Peter Pugh

Introducing Keynesian Economics (Introducing...(Totem))

De La Rue, a company celebrating its 200th anniversary in 2013, and Portals, which will be 300 years old in 2012, both have magnificent histories of which they can be proud. Very few large firms have lived and thrived for so long.De La Rue is the largest commercial currency printer and papermaker in the world, involved in the production of more than 150 currencies as well as a wide range of security documents such as passports and fiscal stamps. De La Rue is also a leading provider of cash-sorting equipment and software solutions to central banks, helping them to reduce the cost of handling cash. Portals can trace its history back to Henri Portal, a refugee from France who settled at Bere Mill on the River Test in Hampshire in 1712 with a number of other Huguenot papermakers. He founded the company, and through hard work, skill and the shrewd move of tying itself to the Bank of England, Portals thrived and grew through the 18th and 19th centuries, continuing to prosper in the 20th century. It was acquired by De La Rue in the 1990s.Thomas de la Rue had a very humble start in life. Born in Guernsey in 1793, he worked as a printer and eventually moved to London as a straw hat manufacturer. By 1830 he was convinced that he was not going to make his fortune in hats, and he moved into the stationery business and playing cards.From cards Thomas progressed to postage stamps and then in the 1850s to banknotes. Thomas had two very talented sons, Warren and William Frederick. They took the company forward and, by the end of the 19th century, De La Rue was printing stamps and banknotes for countries throughout the world. The fourth generation of de la Rues were not as successful as their predecessors, and in the early 1920s the company had to be rescued by a financier, Sidney Lamert, and a very able businessman, Bernard Westall. These two stabilised the situation and took the company forward until it grew again under the guidance of Arthur (known as Gerry) Norman. In the years since the end of the Second World War, De La Rue has grown steadily into the worldwide operation it is today.

A History of de la Rue

The Highest Perfection

Grand Hotel

Margaret Thatcher's political career was one of the most remarkable of modern times. She rose to become the first woman to lead a major Western democracy, serving as British Prime Minister. Admired by Ronald Regan and the United States Congress, "Introducing Thatcherism" looks at the political philosophy behind this influential and controversial woman.

A Graphic Guide

Introducing Thatcherism

Shows how Rolls-Royce took the courageous decision to invest in a family of engines. Their resolve was severely tested in the recession of the early 1990's, but the rewards came through from the mid-1990s onwards, winning large orders all over the world.

The Rolls Royce Story Part Three, a Family of Engines

The Magic of a Name

Best-known as the inventor of the bouncing bomb, Barnes Wallis was a brilliant engineer whose bold vision was immortalised in the film 'Dambusters'. This biography looks at the life of a man who helped to change the course of history.

Dambuster

Barnes Wallis

The Magic of a Name tells the story of the first 40 years of Britain’s most prestigious manufacturer - Rolls-Royce. Beginning with the historic meeting in 1904 of Henry Royce and the Honourable C.S. Rolls, and the birth in 1906 of the legendary Silver Ghost, Peter Pugh tells a story of genius, skill, hard work and dedication which gave the world cars and aero engines unrivalled in their excellence. In 1915, 100 years ago, the pair produced their first aero engine, the Eagle which along with the Hawk, Falcon and Condor proved themselves in battle in the First World War. In the Second the totemic Merlin was installed in the Spitfire and built in a race against time in 1940 to help win the Battle of Britain. With unrivalled access to the company’s archives, Peter Pugh’s history is a unique portrait of both an iconic name and of British industry at its best.

The First Forty Years

The Magic of a Name: The Rolls-Royce Story, Part 1

The Magic of a Name tells the story of the first forty years of Britain’s most prestigious manufacturer – Rolls-Royce. Beginning with the historic meeting in 1904 of Henry Royce and C.S. Rolls, and the birth in 1906 of the legendary Silver Ghost, Peter Pugh tells a story of genius, skill and dedication that gave the world cars and aeroengines unrivalled in their excellence. In 1915, 100 years ago, Royce produced the first of many aero engines, the Eagle, which proved itself in battle in the First World War. Twenty-five years later, the totemic Merlin was installed in the Spitfire and built in a race against time to help win the Battle of Britain. With unrivalled access to the company’s archives, this is a unique portrait of both an iconic name and of British industry at its best.

The First Forty Years of Britain’s Most Prestigious Company, 1904-1944

Rolls-Royce: The Magic of a Name

Peter Thomson

Henry Lord

A lavish, full-colour volume essential for every golfer's coffee table, capturing the timeless spirit of the game through its greatest-ever course designers.

Peter Pugh

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