The birth of the Royal Crown Derby series of paperweights can be traced to a special event held at Chatsworth House in 1981 when, together with a number of new designs for tableware, the firm introduced six paperweights in animal form: an Owl, Duck, Quail, Penguin, Wren and Rabbit. The extraordinary success of this paperweight range is reflected in its expansion to over 400 models. The development of limited editions and many different types of exclusives - all with their particular backstamps - has stimulated the collector''s market. The Royal Crown Derby Collectors Guild provides valuable opportunities for collectors to share news, buy special editions and attend events. With so much variety in all areas of the range and new models regularly introduced, collectors have a wide choice. There are those who wish only to purchase cats, or breeds of dogs, or paperweights decorated by particular designers, Tien Manh Dinh or Sue Rowe for example. This entirely revised and updated edition of Ian Cox''s original book is essential reading for all enthusiasts and collectors of this paperweight range - it contains a new chapter and a fully illustrated catalogue of all production paperweights since 1981. The miniature ranges of Teddies, Treasures of Childhood and Buildings have also been included as they are of great interest to the collector. Collectors have never been in a better position to acquire information about Royal Crown Derby paperweights.
