Beauty History

It goes without saying that Eleanor of Aquitaine was a force of nature. She was the wife of kings, the mother of kings, a duchess in her own right, and a tool of no man. She was headstrong and independent in an age when women were essentially to be seen and not heard.

This classic children's story is written from the view point of the horse. Ben Fogle, children's television presenter on animal programmes, gives it an enthusiastic read. Great for all children who love horses.

Falsely tarred as a blundering baby killer by an unscrupulous doctor, Nurse Catherine is left with no other avenue of escape but to run from the city. When she arrives at Fort Peck to meet William Davis, a gentle but manly hunter-come-homesteader, her aching self-doubt threatens to dash her chances of true love. It is only through the midnight pleas of a terrified stranger that Catherine’s true courageous colors blaze through. Catherine not only experiences her own deliverance but becomes a deliverer of new life on the wild frontiers of Fort Peck!

Survey documents three leading artists—Lubaina Himid, Yinka Shonibare CBE and Hew Locke—exploring their work and ideas in development, in reviews, and recorded conversations, drawn from the Cv/Visual Arts Research Archive.

Before there even was modern era medications and its pharmacopoeia of artificial medications, there were medicinal plants. Prehistoric civilizations have widely used them for the strategic treatment of common illnesses as well as life-threatening ailments. More recently, the information about medicinal plants was handed over from one generation to the next.

Can you believe that the paint used on cars inspired the invention of nail polish in the 1920s? Or that people have been making hair dyes for thousands of years, using everything from boiled walnuts to gold powder? Get ready to learn the strange stories behind inventions you use every day. From the woman who invented "kissproof" lipstick to the role toothpicks played in the creation of Q-tips, you'll find out how we got the beauty inventions that help us look great.