1 comments about World's Greatest Auto Show: Celebrating a Century in Chicago (Automotive History and Personalities).

1. If you love cars, you'll love this book ... even if you've never been within a day's drive of Chicago. The book includes hundreds of fascinating professional photos of dream cars, show cars and production models that appeared at the Chicago Auto Show during the past century. It also neatly blends in plenty of intriguing details about the organization and promotion of one of America's best auto shows. This annual event's history is an interesting saga that reflects the ups and downs of American life during the 20th century. From the early horseless carriages to the grand classics of the '30s and the muscle cars of the '60s, and right up to the concept cars of recent shows, this book includes them all. The authors clearly know their stuff -- captions for the photos (most of which have never been published before in an enthusiast book) are accurate and informative. I have hundreds of cars books, but for sheer browsing enjoyment, this is absolutely one of the best.

No comments about Redwood Classic.

No comments about Restoring Wood: The Art and Craft of Repairing and Renovating Wood Explained and Illustrated.

1 comments about Furniture Restoration and Renovation (Decorative Techniques Series).

1. I picked this book up when I was starting a furniture restoration store of my own. I think it stood out to me above other similar books because I am a very visual person. Every one of the 144 pages is full color and packed with very clear and easy to understand photographs. It is a very balanced book and starts right by going into what restoration and renovation really mean. Then it spends twelve pages discussing all of the materials and tools you will encounter in doing this work with very clear pictures of everything. It even discusses how to treat your furniture for bugs and how to make your own varnish. Once this thorough background is laid out, the book moves on to furniture work.
   
   The project section starts by talking about how to diagnose a piece of furniture and determine what is best to do with it. It gives you the basics of blemish filling, sanding, stripping and staining. The rest of the book contains dozens of step-by-step projects, each incorporating different new techniques or challenges. These are not necessarily meant to be replicated step-by-step, rather it shows how they approached projects, what things they had to consider and the stages of the project. At the same time the book is clearly explaining and illustrating tons of different skills from cleaning wood, repairing damage, upholstery, staining and painting, even removing mildew from wicker. I highly recommend this book for anyone wanting to learn the basics of Furniture Restoration & Renovation (like the title says.)

4 comments about Miller's Movie Collectibles.

1. I've read a lot of books on collectibles over the years. Many of them are no more than price guides - this one is actually a pleasure to READ. Tons of great nuggets of fascinating info. I read it from cover to cover, even the sections on items I have no interest in collecting.
   Yes, it is heavy on posters, lobby cards and other paper items, but so is the whole world of movie memorabilia collecting, so I think it only reflects what people most likely want to know about.
   My only criticism of this book is that it could have been a lot longer and more comprehensive. Maybe someday there will be a sequel. Also, some of the photos are great and I would have preferred a larger format to show them off.



2. As usual, a typical book that focuses on just movie posters and throws small scraps to the rest of movie memorabilia material. Nothing new here.



3. Lavishly illustrated guide to movie posters and associated film collectibles. Informative text. This book is valuable to collectors at all levels, from "I just really like this movie," to those who collect rare items as well.

   Information about caring for and restoring posters is also helpful to all who care to preserve their posters effectively.

   Collectors and film lovers alike will find this book a great addition to their library.
   
   Fans of the PBS series Antiques Roadshow will be glad to see more info from one of their regular appraisers, Rudy Franchi.




4. Rudy and Barbara Franchi have created, in my mind, the most definitive primer to date that deserves a place in the PERMANENT library of EVERY movie poster or memorabilia fan in the world.

   "Miller's Movie Collectibles" packs a wallop - especially for bookish geeks like yours truly who demand a ton of poster and memorabilia images - AS WELL AS fluid prose/text/history laid out beautifully on EVERY page.

   Clocking in at 144 pages and a whopping 36 chapters, this sturdy volume is hands down, a spectacular compendium of content and images, coherent and accessible, laid out with a sophisticated, contemporary design aesthetic that makes every page a work of art (e.g., as in the use of faint silhouettes on every page, in different colors, mirroring movie icons and other related images).

   Lavishly printed on heavy paper stock "Movie Collectibles" is an photo- and text-intensive product of the likes rarely seen. It attempts - and succeeds - to cover every slice of our hobby.

   Color illustrations decorate every page, accompanied by disarmingly breezy and informative text by this husband and wife team (the former a charter popular arts historian featured weekly on PBS' most-watched television series, "The Antiques Roadshow").

   There's a timeless quality to this product that makes one wonder if a second edition will ever be necessary.

   Think of the most desired movie posters in the world, from "The Mummy" to "Tiffany's" to "King Kong." Think of the great cult favorites and hyper-popular genres, from James Bond to Hitchcock to sci-fi to film noir to Disney to foreign classics to horror to musicals to silents. Think of the most obscure, the bizarre, the provocative.

   You'll find them here, in glorious color, jammed with easy-to-read prose that every collector or dealer, from novice to advanced, will gobble up like inmates ending a hunger strike.

   It gets better.

   Rather than sticking with silent and vintage films and dismissing post-1960 products, "Movie Collectibles" devotes special chapters for each decade, from the 60s to the 80s.

   You wanna know more about special illustrators, from Vargas to Brown to Bass to Peak to Frazetta? Yeah, they get their own chapter.

   What about repros, re-issues, pressbooks, programs, stills, slides, lobby cards, sheet music, film books, autographs, promos, and props?

   What about signed contracts, Academy Awards and other ultra-rare items that we see, oh, once every solar eclipse over the continental USA? What about restoration services, types, styles, what's bad, what's good, etc.?

   Taken as a whole, Franchi's inaugural edition of "Miller's Movie Collectibles" represents a stunning debut, an opulently produced yet slim enough volume to carry in your satchel. The authors have a way with prose that is unlike most other books about movie posters and related collectibles. And its contents are akin to what you'd find in a product costing much more.

   "Miller's Movie Collectibles" is a keeper.

1 comments about Automotive Cooling System Basics.

1. Starting to read in this book, the first thing you think is that you have picked up a book written in the 1950's. The first chapter is so basic, that it seems condescending. The pictures have to be old, or else they just feature items which I have never seen before. Ever seen antifreeze in a 1 gallon metal can? Considering that the title is Automotive Cooling System Basics, the first chapter is forgivable. I consider myself a gearhead, and a lot of this book has information which I am familiar with, but which most automotive mechanics are ignorant of. Very few people will be able to read this book and say they knew it all. I picked up the book, because it had a chapter on water wetters, something I have been curious about for years, and a chapter on non aqueous propylene glycol, something that I recently became interested in. The chapter was pretty thorough and extremely interesting, especially if you are interested in high performance motors/racing. Read this and you will be the most informed person you know on the subject.

No comments about Antiques - Their Restoration And Preservation.

No comments about Art and Art Industries in Japan: With numerous illustrations.

No comments about Kovel's Antiques & Collectibles Fix-it Source Book.

1 comments about Restoring the Great Collectible Cameras 1945-1970.

1. Fair to good detail fotos, good detail descriptions, poor-done typeset (poorly readable, fat big letters, no idea of typographical basics). Tips on all cameras of a great aera can't fit on 100 pages. You might be disappointed, at least regarding the price (just like I am).