Charles Horner of Halifax - Tom J Lawson

This book celebrates Charles Horner in many ways. The richness and diversity of Horner products are beautifully illustrated and throughly researched; the inventiveness of the Horner firm, the social history of the period and the character of Charles Horner are also discussed ina chapter dedicated to Horner's life. Employees tell their story through oral history extracts while the initiative of managers is conveyed in the detail of the patents lodged and a broad history of the firm itself. Arts and Crafts, Art Nouveau and Art Deco style enthusiasts will discover in this inspired book the wealth of numerous Horner products and can enjoy the revealing company pattern and price books that accompany them. Thimble collectors will be pleased to find that this work features a chapter that was specially commissioned from Norma Spicer - acknowledged as a leading authority in the field. Paul Atterbury states in his foreword: 'In design terms, Charles Horner was clearly not a Tiffany, a Lalique, a Cartier or a Knox but pradoxically therein lies the importance of the book.;It is all too easy to qrite about great names and famous designers for they stand on their own, far harder to bring to life, and record for posterity the more mundane existence ofa commercial manufacturer whose products reflect the actuality of the marketplace. Collectors are easily seduced by names, and books about names. By documenting so assiduously the story of Charles Horner, Tom Lawson has given a permanent galaxy to a name that hitherto had little substance'.