A History of Everyday Things in England, Volumes I, II, III and IV

Complete in four volumes (but see note below).  264pp, colour plate frontispiece, further black and white plate illustrations interleaved, with smaller sketch drawings in text; 256pp, colour plate frontispiece, further colour and monochrome plates interleaves, with smaller sketch drawings in text; 220pp, with monochrome plate illustrations and smaller sketch drawings in text; 228pp, with colour plate frontispiece, further colour and black and white illustrations interleaved, and smaller sketch drawings in text.  All four volumes uniformly bound in pale blue cloth-covered boards with gilt lettering and decoration on the spine. Top edges sprayed red.  8vos.  Cloth a little pushed on corners and spine ends. Internally neat, clean, bright and tight.  In their original laminated, illustrated dust jackets, price clipped, a little shelf worn, moderately sunned over spines and bumped on edges.

A very pleasing set.  A History of Everyday Things in England was first published, in four volumes, between 1916 and 1934.  This set is made up of reprints from circa 1966.  Between the four volumes they cover the period from the Norman Conquest in 1066 to the outbreak of the First World War in 1914. A fifth volume was added to the series in 1968, separately authored, but in the same style, covering the period from 1914 to 1968.  The volumes are aimed at younger readers but are nonetheless entertaining and informative for interested readers of all ages.