1 comments about The Star Spangled Banner.

1. I really love this book ~ it is perfectly illustrated for children.

5 comments about Coca-Cola Girls : An Advertising Art History.

1. An important book for students or all people who apreciate Coca-Cola advertising history. But the print quality of this book is very bad and the rason I gave only 3 stars rate. I have many others books about Coca-Cola and comparing some pictures on this book I can see a serious problem of quality of picture reproduction. The magenta canal, the black canal at the scannering time is not correctly adjusted. The reproduction of originals have primary errors! I hope this review sound like a special attention adivise for the editors. Don't do that please!



2. The Coca-Cola bottling company was a major influence on the popular culture of America and the western world throughout the twentieth century. Their marketing slogans, images, and icons permeated every level of society. Never was this more true than in the case of the "Coca-Cola Girl", an image of perfect, wholesome, energetic American beauty that graced all manner of advertising in all medias. Now in a single volume, Chris Beyer presents a unique, accurate, detailed, magnificently illustrated history of Coca-Cola's advertising showcasing the use of women to promote an image encouraging the American public to make the beverage a part of their daily life style. Coca-Cola Girls: An Advertising Art History is a fascinating stroll down through the decades of the twentieth century that will appeal to the nostalgia of its readers and is a highly recommended addition to any Americana and popular culture collections.



3. Long before "the pause that refreshes" became a national catch phrase and "Coke" a euphemism for any soft drink, there were the Coca-Cola models - winsome rosy-cheeked young women often engaged in a domestic task or posed invitingly with frosty glass close by.

   While always smiling, the Coca-Cola girls have many faces and all of them are stunningly reproduced in this full-color volume brimming with illustrations from the Coca-Cola Company archives.

   An 1897 advertisement features a Victorian lady seated primly on a pillow, while another from that era introduces a pensive miss seated at her flower bedecked desk with pen in hand. A Coca-Cola bride smiled at us in 1906, while a 1919 shot presented a beautiful girl against an early airport scene.

   Of course, the 1940s war years showed women in uniform, and the 1950s brought girls at work and play.

   Perhaps the most appealing illustrations are from the brush of N. C. Wyeth. Whatever the case, history buffs, Coca-Cola collectors, art connoisseurs, and those who simply want to remember will find much to enjoy in this colorful archival volume.




4. A wonderful book! This book is a walk through the history of Coca-Cola's eye for the beauty of woman. Each photograph shows the incredible detail that went into creating the delicate feminine art that would sell the old-fashioned soda for many years. I encourage you to sit and read the exciting history that has been written with great knowledge. I have enjoyed each and every page. If you have any interest in Coca-Cola this book is sure to pull you into the fascination of the world of Coca-Cola's history.



5. a delightful romp through the history of using sex to sell soda pop. and you thought it was only cars,cigarettes and alcohol that got sold that way.... A concise examination of cokes use of the female form in advertising over the last century

No comments about The Tools that Built America (Dover Books on Americana).

5 comments about Lost America: The Abandoned Roadside West.

1. Troy Paiva is, simply put, a brilliant photographer. The subject matter of his compositions are powerful enough by themselves, but Troy is able to bring out the true magic mystique in them with his fantastic use of color and shade contrasts. Highly recommended for anyone looking for not only groundbreaking photography, but anyone who has passed by those long forgotten roadside attracts, and dreamed about what once was...



2. If you love night photography and abandoned places and things, this book is for you. Troy Paiva was the man who first defined this area of artistic expression. His work has inspired my own; and he is as original as the places and things that he shoots. I wasn't impressed that much with the paper ( a little thin) and the print could have been better, but it's still a lot of bang for your buck. He describes the people, places and things behind the photographs. It is an excellent read by a very good photographer who had a few brilliant ideas for creating art. His work is now copied by many photographers. If you want a look at the abandoned west, this is your best buy.



3. Now in its second print-run, Troy Paiva's LOST AMERICA is the equivalent of a medieval "Ubi sunt?" poem, with abandoned drive-ins and car shells standing in for the Roman temples and aqueducts. His striking, beautifully lit night-shots are more than nostalgia or kitschy tributes; they're documents of an American culture that sheds identities and icons with unsettling ease. As others have noted, Paiva's as good a writer as he is a photo-artist, and so the accompanying essays are just as evocative as the images. The only things LOST AMERICA lacks are a sturdier hardcover edition and a follow-up.



4. When I first came across this book it intrigued me because, I was so in tuned to the wasteful nature of our culture. The incredible thing is when I show most people the book at first they say "So you wasted $15 on photo's of junk?", but a few hours or few days later their asking to see the book again. This time they remark on the genius of it all, the beauty of the photo's, and the magical way the objects come to life. I would also tell them to read what Troy Paiva has written in the book itself. In a way his words open up the true nature of the photos, not just revealing pictures of forgotten and rusted objects, but of memories that we may have of those objects in their heyday. Like the way he mentions an old rusted Cadillac once having been someone's dream car, or the way a nearly scarped Boeing 707, was once the height of technology and the jet set. The book can also get creepy in parts especially the part you'll read about a forgotten fire station near Edwards AFB. But overall it's more then just junk, it's a tribute to the very nature of our being in the United States, and ghosts that haunt us in the form of memories



5. Amazing pictures and very well written stories.
   Definitely a book worth having if you like photography.

5 comments about Vintage Quilts: Identifying, Collecting, Dating, Preserving & Valuing.

