Dotted around our cities are ephemeral signs, a reminder of advertising before commercial broadcasting with its blanket coverage urging one to buy.
This beautifully produced volume is a reminder of those early days when the most effective way of promoting your product was to have it painted on the side of a wall.
This work, the result of over 15 years’ research by Sam Roberts, who is the recognised authority on London’s Ghost Signs, accompanied by Roy Reed’s photos who has a lifetime’s experience photographing the urban landscape, gives us a fascinating reminder of our past way of life.
Nichè publisher, Išola Press, should be congratulated on allowing Eve Izaak to break traditional conventions of book design, its use of Moderat typeface, small folios and running headings, with expanded sub-heads, was a brave decision which was the perfect choice for this publication.
The book has numerous cross-references, clearly highlighted and key symbols giving the illustration’s their historical background. While confusing at first, once mastered, makes for a much clearer understanding of the book’s subject.
Sam was running a successful website and Twitter @GhostSigns filled with ghost sign sightings, and even gave tours of his well-researched subject. Using Kickstarter for seed finance coupled with Sam’s enthusiasm gives us a never bettered London book on the subject.
Edwardian London must have been a colourful time, with brightly painted adverts adorning so many walls, Sam Roberts explains in plenty of detail how this came about.
Many books containing 150 photos of London fall into the trap of becoming ‘coffee table’ publications, beautiful to peruse, but rarely of any use to the London aficionado having too little detail.
Ghost Signs has great illustrations: Peterkin custard, Gillette razors, Hovis bread, but the information contained within its covers will have you reaching up to your bookshelf time and again as a source of reference.
Thank you Išola Press for the opportunity to review Ghost Signs.
This is not a sponsored post. The publication reviewed has been kindly donated by the author or publisher. CabbieBlog has not received any payment for writing this review and the opinions stated above are solely his own. All links here conform with guidelines set out in Write a Post.
On 9 January 1864 the first ‘official’ exhibition football game under FA Rules was at Battersea Park, players were selected by the FA
’Monkey Suckers’ perfected the art of drilling into barrels stored at East End docks then using tube to suck out a bottle, or two, of rum
The lions heads along Victoria and Albert Embankments are a Victorian flood warning system – hence ‘When the lions drink, London will sink’
Both Elizabeth I and Henry VIII were born at the Palace of Placentia in Greenwich, Sir Walter Raleigh was said to have thrown his cloak over a puddle here to prevent Queen Elizabeth getting her feet wet
During the war, special supply trains ran, providing seven tonnes of food and 2,400 gallons of tea and cocoa every night to people staying in the Tube
On 9 January 1951 the first film to receive an X certificate from the British Board of Censors opened in London called Life Begins Tomorrow
If you lunch or dine at the Garrick Club, at the end of the meal the waiter brings in a silver box filled with charcoal biscuits. Why?
Fulham FC are the oldest professional football club in London having been derived from St Andrew’s Church team
On the 9 January 1863 the world’s first underground train travelled its 3.5 mile maiden journey from Paddington to Farringdon
Founded in London by English royal charter in 1670, the Hudson’s Bay Company is the world’s oldest chartered company
On 9 January 1768 the first modern circus was staged in London by Philip Astley following the success of his invention of the circus ring
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