This is the first full-colour history of the world-famous toy soldiers to chart the whole story of their development from Victorian table toy to 21st Century collectable. Prior to 1893 the family toy business of the Britain family was struggling as the toy industry was dominated by German manufacturers and importers. Then came the fateful decision first to import, then to design and manufacture, toy soldiers, an area the German firms were particularly strong in. Britains Toy Soldiers were born and soon their boxes stamped with the slogan 'Best Quality English Make' were being eagerly opened by little boys across Britain and then around the world. The rest, as they say is history and it is all captured here by James Opie, the world's leading expert on the subject, as he lovingly traces the varying fortunes of arguably the most famous British toy company. Illustrated with lavish colour photographs, many of them featuring items from the author's own collection, the book includes feature sections such as collectors' favourites and prices, high-value and famous sets, artistic highlights, quirks and mysteries. It is without doubt the most authoritative book on the subject and will be welcomed by the thousands of devoted collectors world wide as well as many more with fond memories of childhood battles with these beautiful toys.

John Franklin has been collecting traditional toy soldiers for over sixty years, mostly Britains but, as the title suggests, including other interesting additions. In this book he shares some of the in-depth knowledge gained through experience and countless hours of careful research, but most of all the passion and enthusiasm for his hobby. He explains how he was inspired to collect soldiers, like so many, in early boyhood and how a hobby grew into an obsession. The various chapters then examine themes he followed in his collecting, such as Britains Special Painting Orders and Indian Army Pipe Bands for example, or address questions regarding the manufacture or identity of specific sets that he has researched or, in some cases, is still seeking the answer to. It is packed with anecdotes, useful technical information and helpful advice for the collector but it is above all a proud tour of inspection of a sixty-year labour of love. Over four hundred photographs, show much of the author’s magnificent collection in a parade of miniature pomp and splendour.

In 1973 Britains introduced their New Toy Soldier line of gloss-painted metal figures. It has been highly successful and continues to the present day. This new book focuses on the traditional 54mm figures, illustrating nearly the complete range in nearly 1,100 photographs. Over 3,200 figures are shown with a strong emphasis on military items: British Ceremonial troops, American Civil War, Indian Army and Delhi Durbar, World War I, Knights, Zulu War, Rorkes Drift, Limited Editions, W Britains Collectors Club Membership products, Britains Centenary and Millennium issues. The book also features non-military sections on Home Farm and Circus. Special issues by the Britains Company and figures exclusive to Harrods' and Hamleys' department stores all are included. Each toy is identified in the text and captions, with a comprehensive index of all gloss-painted figures produced during the period covered. The book contains a valuation guide to each set or individual item. This reference book is the definitive work on the new Britains line.

Contains a short history of toy soldiers and a view of the current collecting scene. The author goes on to discuss topics like paintwork, clues to dating production, and finally building and organizing a collection. The author includes illustrations of his own acquisitions.

This serves as an update of the author's successful Collecting Toy Soldiers (Collins, 1987; pbk edition, New Cavendish, 1991). In it James Opie gives the collector the benefit of thirty years' experience as the world's leading authority on traditional toy soldiers (as opposed to model soldiers used in wargaming etc) and a lifetime as a collector himself.

“Amazing . . . A must-have must-read bible for lovers of toy history and in particular toy soldiers. Absolutely glorious!” —Books Monthly Humans have made and collected toy soldiers from time immemorial. They amuse and comfort us, awaken our curiosity, turn aggressiveness into creativity. In The History of Toy Soldiers, Luigi Toiati, himself an avid collector and manufacturer of toy soldiers, conveys and shares the pleasure of collecting and playing with them. Far from a dry encyclopedia, it leads the reader through the fascinating evolution of the toy soldier from ancient times to the early twenty-first century. The author, as a sociologist with an interest in semiotics (the study of signs), offers truly original insights into why different types of toy soldiers were born in a given period and country, or why in a given size and material. The author’s writing is packed with factual detail about the different types of toy (and model) soldiers and their manufacturers, but also with anecdotes, nostalgia, wit and his enduring passion for the subject. Six hundred beautiful color photographs, many depicting the author’s own collection, complete this delightful book. “Toiati creatively delivers exhaustive details, captivating anecdotes and a sense of nostalgia that exudes the fundamental childhood joy of playing with toy soldiers combined with adult collectors’ wonderment at their charms.” —Toy Soldier & Model Figure “A book that will enter the annals of Toy Soldier collections as one of the best and most complete books on this topic.” —IPMS/USA “A great journey of exploration.” —Miniature Wargaming

An extensive and in-depth study of the non-military and civilian toy figures made by Britains, covering the early mechanical toys of the 1880s through to the final hollow cast toys from 1966. During the inter-war period, the British toy-buying public rejected war-like/military toys, providing Britains with the opportunity to introduce their Farm, Zoo and Circus lines -- all of which in some way reflected the social history of the time in the United Kingdom. Prolific in their output, Britains were quick to realise the potential of the huge U.S. market and exported vast numbers of toys via a number of importers in the eastern and mid-western states. Included are 970 colour photographs of toys including Miniature Garden, Civilian Vehicles, Boy Scouts, Girl Guides, Salvation Army and Cowboys and Indians, etc., along with British Royalty figures. Together with Football/Soccer and Famous Horse Racing Colors and their Jockeys, this book provides colourful insight into the hobby of collecting these hollow cast lead toys. A guide to current values is included in the captions.

This is the first all-color book devoted to collecting the toy soldiers and figures that were sold in the Five-and-Dime stores. Over 650 photographs, showing in excess of three thousand toy figures, are arranged in thematic style and cover military and non-military toys. Complete with price guide, terminology, index, and over 60 manufacturers products. Thematic/category chapters make it easy for experienced and new collectors to easily locate figures.

Ten-year-old Johnny eagerly plays at war with the army of nutcracker soldiers his toymaker father whittles for him. He demolishes imaginary foes. But in 1914 Germany looms as the real enemy of Europe, and all too soon Johnny’s father is swept up in the war to end all wars. He proudly enlists with his British countrymen to fight at the front in France. The war, though, is nothing like what any soldier or person at home expected. The letters that arrive from Johnny’s dad reveal the ugly realities of combat — and the soldiers he carves and encloses begin to bear its scars. Still, Johnny adds these soldiers to his armies of Huns, Tommies, and Frenchmen, engaging them in furious fights. But when these games seem to foretell his dad’s real battles, Johnny thinks he possesses godlike powers over his wooden men. He fears he controls his father’s fate, the lives of all the soldiers in no-man’s land, and the outcome of the war itself.