History
The Practical Handbook series was started in the 1970s, with most of the original titles remaining in print throughout, and new titles being added over the years. There has been a rolling programme of revision with most printed Handbooks now in their umpteenth edition. We welcome feedback at any time on all aspects of the Handbooks, whether the comments are general or detailed, practical or academic, complimentary or critical.
Online version
These online versions have been created (launched on 5th June 2017) using the most recent revision of each printed Handbook, complete with spelling mistakes and broken links!
Some pages will seem quite long. Others have little content. This is because we set out a convention for how the books were ‘translated’ from paper to online – we matched book chapters with online chapters, used major headings as web pages and sub-headings as, well, sub-heading on web pages. Where the printed handbook said something like “see p25”, we have linked to either the page or sub-heading as we saw relevant.
It is our intention to continue the process of improving and updating the Handbooks, with the obvious advantage that the online versions can be updated on a much more regular basis. We will update the content, illustrations and website links, as well as add photographs and videos as we create them. We will prioritise bringing information up to date, fixing broken links and getting our spellings correct.
Each online page of the Handbooks has a feedback form (only available when signed in) that subscribers can use to send us feedback and point out areas where the content needs to be updated or corrected.
Subscriptions
We want our subscription system to be fair. A subscription gives access to all ten handbook titles (plus any we add in the future), so everybody gets access to everything.
All subscriptions are, as the name suggests subscriptions. That means you are committing to pay a small fee on an annual basis to retain access to all the exciting content we offer. It works in much the same as Netflix works.
So, to continue accessing the handbooks you don’t need to do anything, it’s all taken care of for you.
You’ll receive a discount of around 30%, depending on your subscription ‘level’, for each renewal period.
You can, of course, cancel at any time.
Groups, charities and educational institutions
Discounts apply for more than 10 users. Please contact us for our charity and education subscription rate.
Members of community groups that are signed up to TCV’s Community Network receive a discount on the ‘Individual’ subscription rate. You’ll need a discount code for this. You can find more information here.
VAT
VAT is currently applicable to all subscriptions. If you are a VAT-registered business in the EU, you will have the option to add your VAT number at checkout and you won’t be charged VAT (except in Ireland where you will be charged VAT at the current rate). This VAT number is checked at the time of checkout, so no cheating please as it won’t work.
Profits
Some of the profits we make from subscriptions on this site will be put straight back into making improvements to the handbooks. Other monies will go to directly support the work that TCV does on the ground across the UK.
Payment
We accept PayPal and credit/debit card (Stripe) payments. You can also use Apple Pay through Stripe. All payments are secure and handled over an encrypted connection (check for the padlock symbol in your browser – near the address of the page you’re visiting). We never see or have access to your credit card information. We do not store any of your payment details on the site as all payments are handled directly by PayPal or Stripe and not by us.
