Penguins and Pelicans, the orange and the blue.

Penguin books were founded by Sir Allen Lane in 1935.  In the central white panel the author and title is written in Eric Gill's sans serif type face, with a cartouche in the upperband that simply says "Penguin Books"/ "Pelican Books".
The business was first expanded in 1937 with an educational series- "Pelicans".  G B. Shaw's "The Intelligent Woman's Guide to Socialism and Capitalism" was the first published  title.  The Penguins shown here are numbers 16/36/43 and 47 all 1936, and the Pelicans A109/160/161 and 163, 1945 1946 (2) and 1947.

Joblings/Lalique..... opalescent pressed glass fish

The Wear Flint Glass Works Sunderland England was founded in 1855, and in 1886 was acquired by James Augustus Jobling. He acquired the rights to produce Pyrex glass in 1921 and this became extremely successful. In 1923 he began producing a popular range of art deco glassware inspired by Lalique designs. The illustration above shows a small opalescent fish signed  on the base Joblings "Lalique".

Sunlight Soap advertisements by Lever Brothers

 Sunlight soap advertisements.............  Sunlight soap was first produced by Lever Brothers in 1884. Prior to these cut and wrapped bars   clothes were washed with home made soap. Levers' soap was one of the first internationally marketed branded products, it was promoted as a godsend to women, which it probably was in those days!

French silhouette, girl with dogs, by F Marcel, c1920

The term silhouette derives from the name Etienne de Silhoette. He was the finance minister  in France in 1759.  He imposed severe economic demands  on the French people, particularly the wealthy. His name thus became eponymous with anything done or made cheaply like these outline pictures/portraits.

Kunisada, 2 Japanese woodblocks

Japanese woodblock prints, probably by Utagawa Kunisada 1786 to 1865. from a series of famous actors.

Prince Andrew.......when is he going to walk away?

Prince Andrew - 'Special Representative for International Trade and Investment'. What a long title for a very foolish bombastic man. He insists on travelling with an entourage of 6, insists on travelling with a 6ft long ironing board so that his valet can press his trousers in the precise manner he is accustomed to! He insists on particular foods, and his water must be served at room temperature.
He isn't paid for his role, though worry not, he receives a handsome income from the Queen viz £249.000. He always stays in the best 5 star hotels, and likes to frequently visit Kazakhstan and mingle with the Gulf Royal families. He receives 'gifts' from the super rich and the Royal that no one else has access to. What ever qualified him for this role? Not academically gifted, he joined the Navy, he learned to fly helicopters,became a commander coming under fire in the Falklands war in 1982.
The details surrounding the sale of his house Sunnyhill Park are still clothed in mystery. The house was sold to one of Kazakhstan's most powerful tycoons, and curiously £3 million was paid over the asking price of £15 million. The house is now virtually derelict. Prince Andrew's cost to the tax payer for his trips is c£600.000. His ex wife was caught in a sting when she suggested she could set up a meeting with the Prince for a considerable sum of money, although he denied all knowledge of the incident. Members of the Royal Family should keep their mouths shut, stop gallivanting around the world at our expense, doing deals with corrupt governments on our behalf that we know nothing about.
(Originally posted on December 4th, 2010)