5 comments about 1897 Sears Roebuck & Co. Catalogue.

1. The Sears and Roebuck catalog has been a huge help in writing my historical romance set in the 1890s. There are saddles, surreys, and patent medicines. This visual aid has made it so much easier for me to give an accurate depiction of the times.



2. Imagine having an invention which would allow you to review various products from the comfort of your own home. An invention which would enable you to purchase food, clothing, books, tools, medicines, transportation, furniture and virtually any other consumer need. An invention which would permit you to choose various delivery options which varied by cost and speed. Oh and by the way the year is 1897. After reading this book I have to say that the 1897 Sears Roebuck Catalogue was truly the Internet of its day. The book lists literally thousands of items which could all be purchased from the Sears Roebuck Company. Many of the items are farming equipment and provide a look at what was needed to raise food in the small family ran farms of the day as opposed to our world of largely corporate farming. The drawings of the home entertainment options available show how much easier we have it today. The product descriptions, especially of the medical products are eye opening (you could actually buy opium) and the overall feel is that a person in the late 1800s, even if stuck in a small rural town, truly had access to the world provided he had a copy of the Sears Roebuck Catalogue.



3. This is such a great look into turn of century catalogue shopping. You'll be shocked at cheap things like violins and three piece suits used to be. For history or shopping buffs, this is a really, really neat buy.



4. I love it! It is fun to look at the the prices of the items that were sold back at the turn of the century.



5. This book is utterly fascinating for those who hold any sort of interest in bygone times. While not a step-by-step guide, it inadvertantly thrusts the reader into the role of a home owner of limited means in the late 1800s. You find yourself shopping, suckered in by the richly worded item desciptions and enticed by the promises of "best on the market," "guaranteed for a lifetime," and "will cure all diseases of the nervous system."
   
   Unconsciously, you create your own little shopping list and envision a home where the husband builds everything from the buggy to the bathrooms while the wife prepares all the meals and pretties herself with skin whiteners and hair lotions.
   
   I am so glad to have bought this catalogue. I use it as a writing prompt for my high school students, to encourage creative and analytical thought, and they delight in it. I implore everyone to investigate this book.

5 comments about Elvis, Jesus and Coca-Cola (Kinky Friedman Novels).

1. "Elvis, Jesus and Coca-Cola" is Kinky's sixth novel and was first published in 1993. As with his other books, Kinky has cast himself as the amateur-PI hero - though he doesn't take too many liberties. The book's Kinky (unsurprisingly) is a cigar-smoking, cat-loving, espresso-guzzling, whiskey-drinking, ex-country and western performer. Naturally, Kinky isn't the only 'real' person to appear in the book - for example, Rambam and Ratso, of the 'Village Irregulars', have real-life incarnations.
   
   Tom Baker, a recently deceased Irish actor, rather than the former Doctor Who - was a good friend of the Kinkster. Tom's final project had been a documentary on Elvis impersonators - a documentary that has, apparently, gone missing. Baker Senior, meeting Kinky for the first time at Tom's wake, is obviously aware of the Kinkster's reputation as a PI and requests our hero's help in retrieving it. Naturally, Kinky agrees - he doesn't think it too hard, believing it's sitting somewhere obvious and has just been overlooked...
   
   Unfortunately, Kinky's life is about to take a complicated turn, with the return of Downtown Judy. Downtown Judy is one of Kinky's many former lovers, who never actually realised she was known as Downtown Judy. (This was largely because Kinky was spending a great deal of time, in a horizontal position, with an Uptown Judy at the same time - something that Kinky, obviously, wasn't about to share with her). Although Kinky isn't at all upset about spending some time in her company again, he isn't too impressed about being restricted to a cuddle on the first night. Unsurprisingly, one Judy leads to another...but not necessarily in the manner Kinky would have liked. He's disturbed, mid-cuddle, by a friendly neighbourhood homicide cop called Cooperman - who's at Uptown Judy's, with his partner, on business. While there's no sign of a corpse, there are reports of a gunshot, a large pool of blood on the floor, drag marks heading towards the door and a notepad with Kinky's name and number beside the bed. Kinky isn't in a great position to help the investigation...IIt's been a while since he'd seen her - but even he when he was seeing her, he didn't know a great deal about her. (Due to the large quantity of Colombian marching powder that was disappearing up his nose at the time, he probably didn't know a great deal about himself either). Cooperman is rather vague about the case, but tells him Uptown Judy had been in trouble for a while - and also advises him to keep well away from the case. It's not bad advise : Kinky later finds out that Uptown Judy's father was a mafia Don, who'd been dealt with in a very final way five years previously by a rival family.
   
