History Parker Pen was founded in 1888 by George Safford Parker in the United States of America. Parker manufactures luxury writing pens. George Parker was not a novice to the writing equipment industry. He had previously worked for John Holland Gold Pen Company as a sales agent. In 1889 ParkerRead More →
Where it all started Tonka was founded in Mound, Minnesota, United States of America in 1946. Lynn Everett Baker, Avery Crounse, and Alvin Tesch created the company in an old schoolhouse. The Streater Company had previously made various toys including toy trucks. E.C Streater did not want to pursue theRead More →
Introduction The British Journal Photographic Almanac book was issued yearly. The book was first published in 1860 and continued until 1961. The books were published by Henry Greenwood and Company Limited, London. Why have an Almanac book on photography? There are two main reasons why a compilation would be requiredRead More →
Bob Guccione Penthouse Adult Magazines was founded by Robert Charles Joseph Edward Sabatini Guccione. Robert (better known as Bob Guccione) was an American photographer and publisher. He founded Penthouse in 1965 in the UK. The first magazine edition was sold in September 1969 in the US and UK. In theRead More →
Who is Bertie Bassett? Bertie Bassett was created by Stanley Back in 1926 (an ex ad man) for the company Bassett’s. The mascot was made out of liquorice allsorts a type of sweet the company made. George Bassett and Company was founded in Sheffield in 1842 and were a confectionaryRead More →
This year (2022) we celebrate the platinum jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. 70 years as Queen of the United Kingdom and the commonwealth countries. On 2nd June 1953 the coronation of Elizabeth II took place. At the age of 25 following her fathers death King George VI, Elizabeth was announcedRead More →
Introduction Paperweights have been used for decades. A decorative heavy object placed on top of important papers to stop them blowing away with a breeze. Glass paperweights were first produced around 1845 mainly in France. The period of this sought after item quickly declined. However in mid-twentieth century there wasRead More →
A Throw Away Society We live in a “throw away” society, where most of our household items are manufactured quite cheap. This means the retail price is a fraction of the average wage. Therefore when an item breaks it is easy and more cost affective to replace rather then repair.Read More →
Introduction Pirelli are an Italian company well known for manufacturing tyres. In 1964 Derek Forsyth, a British art director created the first Pirelli calendar. The annual calendar became known as the “Cal”. The production of these were limited to 20,000 calendars per year. They were not available for general saleRead More →
What are Ladybird books? Ladybird books are a publishing company based in London. They are part of the parent company Penguin Group, publishing children’s books. Ladybird books have been published for over 150 years. They were founded in Loughborough, Leicestershire by Henry Wills. Ladybird Books In Schools – Reading InRead More →