The Brunels Father & Son

The Brunels: Father & Son written by Anthony Burton and published by

Pen & Sword Books - £25 - Hardback - Pages 232

Isambard Kingdom Brunel has always been regarded as one of Britain’s great heroes

and an engineering genius. His father Marc Brunel has not received the same degree

of adulation, but this book will show just how important a part Marc played in his son’s

works and will also look at his own great achievements. Marc Brunel arrived in Britain

as a refugee from revolutionary France, after a short time working in America. He was

a pioneer of mass production technology when he invented machines for making blocks

for sailing ships. He had other inventions to his name, but his greatest achievement was

in constructing the very first tunnel under the Thames. Isambard spent his early years

working for and with his father, who not only encouraged him but throughout his career,

he was also able to offer practical help. The famous viaduct that carried the Great

Western Railway over the Thames at Maidenhead, for example, was based on an earlier

design of Marc’s. Isambard’s greatest achievements were in revolutionising the shipping

industry, where he was able to draw on his father’s experience when he served n the

navy. The book not only looks at the successes of two great engineers but also their

failures. Primarily, however, it is a celebration of two extraordinary men and their amazing

achievements.

I remember reading last year in a book about the work and accomplishments of Isambard’s father Marc and thinking this fella seems interesting, I should read more about him. Then with life, I ended up forgetting and never got around to it until I got the chance to review this book of man and boy. Both were clearly intelligent men with minds needing to let that intelligence and skill out into the open. These two men are known for some of the world's important constructions or inventions from building the first tunnel under the Thames, a number of bridges, and technological advances in construction and were heavily influential in the development in the railways. This of course was during a period of the industrial revolution when Britain was concentrating on advancement in industry and society.

This was a fascinating read in which we learned how a family worked its way up from adversity to become people of influence and industrial leaders, and how Isambard was a real chip off the old block. The book was an interesting read and I would fully recommend it to others if you’re interested in the industrial world and how it came about in Britain.

Diary of a Wartime Naval Constructor

Diary of a Wartime Naval Constructor written by Sir Stanley Goodall published

by Seaforth Publishing - £25 - Hardback - Pages 272

One of the most significant warship designers of the twentieth century, Sir Stanley

Goodall rose through the ranks of the Royal Corps of Naval Constructors to

become its head in 1936. The Corps was responsible for every aspect of the design

and construction of British warships, and its head, the Director of Naval Construction,

was the principal technical advisor to the Board of Admiralty. Although Goodall was

succeeded in this post in January 1944, he remained the Assistant Controller Warship

Production until October 1945 so was probably the single most influential figure in

British naval technical matters during the war years.

His private diary was never intended for publication – indeed it seems to have been a vehicle for venting some of his professional frustrations – so his opinions are candid and unrestrained. His criticisms of many in the Admiralty and the shipyards are enlightening, and taken as a whole the diary provides new and unique insights into a wartime construction programme that built nearly a thousand major warships and a myriad of landing craft and coastal forces.

Dr Ian Buxton, a well-known authority on British shipbuilding, has edited the entries covering Goodall’s war years, identifying the various personalities and ships referred to (sometimes cryptically), while setting out the context in a number of introductory essays. As an insider’s view of a complex process, this book offers every warship enthusiast much new material and a novel perspective on an apparently familiar subject.

This I have to say was a very interesting read about an aspect of working during the war we hear very little about. Written in a diary format which I think wasn’t written to be published has allowed the writer the chance, to be honest, and say it as he saw things. What we want from a diary is for the person to be honest as this gives the truth about how that person feels and some of the real pressure being felt in certain circumstances. It seems that there are a lot of frustrations trying to run, organise and make everything technical that needs doing, gets done exactly. A number of people, organisations and businesses come in for criticism, which in most cases is quite justified, the pressure of having to achieve certain things and targets seemed enormous. Now I really like diaries so I found this a cracking read, some might find this a little dry but if you want an all-round picture of how parts of a war are run, you’ll enjoy this book. I would happily recommend this book.

Style From the Nile Egyptomania in Fashion

Style From the Nile Egyptomania in Fashion written by Isabella Campagnol

and published by Pen & Sword Books - £25.00 - Hardback - Pages 248

In November 1922, the combined efforts of Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon

revealed to the world the 'wonderful things' buried in Tutankhamen’s tomb, Egypt

had already been a source for new trends in fashion for quite some time: in the

early 19th century, for example, Napoleon’s Egyptian campaign contributed to

the popularization of Kashmir shawls, while the inauguration of the Suez Canal

in 1869 stimulated 'Egyptianizing' trends in gowns, jewellery and textiles.

