John Hannavy – författare

The Encyclopedia of Nineteenth-Century Photography is the first comprehensive encyclopedia of world photography up to the beginning of the twentieth century. It sets out to be the standard, definitive reference work on the subject for years to come. Its coverage is global – an important ‘first’ in that authorities from all over the world have contributed their expertise and scholarship towards making this a truly comprehensive publication. The Encyclopedia presents new and ground-breaking research alongside accounts of the major established figures in the nineteenth century arena. Coverage includes all the key people, processes, equipment, movements, styles, debates and groupings which helped photography develop from being ‘a solution in search of a problem’ when first invented, to the essential communication tool, creative medium, and recorder of everyday life which it had become by the dawn of the twentieth century. The sheer breadth of coverage in the 1200 essays makes the Encyclopedia of Nineteenth-Century Photography an essential reference source for academics, students, researchers and libraries worldwide.

Fox Talbot is universally recognised as the father of modern photography. His 'calotype' or 'Talbotype' process was the first working photographic process to use the now familiar format of negatives and positives. He was an ambitious man but his interests spread far beyond the confines of photography and it was as a mathematician that he was awarded first Membership and then Fellowship of the Royal Society before the age of thirty-three. He was an accomplished astronomer, a keen archaeologists and a fluent master of Greek and Hebrew. He patented pioneering ideas for internal combustion engines and as early as 1840 and through his life was at the forefront of progressive scientific thinking in England.

Through a collection of coloured holiday photographs covering all the major - and several minor - resorts around England's coast, linked to selected written commentaries from Charles Dickens and many others, this book celebrates the heyday of the seaside holiday.

The coastline of Victorian and Edwardian Britain provided beauty, entertainment and the venue for most people's holidays. But it was also a thriving centre of industry - shipbuilding and fishing, plus the numerous trades associated with dockyards, coastal transport and the leisure industry. This book travels around Britain's coast - clockwise from London - looking at the industries that could be found at many of the cities and towns en route. Illustrated with an amazing collection of coloured postcards and other early photographs, the working coast of Britain is brought to life in all its bustling detail.

A picture can say a thousand words and the images caught on camera during the Victorian and Edwardian periods provide a fascinating insight into the lives of Britons during this time. Take a step back between 1840 and 1910 and explore the world of work and working conditions experienced by the Victorians and Edwardians through the rich variety of photographs and vintage postcards in this beautiful album. A world we usually see in monochrome or sepia, is presented here in vivid colour, bringing the Victorian and Edwardian people a little closer to us.128 pages are packed with images of shipyards, factories, bakeries, and life in the forces. We see the men and women who made cutlery in Sheffield, the women who gutted and packed the herring in the east coast fishing ports, and the women who worked the coal screens in Lancashire's many collieries, as well as some 'tongue in cheek' Victorian images of domestic life, visiting the dentist, and many other themes and subjects, all of which tell the story of working life 100 to 160 years ago. Go on, take a look!

A picture can say a thousand words and the images caught on camera during the Victorian and Edwardian periods provide a fascinating insight into the lives of Britons during this time. Take a step back between 1840 and 1910 and explore the pastimes, hobbies, sports and other entertainments enjoyed by the Victorians and Edwardians through the rich variety of photographs and vintage postcards in this beautiful album. A world we usually see in monochrome or sepia is presented here in vivid colour, bringing the Victorian and Edwardian people a little closer to us. 128 pages are packed with images of people on the golf course, playing croquet and tennis, sports days and football matches. We see visits to the zoo, cruises on river boats and paddle steamers, fairground and pleasure beach excursions, days at the races and other, more unusual pursuits, all of which tell the story of social life 100 to 160 years ago. Go on, take a look!

By the time the first photographs were taken at war in the late 1840s, the idea that 'the camera cannot lie' was already firmly embedded in the Victorian psyche. 'Truthful' in a way the work of the war artist could never be, despite the initially long exposures and cumbersome equipment, cameras have been used to document war ever since the celebrated photographs of Roger Fenton in the Crimea. Through a rich selection of images – many of them never before published – this book tells the story of the photographers who chronicled Britain's Victorian and Edwardian wars and those who fought in them.

A concise illustrated history of the origin and rise of tourism in the 19th and early 20th centuries.The word 'tourist', and the modern tourism industry itself, was a product of the Victorian and Edwardian eras. Thomas Cook, the founding father of the industry, was instrumental in opening up the world to sightseers, inventing and popularising the package tour along the way; and as transport became easier and prices fell the activity became available for more and more people. Photographers were quick to capitalise on the phenomenon, making available a rich assortment of visual mementoes at every stop along the way, and as photography developed they were largely displaced by the amateur photographer and picture postcard. Through a rich collection of Victorian and Edwardian images, this book explores the growth of tourism from the 1840s until the outbreak of the First World War.

