Two new books:

• Built for Britain: Bridges to Beach Huts, a new book from Peter Ashley is out on 12 June. This is bound to be essential, as Mr Ashley has a flawless track record for documenting the overlooked and underrated aspects of British life. Check out his ouevre and his blog, Unmitigated England.
• On Roads: A Hidden History by Joe Moran is out on 11 June. Joe is an academic at John Moores University and also writes for The Guardian and the New Statesman as an expert on the commonplace. His book Queuing for Beginners is an unlikely pageturner. I learnt so much reading it and now can't wait to see what he's got to say about one of my all-time favourite things, roads. The blurb promises details on Percy Shaw inventor of the cat's eye, signage pioneers Margaret Calvert and Jock Kinneir and Charles Forte, motorway services innovator. Ay carumba!