Overview

Contained within this authoritative text is the exciting history of the manufacture of toy forts and castles in western Europe throughout the turbulent nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Lavishly illustrated with nearly 800 images, this book provides detailed information on who made these castles, palaces, and fortresses, when, where, and how, and with what materials. The author focuses especially on manufacturers in Germany and Great Britain, but covers Denmark, Belgium, and France as well-and describes the fascinating story of the industry's rise and demise. Company histories show how these manufacturers, often successive generations of families, dealt with the enormous economic and political obstacles of the times. Organized spreadsheets with serial numbers, dates, dimensions, and distinctive features of products will satisfy the curiosities of toy collectors, museum curators, archivists, antique dealers, architectural history buffs, and more. AUTHOR: Allen Hickling started his professional career as an architect. Then after fifteen years, he went back to university and became an urban designer, after which he did action research into the processes involved. With this as a background he started collecting toy forts and castles, an occupation which kept him interested for the next thirty years. He had assembled one of the largest collections in the world, part of which he has now sold to be in a museum in Cyprus. He is well known as an author, having contributed numerous articles to toy soldier magazines, and is considered to be the authority on the subject. 772 colour photographs

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9780764348136

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Reviews

'Many collectors will know Allen Hickling from toy shows round and about the country, which he has been attending for many decades, and has become the acknowledged master of collecting forts and castles. And of course many toy soldier fans display their collections on toy buildings. Chapters cover the history of toy forts, the Hausser story, the rest of the German makers, Lines Brothers, the rest of the British makers, and various European makers. Plastic collectors will find examples by Britains, Timpo, Kleeware, Starlux, Elastolin and others. But the beauty of this high quality book is in the colour photos, certainly some of the examples shown are probably unique' - Plastic Warrior, Issue 163

'Many collectors will know Allen Hickling from toy shows round and about the country, which he has been attending for many decades, and has become the acknowledged master of collecting forts and castles. And of course many toy soldier fans display their collections on toy buildings. Chapters cover the history of toy forts, the Hausser story, the rest of the German makers, Lines Brothers, the rest of the British makers, and various European makers. Plastic collectors will find examples by Britains, Timpo, Kleeware, Starlux, Elastolin and others. But the beauty of this high quality book is in the colour photos, certainly some of the examples shown are probably unique' - Plastic Warrior, Issue 163 Toy Forts & Castles has been praised by James Opie as what we all need and by Norman Joplin as a major breakthrough. It will be useful to collectors, dealers and museum persons, but above all, with its splendid colour photographs, it is a book to enjoy. - R.T.S.

Author Information

Allen Hickling has been collecting toy forts and castles for thirty years. He has assembled one of the largest collections in the world, part of which is in a museum in Cyprus.

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