Wigan is one of the oldest chartered boroughs in the north of England, and has a rich and proud heritage. The town played a significant role in the Civil War, and over the years has been an important industrial centre and a place known for its highly skilled watchmakers and clockmakers.Despite a history which dates back to pre-Roman times, very little evidence of the early town survived the wholesale reconstruction and expansion which came with the Industrial Revolution and turned Wigan into the centre of both the Lancashire coalfield and the Lancashire cotton industry. Today, the town is a lively mixture of old and new, with Wigan Pier becoming one of the country's most successful tourist attractions, as well as one of the most inspired examples of industrial restoration.The book includes two walking tours of the town which can be used independently of the main text and enable readers to explore the history of Wigan through the streets, buildings and monuments that can still be found there today.John Hannavy is Professor in Art and Design at Bolton Institute. His interests include photographic history and local history. Over the last thirty years he has written and broadcast extensively on the history of Wigan.

The book is a collection of inter-linked essays, each dealing with a significant figure in the emergence of Britain as an industrial powerhouse in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries. It is illustrated with drawings, patents, early historic images and John Hannavy’s acclaimed original contemporary photography of the machines and buildings which were key components in that history.The engineers are explored chronologically with links backwards and forwards to show who and what influenced them, and their influences on those who followed them. Many of them worked towards the same outcomes – either together, in parallel, or sequentially – and all left their marks on today’s Britain.Walking in the footsteps of Samuel Smiles – who 'invented' and popularised the industrial biography – this profusely illustrated book covers around 250 years, from James Brindley's early canal-building through John Smeaton's Eddystone Lighthouse, James Watt's steam engines, James Nasmyth's steam hammer, Isambard Kingdom Brunel's iron ships and Henry Bessemer's steel-making to William Arrol's bridges – taking in William Fairbairn, William Murdoch, Thomas Telford, William Jessop, John Rennie, John Scott Russell, The Lighthouse Stevensons, the Railway Stephensons, William Armstrong and others along the way. This highly illustrated book provides an accessible account of many of the key players in this most fascinating era in Britain’s industrial development.

Cast Metal Signs by John Hannavay is a richly illustrated exploration of Britain’s industrial heritage, focusing on the history, design, and craftsmanship of cast metal signage. This unique visual history book examines how iron, brass, and aluminium signs were produced by skilled foundries and manufacturers to serve railways, streets, factories, and civic buildings across the UK.Blending industrial archaeology, typography, and design history, Cast Metal Signs reveals how these durable yet often overlooked objects shaped the visual identity of towns, cities, and transport infrastructure. From railway station signs to street markers and factory plates, cast metal signage played a vital role in communication, navigation, safety and public information.Through detailed photography and historical context, the book uncovers a hidden chapter of Britain’s industrial past and celebrates the artistry of the metalworkers whose skill informed, guided, and protected millions. It invites readers to rediscover everyday signs they have seen but rarely noticed, highlighting how simple yet effective industrial design contributed to public life and safety.Cast Metal Signs also demonstrates how functional signage became an enduring part of Britain’s built environment, linking communities to their industrial and transport heritage.Perfect for railway enthusiasts, historians, designers and readers interested in British industrial history, typography, and heritage design. This book offers a fascinating insight into an under-researched aspect of the UK’s past and a tangible connection to its industrial legacy.

Going Off the Rails: Disaster Postcards from the Trackside by John Hannavay is a compelling exploration of early railway disasters, Victorian and Edwardian transport history and the rise of visual news culture through postcards and ephemera. This unique railway history book examines how rail accidents and incidents were documented, circulated, and often sensationalised through photographic postcards in the early 20th century.Focusing on Britain’s railway system during the Edwardian era, the book highlights a period when rail travel was both a symbol of modern progress and a source of public concern. Historical records, including a 1908 Board of Trade report noting over 1,000 railway deaths and nearly 8,000 injuries, underscore the dangers of early rail transport and the scale of railway safety challenges at the time.Through a rich collection of contemporary disaster postcards, Going Off the Rails reveals how images of train crashes, derailments, and trackside accidents were rapidly shared across Britain and beyond. Long before modern news media, these postcards served as powerful tools of mass communication, shaping public understanding of railway risk, technology, and industrial life.Combining social history, transport heritage, and visual culture, this book offers fascinating insight into how railway disasters were remembered and represented. Ideal for readers interested in railway history, industrial archaeology, Victorian and Edwardian Britain and historical photography.