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"London's Victoria and Albert Museum was the first, and is still the foremost museum of decorative art in the world. Indeed, it has been said that it virtually invented the concept of "decorative art"--Those objects such as pottery, furniture and textiles which, whilst serving a useful purpose, exhibit artistic skill and beauty ... the authors, all experts associated with the V & A for many years -- have chosen to illustrate over 600 items, grouping them in the three main divisions of British, European and Oriental art, the latter including the arts of China, Japan, India and the Islamic world. Each section has a short history of the art of the region, so that the V & A's objects can bee seen in context, as well as detailed individual captions for eachn object. There is also a history of the founding and growth of the museum itself ..." -- Inside front cover.

"Led by dauntless William O. Darby, the elite fighting unit commonly known as Darby's Rangers battled successfully in the World War II campaigns of North Africa, Sicily, and Italy. These units, originally modeled on the British Commandos, were trained in shock tactics, unconventional warfare, special weaponry, demolition operations behind enemy lines and the like ... [Michael] King has integrated the biography of a superb mid-level combat commander and the study of an elite military unit in action"--Dust jkt.

This is the catalogue of a collection of almost 2000 architectural designs by the 19th-century architect J.P. Seddon, held by the Victoria and Albert Museum. He promoted the first bungalows to be built in Britain and was also a designer of stained glass, furniture and other decorative arts.