Liverpool was a small port on the River Mersey in the mediaeval period but started to grow rapidly in the 18th century, benefitting from the expanding transatlantic trade. Wealthy merchants built large houses and invested in the city. During the Victorian age, Liverpool was the second largest city in England and there was a massive programme of civic building to demonstrate Liverpool's standing. The city drew in people from around Britain and further afield and although it suffered heavily during World War 2 when it was targeted for aerial bombardment by the Luftwaffe because of the importance of its docks and associated industries, and then in the postwar decades as docks declined, it is today a culturally vibrant city. Although much of old Liverpool was lost in the destruction of war and in the attempts to modernise the city postwar, it is once again a thriving commercial centre proud of its heritage.Liverpool: The Postcard Collection takes the reader on an evocative journey into Liverpool's past through a selection of old postcards from the late 19th century to the 1940s which offer a fascinating window into the history of this dynamic city.