Design and the decorative arts: Britain 1500-1900 - Tapa dura

Published to celebrate the reopening of the newly refurbished British Galleries in the Victoria and Albert Museum. This work tells the story of design and decorative art in Britain from the time of Henry VIII to the reign of Queen Victoria. It shows how Britain's rise during this period to become the most powerful nation on earth was reflected in her art, architecture and design, in the way that people lived, and in the increasing quantity and quality of things made in Britain, from furniture to fashionable textiles and from porcelain to elegant silverware. Matching the royal dynasties of the period, the book is divided into the three major sections: Tudor and Stuart Britain; Georgian Britain and Victorian Britain, each looking at the achievements of British design in different and revealing ways. Key themes - "Style", "Who Led Taste", "Fashionable Living" and "What Was New" - form a framework for each section, within the broader historical context. Separate chapters deal with not only what things looked like, but also how they were made and how they fitted into daily life, who decided what was fashionable, and how key technical innovations changed the world. The text sets out to provide a fascinating picture of the changing nature of British design from the time of the Tudors to the Victorian period when Britain was seen as "the workshop of the world". The illustrations are taken chiefly from the V and A's collections of British art and design.

Michael Snodin is Head of the Designs Section of the V & A's Department of Prints, Drawings and Paintings. Publications include Sir William Chambers (V & A Publications, 1996) and Carl and Karin Larsson: Creators of the Swedish Style (V & A Publications, 1997). John Styles is Senior Tutor of the V & A / RCA History of Design course. Widely published, he is a historian specialising in the eighteenth century, and is currently historical advisor to the V & A's British Galleries team.