4 comments about A Pictorial History of Costume From Ancient Times to the Nineteenth Century: With Over 1900 Illustrated Costumes, Including 1000 in Full Color.

1. This book is pretty useless. the drawings are too simple, with few lines with poor quality coloring. I bought this book simply because it was cheap if I buy this with the one I wanted to buy originally. And even if this book cost $5, I wouldn't buy if I knew (and paid more than that, and caanot return since I'm living in overseas and shipping cost would be higher than this)
   I would NOT recomment this book to anyone, unless they want to waste their money.



2. Okay, so I bought this book thinking it would be a useful reference book. It's not. Yes, it has a bunch of illustrations, but it gives no reference information to go with the plates--which, by the way, are simply awful line drawings, some of which are badly colored in to the detriment of the pictures.
   
   Do not buy this book if you want to learn what things are called, the time periods in which they were used, or any specific, detailed information about variations in the general styles for a specific period in time.
   
   On the other hand, if you just want some reference pictures for designign your kid's Halloween costume, then you have plenty to go by.



3. Although the pictures do not go into great detail, this book has a wealth of information for the costume designer. For kid's halloween costumes, school-play costumes, and general information on style and period, this book can be invaluable. Included are full colour and black and white sketches, as well as reproductions of statues and paintings. It is an excellent book for the casual costume designer, though a serious historical re-enactor would need something that provides greater detail.



4. Gives a basic and brief coverage of both male and female costume from different periods and cultures. mixture of both colour and black and white sketches. no great detail but good enough to present a general idea.

3 comments about Scott Travers' Top 88 Coins to Buy and Sell: 44 Winners and 44 Losers.

1. I would have given the book four stars but for one issue (and it's minor.) The winners should have been in one part and the losers in another. But there was a winner on the left page and a loser on the right page.
   
   I found the book highly useful. I'm not a coin collector. To the extent that I love history and money, I love coins. They have a history. They are a part of history. Some are indeed beautiful. But my interest is that of an investor. And this book is great for either the collector or the investor.
   
   It gives a brief glimpse into each coin. It shows a picture of the coin and tells you why it's either a winner or a loser. Also, it tells you the approximate price you can expect to pay for it. You probably would want a more up-to-date guide as to buy and sell prices to accompany the book.
   
   Be sure and note the condition of the coin. The book makes clear what condition you should buy. You would want to avoid anything but those in most cases.
   
   Also, a most valuable glossary is at the back of the book. I find all the terms used in coin collecting completely offsetting as I know so little about it. This glossary is a great guide that you can quickly go to.
   
   I promise you, this book will help you to avoid the many mistakes that we all make in buying coins.
   
   Highly recommended.



2. I enjoyed the book, however the author is obviously an expert in coin collecting. Several things were mentioned that really don't apply to the "NEW" coin collector.



3. Should you buy the second edition of this book? At $13.95, YES! Is it well written? Yes. If you are planing to spend serious money and are looking for specific advice on what coins to buy or not buy, this is the book for you! It covers all price ranges. It's easy to read and fun to read! It's a popular book and at this writing 40 new and used copies are available on Amazon.
   
   However, it needs an aggressive editor who knows coins! Hopefully, a future third edition will include that! Unfortunately, there is no Table of Contents and no Index in this book. The pairings of Winners and Losers could be improved upon. Winner #17 Better-date silver dollars and Winner #38 1885-CC Morgan dollars graded Mint State 65 should have been paired up with Loser #18 Generic Morgan dollars graded Mint State 65, 66, or 67, Loser #25 Common date Peace dollars graded MS 63 & 64, Loser #26 Picked-through rolls of uncirculated silver dollars, Loser #35 1887/6 Morgan dollar graded MS 64 and higher, and Loser #44 1924-S, 1925-S, and 1928-S Peace Dollars graded MS 65. The explanation for the last loser alone is worth the price of this book! Needless to say, Scott Travers is not advocating that you complete your sets if you are investing in coins!
   
   Another example of the need for editing is Winner #9 Proof 66 nickel three-cent pieces could have been combined with Winner #35 Nickel three-cent pieces certified as Mint State 66 or 67.
   
   Commemorative coins are also scattered throughout the book. Examples are Winner #2 Lafayette dollars graded MS 65 and Winner #15 Isabella quarter MS 65. But, one wonders why not MS 64 coins at half of the price? Examples of losers are Loser #2 Iowa commemorative half dollar MS 65 and Loser #34 Sets of 1946 through 1951 Booker T. Washington commemorative half dollars. Given the explanations, one wonders whether MS 66 & 67 coins would be worthwhile? And there goes the idea of owning a complete collection! There's also worthwhile advice on Buffalo nickels and gold coins.
   
