Home > Whistle Books, Catalogs & Collections > Whistle Books > Collecting Police Whistles and Similar Types by Martyn Gilchrist and Simon Topman
Collecting Police Whistles and Similar Types (referred to as, “CPW”) is a must have for any serious collector of whistles and especially police whistles.
CPW sets the bar for reference work on whistles, yet at the same time establishes what truly are police whistles. The emphasis is on the London Metropolitan whistle and all its progressive stages.
250
Gilchrist, Martyn and Topman, Simon.
Collecting Police Whistles and Similar Types. Birmingham: Topcrest, 1998. Print.
OUT OF PRINT
An Excerpt from the Foreword
For many years Hudsons Whistles have regularly received visits and telephone calls from individuals seeking information on whistles, old and new.
CPW is very generous with life size group pictures for identifying your whistles. The liner notes contain an equal amount of information beyond the written text.
As Hudson Whistles took over all the competition turn of the last century the records that were accessed helped to establish a somewhat complete list of all the manufacturers different stamps they put on their whistles and it is compiled in the section, Body Stamps.
Along with this are lists of patents and registrations, lists of manufacturers that existed then, a very well organized index and best of all hand drawn diagrams of the internal parts of different makers to help in identification processes.
Collecting Police Whistles… | About the Book:
The book is the first authoritative account of whistles and whistle collecting of its type. This first volume, covering police and general service calls, at last, provides somewhere for the collector to turn to for information that will not only allow whistles to be identified, but will also show the potential scope for collecting as the fairs, car boot sales and antique markets are sought out.
Together, Martyn and Simon have produced this concise and pithy guide to the ‘Bobby’s Whistle’ that will be a boon to the many patient enquirers who have so often asked for such a volume.
By co-authoring the book with Simon Topman, the Managing Director of J. Hudson & Co (Whistles) Ltd, Martyn Gilchrist has presented the development of the classic police whistle with the help of the records kept at Hudson’s in the United Kingdom. All other police whistles revolve around this era and written work now.
Collecting Police Whistles… | About Martyn and Simon:
Martyn Gilchrist and Simon Topman have been involved in the whistle world for fifteen years.
Martyn is probably the world’s foremost authority on the history and development of whistles. He has spent many years as a researcher and so has been able to bring to his already extensive knowledge of whistles an outstanding skill in unravelling not only the disparate documents that have held silence on arcane whistle lore for so long, but also the mysteries that have emerged from the many major collections that he has visited and dissected.
Simon Topman is the Managing Director of J. Hudson & Co (Whistles) Ltd and has an unparalleled knowledge of whistles and whistle-making not only of the current day but extending back to the very beginnings of whistle production in Birmingham, England, during the last century. His discovery on joining Hudsons in 1982 of a wealth old whistles and archive material covering not only Hudson’s production but also that of the many other whistle manufacturers who have existed, at various times, since the last century has led to an all-consuming interest in the history of whistles and singular opportunity to find answers to the many questions that collectors raise from the unique vantage point that only a company such as Hudsons could provide.
The book hardbound and made for extensive use; it is the only deep research book available. Now out of print, when they are gone then there are no plans for a reprint. While currently OUT OF PRINT, the team at The Whistle Gallery offers remaining copies for purchase.
