No comments about Pictorial Price Guide of Marbles (Schiffer Book for Collectors).

No comments about Sulphide Marbles (Schiffer Book for Collectors).

2 comments about Tommy Trouble and the Magic Marble.

1. This is an enjoyable easy chapter book, ideal for a second grader. The AR level is 2.6. Students with a younger sibling will particularly relate to the situations with Tommy and his younger brother Bradley.



2. Tommy and his little brother want to buy a big special marble from a tough kid down the street. But first, they need to find out how to get the money - without trying to sell mom's prize roses! His brother and he find a snake and try to make a trade with that. Several episodes fill the hunt to get such an exciting marble. Each episode is its own chapter and seems to end with Tommy getting into trouble.

   A nice introduction to chapter books, because the chapters are kept short. Furthermore, kids can relate to Tommy's adventures because the logic he uses is common for 9 year olds. This book is a slight departure from Fletcher's usual intermediate novels but is none the less enjoyable.

   Why 4 stars?:
   I liked this book from a teacher's standpoint because of its value as an introductory chapter book and realistic characters (something found in all of Fletcher's books), however, I didn't find the story to be very interesting. This could keep kids from continuing in it and getting a negative feeling about chapter books. Still, most children will still enjoy it and so it does belong in a classroom. It is already in mine.

1 comments about Popular American Marbles.

1. The book is great if you like looking at alot of blurry pictures of marbles. I bought the book to help me clarify different types of marbles, but the pictures are useless. for me this book is a waste of money.

No comments about The Pleasures of Antiquity: British Collections of Greece of Rome (Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in Britis).

2 comments about Marbles Illustrated (Schiffer Book for Collectors).

1. Book is totally disorganized. Beautiful pictures, but no way of researching values. The price list is in the back organized by lot no & auction no. NO reference to the illustration of the marbles in the front of the book, no way to look it up. Starts out promising, then becomes a total jumble. Totally impossible to locate anything. Too time consuming, and then still no resolve.



2. This book has fabulous marble illustrations, but absolutely no cross-referencing so a user can look up the description of the marble pictured. The author pre-supposes you are an expert and know what marble maker and type you are looking for. Illustrations are grouped together in one section of the book and each is identified only by the auction number and lot number it came from. Unfortunately, the descriptions of these marbles are not in the same order. Descriptions are ordered by marble manufacturer and type of marble. Even then, the auction numbers within the types are random. The book is only useful if you know what kind of marble you have and want to see what some similar marbles by the same manufacturer sold for. It bogles the imagination to understand why any sensible editor would not cross index this publication, so a person finding a marble they like in the illustrations, can then go read the description. It could take you a week to find the matching description. The sad thing is, that data was readily available to the author and the illustrations could have been keyed in a day! Worst example of editorship I have ever seen! Totally clueless! They never thought about, or cared, how a person might try to use the book. Save your money! I wish I had!

2 comments about Collecting Antique Marbles: Identification & Price Guide.

1. As the wife of a train collector, I found this book very familiar territory -- but even better. Baumann's grasp of history, archeology, industrial technique and the esthetic of marble art is wonderful. This was a great read (and look--the color plates are a real asset), as well as an excellent reference.



2. 176 pages with 1,200 color pictures and many black and white plates. This book really provides a comprehensive history of marbles including how to classify and collect them. Details on clay and crockery, china, swirls, solids, opaques and sulphides. Transition and machine-mades, reproductions and toys are discussed. A comprehensive price guide is included, and a marble club listing. Add this book to your collection if you're a new marble collector or a long time collector. A great reference source.

1 comments about The French Marble Clock: A Guide for Buyers, Collectors and Restorers with Hints on Dating and a List of Makers.

1. How many times have you seen one of those big old French marble clocks for sale at auction or in a shop? Were you intrigued by the craftsmanship, curious about the history, or just impressed by the size? Wonder no more, now that Nicolas Thorpe has written this useful guide to these relics of a past age.

