The ideal book for the collector and enthusiast. Includes material from the Steiff archives.

As editor Kenneth E. Hendrickson, III, notes in his introduction: “Since the end of the nineteenth-century, industrialization has become a global phenomenon. After the relative completion of the advanced industrial economies of the West after 1945, patterns of rapid economic change invaded societies beyond western Europe, North America, the Commonwealth, and Japan.” In The Encyclopedia of the Industrial Revolution in World History contributors survey the Industrial Revolution as a world historical phenomenon rather than through the traditional lens of a development largely restricted to Western society. The Encyclopedia of the Industrial Revolution in World History is a three-volume work of over 1,000 entries on the rise and spread of the Industrial Revolution across the world. Entries comprise accessible but scholarly explorations of topics from the “aerospace industry” to “zaibatsu.” Contributor articles not only address topics of technology and technical innovation but emphasize the individual human and social experience of industrialization. Entries include generous selections of biographical figures and human communities, with articles on entrepreneurs, working men and women, families, and organizations. They also cover legal developments, disasters, and the environmental impact of the Industrial Revolution. Each entry also includes cross-references and a brief list of suggested readings to alert readers to more detailed information. The Encyclopedia of the Industrial Revolution in World History includes over 300 illustrations, as well as artfully selected, extended quotations from key primary sources, from Thomas Malthus’ “Essay on the Principal of Population” to Arthur Young’s look at Birmingham, England in 1791. This work is the perfect reference work for anyone conducting research in the areas of technology, business, economics, and history on a world historical scale.

With many new creations and innovative products, Margarete Steiff GmbH has managed to expand and

Devoted to Steiff, Linda Mullins' newest identification and price guide looks at the oldest and most famous of all bear-makers. Producing plush animals since 1902, Steiff is clearly the leader in desirability and value because of its impeccable quality and craftsmanship. Collectors of Steiff will enjoy the 350 beautiful photographs of their favourite Steiff animals, and find the secondary market price guide to be accurate and informative. This book contains bears and other Steiff animals from 1904 to the present line of 2001. In addition, there are guidelines for buying and selling, and tips for identifying your Steiff animal. Museum replicas, special and limited edition Steiff, along with Walt Disney World convention bears and Steiff collector's club special edition animals are part of this all-encompassing guide which Steiff collectors will relish. Important milestones, bears and animals in Steiff's history are showcased. Linda Mullins, known as the Ambassador to the Teddy Bear world, authors yet another satisfying and complete book for collectors.

The family firm of J K Farnell & Co Ltd occupies a position of unparalleled importance in British soft toy history, firstly because it was the very first British toy company to manufacture teddy bears, and also because it created the actual bear that inspired A A Milne to write the Winnie the Pooh stories. Yet impressive as those facts undoubtedly are, they comprise just a small fraction of the fascinating Farnell story. Founded in the Nineteenth century, for decades J.K. Farnell & Co Ltd was the most respected and influential soft toy manufacturer in Britain. Thanks to the superior quality of its products, the company experienced enormous commercial success at national and international level - even in Germany, home to its biggest rival, there was great demand for Farnell products. Surviving economic depression, devastating fire, the ravages of World War II and other traumatic events, the company kept going until fundamental changes in the British toy market forced its closure in 1970. Since then, the Farnell name has been forgotten by all but a dedicated band of teddy bear enthusiasts and the true story of this pioneering British firm has fallen into obscurity. Now, thanks to Kathy Martin's intensive research, the facts about J K Farnell & Co Ltd and its fabulous teddy bears are revealed in this informative and entertaining book.

An inspiring message for all ages: Find your inner bird. If you’re looking for wisdom and joy in your life, go straight to Sesame Street and heed the words of its most beloved and profound resident, Caroll Spinney, who has spent the past thirty-four years in a bird costume (and a trash can) as Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch. Three decades inside a giant puppet have taught Spinney a valuable and surprising lesson: Being a bird can make you a better person. In The Wisdom of Big Bird, the living legend of Sesame Street describes how we can all find our inner bird (or grouch). Each chapter illustrates a piece of useful wisdom Spinney has gleaned from a career in feathers. The lessons Big Bird teaches children every day on Sesame Street are the same ones that have brought Spinney success and satisfaction in his own life. Warm, witty, and affirming, Caroll Spinney’s memoir proves that being a bird can make you a better and happier person. “Every day on Sesame Street, we strive to give our innocent young audience the basis of a lifelong education. It is no accident that spending the past thirty-four years in the Bird suit teaching these lessons to others has taught me a few things, too.”—from The Wisdom of Big Bird (and the Dark Genius of Oscar the Grouch)

This is the definitive full-colour reference to the works produced by the company, R John Wright and it offers a rich exhibition of virtually every piece created in its history. In a collection of critical essays interspersed throughout the book, the author discusses the development and importance of significant creations, and places the works in the context of toy history. A special section takes readers behind the scenes at the R John Wright Dolls workshop in Cambridge, New York, with never-before-seen pictures detailing the various stages of production. Filled with hundreds of beautiful images, a compelling story and in-depth reference material, this exciting volume will inform, inspire and enchant all those who appreciate the art of toys.

Martial arts and philosophy have always gone hand in hand, as well as fist in throat. Philosophical argument is closely paralleled with hand-to-hand combat. And all of today's Asian martial arts were developed to embody and apply philosophical ideas. In his interview with Bodidharma, Graham Priest brings out aspects of Buddhist philosophy behind Shaolin Kung-Fu -- how fighting monks are seeking Buddhahood, not brawls. But as Scott Farrell's chapter reveals, Eastern martial arts have no monopoly on philosophical traditions: Western chivalry is an education in and living revival of Aristotelian ethical theories. Several chapters look at ethical problems raised by the fighting arts. How can the sweaty and brutal be exquisitely beautiful? Every chapter is easily understandable by readers new to martial arts or new to philosophy.

A lonely doll named Edith finally finds friendship with two visiting teddy bears.