JOURNALISTS:
High res. images downloadable from our P.R. company's
website:
www.atommpr.com
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Book: ‘Bogs, Baths & Basins’.
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Subtitled ‘The Story of Domestic Sanitation’, this book is the definitive history of the subject. Learned, well-researched and yet enjoyably readable, it covers not just the inventions and the products, but also the personalities and characters in the industry through the ages. We know of many people with no previous interest in the subject who could not put it down! Apart from being the acknowledged textbook of the evolution of sanitaryware, it is also a fascinating social history.
David J. Eveleigh, a museum curator and noted social historian, was nearing completion of his work when he contacted our managing director, Simon Kirby. The author required some information about Crapper & Co., and a few period images from the company archives. The latter were sent in bundles, and many were used in this generously-illustrated book. 
Mr Eveleigh kindly provided a manuscript for Mr Kirby to read, and that is where Eveleigh’s troubles began. Simon Kirby is obsessed with the subject: he was once accused of being an ‘anorak’; he agreed, but suggested that he was better described as a ‘sanitaryware anorak’, or ‘sannorak’ for short. (‘Sanno’ is a word sometimes used in the antique bathroom trade as shorthand for ‘sanitaryware’). The hapless writer was deluged with suggestions, mainly alterations of dates, manufacturers, trade names, model numbers &c., in short a myriad of awkward arguments for nine months of his life! 
David Eveleigh’s research and conclusions were beyond compare, but that simply fired Kirby with enthusiasm to get every last detail as correct as possible. By the end, our M.D. was pleased to have achieved a number of changes, the verity of which he was able to prove. Equally, Eveleigh showed that Kirby was mistaken just as often, and the latter learnt a great deal as a result!
Terry Woolliscroft, the engaging historian at Messrs. Twyfords, also loaned many illustrations from their archives, but most importantly he contributed his knowledge, experiences and enthusiasm for the subject, gained over a lifetime in the industry.
Mr Eveleigh’s work is an astonishing achievement, and we recommend purchasing TWO copies; one for the shelf in the lavatory, and one for the bookshelves in the study. It handsomely deserves a place in both rooms.
Messrs. Woolliscroft and Kirby were honoured, but embarrassed, to find themselves not only guests of honour at the book’s launch, but also placed first in the very long list of acknowledgements in the book.
ISBN: 0 7509 4125 1
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