   One controversial loser. Loser #24 is Proof coins priced excessively high because their business-strike counterparts are scarce. It gives the example of the 1877 Indian cent with 900 issued as being excessively priced at $15,000 in Poof 65 RED. However, why not recommend an 1877 Indian cent in PF Red/Brown for $6,500 as opposed to paying $28,500 for the 1877 in Mint State 65 RED or $11,000 in MS 65 RB? It appears Scott Travers is advocating that we don't mix uncirculated and proof coins in our collections. But how does that advice against proofs match up with his Winner #5 1856 Flying Eagle cent in Proof 63, 64, or 65? Or Winner #12 1936 Walking Liberty half dollar in Proof 65 currently priced at $6,000, a much newer coin with more than four times as many coins issued (3901) as the 1877 Indian?

No comments about Warman's Weller Pottery: Identification and Price Guide (Warmans).

5 comments about Roughing It Easy : A Unique Ideabook for Camping and Cooking.

1. Wonderful ideas for "surviving" in rough conditions. Ideas and recipes for cooking with sticks, tin foil, and even tin cans ovens. She tells you how to make everything from washing facilities to solar ovens. Great illustrations



2. This really is a cool book, with all sorts of ideas for cooking in the outdoors, many that I had never thought of, (like cooking eggs and bacon in a bag stuck on a stick over the fire). The first part of the book talks about outdoor cooking at home, and has some neat frugal ideas for outdoor parties, then the book delves into camping for a chapter or so. (Dian has some really good organizational ideas for large and small groups.) The last 3/4 of the book is devoted to camp cooking. The ideas for cooking over the fire are really cool, and for someone who has done only a bit of camping and car camping at that, really unusual. However, if you like your food fresh and not from a can or packet, the recipes are pretty useless. Here are your cakes made from cake mix and canned fruit, casseroles with cream of whatever soup and all sorts of seasoning packets. If this sort of thing does'nt bother you, then the book should be perfect, if you're a health nut like me, it will.



3. This book had many neat ideas to try with the kids while camping. I learned much about cooking actually in the coals and also using the dutch oven. I would reccomend this book to anyone new to camping or to intermediate campers who want to try new ideas.



4. I first read this book as a teenage boy scout. I had camped once a month for many years and had tried all kinds of tricks to save money when camping, make your own gear, fun outdoor recipes, etc. but this book had tons of new ideas I had never heard of. 20 years after the first edition of this book means the author has updated it to our times, but it still great. This has always been indespensable to me. It really has made camping more fun and I reccommend it to anyone that takes kids camping, but you don't have to have them to try this stuff.
   Lots of delicious recipes and methods to cook, but other stuff on first aid and making your campsite comfortable in many ways is featured. Features many ways to build a fire, how to make firestarters to speed up your firestarting, make your own waterproof matches, make your own campstove.

   She shows you how to make a meal in a hollowed orange (cake in an orange!)or onion nestled in the coals! Cook eggs on a flat rock, recipes to cook on sticks, in foil, etc. Lots of ideas for home made items that will save you time and money in the woods. A hot water tank that sits in the fire; an outdoor sink made in seconds with a shovel and garbage bag; how to keep your pans clean the easy way; packing lists; use a can for a rolling pin in a pich; how to make lanterns from cans. One of my favorits was the tiny stove you make out of a coffee can. How to make a reflector oven for the woods, and 3 more types of ovens. (how about a cardboard box for an oven, it works).

   Other books published since have borrowed some ideas from this one, but they were here first. Pictures and sketches on nearly every page are very helpful. The writing style is fun and easy to read.




5. This is a good purchase for families who are hesitant to go "all out" on camping.

   It's a wonderful start for beginners, and a great source for scout leaders who want to expand their cooking/camping library.

5 comments about Tudor Costume and Fashion.

1. I love the Tudor era, its clothing most of all. Herbert Norris's book comes in handy in helping me visualize the characters whenever I read one of the Tudor-themed historical novels that I have. The only drawback is how the information is arranged, but that's a minor complaint. Norris had so much data that I don't think he could have organized it any other way.



2. It is great book to learn more about Tudor era clothing. You are able to learn the details of the costumes that is wore in Tudor era. Learn more about Tudor fashion. Good to make some copy clothing to attend Renaissance Festival. Help me to design some tudor costumes for some party or for halloween or for Renaissance Festival.



3. One of the bibles of Tudor Era costuming! Lots of detail and research went into this book. The only problem is the organization could have been a little clearer. But I can overlook that due to all the wonderful infomation included.



