Latest Products

Wotton-under-Edge Through Time - A fascinating collection of old and new photographs of this beautiful market town - Signed

Wotton-under-Edge, standing at the foot of the Cotswolds and tracing its roots back to Saxon times, has seen much change over the last 150 years. The industrial revolution, and the transformation of the transport industry, has greatly affected both the architecture and everyday practices of the town.

What to expect from 'Wotton-under-Edge Through Time'

Some of these changes have been small and gradual, some monumental. Once-empty streets are now cluttered with parked cars, new housing estates have spread outwards and the old woollen mills have found new life for a variety of businesses.

This book will take readers on a photographic guided tour of Wotton-under-Edge, past and present, and highlights some of the startling changes and similarities within this charming town.

'Wotton-under-Edge Through Time' in detail

Author: John Christopher (signed)
Publisher: Amberley Publishing 2011
ISBN: 9781848689640
Format: Softback 96 pages
Size: 234 x 165 mm
Condition: New

Part of the Droids Books Collection

Bradshaw on Brunel’s Railways - The Minor Lines (Signed copy)

In addition to his high-profile railway lines, Isambard Kingdom Brunel was engineer to a number of minor and branch lines including those from Slough to Windsor, Didcot to Oxford and from there via the Oxford, Worcester & Wolverhampton Railway - the OWW which was generally known as the 'Old Worse & Worse' - across to Moreton, Evesham, Pershore and up through Worcester to Wolverhampton, the Gloucester to Cheltenham line, as well as the railways to Ross and Hereford, plus additional lines in Wiltshire, Somerset and South Wales.

What's inside this guide 'Bradshaw on Brunel’s Railways - The Minor Lines'

'Seldom has the gigantic intellect of man been employed upon a work of greater utility.' Punch, in praise of Bradshaw's guide which was published in 1863, very shortly after these lines had been completed

It gives the reader a unique insight into the world of the Victorian railways and goes beyond the engineering aspects to record the sights to be seen in the towns and cities encountered along the way.

Brunel expert John Christopher presents Bradshaw's original text accompanied by contemporary images and many new colour photographs of the same journey today.

This is the third volume in this Bradshaw’s Guides series. Also available here are 'Bradshaw on Brunel’s Railways - Paddington to Penzance' and 'Bradshaw on Brunel’s Railways - Swindon to South Wales'.

'Bradshaw's Guide: Brunel’s Railways - The Minor Lines' in detail

Author: John Christopher (signed)
Publisher: Amberley Publishing 2014
ISBN: 9781445621784
Format: Softback, 96 pages
Size: 234 x 165 mm
Condition: New

Part of the Droids Books Collection

The London Of Sherlock Holmes - Signed copy

"Look out of this window, Watson. See how the figures loom up, are dimly seen, and then blend once more into the cloud-bank. The thief or murderer could roam London on such a day as the tiger does the jungle, unseen until he pounces…"

What's inside 'The London Of Sherlock Holmes'

Arthur Conan Doyle penned 56 short stories and four novels featuring the detective and his faithful assistant, Dr Watson, mostly set in and around London. From 1887 until 1927, each new story captivated readers. Within the stories, over 250 London landmarks and streets are mentioned and John Christopher has brought together archived and more recent images of the most famous of Holmes's London haunts.

Discovering the London of Sherlock Holmes gives the reader an insight into the London of the master detective, with guides to the locations which feature in the stories.

From Scotland Yard to Paddington Station, from Victoria to the Embankment, from the Houses of Parliament to Holmes' own residence in 221B Baker Street, this illustrated guide brings Holmes into the modern day and makes it easy for the fan to guide themselves around the venues from the stories.

'The London Of Sherlock Holmes' in detail

Author: John Christopher (signed)
Publisher: Amberley Publishing 2012
ISBN: 9781445603544
Format: Softback, 96 pages
Size: 234 x 165 mm
Condition: New

Part of the Droids Books Collection

The Lost Works of Isambard Kingdom Brunel - Signed copy

IKB is rightly famous for the great engineering wonders that have survived - from the SS Great Britain to the delights of Paddington and Temple Meads stations - but it may be surprising to learn that much of what he designed has been destroyed or lost.

What to expect from the 'The Lost Works of Isambard Kingdom Brunel'

From the ships, the Great Western and Great Eastern, to the majestic water towers of Crystal Palace, the Hungerford Bridge over the Thames to the South Devon atmospheric railway, many of Brunel's achievements have been lost to rebuilding, fire, neglect and scrapping.

John Christopher, acknowledged Brunel expert and the author takes us on a tour of the lost works of Brunel. By tracing what remains or by telling the story of the treasures lost to us, he demonstrates just why Brunel can truly be crowned as Britain's most famous engineer.

'Land Rover Series I, II, III & Defender' in detail

Author: John Christopher (signed)
Publisher: Amberley Publishing 2011
ISBN: 9781445600901
Format: Softback, 128 pages
Size: 235 x 165 mm
Condition: New

Part of the Droids Books Collection

Kings Cross Station Through Time - Signed

King's Cross station, the terminus of the Great Northern Railway, opened in 1852. Designed by Lewis Cubitt, it replaced a temporary station at Maiden Lane and quickly established itself as the London terminus of what became known as the East Coast Main Line to Edinburgh.

