*A comprehensive, fascinating, and beautiful insight into the history of the Christmas cracker since its invention more than 150 years ago For over 150 years, crackers have been a traditional part of of Christmas festivities, but who created this wonderful innovation? Little is known about Tom Smith - the accepted inventor of the cracker - but in this book Peter Kimpton, former Marketing Services Manager at Tom Smith & Co., draws on a wealth of archive material to relate the story of the man and his amazing invention. From his humble beginnings as a confectioner, Tom Smith developed a highly successful company through the manufacture of crackers. This history is illustrated by contemporary trade catalogues and company artwork from the author's own 'Kathleen Kimpton Collection'. Today, the Tom Smith brand is still the official supplier of Christmas crackers to the Royal Household, a tradition held since the beginning of the twentieth century