Fleetway combined the two in the 1960s, keeping the most popular features of each. And this book is a
wonderful collection of the best of those,
from the 1960s and 1970s. There are comedy capers with Bessie Bunter, the funniest girl in school; uplifiting tales of triumph over terrible adversity with The Girl with Big Feet ; the heart-wrenching ordeals of Emma in the Shade - the girl who is a nobody , and thrilling short stories such as Gwenda's Desperate Ride . All this, plus fashion, advice, competitions and charming pinups of beautifully groomed dogs, The Best of June and Schoolfriend is a wonderful oasis of innocence from times past. Schoolfriend
was always my favourite girls' comic - I read them all, you see! This collection is first-class, an eclectic mix of stories, cartoon strips and factual articles. A perfect piece of social history from the middle of the last century, a perfect gift for Mum for Christmas (or Dad, for that matter). Superb
 THE BEST OF GIRL ~ For a teenage girl growing up in 1950s' Britain, Girl was essential reading. Each week there'd be another gripping instalment of 'Susan of St Brides: Nurse of the Year'; advice column 'Mother Tells You How' would provide wise words on how to care for goldfish; 'Concerning You' would
reveal how to choose spectacles that suit
your face and the Girl picture gallery of lovely paintings to cut out and keep would feature pin-ups of the day such as Humphrey Littleton, Princess Margaret and various garden birds. The Best of Girl is a fascinating window on this hilariously wholesome bygone age of fine upstanding virtue for those too young to remember it, and a completely compulsive nostalgia trip for those who aren't. I didn't get to read GIRL when I was a lad, as my sister took Schoolfriend and Girls' Crystal. This is an enormous volume,
one for the coffee table. Another example of the great literature available to children in the 1950s, beautifully printed and another slice of social history. This, too, would make a great gift.
 THE OUTDOOR BOOK FOR ADVENTUROUS CHAPS ~ "The Outdoor Book for Adventurous Chaps" will remind older readers of their fondest childhood memories: days of building go-karts and tree-houses, mucking around on rope swings or in rock pools. It will re-awaken these half-forgotten activities and give
younger readers an exciting incentive to
get off their backsides and turn off the television and/or games console for a few hours of good old-fashioned entertainment, that will easily drift on into a whole day. With sections covering fieldcraft skills and activities for different types of environment - from countryside to beach - along with a range of cunning inventions every schoolboy should know, the book goes well beyond the typical scouting handbook or outdoor survival guide, introducing an extra element of magic and irreverence, as it explores
the fun side of the outdoors as well as the practical. Full of terrific practical advice for youngsters who prefer the outdoor life to lounging around watching TV or playing with computer games.
 AARRGGHH! IT'S WAR! ~ From the 1950s to the 1970s, Fleetway and its successor IPC was the world's biggest comic-book publisher and its line of digest-sized Picture Libraries was the jewel in their crown. The most popular and longest lasting titles were War , Battle , Air Ace and War at Sea which ran for
a combined total of over four and a half
thousand issues. This book collects together 400 of the finest War , Battle , Air Ace and War at Sea covers, digitally remastered from the original archived artwork in a lavish format with the finest quality reproduction. Simply put they've never looked so good. An utterly amazing collection of stupendous cover art from the War, Battle picture libraries - if you thought the interior artwork was spectacular, just wait till you see this collection of full-colour covers - absolutely breathtaking! My personal
favourites are the ones done by the great Alessandro Biffignandi
 EVERY BOY'S BOOK OF KNOWLEDGE ~ Knowledge is power. Whether it's round the water cooler or the Sunday evening pub quiz, a lull at a dinner party or the back of the school bus, we need to know if a sloth eats upside down, why onions make us
cry, or how to tie a sheepshank. Every Boy's Book of Knowledge is here to help you prepare for those awkward
moments when the golden wheat of facts needs to be separated from the chaff of stuff and nonsense. The nuggets of knowledge and wonderful illustrations selected for this book were originally found in a two-volume 1930s encyclopedia called Everybody's Enquire Within .They were the Google of their day. In fact, when Tim Berners-Lee was developing what became the Internet, he first called it Enquire, recalling nights as a child with his head lost in a dusty encyclopedia. Our interests may have changed and the world
may seem smaller, but the answers to all the pithy questions posed here (a few of which might be debatable seventy years on!) still have the power to fascinate readers young and old and fill them with the wonder of knowledge. Wow, this is simply amazing. Page after page of general knowledge from all walks of life - we still have similar volumes from the 1950s in our collection, and this one is a terrific shelf-mate for them. Utterly brilliant, every home should have one
 BATTLE PICTURE LIBRARY: DEATH OR GLORY ~ When it comes to telling stories about the Second World War few did it better than the authors of Battle Picture Library ! Here at last is the collection you've been waiting for, gathering together 12 of the toughest tales of war ever told. From the bomb-shattered
roads of Europe to the stifling jungles
of the Far East, below the crashing waves of the Atlantic or in the war-torn skies over England's green fields - these stories of courage and comradeship stirred the imaginations of generations of British children whose parents and grandparents struggled against the Axis powers bent on enslaving nations. The stories you'll find in this volume have an incredible range, from action with the Desert Rats to top-secret missions for Military Intelligence via the nightmare dreams of a Captain in the airborne division
and the heroic rise of Jack Charlton (not that Jack Charlton) to the head of Baker Company. It's not just rattling good history... it's explosive! Attracting some of the finest talent from across Europe, these visceral pocket novels are reproduced 25 per cent bigger than the originals so you can revel in every glorious detail. If you remember these books from your schooldays, get ready to relive the excitement. If you're new to them... have we got an experience for you!