Post-1922, a veritable Egyptomania craze invested all artistic fields, quickly becoming a dominant Art Deco motif: “flapper-style” dresses were elaborately embroidered with beaded “Egyptian” patterns, evening bags were decorated with hieroglyphics, brooches nonchalantly sported ancient scarabs, and the sleek black bobs favoured by the admired icons of the time, Louise Brooks and Clara Bow, looked up to the fabled Egyptian beauty of Nefertiti and Cleopatra.

Egyptomania often resurfaces in 21st-century fashion as well: the awe-inspiring John Galliano’s designs for Dior Spring-Summer 2004 brought back pharaonic crowns in lieu of headdresses in a triumph of gold-encrusted creations, the ancient practice of mummification was referenced by Iris van Herpen’s Fall 2009 collection and Egyptian vibes resonated in Chanel's Métiers d’Art 2018/2019 collection.

Through the combination of rigorous fashion history research, intriguing images and well-informed, but approachable, writing, Style from the Nile offers a comprehensive overview of a fascinating phenomenon that, to this day, continues to have a mesmerizing appeal.

I must apologise because I don’t remember offering to review this book, I must have pressed the wrong button or something. But despite that, I thought it was something different for me so I read it, and what a surprising and very good read it was. The book basically shows how the Egyptian world, culture and fashion has influenced lots of this through time but especially fashion. I’ve always seen Egyptian fashion as very classical and when you look back through fashion you can see the various elements that come through or that are still influencing fashion today, primarily with the influence of Cleopatra. But it’s been very clever to read how it has come up through all these centuries, and in my opinion, it really showed out well in the 1920s to 30s.

I actually found his book very fascinating and I’ve learnt a lot from it. The research and effort that has gone into the writing and knowledge is impressive and really comes out in the text. The author Campagnol has done a great job. The book is also supported by some great photography and pictures. An excellent book, ideal for anyone interested in this part of the fashion world whether you are a beginner or an expert in the fashion world.

Traditional Dyeing

Traditional Dyeing written by Lynn Huggins-Cooper and published

by Pen & Sword Books - £12.99 - Softcover - Pages 176

This book offers a whistle-stop guide to the history of dyeing. The story begins in

prehistory when people discovered and used the glory of colours created by earth

pigments, plants and more. We move through history from the medieval dye gardens

to the horrors of chemical dyes from the Victorian era that damaged watercourses,

created pollution and caused terrible sickness and untold deaths. Today, along with

safe commercial dyes, modern ‘cottage industries’ are once more the leaders in the

innovative use of dye plants.

The second part of the book brings us up to date, via interviews with modern-day artisans. These dye workers generously allowed the author access to their studios and creative lives and discussed the way they use and adapt traditional methods, techniques and tools for the twenty-first century. Photos of their craft offer a unique window into the world of dyes.

Finally, if you are inspired to try your hand at this fascinating craft, the book has a section that explains simple eco-dyeing and planning your own dye garden. It also has a resources section containing a valuable list of suppliers of plants, seeds, dyes, tools and materials, as well as information about training courses, useful websites and more – everything you need to get started!

I would like to say a thank you to Pen & Sword Books for allowing me to review this book, or should I say mostly my wife who works as a freelance crafter in many skills. She has been looking at getting into producing wools and spinning etc, so this has come along at a timely period for her. These are mostly her opinions with mine thrown in too, the book is excellent in that it comes across as very clear, concise and very informative. The book goes through the history of traditional dyeing such as medieval, Georgian, Victorian and modern, this historical knowledge was great as it gives you the background to the craft and this really encourages to learn more and more. My wife really liked the info from the artisan crafters and the links are going to help her pursue this craft much further. A really good and informative book for anyone wanting to get into this craft as a business or for pleasure, I’m now having to do more planting now.

D-Day, Arnhem & The Rhine

D-Day, Arnhem & The Rhine written by Robert F. Ashby and published

by Pen & Sword Books - £20 - Hardback - Pages 176

Foot soldiers, commandos, parachutists, naval seamen, bomber and fighter pilots –

their varied personal experiences of the Second World War have been widely recounted,

and the parts they played in the conflict are well known. But there are specialized wartime

roles that have received very little attention, notably the gallant actions of the men of the

Glider Pilot Regiment. That is why Robert Ashby’s rare and vivid pilot’s memoir is so

valuable. In it he offers a fascinating insight not only into the major operations he took

part in – including D-Day, Arnhem and the Rhine crossing – but into the exacting flying

skills required to carry out perilous glider landings on enemy territory while under fire.

