This series profiles a city based on the collections held at a museum within it – the guardian of the city’s treasures – which collects, preserves and presents original material on the city’s past, present and future.

Every city has a story to tell, which involves weaving together its origins, history, unique aspects and the lives of its people. What better way to achieve this than through the museum collections that help us to understand the character of the city and connect with its inhabitants?

City Histories showcases this identity in a fully illustrated, attractively designed volume. Its mission is to gather as many city histories as possible, each with its own fascinating story, in an international series.

This series will appeal to cultural institutions whose collections comprise a particular genre, or to those more diversified institutions wishing to highlight an element of their collections of special significance, or which have been formed or expanded by a recent donation or bequest.

The books joining the Focus series will act as a clearly presented guide to the institution’s chosen area of strength, appealing to the visitor interested in that specific area as well as to the wider audience of those seeking out collections of their favoured genre through an internationally established series.

This series concentrates on the greater depth and texture of the institution’s life and purpose, rather than highlights of the collection – its mission, organisation, wider policy and societal context and its people – and can also encompass the history/story behind the building itself housing the collections.

These books reveal how institutions actually work in the 21st century, focusing on their raison d’être and modern museum practice, presenting behind-the-scenes snapshots of museum life and the collections they store as well as display, often not seen. The series tells the story of how institutions have evolved and often reinvented themselves when faced with on-going challenges/restrictions, changing in purpose and practice.

Reflecting the flexibility in scope and emphasis of this series, these softcover books are produced to a tailor-made format and extent, and can be portrait, landscape or square, in order to accommodate the requirements of individual institutions.

These books present a selection of the collections/points of interest/events the institution most wishes to highlight, the total number chosen represented in the title of the book – 100, 75, 50, 25, 10, etc. The relevant number (which might reflect an anniversary or any other concept relevant to the institution) forms the main title of the book and the predominant feature on the cover in high relief, with the logo of the institution above or below.