   These clocks were made during the 1830 to 1930 period, and they fall into my definition of an investment antique. They were expensive when new, still useful, and won't be made again. Yet they seem undervalued in the market. Thorpe discusses the aesthetic, historical, and practical aspects of these behemoths. Much of the book is a simple, practical course in cleaning and restoring these cases and movements. It is directed at the LAYMAN, not the expert. If you have never repaired a clock, if you are reasonably handy you can follow Thorpe's directions and do it right.

   Even if you only own one French marble clock, you should have this book. Whether it's a petite boudoir timepiece or a fireplace mantel juggernaut, your understanding and enjoyment will be enhanced by this book.

1 comments about Contemporary Marbles and Related Art Glass (Schiffer Book for Collectors).

1. As a art glass collector and a marble collector, this was a great book to read! Excellent information, and beautiful pictures. A wealth of facts and well written, another work of art book by Mark Block! Looking forwards to more books!

5 comments about The Encyclopedia of Modern Marbles, Spheres, & Orbs.

1. A perfect book for the marble collector, this is the kind of book that can be read a hundred times and learn something new about the marble collectors world. Beautiful pictures and it shows that a lot of work went in to this book! Looking forward to more books by Mark Block!



2. While Block's first coffee table book on the subject of contemporary marbles was a fine piece of work, his second book is not, and anybody who says it is is either blind or crazy or a homer. Marble collectors love to see nice pictures of beautiful marbles, and while there are indeed LOTS of marble pictures in this book to look at, the vast majority of them are of such poor quality that it actually becomes a painful process to keep flipping the pages to see more of them. But that's not the worst part of the book. More egregious than the photography is the organization of the book. It is a haphazard mess of marbles, with no clear sense of how they are grouped and why. It actually starts out as if it's going somewhere, but then completely falls apart, as if the author was being whipped while on a chain gang in order to get the book finished by some crazy deadline. It ended up being maddening to flip through, since marbles were thrown together in bizarre ways that just leave you frustrated.
   
   In summary, save your money and find places online instead where you can find some true quality pictures of marbles with MUCH better stories and descriptions behind them. Hopefully somebody else comes out with a better book to redeem the marble community from the pain of this one.



3. This book is clearly one of only two that specialize in the hot collectible of contemporary marbles. Mark Block is the reknown and acknowledged expert in the field. This is easily seen in the in-depth research he has done, the cooperation he received from the Corning Museum of Glass, and all of the beautiful works that were incorporated into this exciting volume. I only hope that future books by Mark Block will meet or exceed his own expectations. If they do, the glass community will be all the better for it. He is truly Mr. Ambassador when it comes to contemporary marbles and related art glass.



4. For those of you who aren't aware Mark Block was convicted of a felony for screwing around with marble artist creations. He was also charged with faking marks on marbles to increase value although these were dropped as part of a plea deal. So my question is what publisher in their right mind releases a book supposedly by an expert who has a felony conviction specifically related to the subject he is an expert in? Obviously not a very conscientious publisher. Let me be the first to publicly state that I will boycott all Schiffer books until they get this criminal off their roster -- and no this doesn't apply to the rest of the Blocks. For those of you who want to support criminal behavior and want to buy this book beware the pictures aren't good, each one has a reflection on it, and the marbles in the book are certainly not first quality. By the way Mark, how many of the marbles in the book that were given as "donations" actually were "mistakenly" sold by you or your brother? Oh, I'm sorry you can't sell marbles - that's against your probation isn't it?



5. I haven't been collecting art glass marbles all that long, but I do know a beautiful book when I see one. The pictures are fantastic, clear and cover every possible type of handmade marble. I haven't had time to read the entire book, but I have paged through it several times just to marvel at the photography. What I have read seems to be concise and well written. I'm sure that I will find it to be a valuable source of reference for years to come.
   
   There's only one problem... every page shows a different type of marble that I need to add to my collection... this could get expensive!