From the exceptional town plans and maps contained within this unique volume emerges a social picture of Birmingham; a town quickly developing in size and population in the eighteenth century; along with the changes brought about by urbanisation. Land was bought up for development; hundreds of 'courts' were built to home the industrial workers pouring in from the many outlying villages. The many gardens, orchards and wide expanses of open space detailed on Wesley's 1731 plan of Birmingham were soon to be transformed into a sprawling mass of habitation. By 1765 Matthew Boulton, a leading entrepreneur and pioneer of the Industrial Revolution, had built his famous Soho Manufactory on Handsworth Heath. Shortly afterwards, the town plans of Birmingham in the first quarter of the 1800s chart the arrival of the railway; a plan from 1832 is the last glimpse of the city before the arrival of the Grand Junction Railway and other main line stations. Accompanied with informative text and pictures of the cityscape, the many detailed plans contained in this historic atlas of Birmingham are a gateway to its past, allowing the reader and researcher to visually observe the journey of this historic town to city status in 1889 and beyond.

The first of two volumes, "Wildfire through Staffordshire" presents the very best from Osborne, Wild and Roscoe, who each published their own early "Railway Traveller's Guides" shortly after the opening of the country's first ground-breaking trunk line, the Grand Junction railway, on the 4th of July 1837. This publication is lavishly and uniquely supplemented with commissioned poems by Ian Henery as well as many antique views, vistas and rare maps from the period, and covers the first half of the journey from Birmingham to Liverpool or Manchester. The second volume continues as the Wildfire crosses the border of Staffordshire into Cheshire. The guides, published back in 1838, became must-haves for those who could take advantage of the ability to travel by rail over long distances. When the Grand Junction line opened, with the Wildfire engine making the inaugural run, the distance between Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool could be covered in a matter of hours rather than days, as before it opened when long distance travel was only then available to the privileged few. Railway travellers were keen to find out more about the land, the people and places that they could gaze out at from the safety of their railway carriage, and as some took advantage of the opportunity to explore recommended destinations along the route, the age of tourism arrived. Readers boarding the Wildfire at Curzon Street on the edges of the booming manufacturing town of Birmingham in 1838, the year of Queen Victoria's coronation, and join our contemporary commentators on a thought-provoking journey. Travelling out of Warwickshire along the tranquil, picturesque Tame valley, the route crosses the border into Staffordshire, and continues through the scarred and barren wastelands of the mining and manufacturing districts. Yet the journey also discovers many splendid gentlemen's seats of residence and stately houses along the way, allowing us to marvel at the ever-changing scenery as our journey unfolds across windswept Cannock Chase, up into northern Staffordshire and its districts famed for pottery. Along the way our commentators delve into the lives of the people who dwell in the many manufacturing and agricultural towns along the route, their lives changed forever by the rolling tide of industrialization rapidly sweeping the land. This is truly a living, spoken local history at the dawn of the Victorian age. The lines that made up the Grand Junction Railway now form the backbone of the West Coast Main Line. The first from the Railway Time Traveller's Guide series, this book provides the reader with an opportunity to retrace the journey made in 1838, sadly though not by steam. Wildfire through Staffordshire is not only a must-have for railway enthusiasts and local historians, but appeals to anybody interested in Britain's history and heritage. After completing the journey through Staffordshire aboard the Wildfire back in 1838, readers can re-visit the many places described in that early journey, as some now make up the famous modern day visitor attractions in Staffordshire. These are listed with visitor information in the last section although, sadly, many have disappeared in the mists of time.

The Atlas and Guide to the London Olympics of 1908, now re-published with kind permission of Collins Bartholomew, acts as both an archival accolade of Edwardian London and a tribute to the visionaries who, unknowingly at the time, ignited a flame that would continue to burn into the next millennium, uniting nations in sport. The guide began humbly as a simple, unassuming scrapbook compiled by William Barnard which eventually came to be stored in the archives of Birmingham University, having been generously donated by the British Amateur Athletics Association (AAA). Barnard, Honorary Secretary for the Polytechnic Harriers who organised the 1908 Olympic marathon, was appointed as official timekeeper for the 1908 Olympic Games at very short notice and subsequently served as the AAA's Honorary Treasurer from 1910 until 1932. Following his experience of the ground-breaking London Olympics of 1908, Barnard began to assemble what was to become a treasured collection of personal mementoes and artefacts, the first of which was a signed portrait picture of fellow official I. B. Davidson. The title of this book is in fact taken from Davidson's addition of "In Remembrance of the 1908 Olympics" along with his signature on the photograph. His official role of Motor and Attendants' Marshal was also as unique as it was interesting. During the historic 1908 London Olympic marathon, one famed for its epic finish, early motor cars donated by companies including Wolseley and Napier made their major sporting debut, carrying race officials, following runners along the course and picking up those unable to continue. The centrepiece to William Barnard's scrapbook, also reproduced in this book, are the original, illuminating letters of appeal compiled by Lord Desborough of Taplow, President of the British Olympic Council, who was canvassing for the financial support needed for London to successfully host the Olympics. Despite the substantial obstacles of having just 10 months to find a suitable venue, build a bespoke stadium and secure the necessary finance, he nonetheless campaigned vigorously. With Desborough's influence - he was a consummate organiser and inspirational figurehead - all the finances were secured with just two weeks to the deadline, further aided when Lord Northcliffe, proprietor of the Daily Mail, agreed to sponsor the games and support appeals for funding via his newspaper. With the event secured, the London games of 1908 would go on to be globally significant, with the introduction of national teams, a parade at a dedicated opening ceremony, winners' medals and the construction of first - class sporting facilities chief among its innovations. The official programmes for the Olympics, a rich source of illuminating contemporary information, are also reproduced here. Travel at the time was, for many people, made possible by the large and well established railway network, with some totally reliant upon it. In the capital, the London Underground enabled visitors to explore the many sights and places of interest in the City of London with affordability and ease. As the crowds thronged to the Olympics of 1908, a new notion of tourism was fast becoming fashionable and widespread, with its advent also in step with an increasing number of people owning a motor car, not just the privileged few. John Bartholomew, fifth in a family line of famous cartographers, saw the commercial potential in this growing leisure travel market, and began producing handy pocket sized atlases for use in navigating the rapidly expanding road network and locating London's many attractions. Much of the information from such a typical guide is republished here, giving real day-to-day insight into the mechanics of hosting the Olympics and the nature of travel at the time. After the ground-breaking games of 1908, operating under an ethos of continuous improvement and fairness, the International Olympics Committee introduced unified rules that included lanes in running events, and a requirement that officials originate from more than one country. As such, the 1908 London Olympics both reinvigorated and established the blueprint for the modern games, transforming the Olympics into the global sporting event we recognise today that is embraced the world over. It is hoped in that reproducing many contemporary documents from 1908 its legacy can be similarly refreshed and its rich history brought to life through this book.