Seriously, there is no one book, though there are several good titles. The area is very broad, you see.
The late Richard O'Brien wrote a book called, "Collecting Toy Soldiers", in which he cataloged the major toy soldier makers from the classic era of hollowcast and other lead-alloy toy soldiers. He revised the book through three subsequent editions, including one on American makers and one on foreign makers. His books are full of photos for reference, and very good information on the history of many of the most prominent manufacturers, like Britains, Heyde, Barclay, Manoil, and many smaller makers. Some were unidentified, till O'Brien did his research, contacting many collectors for additional information.
For Britains itself, there are very good books by James Opie and by Norman Joplin. Norman is a member of this forum, too, and often posts in our discussions, to offer info and clarification or identification. Between the two of them, they have produced excellent references to cover both the classic period, from the start of Britain's toy soldier production in the late 1800s up to the mid-Sixties, and the newer production of collector's figures since the late-Seventies/early-Eighties.
There is also an older reference, by John Garratt, the "World Encyclopedia of Model Soldiers", with good photos and extensive info on many different makers from around the world. The style is a little dated, perhaps, and it ends with the end of the classic period, so there's nothing on newer makers like King & Country. But it is still a valuable reference, nevertheless, for the old toy soldiers we find, like your Staddens.
For other makers, in other countries, there isn't as much material, and often it can be written in other languages. For example, Hans Henning Roer wrote a book on German toy soldiers, which is a good overview, but I don't know if it's been translated. I speak German, so I have it in its original version.
For newer makers, the best reference is forums like ours, which collect the knowledge of so many collectors from around the world. In addition, I find magazines like Toy Soldier & Model Figure, Old Toy Soldier, and Toy Soldier Collector, to be excellent references. TS&MF and TSC are good for modern figures (ie, post-1980) and OTS is an excellent reference for old toy soldiers. I don't know of any other publication that has as much info on American dimestore toy soldiers. Norman Joplin also contributes to that magazine.
Read as much as you can, look at auctions, get out to shows and visit with the vendors, and ask, ask, ask.
Hope that helps, prosit!
Brad
