Illustrated with more than 180 archive photographs, this book captures the commercial heritage of the city and offers a glimpse into Birmingham's past. Capturing the diversity of Birmingham's shops and markets, it provides an important record of life in the city as it used to be. Peter Drake works as head of local studies at Birmingham Central Library. Collecting rare picture postcards has been a long-standing interest for his co-author, Andy Maxam. The images featured in this book are drawn from the extensive archives of Birmingham library as well as the authors' own collections.