xxx, 849 p., [32] p. of plates : ill., maps ; 24 cm.

Machine generated contents note: pt. ONE Arm of the State -- ch. 1 À thing above all things', 1512-1659 -- 1.People's posts and the King's Posts -- 2.A royal monopoly -- 3.A General Post Office -- ch. 2 A network for the nation, 1660-1764 -- 1.Postal plots and cash for the Crown -- 2.Loyal servants...

Contents note continued: 3.Frank Scudamore and the telegraph scandal -- 4.The Golden Age of Blind Postmaster Fawcett -- 5.The great telephone imbroglio -- 6.Henniker Heaton and imperial penny postage -- 7.Postal unions and non-stop inquiries -- pt. TWO War and Peace -- ch. 6 M̀en to trenches, women...

Contents note continued: 2.Revenues, recruits and almost a Women's Corp -- 3.Computers for Bletchley, airgraphs for the troops -- 4.Councils and concessions -- pt. THREE No Ordinary Business -- ch. 9 Bright hopes blighted, 1949-64 -- 1.Dreaming of partnership -- 2.The brave new world of the Rattler...

Contents note continued: 2.Man in the middle -- 3.Of markets and marketing -- 4.Less peace, more efficiency -- 5.Beyond the call of duty -- 6.Dearing's daring design -- ch. 13 Thwarted ambitions, 1987-2002 -- 1.Falling out of step -- 2.Goodbye to Girobank -- 3.The DRAS dispute and a radical proposal...