Arts and Crafts, Art Nouveau and Art Deco style enthusiasts will discover a wealth of Horner products described and illustrated in this inspired book. For thimble collectors there is a chapter specially commissioned from Norma Spicer, an authority in this field, while for plastics collectors there is a chapter on the casein products that were added to the company range in the 1920s. Further information on Charles Horner products can be obtained from facsimiles of the company’s pattern books and sales catalogues.

This book celebrates Charles Horner by presenting the richness and diversity of the Horner family firm, the social history of the period and the character of Charles Horner himself, traced in a chapter devoted to his life. Former employees tell their story in oral history extracts, while the initiative of the managers is conveyed in the detail of the patents they lodged and in a broad history of the company from its foundation in the 1860s to its dissolution in 1984. We are given an appraisal of how the firm marketed its products, together with photographs of the factory workspaces, from Charles Henry Horner's private office to the Engine Room.

Tom Lawson has contributed articles to antiques and club journals since the 1970s. His abiding interest in the applied arts is coupled with extensive experience in manufacturing, technology, product research, marketing and senior management. This combination of personal passion and business insight has provided the background to his meticulous research and in-depth presentation of Charles Horner's entrepreneurial business.

The author has been generous in his inclusion of so many Horner products – some previously unknown to many collectors – and has placed them in the context of their period. His contribution to the study of Charles Horner products is fascinating to read and beautifully illustrated.

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‘In documenting so assiduously the company’s story, Tom Lawson has given the name Charles Horner a permanent place in the collecting galaxy.’
Paul Atterbury – writer, design historian and 'Antiques Roadshow' expert

‘The combination of colour illustrations and ephemera is incredible.’
From a review written on behalf of the Decorative Arts Society