This account of monetary regimes since 1900 shows how the role of policy has changed, and how this has related to experience of inflation and the real economy, as well as to changes in political philosophies. The narrative concentrates on developments in America, Europe and Japan from the era of the classical gold standard, via the era of policy intervention and reduced faith in the market to the present "neo-liberal" regimes. It is argued that no school of macroeconomics is right for all time; different theoretical models may be appropriate.

This colourful history covers the SS United States' active service from 1952 to 1969 when she dominated the seas of Atlantic, sweeping all rivals before her. The astonishing operational capacity of this national icon of the United States, with her red, white and blue funnels, sleek streamlined hull and silver coated fittings, was shrouded in secrecy in case she was ever required to be converted to a troop carrier. Andrew Britton presents a revealing insight into the record-breaking liner, how she performed in the secret sea trials and her epic maiden voyage. Compiled from a wealth of previously unpublished material, drawn from the author's own unparalleled collection and others from around the world, this special commemorative book is packed with historical colour photography from both sides of the Atlantic, including the maiden voyage departure from New York. This evocative book will be a must for all shipping enthusiasts and is sure to enhance the fine reputation of the preserved SS United States for future generations.

New York Harbor: where the grandest, fastest and most celebrated luxury liners gather and have gathered since the nineteenth century. With Luxury Liner Row, and being one of the largest natural harbours in the world, this is certainly a special place for all those that consider themselves shipping enthusiasts, or even for those that just enjoy the finer things in life. Here Andrew Britton uses his unrivalled collection of ephemera, photographs and illustrations to present New York Harbor as it has never been seen before. See into a bygone age when this was the busiest ocean liner port in the world and Manhattan saw the arrival of such greats as Olympic, Ile de France, Liberte and the Cunard Queens.

In the post-war era, TS Bremen was one of the most popular liners operating across the Atlantic - but she had a remarkable wartime history. Built for the French as the SS Pasteur, in 1940 she made a dramatic escape in the face of invasion, carrying 200 tons of French gold bullion reserves to Halifax, Nova Scotia. Requisitioned by the British, she became a hospital troopship and played a major support role in the Battle of El Alamein. Indeed, Charles de Gaulle claimed that Pasteur's contribution 'significantly helped bring . . . Hitler to his ultimate end'. Her sale in 1956 to North German Lloyd Line as their final flagship - refitted and renamed Bremen - sparked protest in France, but Bremen sailed on unperturbed, now the pride of the German nation. Though she had been celebrated as one of the safest liners ever built, Filipinas Saudi 1, as she was then known, sank in 1980 in the Indian Ocean. It was a sad ending to a life filled with glamour, excitement and danger. Here Andrew Britton tells the story of this distinguished and much-loved vessel in intimate and colourful detail.

This long-awaited book tells the remarkable story of the second Mauretania (1938-65): her construction, her naming, her maiden voyage and her distinguished Second World War service, told through extracts from a rare diary of a soldier. Also recalled are two exciting escapes from torpedoing by German U-boats, and the tale of how this great liner was almost lost in a high-speed collision with the SS Ile de France, which could have resulted in catastrophic loss of life. Interviews with those who served on board, peppered with fascinating anecdotes, describe daily life on the ship, as well as the more unusual events such as royal visits. Recollections of the crew, from bell boy to captain, cover the famous Sunshine Caribbean cruises and an encounter with a hurricane in the North Atlantic, as well as her final voyage to the scrapyard. Andrew Britton's unique access to original artefacts from the Mauretania, including captains' logbooks, publicity material, menus, deck plans and much more, makes this a collection like no other. Coupled with lavish photography, including a wealth of previously unpublished colour images, the result is an evocative book that preserves the memory of this great Cunard liner for future generations.

This colourful history tells the story of Cunard's RMS Queen Mary, who along with her running mate Queen Elizabeth covered the transatlantic route from Southampton to New York via Cherbourg, the British answer to the German and French superliners. She was launched in May 1936 and immediately won the coveted Blue Riband, winning it again in 1938, before she served as a troopship in the war. She then carried on plying the Atlantic route with Queen Elizabeth until the jet age changed the world again and she was retired, now preserved as a floating museum and restaurant in Long Beach, California. Andrew Britton presents a wealth of unpublished photographic material and ephemera from his unparalleled collection to tell the story of this historic liner, including rare wartime views, shots of her 'grey ghost' paintwork, unique behind the scenes photographs, from the air shots, interior views and a wide selection of menus, log books, timetables, tickets and much more besides. Even including captain's invitations, this superlative book offers a captivating trip through the history of this great liner.

This history book tells the story of RMS Queen Elizabeth, the ship which, along with her running mate Queen Mary, successfully worked Cunard's transatlantic service for much of the twentieth century. She was launched in September 1938, the largest passenger liner built at the time and for many years after. Entering service as a troopship in the Second World War, she had a successful career before retiring in 1968, after which she was sold to a Hong Kong businessman with plans to convert her into a floating university. But it was not to be and she was capsized in a mysterious fire in the harbour in 1972, a bizarre and unbecoming end for one of Cunard's most faithful servants. Andrew Britton delves into his comprehensive maritime collection to present a wealth of unpublished photography and ephemera, aerial photography and even Queen Elizabeth's original purchase receipt, to cover every detail of this historic liner.

