Cultural knowledge The Antiques Magpie Marc Allum (Icon Books, £12.99 *£10.99)
Why do the best Chinese dragons have five claws, what's the difference between celluloid and Bakelite (the latter is, of course, made of polyoxybenzylmethylenglycolanhydride), where are Wellington's boots and Monty's beret and how should you bid at auction? Antiques Roadshow regular Marc Allum answers these and many more questions you never knew you needed to ask.
There are four pages on the differences between Greek urns, a disquisition on the willow pattern, the sad story of Donald McGill, king of smutty postcards (right), a history of hallmarks (700 years old) and a short guide to periods, from Gothic to Pop Art. Not only a very useful overall guide for collectors, whether of cheese labels (fromologist) or umbrellas (brolliologist), and source of unlikely information, but a laugh a page. A perfect present for virtually everyone.
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The century-old enamelling technique used to create Van Cleef's lucky ladybird brooch — which has something in common with Country LifeThe technique used in the jeweller's Geneva workshop has been put to good use in its latest creation.
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‘The best sleep in the sky’: What it’s like to fly in United’s Polaris cabin, approved by American icon Martha StewartUnited’s Business Class cabin goes by the name Polaris and Martha Stewart is a fan. So, how does it fare?