   Events conspire against Kinky however. One of Tom's assistants on the Elvis impersonators project was a man known as 'Legs' - in fact, he'd been the first to notice it was missing from the lab. Naturally, Legs is someone Kinky is keen to meet - though Tom's ex-assistant fails to arrive at the meeting they arrange. There's a very good reason - Legs has been killed, in very similar circumstances to Uptown Judy...right down to the notepad featuring Kinky's name and number. Cooperman isn't too impressed either and, given that neither he nor his partner are especially fond of the Kinkster, Kinky knows they'd be happy to appoint him the most obious suspect.
   
   "Elvis, Jesus and Coca-Cola" delivers pretty much what you;d want from a Kinky book : it's not an entirely serious 'whodunnit', but it is a fast moving and very easily read book. It's also packed with superbly delivered one-liners and - while his quips won't be to everyone's tastes - it was a book I thoroughly enjoyed.



2. Friedman works hard at being a down-home, profane guy but writes great stories that are packed with literary and historical references that show how deeply aware and knowledgeable he is. It is not showing off, but illuminating both plot points and historical connections. His work is not for everyone, a knowledge of the culture, especially from the 70s on, is essential to get all the references but well worth the attention. His wit and humor has many levels but is dead on funny, if you share his perspective. The mystery aspect is well designed and sometimes quite dark. He connects each book with prior books, especially with his group of friends that are linked to each new work. I recommend this book as well as all his other books.



3. In "Elvis, Jesus & Coca Cola", Kinky Friedman has continued his entertaining mystery stories with jocular just plain fun. He is really Richard Friedman, who grew up on Nottingham in West University with a great group of friends. He has a memory that is better than an elephant, and he uses it in several of his novels in a vicarious way with humor and innocence. Richard is a very talented writer. His twists and turns in this book are reminicscent of " Musical Chairs" which also utilizes his memory of his boyhood friends. He has to solve mysteries of two different Judy's, a problem that many of us folks would probably enjoy just for the heck of it. He already has great reviews, but another will not hurt. Imos is correct in his brief review on the back cover of the paperback version. When this man becomes Governor of the State of Texas you will all wish that you had read his mini mystery. Be sure to read the bottom of page 82 in the paper back version of his book. He is a real artist with talent that is voluminous. Cheers to the man and his cigar.
   Dale Haufrect, M.D., M.A.
   Medical Director
   Micro Light Corporation of America
   Houston, Texas



4. Beach read. That pretty much somes it up. The chapters are fast and furious, with several great lines that are worth highlighting. A few times I laughed out loud. The plot wasn't that great, and the ending was a bit predictable. The two biggest problems were the recap ending(this is how it was done, my dear Watson...) and the plot was flimsy. But, if you are looking for something to kill a few hours, you could do worse.



5. Elvis, Jesus and Coca-Cola might possibly be the least imaginative of the plot lines in the Kinky mysteries (at least up to that point). It involves two of Kinky's lady friends, cleverly dubbed Uptown Judy and Downtown Judy, who are unaware of the other's existence until one of them is killed and the Village Irregulars pounce on the case.

   For fans of the series, however, the plot lines are secondary to the humorous anectodes of our hero and the everyday situations that he finds himself. Kinky's friends are all featured extensively throughout the novel, which results in a number of hilarious boozy gatherings in various bars, restaurants and a gay burlesque theatre. The infighting between Ratso, Rambam, McGovern, Brennan and Kinky's new neighbor and her two yapping dogs make up for any shortcomings in the detective yarn.