4. I bought this book as a christmas present but I am sure she will love it since she asked for it.



5. great book. detailed descriptions of clothes, accessories and court day-life related objects such as chariots. And it has a small biography of the tudor kings as well.

4 comments about All-American Ads 30s (Midi).

1. An awesome collection of ads from this decade. Hundreds of pages w/ ads of all categories. Very enjoyable. I'm an advertising major & this is a fun book to own!!!



2. Once again, Taschen has put forth a wonderfully illustrated and highly enjoyable publication. The ads are superb. The reader can truly immerse themselves in popular culture and daily life in the United States during the 1930s. What I most appreciate is the fact that Taschen presents the materials as is; they let the ads speak for themselves. I consider it one of the best resources of popular culture from the era.



3. You expect a book like this to be fun, and it is! The hard sell approach, the inflated claims, and the infamous phrase, "It isn't brand X if it doesn't say Y!" (as if your brain is scrambled) ... it's all hilarious now. And even when these techniques get tedious, the drawings and paintings are colorful and well-designed by themselves.

   The ads don't mention the Depression, but you can see it in the phrases "stretch your dollars" and "these days..." That's a technique auto makers adopted after Sept. 11th, as in "we're getting America moving again with 0% financing." In that sense, ad makers fashioned a social history that belongs alongside stories of travelling Okies and bread lines. These ads showed what people hoped for, what they wanted to become. And that's just as important as where they were. So while post-Sept. 11th ads wanted to get the family back to the dinner table, so Depression-era folks wanted to get their friends back for champagne and elegant dinner parties.

   Still, there is enough variety here to reflect many points of view and design style. Some ads were clearly ahead of their time. Some were still mired in Victorian imagery. A few are really shocking, like the public service ad with a drawing of a sinking Lusitania with the headline, "The Lusitania Sank. So What of It?" (It was an ad for World Peaceways.)

   I am no historian or designer or advertiser ... but I found this book mind-blowingly fun.




4. Taschen's fourth volume of the All-American Ads series provides a big look back to the day before yesterday. Steven Heller provides a short overview of the decade and explains that despite the Depression magazines, in which most of these ads appeared, had very high circulations. For a few cents readers could escape the reality of everyday life and be entertained by the features and the colourful advertisements. Naturally there is no real mention of the Depression though some of the ads sport the little NRA symbol and the words `We do our part'

   The format of this book is the same as the others, nine sections (Alcohol and tobacco, Automobiles, Consumer products, Entertainment, Fashion and beauty, Food and beverages, Industry, Interiors and finally Travel) provide whole, two or four ads to a page and fortunately none of them are angled or overlap. The digital reproduction of the 1500+ ads is excellent, it is always a problem to reproduce anything that is already printed because it can create screen clash but these are reproduced with clean colors and sharp lines (thanks to 175 dpi).

   Most of these ads are copy and picture heavy, stylish use of white space and clever typography was years away, though three ads for Pierce Arrow autos on pages 176-177 stand out because they do seem very modern. Illustrations rather than photography were the main visual elements with headlines and copy used to fill any space that was left.

   This as a super book if you are interested in social history or want to see how copywriters created product desire more than sixty years ago or you are just curious about things your grandparents reminisce about. Maybe they remember the 1932 ads for the Pitcairn autogiro, after all no home should be without one!

2 comments about Gaston's Flow Blue China Comprehensive Guide (Identification & Values (Collector Books)).

1. One of the best books on the subject. Weak area is china from areas other than Britain.



2. The author has done her homework with this book of flow blue items. It's easy to follow and very well put together. Great reference book - great reading!!

4 comments about The New Successful Coin Hunting.

1. While much of what this Mr. Garrett writes can be helpful to someone new to the hobby of metal detecting (such as learning how to pinpoint targets, and how to dig for coins), this book must be read with these things in mind:
   1) It is heavily biased since it is written by Charles Garrett of Garrett metal detectors. He neglects to mention or picture other metal detecor brands.
   2) Mr. Garrett's discussion on detector technology is largely obsolete.
   3) Many of the claims presented in the book are highly sensationalized and idealistic. Sure, the stories about people finding gold coins and hoards of buried coins are entertaining to read, but even my local coin dealer who sells coin detectors says he has never heard of anyone finding such items.
   4) This book does not give a well-rounded view of the metal detecting hobby. Mr. Garrett only emphasizes the good and the sensational, making it sound like anyone can make a lot of money metal detecting coins. This is just not the case unless you make metal detecting your part-time job. To find the good coins, you will have to spend a great deal of time researching (which Mr. Garrett mentions) and even then, you will have to dig a lot of trash. You can spend three hours in a field and all you find is a button and a few current coins. Garret's book gives you the impression that gold coins are buried right in your backyard. This is simply not true. Avoid this book, as it is nothing more than an elaborate Garrett sales brochure.