1. This book has joined my growing collection of quilt history books. Every page has coloured photographs of quilts or blocks. The details of each quilt or block contains size, age, condition, value, maker etc. This book was printed in 2002 but is still relevant today. Whether you are a quilt collector, historian, or quilt maker this book is full of inspiration.



2. This is a quality reference for quilts from the period. But, it only provides a brief description and photo of each quilt. It will not tell you how determine the value of a quilt.



3. I purchased this book because I own several quilts that I have picked up over the years and wanted to figure out dates and get an idea of how to go about valuing them. While the title of this book suggests this is a possibility a mere page and a half are devoted to identification, dating, pricing, care and storage. The remainder of the book is a catalogue of their collection and while they own some lovely quilts I was not interested in a coffee table book but rather one that provided some real data.
   
   There are lovely photographs of more than 100 quilts and if you want to browse through a lovely collection, this is a nice book, though there are better for this as well. If you are looking for information on valuing your own quilts, this book will get you no closer.



4. I've debated commenting about this book for almost a year now, and now that I have heard there is to be a sequel feel that I can't hold back. In good conscience I cannot recommend this effort to anyone. Such authors who claim to have so much experience should have been able to expound and give reasons for their value conclusions. Unfortunately, those who are unaware do not know the reputation of the authors is very misleading; those with the experience they say they have would have known better. Save your money -



5. I bought it with great expectations, I read it in dismay, I was disappointed with the lack of information. It's nothing more than a printed format for the author's collection of quilts, with no relationship to what's really "out there"....yikes, my educated guesses would make better reading! I had it a week, and then gave it away to someone who likes looking at pictures.

5 comments about American Lighting - 1840-1940: 1840 1940.

1. Filled with beautiful photographs and catalogue pictures, this lovely hardback book is packed with useful information about antique lighting in the United States. Focusing on lighting for domestic household use, Ms. Maril skillfully explains how the evolution in technology of producing light, influenced the development of lighting styles.
   Although the current price guide should be updated and the quality of some of the catalogue reproduction could be improved, this is the best reference book available on the sibject. I highly recommend purchasing this book for your library.



2. I really like this book as a general reference. Great visuals and wonderful aesthetic. Great definition of "Fluid Lamps". Using color photographs and rare catalog material, this book concentrates on domestic lighting, making this an important book for home restorers and decorators seeking to capture an authentic look in their homes. The informative text and history of the American lighting industry makes it a welcome, valuable addition to the libraries of historians, collectors, and others interested in the development of American design and technology. Advanced researchers may express disappointed but for a general overview you'll want it for your library. It has a welcomed place on my shelf.



3. Few books are available which cover the subject of late 19th and early 20th century lighting. I found this book to be rich with information and very useful in identifying some of the pieces I have collected over the years. Other than, "Antique Lamp Buyer's Guide", also by Ms. Maril, there is little reference material for collectors so this is definitely a book worth owning.



4. I've been collecting reverse painted lamps for ten years and I found Ms. Maril's book very helpful in providing information about the various manufacturers who made these lamps at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century. Unlike a lot of picture books on antiques, Maril explains her subject and provides an overview of lighting technology and styles.



5. As an antique reproduction manufacturer, I find this book very limited and barely touching the rich depth of this area of American History. Ancestors populated the east coast since 1595 have first hand knowledge, written descriptions and actual lanterns and chandeliers throughout the periods. This book rarely indicates the history nor the flavor and texture of the various periods American Lighting has past though. The pictures are nice.

1 comments about Popular Art Deco: Depression Era Style and Design.

1. Most books about Art Deco rightly cover the fine art aspects of the movement but the authors of this lovely book explore the way commerce used deco styling in mass produced products available on any Main Street. It would be a good few years before an art style was used again to sell things, namely pop art in the mid-Sixties.
   
   Look at the many photographs of everyday items in the book and it is clear that manufacturers copied whatever deco style elements they wanted to enhance the sales potential of their products, at the same time a group of industrial designers where developing America's unique design style, streamline and contributing more elements to be copied, a good example are the three speed lines that popped up on many products.
   
   I think the illustrations in the book are well chosen and they really do cover everyday items in use during the Depression years and nicely the text is broken up with various interesting sidebars like the one on Dolores Del Rio's moderne house or festive season graphics or Deco Mexicana. To compliment this excellent survey have a look at 'Streamline' (ISBN 0811806626) by Steven Heller and Louise Fili, basically a visual book with several hundred examples of everyday graphics. Both books cover so well two exuberant art styles that everyone could share and so were truly democratic.
   
   ***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.

No comments about The Art of the Little Mermaid.

1 comments about Introduction to African American Photographs: 1840-1950: Identification, Research, Care & Collecting.

1. Good book! It gives you a little insight into the lives of African Americans early in the last century.

1 comments about Railroadiana : The Official Price Guide For the Year 2000 and Beyond.

1. I expected a superior book because the Knous's background is so impressive on the subject of railroadiana. But I was surprised to find that it was not only a superior book but also a beautiful book as well. The pictures make identification of valuable objects much easier than with just text alone. And they make the book such a pleasure to browse through. Definitely destined to become the definitive book on the subject. I recommend it highly.