   I always seem to read these out of sequence, but I remember this as one of the last great entries in the series. Soon, Friedman would start resorting to new twists (including a trip to Hawaii that would make the Brady Bunch writers cringe). These books are always the best when it's Kinky and his friends drunkenly stumbling through a new case, snapping off one-liners and stories from Kinky's Texas roots and days as a country singer. Good stuff.

No comments about Advertising Cuts of the 20s and 30s CD-ROM and Book (Dover Electronic Clip Art).

3 comments about Tomart's Price Guide to Character & Promotional Glasses Including Pepsi, Coke, Fast-Food, Peanut Butter and Jelly Glasses; Plus Dairy Glasses & Milk.

1. I confess that I am a little disappointed in the revised 3rd edition of this book which I purchased after seeing an earlier edition in the reference section of our local library. I am a collector of Big Top peanut butter song glasses, and this book seems to be one of the few that has information about these glasses. When I looked up the Big Top glasses in this latest edition, there was actually less text and fewer photographs of these glasses than there had been in the earlier edition!! For this reason, I have a hard time considering the third edition "revised and expanded." There are also a number of Big Top glasses with children's songs that are not listed (London Bridge, Farmer in the Dell, Little Bo Peep, Billy Boy, etc.)



2. I bought two other books at the same time as this one.. Chase and Kelly's "Collectible Drinking Glasses" and John Hervey's "Collector's Guide to Cartoon and Promotional Drinking Glasses". All three are good, but this one is the one I keep coming back to, while on the hunt at flea markets etc.

   I am new to collectible glasses so I can't speak to issues of accuracy or pricing.

   Hope this helps!




3. We have waited paitently for the release of this book as it has been 2 years since we were told it was going to be released. Time and effort are clearly visible as it gives reference of over 800 new glasses that the previous editions lacked. Many of the small mistakes about certain glasses have also been corrected.

   This is clearly at the top of its class for promotional glasses and is more extensive in categories then all the other so called glass books available on the market. As with any collector book this one has prices in it and not all of them are reliable as the common items appear to be overpriced and the high end glasses appear to be underpriced. The only dissapointment I had overall with the book was its combining black and white photos on same pages as color shots, since part of the page is in color it would be nice to have the whole page in color.

   In any event Tom Hoder did an excellent job overall and this book will still stand above others as the one people will use as a guide.

1 comments about Value Guide To Gas Station Memorabilia (Value Guide to Gas Station Memorabilia).

1. B. J. Summers and Wayne Priddy's Value Guide To Gas Station Memorabilia appears in its updated second edition to provide the latest values to signs, cans, maps and more from vintage gas station days. Bright medium-sized color photos throughout compliment chapters conveniently organized by memorabilia type - signs, containers, thermometers, even pumps and globes - to make for quick, easy browsing and reference.

5 comments about Antique Tins: Identification & Values (Antique Tins).

1. I borrowed this book and the other two in collection from library first to see if I wanted to purchase. I do not. The variety (you need all 3 books) and photos were wonderful. But NO DATES. You have absolutely no idea when any of these tins were made. I personally want some idea even if rounded out to decade or two. If this is not as important to you as it is me than great book.



2. A book that every collector should have on hand. Helps identify, grade and value your tin. Great wish book. Would highly recommend to all.



3. Great photography. Let's the collector have a source at his hand that helps identify, grade and value their tin. Would highly recommend to all collector's of tins as a great resource. The author's love of the hobby shines through with with this book.



4. Great book for the tin collector. Nice pictures, acurate values, collecting tips, grading scale. Highly recommend!!! Cover of this book is different than what is showing here.



5. Beautiful updated hardback book featuring more than 1,600 sharp full color photos of popular collectible tins. Many of these tins do not appear in other books. Items are in groups such as tobacco tins, baking powders, coffee, candy, oilers, etc. 17 major catagories are included. It provides grading examples, where to find tins, and evaluating their condition. The pictures are a pleasure to view.

