No comments about Two Years in Peru: With Exploration of Its Antiquities. Volume 2.

No comments about Two Years in Peru: With Exploration of Its Antiquities. Volume 1.

2 comments about The Vintage House Book: Classic American Homes 1880-1980.

1. I love Tad Burness' Car Spotters Guide book and I highly recommend them to anyone into American automobile company design and history. So when I found this book I thought "great!".
   
   When I received the book, I found it not so great.
   
   One of the problems that this book has is that unlike the Car Spotters series, there is a different pool from which to glean examples when you are dealing with architecture, and unfortunatly, this book missed the mark more than hits it.
   
   This book struggles with what it is as it is neither a reliable reference book, nor is it a spotters guide. This book is sorta like a visual lexicon or a timeline history, executed at a high level (not much detail).
   
   The immediate shortcoming that hit me was the lack of accurate information on architecture - the author seems to coin his own terms instead of using accurate terms to describe many house style examples. I was also bored having discovered that many of the examples in the victorian section of the book - the period with the greatest types of styles - focuses almost completly on western American buildings, and of the examples there is an over reliance with the community where the author lives.
   
   Now if you are looking for visual histry on toliets, this book nails that fact and nails it very well.
   
   One error that I found was an image of a house allegedly in Carey Ohio - in fact the house was in Bucyrus Ohio (I only know this because a great uncle built it).
   
   I also found the image quality a problem because of the DPI issue between today's printing technology and the ads sampled in the book. In some cases the image is obscured by the minimal dots per inch and the clarity of modern printing.
   
   My advice is , this is a good book if you don't know very much about historical architecture and you're just curious. This is not an accurate reference book. If you are going to buy this, don't expect much, and buy it used.



2. An amazing resource book if you are interested in the American home from 1880. Tad Burness started in the sixties collecting illustrations, photos and ads of anything to do with domestic housing and this book is the result of his endeavours. You need to know though that the book is essentially visual and 2500 images are shown in a scrapbook format, with many of them irregular shapes, where a house, for instance, has been cut out from its background,
   
   Each crammed page has between nine to fourteen pictures (plenty in color) which could include six or seven exterior house photos or illustrations, possibly taken from period ads, three or four interiors (also from period ads) mostly kitchens and bathrooms, maybe a floor plan or some period ads for a heating system, door handles or property. Many of these items have a few handwritten words from the author. I rather liked these very busy, crammed pages but I could see that they might not be to everybody's taste.
   
   This large paperback is a fascinating overview of a hundred years of American housing but if you want to see pictorial books with a more formal presentation have a look at these: 'Houses by Mail', by Katherine Stevenson and Ward Jandl, a picture and floor plan of the hundreds of styles sold by Sears Roebuck from 1908 to 1940. For domestic interiors of the fifties and sixties check out two books by Eugene Moore: Inspiring Interiors from Armstrong 1950s and Interior Solutions from Armstrong the 1960s both use several hundred room set photos taken from Armstrong flooring ads. For a really comprehensive study of past decades the Decorative Art series by Charlotte and Peter Fiell published by Taschen can't be beat.
   
   ***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.

5 comments about Backroads of Colorado (Backroads of ...) (Backroads of ...).

1. Lacks an overview map showing the routes in relation to the state. Even with the poor Colorado map towards the front it's difficult to locate the routes. Dangerously out of date. For example, Rollins pass is impassible and has been so for years since the collapse of the Needle's Eye Tunnel. It's a nice drive nonetheless, but you're coming up from the west to the tunnel or the east to the tunnel and you're not making over the top from either direction. I don't mean challenging or not recommended, but literally impassible. The book leads you to believe you can get from Nederland to Winter Park, but that's wasn't going to happen even when this book was last printed. Can't vouch for all the other roads, but confirm before attempting them.



2. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to experience the thrill of finding those lesser-known, out-of-the way, and ultimately unforgettable scenic areas of Colorado. Illustrated with magnificent photographs, this is a guide intended to put you on the right track toward creating a unique adventure of your own. Unlike other travel books, this is not a step-by-step slog through all the tourist traps in Colorado. The best part about this book is that it captures the character of a given area, gives you enough information to pique your curiosity, helps you find your way there, and leaves the rest of the exploration up to you.

   In addition to maps, illustrations, and a general guide about each area, the book also contains many "Colorado Sketches", brief vignettes about historical characters and events which are not only entertaining to read, but help capture the flavor of the history and culture that make up this great state of ours.

   Overall, it's not only a great guide, but a good read as well. Buy one for your coffee table, and another to keep in your glove box!




3. Well written and easy to follow. We used the guide during our trips to the hidden places in Colorado and found it to be easy to follow without being overly explicit with too many details. Lived in Colorado for several years and this was our weekend guide when we wanted to get away from the front range crowds.



4. Numerous beautiful photos. Somewhat short as far as the text and descriptions are concerned, but overall a good guide for exploring. This book won't be a "travel video" for those who don't want to go exploring. It gives you enough to want to drive the backroads and see everything for yourself.



5. Would definately have preferred more specifics about each trip. The pictures were beautiful, however and aided in my decision on which trip to start with. (have chosen the Flat Tops, slated for next August.) I think the idea for this book was great, but would have preferred additional information. Lists are always good. What to bring, when to go, how long to stay. Some of the trips included this info, but not all of them. For those of us amateurs unskilled in the art of backroading, this would be useful information to have.

No comments about Warman's Native American Collectibles: A Price Guide & Historical Reference (Warman's Native American Collectibles).

No comments about Kitchen Antiques.

2 comments about Assume Nothing: A Manual for Buyers of American and English Antique Furniture.

1. This is a really good book. It gives tips and insights that really opened my eyes. Its made going to antique shops and auctions less a matter of blind trust and more an actvity in deriving the history. Some really interesting frauds are out there and this book can help you separate the old stuff from the "created" from the replicas so you can make up your mind on what you want. (Some of the created items are neat but its good to know they may not have started out as one piece)



2. Assume nothing is a must read for any serious collector of pre-victorian furniture. Mr. Weinhagen is a proven expert and his book is a priceless guide filled with a lifetime of tips and tools to properly evaluate potential purchases. This book will educate you faster and make you want to learn more. His case studies are excellent and highly practical.Five stars all the way!!!

4 comments about Pictorial Price Guide to American Antiques 2000-2001: 2000-2001 (Pictorial Price Guide to American Antiques and Objects Made for the American Market).

1. This is a very nice book. The photography and descriptions of items shown is excellent, and the author has used actual auction prices. It is a good book to keep for future reference.



2. Dorothy Hammond's series is of more use to serious antique collectors than other price guides because the items illustrated are identified as having been sold for the price given by auction or by dealer, the date of the sale, and the location of the sale. The information is timely and accurate. Items that I sold at auction in 2001 are illustrated here accurately. In other price guides, I've seen items that I can specifically identify as having been sold seven or eight years earlier listed with the old prices. In a rapidly changing market, that kind of misinformation can be costly.



3. My husband & I have been collecting antiques for over 30 years. This book is wonderful because EVERY ITEM DESCRIBED IS PICTURED.
   There is no guessing if this is your antique by the written desription, there is a picture to be certain.



4. I was extremely disappointed with this book. Most of the items are photographed in back and white and in large groups, which makes it nearly impossible to identify items using these photos as references. I wouldn't recommend it for identification purposes.

No comments about A Descriptive Catalogue of Playing and Other Cards in the British Museum: Accompanied by a Concise General History of the Subject and Remarks on Cards ... and of a Politico-Historical Character.

No comments about Collecting Black Americana.