Toy Forts & Castles has been praised by James Opie as what we all need and by Norman Joplin as a major breakthrough. It will be useful to collectors, dealers and museum persons, but above all, with its splendid colour photographs, it is a book to enjoy. - R.T.S.

Autorentext

Allen Hickling has been collecting toy forts and castles for thirty years. He has assembled one of the largest collections in the world, part of which is in a museum in Cyprus.

Klappentext

Contained within this authoritative text is the exciting history of the manufacture of toy forts and castles in western Europe throughout the turbulent nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Lavishly illustrated with nearly 800 images, this book provides detailed information on who made these castles, palaces, and fortresses, when, where, and how, and with what materials. The author focuses especially on manufacturers in Germany and Great Britain, but covers Denmark, Belgium, and France as welland describes the fascinating story of the industrys rise and demise. Company histories show how these manufacturers, often successive generations of families, dealt with the enormous economic and political obstacles of the times. Organized spreadsheets with serial numbers, dates, dimensions, and distinctive features of products will satisfy the curiosities of toy collectors, museum curators, archivists, antique dealers, architectural history buffs, and more.