The Bookshop, The Draper, The Candlestick Maker

''Impeccably researched and searingly nostalgic, The Bookshop, The Draper, The Candlestick Maker whisks us back to medieval days'' DAILY MAIL ''The queen of food historians'' LUCY WORSLEY ''A rich, lively and nostalgia-provoking sensory experience ... this is history in its messiest, most bustling human essence'' THE TIMES ''Annie Gray''s fascinating history of a British institution in crisis illuminates and entertains '' GREG JENNER ''Properly immersive, full of juicy sensory detail - Annie Gray''s romp down British high streets through the centuries is a blast'' TESSA BOASE Bustling with rich detail, historical vignettes and surprising wares, this is the story of Britain''s best-loved but ever-changing public spaces. What makes a high street? It''s certainly not just about the shopping; these thoroughfares are often the beating heart of our towns and cities and, by extension, of the people who use them. As spaces where local life and culture unfolds, our high streets can be playgrounds of personal indulgence and community spirit, or sites of contentious debate and politicking. Historian Annie Gray takes us down the street and through the ages, from medieval marketplaces to the purpose-built concrete precincts of the twentieth century. Peeping through the windows of tailors, tearooms and grocers, we explore everything from the toyshops of yesteryear - where curiosities were sold for adults, not children - to the birth of brands we shop at today. Vibrant and enticing, The Bookshop, The Draper, The Candlestick Maker is an essential reflection on how we shopped and lived in days gone by - and what the future may bring.

Préface
A people's history of the high street

Auteur
Annie Gray is a historian, cook, broadcaster and writer specialising in the history of food and dining in Britain from around 1600 to the present day. She is the author of Victory in the Kitchen and The Greedy Queen, among a number of other titles. An honorary research associate at the University of York and a Fellow of the Royal History Society, she has presented TV history documentaries including Victorian Bakers and The Sweetmakers, and is the resident food historian on BBC Radio 4's The Kitchen Cabinet. She lives in East Anglia.

Texte du rabat

''The queen of food historians'' LUCY WORSLEY''Annie Gray leads the pack'' JAY RAYNERGoogle ''the future of the high street'' and you''ll be confronted by opinion pieces debating the ethics ofvegan cafés, spiralling economic projections and the rush to online shopping. But what about the history of the high street?Historian Annie Gray walks us down the road and through the ages - from the dawn of the high street in medieval England to what we see today. Bustling with historical detail, and colourful vignettes, we visit everything from apothecaries and penny bazaars to the birth of Marks and Spencer and the original toyshops, where curiosities were sold for adults rather than children.A surprising and colourful work of social history, The Bookshop, the Draper, the Candlestick Maker tells the story of how we shopped and lived in days gone by in one of Britain''s most loved but ever-changing public spaces - and what the future may bring.