His account of his hair-raising training, together with his pen-portraits of his comrades and officers, takes the reader inside the world of a ‘citizen soldier’. The glider landings at Arnhem and the intense fighting that followed are the climax of his narrative, offering us a remarkable insight into one of the most controversial Allied disasters of the entire war.

This book is about the life of Robert Ashby, a pilot who was involved in Operation Market Garden and the Operation on D-day in Normandy, what makes a difference to these is that they are the personal papers and writings of this airman. Ashby was lucky in that due to the mess of Market Garden, he wasn’t captured in Arnhem and managed to make it back to Britain. His thoughts on this particular part of his life are interesting in that we know how hard it was to take the bridges in Arnhem and many were under threat from the Germans. But this shows the importance of personal papers from individuals such as Robert Ashby.

This 177-page book was an interesting book and one you don’t really hear much about in his role as a glider pilot, but a quite interesting read. I would recommend this book as you don’t often get books about this role in the war.

Ethel Gordon Fenwick

Ethel Gordon Fenwick written by Jenny Main and published by

Pen & Sword Books - £22 - Hardback - Pages 200

A great nursing reformer, Ethel Gordon Fenwick was born before the age of the motor

car and died at the start of the jet age. When she began her career, nursing was a vocation,

unregulated with a dangerous variety of standards and inefficiencies. A gifted nurse, Ethel

worked alongside great medical men of the day and, aged 24, she became the youngest

matron of St Bartholomew’s hospital London, where she instigated many improvements.

At that time, anyone could be called a nurse, regardless of ability. Ethel recognised that

for the safety of patients, and of nurses, there must be an accepted standard of training,

with proof of qualification provided by a professional register.

Often contentious, Ethel was a determined woman. She fought for nearly thirty years to achieve a register to ensure nurses were qualified, respected professionals. A suffragist and journalist, she travelled to America where she met like-minded nursing colleagues. As well as helping to create the International Council of Nurses, and the Royal British Nurses Association, she was also instrumental in organising nurses and supplies during the Graeco-Turkish War, and was awarded several medals for this work. Thanks to her long campaign for registration, a year after her death nurses were ready to take their place alongside other professionals when the National Health Service began in 1948.

A lovely little book about a nursing pioneer and forerunner of high stands and hard work. Ethel would see her nursing profession as almost on a par with the doctoral profession, she saw training, standards, nursing care and professionalism as the essential ingredients to lifting the whole nursing to the high standard it needed to be. This book is written with a lot of facts and evidence which shows there has been a lot of research put into the book and it’s very well written. It would be good to see this book get more notice so that the likes of Ethel Gordon Fenwick are not forgotten but given the respect and recognition she deserves.

How Britain Shaped the Manufacturing World

How Britain Shaped the Manufacturing World written by

Phillip Hamlyn Williams published by Pen & Sword Books - £25 - Hardback -

Pages 256

The peoples of the British Isles gave to the world the foundations on which modern

manufacturing economies are built. This is quite an assertion, but history shows

that, in the late eighteenth century, a remarkable combination of factors and

circumstances combined to give birth to Britain as the first manufacturing nation.

Further factors allowed it to remain top manufacturing dog well into the twentieth

century whilst other countries were busy playing catch up. Through two world

wars and the surrounding years, British manufacturing remained strong, albeit

whilst ceding the lead to the United States.

This book seeks to tell the remarkable story of British manufacturing, using the Great Exhibition of 1851 as a prism. Prince Albert and Sir Henry Cole had conceived an idea of bringing together exhibits from manufacturers across the world to show to its many millions of visitors the pre-eminence of the British. 1851 was not the start, but rather a pause for a bask in glory.

This book traces back from the exhibits in Hyde Park’s Crystal Palace to identify the factors that gave rise to this pre-eminence, then follows developments up until the Festival of Britain exactly one century later. Steam power and communication by electric telegraph, both British inventions, predated the Exhibition. After it came the sewing machine and bicycle, motor car and aeroplane, but also electrical power, radio and the chemical and pharmaceutical industries where Britain played a leading part.

What a really fascinating book that looks at the manufacturing world from the 1850’s through to the 1950’s. Piggybacking on the industrial revolution that saw Britain expand and grow greatly, saw the expansion of the manufacturing industries such as Coal, Metals, Textiles, Glass, Electrical and so on. It was really interesting and reading about some big companies and industries and how they started, some are now long gone but some are still around today. 

This book begins from the Great Exhibition at Crystal Palace and continues for the next 100 years and covers the inter-war years too. There were some nice photographs to accompany the text which I probably would have liked to have seen more of. But overall, this has been an interesting read and I would recommend it to others if you enjoy this period of history.