Almost everyone in the western world has at some time owned a Matchbox toy. Originally labelled Christmas-cracker trash by retailers and shopkeepers, the small-scale 1-75 series soon found worldwide sales second to none. Smaller and cheaper than most of its competitors' toys, Matchbox models were also far more accurately modelled, but the company has nevertheless seen its own share of competition and challenging times over the years. Nick Jones here tells the story of Lesney and Matchbox and its most famous toys, from the Coronation Coach to the Batmobile, and complements the story with beautifully taken photographs.