The Toy Story

The Life and Times of Inventor Frank Hornby

Plot

A single man was responsible for the toys which shaped generations of children. Frank Hornby invented the train set, Meccano, the dinky toy and Scalextric. And yet, until now, there has been no biography of this extraordinary figure. Frank Hornby lived in Liverpool, and while working as a bookkeeper for a meat importer, he became frustrated by the range of toys in Britain and set up a toy manufacturing company. A passionate and inspired man, he developed his first toys for his own children and by his death in 1936 Meccano and Hornby trains were market leaders. Encompassing social history, politics and changing attitudes towards children this is a beautifully written life story of an unsung hero.