2. While much of what this Mr. Garrett writes can be helpful to someone new to the hobby of metal detecting (such as learning how to pinpoint targets, and how to dig for coins), this book must be read with these things in mind:
   1) It is heavily biased since it is written by Charles Garrett of Garrett metal detectors. He neglects to mention or picture other metal detecor brands.
   2) Mr. Garrett's discussion on detector technology is largely obsolete.
   3) Many of the claims presented in the book are highly sensationalized and idealistic. Sure, the stories about people finding gold coins and hoards of buried coins are entertaining to read, but even my local coin dealer who sells coin detectors says he has never heard of anyone finding such items.
   4) This book does not give a well-rounded view of the metal detecting hobby. Mr. Garrett only emphasizes the good and the sensational, making it sound like anyone can make a lot of money metal detecting coins. This is just not the case unless you make metal detecting your part-time job. To find the good coins, you will have to spend a great deal of time researching (which Mr. Garrett mentions) and even then, you will have to dig a lot of trash. You can spend three hours in a field and all you find is a button and a few current coins. Garret's book gives you the impression that gold coins are buried right in your backyard. This is simply not true. Avoid this book, as it is nothing more than an elaborate Garrett sales brochure.



3. This is a great book which got me started in metal detecting. It is extremely helpful, and will motivate treasure hunters by giving ideas on new places to hunt, it is also written very well and is easy to understand. The only drawback is that like most Garrett texts it promotes Charles Garrett's personal brand of metal detector



4. Beginner or experienced, you will love this book! The New Successful Coin Hunting is a modern version of Garrett's previous book "Successful Coin Hunting". The New version gives you ideas where to hunt, how to hunt, dig, clean, and even how to choose the right metal detector! It even has information on the newer computerized detectors. This is the book you want to take out on the 'field' with you when you hunt. Happy hunting!

No comments about Gnomeland: An Introduction to the Little People.

5 comments about Old-time Telephones!: Design, History, And Restoration.

1. Excellent book on the workings of antique telephones, many drawings of circuit designs and history. Amazon had the best price.



2. If you don't want just to collect antique telephones but also understand how they work, this book is the source for almost all your answers. Very detailed descriptions, very nice schematics and pictures.



3. Very informative book: for the collector, restorer and even the technician. Probably the best technical information widely available on the development of the US Public Telephone system subscriber instruments from turn-of-the-century local battery-magneto to the Princess and Trimlines. Covers development, design and even touches on the corporate thinking which influenced this. Keeps the interest of the engineer but not so technical that the amateur shouldn't be able to follow it too. While the emphasis is on Bell phones, the other major competitor's equivalents are covered as well.



4. I fell in love with old telephones when I bought my first oak wall telephone at an uncle's farm sale in S/E Minnesota way back in 1967. It didn't make any difference to me that it didn't work ... I just liked oak. I bought more wall phones, oak, then walnut and even one with a cherrywood case. The house got filled up with phones that were as much as 5 feet tall. I started collecting desk telephones and candlestick telephones instead. Very few of them worked but that didn't make any difference ... it was a history thing. Besides, I had no training in telephony and there weren't any books on the subject anyway.
   And back then most folks, including me, were scared to death of Ma Bell's "Telephone Police."
   But now Dr. Meyer's book is out ... I already knew the history of most of my phones but now with the information in Dr. Meyer's book I can actually make some of those old timers work again. If you are a newcomer to the telephone collecting hobby, you have a tremendous advantage over me ... it took me 40 years to learn the history of the telephone. You can buy Dr. Meyer's book, learn the history of the telephone in one weekend and at the same time have the technical information provided to you that will enable you to put grandpa's phone back on line again. The telephones from the 40s, 50s and 60s were the best ever made.
   Put your offshore throwaway phone in the drawer ... use Old-Time Telephones as a guide to hook up grandpa's Western Electric 302 or 500 set, or a comparable A/E, Stromberg or Kellogg phone ... put a good phone in service in your house.
   BTW ... I don't recall that Dr. Meyer's book gives instructions on the use of a rotary dial. You and your kids will have to figure out on your own how to do that.



5. I have worked with old telephones for more than 40 years, and the repair and restoration of them is part of my livelihood. I can state, with authority, that Ralph Meyer has brought together everything a person needs to know about old telephone theory, repair, restoration, and history. I highly recommend Old Time Telephones! to beginners and seasoned collectors or technicians who need an indispensable reference source. Dr. Meyer's book sets the standard for old telephone reference material.