Since 1953, Matchbox toys have captured the hearts, minds, and imaginations of children all around the world. As those early children grew up, they remembered the fun and fascination that had for those little toys. As adults, they were transformed into Matchbox collectors. From their humble beginnings in 1947 in a burned-out London pub, partners Leslie and Rodney Smith built everlasting legacy to their ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit through their company Lesney and their Matchbox brand of diecast toys. This book is the result of author Dana Johnson's fifty-year fascination with these wonderful toys. His first book on Matchbox toys was published in 1994, to fill a void in the collector's reference library. He has since produced three more books on the subject, the latest of which is this one. The key difference between this latest effort and the rest is that this book is arranged alphabetically, for reasons which will later be made clear. Suffice it to say that it's about time such a book was published; it promises to be the most useful and user-friendly book ever produced about Matchbox toys￯﾿ﾽBur I'll let you decide.