Swedish Wooden Toys.

Combining the best of Scandinavian design with a plentiful indigenous supply of trees, the Swedish toy industry has long produced vast quantities of colourful, quality wooden items.

This superbly illustrated book, including specially commissioned photography, looks at over 100 years of Swedish toys, from historic heirlooms to the latest in design and educational value.

Featuring everything from rattles, full-size rocking horses, doll's houses, and building blocks to skis, sleds and tabletop games with intricate moving pieces, "Swedish Wooden Toys" will also address the challenges involved in maintaining what is essentially craft manufacturing in an era of mass-production.

Special attention is given to educational toys and their social value, as well as to individual manufacturing companies with famous names such as Brio and Lundby.