Southampton Docks is one of the most important maritime centres in the UK, and here Andrew Britton explores its rich history. From four-funnelled liners and flying boats to power stations and refineries, this volume depicts all that happened in the docks, the living heartbeat of the city. Herein see previously unpublished behind-the-scenes shots of the dock at work, of captain's logbooks and tickets - even some ships' menus; it all gives the true flavour of dock life. Using the original port map of Southampton and historic artefacts, the lives and times of Southampton Docks are brought to the fore. This edition is lavishly illustrated with rare and unseen images, providing a real treat for anyone interested in Southampton and its docks.

This book offers a comprehensive scholarly examination of Vincente Minnelli, one of American cinema's central filmmakers.Widely known for innovative films like ""Meet Me in St. Louis"", ""An American in Paris"", and ""The Band Wagon"", Vincente Minnelli also directed classic film comedies like ""Father of the Bride"" and ""Designing Woman"", and melodramas such as ""The Bad and the Beautiful"" and ""Some Came Running"". Though his work is beloved by filmmakers and audiences alike, Minnelli has nonetheless received very little critical attention in English. ""Vincente Minnelli: The Art of Entertainment"" remedies this imbalance, offering the first-ever comprehensive and scholarly examination of Minnelli's career within a variety of discourses and methods.Bringing together a number of previously uncollected and untranslated essays by some of the most important scholars and critics in North America, Australia, and Europe, ""Vincente Minnelli: The Art of Entertainment"" places Minnelli's cinema in its rightful position at the forefront of film history. In essays written over the last five decades, as well as a number of new essays commissioned especially for this volume, contributors consider Minnelli from a number of perspectives from auteurism to genre studies and psychoanalysis to close textual analysis.The volume is divided into four chronological sections, Minnelli in the 1960s: The Rise and Fall of an Auteur; The 1970s and 1980s: Genre, Psychoanalysis, and Close Readings; The 1990s: Matters of History, Culture, and Sexuality; and, Minnelli Today: The Return of the Artist. An introduction by Joe McElhaney addresses the history of the reception of Minnelli's films, situating this reception within larger questions of film theory, criticism, and aesthetics.Too often dismissed as little more than a stylist dependent on the resources of the studio system and the structures of genre, Vincente Minnelli deserves a second look from serious film scholars. ""Vincente Minnelli: The Art of Entertainment"" demonstrates the remarkable and sustained rigor of Minnelli's vision and will appeal to students and teachers of film studies as well as fans of Minnelli's work.

The disappearance of steam from Britain's main-line railways marked the end of an era of British rail travel. Here Andrew Britton remembers the last steam main line from London, linking Waterloo to Weymouth via Basingstoke, Winchester, Southampton and Bournemouth, from its post-war presence right to the end of steam travel in 1967. This informative guide details the route, complete with gradient profiles and maps, as well as exploring the rich history of the line and the many features of interest and beauty to be seen from the carriage window. Andrew Britton's nostalgic and personal take on this much loved line evokes the sights and sounds of the steam era: historic engines, the stations they visited and the folk who worked them are brought to life in vivid detail. Enhanced by previously unpublished illustrations, as well as unique artefacts from the author's unparalleled collection, this is an edition no railway enthusiast or heritage traveller should be without.

Of all the major Hollywood stars, Katharine Hepburn was the least conventional, conforming to none of the stereotypes of female superstardom. She was not an exotic outsider in Hollywood like Greta Garbo or Marlene Dietrich; nor was she a victim of the studios like Judy Garland or Marilyn Monroe; and she was certainly not a creature of the system like Joan Crawford and Lana Turner. Instead, she always appeared intelligent, willful and independent, able to develop her own persona within the confines of the studio system.

Andrew Britton proposes a feminist reading of Hepburn's films, arguing that her persona raises problems about class, female sexuality, and women's oppression that strain to the limits the conventions of a cinema ultimately committed to the reassertion of bourgeois gender roles. Hepburn's work is also used to explore more general issues, such as the functioning of the star system. This is one of the very few analyses of American cinema to focus on a film star rather than a director or a genre and as such is essential reading for anyone interested in the movies.

First published in the United Kingdom twenty years ago, this lavishly illustrated new edition features a foreword by the noted film critic Robin Wood.

This long-awaited book tells the remarkable story of the second Mauretania (1938-65): her construction, her naming, her maiden voyage and her distinguished Second World War service, told through extracts from a rare diary of a soldier. Also recalled are two exciting escapes from torpedoing by German U-boats, and the tale of how this great liner was almost lost in a high-speed collision with the SS Ile de France, which could have resulted in catastrophic loss of life. Interviews with those who served on board, peppered with fascinating anecdotes, describe daily life on the ship, as well as the more unusual events such as royal visits. Recollections of the crew, from bell boy to captain, cover the famous Sunshine Caribbean cruises and an encounter with a hurricane in the North Atlantic, as well as her final voyage to the scrapyard. Andrew Britton's unique access to original artefacts from the Mauretania, including captains' logbooks, publicity material, menus, deck plans and much more, makes this a collection like no other. Coupled with lavish photography, including a wealth of previously unpublished colour images, the result is an evocative book that preserves the memory of this great Cunard liner for future generations.