 COMMANDOS: ANZACS AT WAR ~ No collection of Commando war stories, the very best in action and adventure, although born and bred in Britain, would be complete without plenty of issues resounding to phrases like 'cobber', 'drongo' or 'pom'. Yes, the Aussies and Kiwis are here, and they're about to put in
a two-fisted, explosive performance. You'd
expect no less from these larger-than-life characters that are guaranteed to bring out the best in any action-packed Commando yarn. For everyone whose comic-book battle lust has ever been stirred by Nazi cries of 'Auslander schweinhund!' or Japanese shrieks of 'Banzai!' Anzacs at War will transport them right back into fictional combat situations they'd forgotten were so entertaining, and a whole new generation can discover how Commando turns ordinary men into heroes. I am simply amazed by the quality of the
illustrations in this and the volume below. Page after page of perfect pictures to accompany some simply great stories about Aussies and New Zealanders, not just during WWII but going back into history before that. First class entertainment, absolutely terrific.
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 GIRL CHARM SCHOOL ~ 'Did you know that the way you treat your feet today could very easily have an effect on the sort of woman you will be in ten or fifteen years from now?' Throughout the 1950s, Girl picture-strips "Charm School" and "Concerning You" offered
firm guidance to young girls on how to make
the best of themselves. Strict footcare regimes, daily manicures, sensible shoe shopping ('if bewildered by a wide choice of styles, always choose the plainest'), and good grooming were all instilled into Girl readers beginning to take an interest in their appearance, before any bad habits had a chance to set in. And for the young woman with ambitions beyond the home, the paper ran a careers advice picture strip, 'I Want To Be...', which each week would feature a suitable calling such as nurse, nanny, typist,
receptionist, air hostess or riding teacher. This book gathers together the best of those strips for a complete tutorial in making the most of your skills and natural assets. For former Girl readers who didn't care for their feet perhaps this will be a painful reminder of where it all went wrong, but those who did can bask in the good sense offered by their favourite weekly paper all those years ago. And everybody else can enjoy the comedy. This book and the one below are classified as "comedy" by
the publisher; it's tempting to laugh at something that 1950s girls took very seriously indeed, but more than that, these two spectacular volumes represent examples of popular culture that's still a joy to read. I didn't laugh once, I have to say. I smiled occasionally, but having been brought up when these were being published in the original GIRL comics, I can only reminisce about the better behaviour of children in those days. Terrific gifts, not just for baby-boomers, but for anybody interested in the culture
of the 1950s.
 MOTHER TELLS YOU HOW ~ "Mother Tells You How" was one of "Girls" most popular and longest-running strips. Each week Mother would teach her exemplary-in-every-way daughter, Judy, one of life's essential skills, such as how to decorate biscuits, how to prepare a grapefruit or how to
do the washing up. Where "Girls"
more famous companion comic for boys, "Eagle", featured new inventions and clever conjuring tricks, "Girl" had Mother telling Judy how to make a shelf-tidy. "Eagle" subscribers read about shark fishing off the coast of Australia, while their sisters would turn to "Mother Tells You How" for wise words on how to care for goldfish. "Girl" readers weren't to have their little heads filled with science they didn't understand, conjuring tricks for show-offs and tales
of danger on the high seas. They were kept busy sorting out their small odds and ends into a shelf-tidy, and experimenting with unusual sandwiches. "Mother Tells You How" appears to be an over-the-top 50s spoof, but is in fact a wholly genuine period piece, and it's its authenticity that provides such high comedy in our very different times. Younger readers may scoff at the content but at the time it was published, young girls were a different species to what they are now, and would have found a
great deal of this advice and information invaluable. Me, I just find it delightful to look at and read.
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