Cultural knowledge The Antiques Magpie Marc Allum (Icon Books, £12.99 *£10.99)
Why do the best Chinese dragons have five claws, what's the difference between celluloid and Bakelite (the latter is, of course, made of polyoxybenzylmethylenglycolanhydride), where are Wellington's boots and Monty's beret and how should you bid at auction? Antiques Roadshow regular Marc Allum answers these and many more questions you never knew you needed to ask.
There are four pages on the differences between Greek urns, a disquisition on the willow pattern, the sad story of Donald McGill, king of smutty postcards (right), a history of hallmarks (700 years old) and a short guide to periods, from Gothic to Pop Art. Not only a very useful overall guide for collectors, whether of cheese labels (fromologist) or umbrellas (brolliologist), and source of unlikely information, but a laugh a page. A perfect present for virtually everyone.
* Follow Country Life property on Twitter
-
Uniquely unique? The Yorkshire grain silos transformed into a home that's a symphony in glass, steel and curvesAmid the beautiful countryside of North Yorkshire, on the edge of the Castle Howard Estate, The Silos is a property for which the word 'house' simply doesn't cut it. And that's not the only way in which it's made us throw out the dictionary.
-
Polluting water executives now face up to two years in prison, but will the new laws make much of a difference?The Government has announced that water company executives caught covering up illegal sewage spills could now be imprisoned for two years, under new laws — but many still have their doubts.
