Lorna Russell Knihy

For a teenage girl growing up in 1950s' Britain, Girl was essential reading. Each week there'd be another gripping instalment of 'Susan of St Brides: Nurse of the Year'; advice column 'Mother Tells You How' would provide wise words on how to care for goldfish; 'Concerning You' would reveal how to choose spectacles that suit your face and the Girl picture gallery of lovely paintings to cut out and keep would feature pin-ups of the day such as Humphrey Littleton, Princess Margaret and various garden birds. The Best of Girl is a fascinating window on this hilariously wholesome bygone age of fine upstanding virtue for those too young to remember it, and a completely compulsive nostalgia trip for those who aren't.