Education and Recreation

If your interested in getting the value of books try: Value


COOKBOOKS:


The Forme of Cury, written by Richard II's master-cook is one of the oldest known English cookery manuscripts.

History of the Cookbook:

1500's-The late 1500s was the first time that cookery books began to be published on a regular basis. These books were aimed at women, However, it is estimated that only between 5 and 10 percent of women were literate at this time - add to this the fact that the books were expensive commodities (as were the ingredients for the recipes), and it seems likely that the market for these books was confined to a small affluent area of society.

1600's- Although most 17th century cookery books were written by men, many of the recipes found in the books were originally devised by women.

1700's- There was an increasing demand for books designed to save the lady of the house from the tedious duty of instructing her kitchen maids. So recipe books such as The Art of Cookery were directed at the servants rather than the mistress, and were written in plain and accessible language.

1800's-For the first time, the country was intrigued by the stars of the kitchen - what we would now call 'celebrity chefs'. Alexis Soyer, famous head chef at the Reform Club, produced numerous books, while also manufacturing a range of sauces and numerous kitchen implements, and advising the army on the dietary needs of soldiers.

1900's-During the 19th century cookery books became enormously popular. Authors like Mrs Beeton were catering for a rapidly growing middle class.


EDUCATIONAL TEXTBOOKS:

Educational textbooks are what's needed to study hard at school, Collage, University, or to just teach yourself something new.

On the market in today’s modern world you can read and teach yourself about pretty much anything.
Whether it's Languages, Medicine, Law, Financial Management or Music, there are a hundred if not a thousand books on the subject.


MAGAZINES:

If you have ever tried to remember something you've read in a magazine a few years back and failed miserably to recall it clearly to mind, I have a link for you: Click on Magazine above)
Chase up old copies of your favourite magazine.
Use them for reference or just to enjoy reading.
On this web site you will find stuff on Elvis, Marilyn, back issues of Rolling Stone Magazine as well as Time and Life Magazines.

COMICS:

Comic books are so called because some of the earliest comic books were simply collections of comic strips, mostly humorous, that were originally published in newspapers. The commercial success of these collections led to work being created specifically for the comic book form.

The history of the comic book in the U.S. is divided into several ages or historical eras: The Golden Age, The Silver Age, The Bronze Age, and The Modern Age.

The Golden Age: Generally thought as lasting from the introduction of the character Superman in 1938 until the early 1950s.

The Silver Age: Considered to date from the first successful revival of the dormant superhero form, the debut of Flash, and last through the early 1970s, during which time Marvel Comics had introduced us to superheroes such as the Fantastic Four and Spider-Man.

The Bronze Age: Picking a starting point for the bronze age has been difficult.
Starting points that have been suggested are: October 1970 (Conan), April 1970 (Green Lantern/Green Arrow) or possibly May 1971 (Amazing Spider-Man)

The Modern Age: This has even more potential starting points, but is generally agreed to be the publication of Alan Moore's Watchmen by DC Comics in 1986.

For a brilliant web site for collectable comics, check out link above.


CHILDRENS BOOKS:

Some of the most popular books are:
A Series of Unfortunate Events, a children's book series of thirteen novels written by Daniel Handler under the pseudonym of Lemony Snicket, and illustrated by Brett Helquist.

Beatrix Potter: 23 children's books in all about animal characters such as Peter Rabbit, Miss Tiggywinkle and Jemima Puddleduck.
The books were illustrated for by herself and beautifully brought to life in the film Miss Potter.

Dr Seuss: Theodor Seuss Geisel wrote over 60 books renown for their quirky characters and rhymes.
Probably most famous being Green Eggs and Ham, or possibly The Cat in the Hat.

Mr Men and Little Miss: The “Mr. Men” series by Roger Hargreaves, started in 1971.
He wrote 45 in total.
Little Miss was an accompanying series of 39 books with female characters that started in 1981.

Sweet Pickles: Sweet Pickles is a series of 40 children's books and are about anthropomorphic animals with different personalities and behaviour.
The books were published in 1977 and went out of print in the mid-1990s.

Enid Blyton: She was one of the most successful children's storytellers of the twentieth century.
Selling over 400 million copies.
Stories such as The Famous Five, The Secret Seven, Malory Towers and St Clares have delighted millions of children all around the world.


The Stockton Children's Book of the Year:
List of prize winners

* 2008 The Robe of Skulls by Vivian French
* 2007 Blart by Dominic Barker
* 2006 The Whispering Road by Livi Michael
* 2005 Varjak Paw by S. F. Said
* 2004 Molly Moon's Incredible Book of Hypnotism by Georgia Byng
* 2003 The House of Eyes by Thomas Bloor
* 2002 The Killer Underpants by Michael Lawrence
* 2001 The Creeper by Pete Johnson
* 1999 Skellig by David Almond
* 1997 The Ghost Dog by Pete Johnson

AUDIO BOOKS:

An audio book is a recording that is primarily of the spoken word

In 1931 the Congress established the talking-book program, which was intended to help blind adults who couldn’t read print. This program was called "Books for the Adult Blind Project." The American Foundation for the Blind developed the first talking books in 1932.
By 1935, after Congress approved free mailings of audio books to blind citizens, the Books for the Adult Blind Project was in full operation.