1 comments about Warman's Coca Cola Collectibles: Identification And Price Guide (Warmans Coca Cola Collectibles).

1. This is his latest Coca Cola pricing guide. All pictures are in color, unlike his big book that mixes color and b&w photos. It has helped me with my large CC colection but is far from being as complete as is his 11th volume. It is a good guide. BB

1 comments about Full-Color Old-Time Label Art CD-ROM and Book (Dover Pictorial Archive).

1. The selection and quality of the files are great. It would have been better if they were larger, but even enlarging them 200%, I got the qaulity I wanted from a color printer.

3 comments about The Sparkling Story of Coca-Cola: An Entertaining History Including Collectibles, Coke Lore, and Calendar Girls.

1. This product arrived promptly and in brand-new condition as ordered. It was very nice and I'm sure my aunt-in-law will love it for Christmas.



2. The Sparkling Story of Coca-Cola will delight all those who would like to know the origins of the world's favorite soft drink and see many delightful early examples of advertising and promotional materials. One of my favorite museums with a commercial focus is the Coca-Cola Museum in Atlanta. I was prepared to be disappointed with this book, assuming that it would have less material that I found at the museum. Instead, I found The Sparking Story of Coca-Cola to be much more detailed, easier to follow and with higher quality graphics than in the museum.

   The people who will be disappointed in this book are those who want to follow Coca-Cola's progress in detail from 1935 on. The book is a little sketchy for the last 68 years, but wonderfully detailed before that.

   The historical side of the book captures the development of carbonated soft drinks in drug stores from medicinal mineral waters and then connects how the formula for Coca-Cola emerged. Anyone who has wanted to understand about the cocaine and caffeine in the original formula will probably have their thirst for knowledge slaked. There also plenty of educated guesses about what the rest of the ingredients are now.

   The book goes on to explain the transition into distributing the syrup around the country, bottling and supermarket distribution. I found all of these explanations to be thorough, without being dense, and interesting without trying to be cute.

   The illustrations are what really made the book for me. In Coca-Cola's earliest days, the company was a pioneer in mass advertising. Although a fountain glass of Coca-Cola only cost five cents, that was a lot of money when the product first came out. With a sure instinct, the advertising portrayed attractive, healthy upper class young women with the product. These images appeared on trays, calendars and hand-outs. The quality of the reproductions is very fine. You can then see how these illustrations gravitated towards women celebrities and eventually towards ordinary looking young women. During times of trouble, boys were included.

   I also enjoyed the discussions of how Coca-Cola handled the challenges of sugar shortages and the Depression while maintaining its quality image and integrity.
   While many books about a product like Coca-Cola would ignore all competitors, this one has some material on the early soft drink makers like Hires for root beer and Schweppes. There's also some material on the challenge of Pepsi-Cola beginning in the 1930s. These references enriched the book for me.

   Those who are looking for an explanation of the Roberto Goizueta era at Coca-Cola will find little information, except for a discussion of the introduction of the failed new Coke. Bottling development and international expansion similarly lack much information beyond the initiation of both activities.

   So, as you can see, this is more than a coffee table book . . . and less than a complete history. It's just right for those who want to know more about one of their favorite beverages and enjoy the nostalgia of seeing interesting memorabilia from an earlier time.

   After you finish this book, think about other symbols that you relate to that once had a slightly "fast" image. Is that same image involved now? Is the change good or bad from your perspective?

   When you are in Atlanta, all those who enjoyed this book will probably also enjoy the museum there . . . especially tasting the flavors of Coca-Cola products from around the world.




3. I recieved this wonderful book as a Christmas gift. What an enjoyable read! Full of enjoyable tidbits that every Cokeaholic would love to know. From the history of Soda Fountain beginnings to the pop culture icon Coca-Cola has become. The Sparkling Story of Coca-Cola covers it all. A visual feast of historic photographs and illustrations accompany the well written text.

No comments about Full-Color Cigar Labels CD-ROM and Book (Dover Full-Color Electronic Design).