The story 'King's Cross Station Through Time' is telling

Every weekday from 1862 onwards, the Flying Scotsman left King's Cross 10.00 a.m. for the north, initially taking over ten hours to complete the journey.

Some of Britain's most famous locomotives, from the Ivatt Atlantics to the A3 and A4 Pacifics, Deltics and HSTs, have sped north from King's Cross.

The underground station below the main line station encompasses six lines and was the scene of the disastrous King's Cross fire in 1987, following which it was rebuilt.

King's Cross has been redeveloped many times over the years, and the 9 3/4 fictional platform was made famous in the Harry Potter novels. Recent construction work has seen the refurbishment of the station itself and a major redevelopment of the surrounding area.

Other London railway stations in this 'Through Time' series include Paddington Station, Victoria Station, Waterloo Station and Euston Station.

'King's Cross Station Through Time' in detail

Author: John Christopher (signed)
Publisher: Amberley Publishing 2012
ISBN: 9781445605302
Format: Softback 96 pages
Size: 235 x 165 mm
Condition: New

Part of the Droids Books Collection

Isambard Kingdom Brunel Through Time - Signed

IKB was Britain's greatest engineer. He was the man who built everything on a huge scale including Britain's biggest ship, some spectacular bridges, a tunnel under the Thames and the magnificent Great Western Railway from London to Bristol.

What's inside 'Isambard Kingdom Brunel Through Time'

Brunel left an unsurpassed legacy of industrial architecture and design, from the vaulted roof of Paddington station to the iron-hulled SS Great Britain, from the Clifton Suspension Bridge to the Tamar Bridge (which bears his name on its approaches).

His life was one of superlatives; bigger, wider, taller and faster. As the historian Dan Cruikshank put it, Brunel was quite simply 'a one-man Industrial Revolution'.

Here, John Christopher tells the story of the man and his tunnels, bridges, railways, ships and buildings, with many new illustrations accompanying the old, showing the changes time has made to Brunel's greatest legacy - the things he designed and built that we still take for granted and use every day, over a century and a half since his death.

Isambard Kingdom Brunel Through Time - the details

Author: John Christopher (signed)
Publisher: Amberley Publishing 2010
ISBN: 9781848689633
Format: Softback 96 pages
Size: 235 x 165 mm
Condition: New

Part of the Droids Books Collection

Brunel in London - Signed

Brunel and London might not seem an obvious association, but John Christopher puts the case that it was London, not Bristol, that was the most important centre of Brunel's activities.

Making the case for Brunel in London

It was here that he lived, worked and died. London is dotted with examples of his works, some obvious and some less so, from the subaquatic Thames Tunnel between Wapping to Rotherhithe where he cut his engineering teeth and was almost killed in a sudden deluge, to the Hungerford suspension bridge between Charing Cross and the South Bank - mostly forgotten but parts of it still exist - the two stations at Paddington serving the Great Western Railway main line running to the west and, of course, his final steamship, the vast Great Eastern built at Millwall, which marked the end of his career and his life.

Less familiar are Brunel's connections with the Crystal Palace, designed by Joseph Paxton for the Great Exhibition of 1851, and the two towers he built when it was relocated to Sydenham in south London.

John Christopher, an acknowledged expert on Brunel, takes us on a tour of London, examining the relationship between city and engineer.

This is one in a series of books about rediscovering Brunel’s works in your area. See also Brunel in Gloucestershire, Brunel in Cornwall, and Brunel in Bristol.

Brunel in London - the details

Author: John Christopher (signed)
Publisher: Amberley Publishing 2014
ISBN: 9781445618555
Format: Softback 96 pages
Size: 235 x 165 mm
Condition: New

Part of the Droids Books Collection

Brunel in Cornwall - Signed

John Christopher, an acknowledged expert on Isambard Kingdom Brunel, takes us on a tour of Cornwall which marks the extreme south-western extent of Brunel’s kingdom.

What to expect from 'Brunel in Cornwall'

Cornwall is surprisingly rich in Brunel's works. The Royal Albert Bridge, which crosses the River Tamar, connected the broad gauge network with the Cornwall and West Cornwall railways – both engineered by Brunel – to take the trains coming from Paddington all the way to Penzance via a series of over sixty spectacular timber viaducts.

The original viaducts have gone now, either modified or replaced over the years, but in many cases the masonry piers remain like rows of monolithic sentinels. As a result there is much to reward the Brunel hunter, including the branch line south to Falmouth plus many surviving examples of his railway stations. There are other connections, literally.

His Great Eastern steamship was the first vessel to successfully lay a telegraphic cable to connect Europe and the USA – a story told at the historic Porthcurno Telegraph Museum near Land’s End.

This is one in a series of books about rediscovering Brunel’s works in your area. See also Brunel in London, Brunel in Gloucestershire, and Brunel in Bristol.

Brunel in Cornwall - the details

Author: John Christopher (signed)
Publisher: Amberley Publishing 2014
ISBN: 9781445618593
Format: Softback 96 pages
Size: 235 x 165 mm
Condition: New

Part of the Droids Books Collection