3 comments about Wine Labels: A Worldwide History.

1. I agree with other buyers. I was looking for a book that had pictures of wine labels (the paper label on the bottle). Instead this is a book on what I would consider wine medallions. It is also mostly history and not many pictures, and the pictures there are are in black and white, not color like the cover suggests. This was a gift for my husband and we are both completely disappointed with the book (and the sellers return policy).



2. In all fairness to this book, the author, and the subject: this is not a book on wine bottles - it is on the tag that describes the contents of a decanter - a "label" for the "wine" in the decanter.



3. This book is NOT about wine labels but rather about BOTTLE tags - particularly those made of silver or other metals that hang around the necks of bottles. It is probably a good guide for collectors of these bottle tags or metal hang-tags but of no use to those interested in paper labels.

4 comments about Paper Money of the United States: A Complete Illustrated Guide With Valuations (Paper Money of the United States).

1. Clearly THE book for the beginner and intermediate collector. It gives an excellent overview of each type of note (Nationals, Silver Certs, etc.) as well brief descriptions of each note within each type. A great way to learn the history associated with the engravings on U.S. paper currency from the Civil War (1861) to the present.

   And, of course, the Friedberg numbering scheme is the standard method of referencing notes among collectors and dealers alike.

   It should be noted however, that the values given for the notes are very rough approximations (very conservative). This is especially true for the UNC grade(MS60-64). There are no values for GEM notes (MS65+).

   If you're looking for a comprehensive note reference with ball park values, this book is for you.




2. This is the standard reference work on United States Currency for the collector. While the prices given are pretty much obsolete in the volatile currency market, the Friedberg Numbering system is universally used by dealers and collectors alike. If you are considering participation in floor or online auctions, you cannot tell what you are bidding on without this book, as all notes will be listed by FR#. Well worth the investment!



3. This book is a must-have for the serious US currency collector, along with the Standard Catalog, 17th edition. Together they provide a great catalog and price guide for US Treasury issues. There are good sections on fractionals and Confederate currency, and decent treatment of colonials. No obsoletes or military payment certificates. The black and white photos are quite a bit larger than those in the Standard Catalog. The color pictures in the back are a nice touch, but the printing is not the world's greatest -- many of the reds come out as pinks, the greens look almost fluorescent, etc.

   There aren't many anecdotes or interesting bits of trivia, but as a guide and catalog it is top notch.




4. I find this is a great book for any collector of U.S. Currency. Crisp photos of just about EVERY diff Note 1861-Current (Very Nice color section in the back) and up-to-date pricing in the fast changing currency market. Also great for keeping track of your own collection. Definately Recommended!

5 comments about Standard Guide to Small Size U.S. Paper Money: 1928 To Date (Standard Guide to Small-Size U.S. Paper Money).

1. much more detailed than other books I have bought. Well worth it if you collect small size currency.



2. This edition was updated significantly since the last one came out. More serial numbers and star notes are listed.
   
   Still it need more listing and better explanations of grading/pricing for each series. Also the values seem high, although not as bad as previous edition.



3. An incredible book if your looking for a complete reference book to use on a daily basis. This reference book is updated every year which is very important to any Small-Sized U.S. Paper Currency collector. I find this book gives spot on values for each and every small-sized U.S. note that anyone could have an interest in collecting. I use this reference book like I use my right arm so that should tell you just how important this reference book is to my collecting. I purchase the revised book every year without question. No collector should ever be without this book. Well lets say any serious collector should never be without this book !!!



4. I agree with many of the reviewers comments. This is a very useful book, it is a must for the serious small size currency collector. Quality control is a major problem however. There are just too many errors which cause confusion. I am surprised that KP books can't do a better job. These errors run through all of the editions 5, 6, and now 7. These errors cause one to question some of the pricing information. A typical example is in the 7th edition, 2004 A Atlanta star listing. 96,000 sheets? What does that mean? It has been widely reported that there was a printing of 9,600. I suggest Oaks, Schwartz and Lindquist take special care with the 8th edition and perhaps find a new editor.



5. I personaly collect Star Notes, I have been hording GL's and GF star notes. I was waiting on the book release for value's, just to find they have incorrect figures for printings. They have 96,000 for the unbelievably low 9600 print of the Atlanta(GF) $10 star notes.
   So, I as well as 3-4 other collectors wait again till next years release for the correct numbers and therefore guide on value. Maybe the mistakes are how they sell new editions? Guarantee sales?

No comments about Fan Tales (Temptation).

1 comments about East Meets West Mini Address Book.

1. This is a nice sized address book, a bit big for a pocket but small enough for a purse. The cover is sturdy with nicely colored small Chinese graphics. I was really hoping for more graphics inside the book. The address pages are all red and tan with the same few tiny red graphics repeated on each page. Each page has room for three contacts with lines for name, address, home, cell, work, fax and email. It is a small address book so don't expect much room on the lines, you have to write small to get the information to fit.

2 comments about The Book of Kells.

1. Fabulous illuminations;
   I became fascinated with and got attached to those stunningly beautiful initials, the most amazing calligraphy I ever examined in my life. I have been also amazed by and curious about the four Symbols of the Gospel writers, since I first encountered in the Chapel of the Episcopalian Bishop of NC in Raleigh, and was informed that they were influenced by the preaching Coptic Monks to the Celts and Scots.
   Only people of developed artistic orientation, could appreciate how beautiful these genuinely original decorations reach out to the overwhelmed reader. Alas that parts of the Gospel according to St. Luke are missing from the original Codex.

   Religous Celtic Art:
   Long before the coming of St. Augustine of Canterbury in 597, Christianity has been introduced among the Brittons, by Coptic missionaries who reached as far as the British Isles. "We do not yet know how much we in the British Isles owe to these remote Coptic hermits...Everyone knows that the handicraft of the Irish monks in the ninth and tenth centuries far excelled anything that could be found elsewhere in Europe. Their unrivaled illuminations, can be traced to the influence of Egyptian missionaries, we have more to thank the Copts for than has been imagined." Eminent historian: Stanley Lane-Poole.




2. Kells' mini hardcovers:
   The variety of exquisite little hardcover reproduction volumes are reproductions of parts of the original illuminated manuscripts. They are magnificent, with gold-leaf detailing and sumptuous full-color illustrations, making them a perfect gift for all who cherish the rich legacy of Christian art. The original illuminated manuscript, is permanently on display, since the 19th, in the Library of Trinity College Dublin.
   It is one of the most beautiful of the world's most famous manuscript. It contains 680 pages (or 340 folios). Just two of the pages are without ornament, while about thirty folios, including some major decorated pages, have been lost. Two volumes can normally be seen, one opened to display a major decorated page, and one to show two pages of script.A CD-ROM version of all 340 folios from the Book of Kells is available for purchase.
   
   
   Origin of Book of Kells:
   The Book of Kells, was most probably copied by hand and illuminated by monks around the year 800 A.D. Its name is derived from the Abbey of Kells, in the Irish Midlands, where it was kept from at least the 9th century to 1541, it was probably begun on the island of Iona. It is uncertainly presumed, that portions of the book were made at Kells, after Viking raids on Iona forced the monastery to retreat to the isolated location. It contains the four gospels, preceded by prefaces, summaries, and canon tables or concordances of gospel passages. It is written on vellum and contains a Latin text of the Gospels in insular majuscule script accompanied by magnificent and intricate whole pages of decoration with smaller painted decorations appearing throughout the text. The manuscript was given to Trinity College in the 17th century and since 1953 has been bound in four volumes.
   
   Book of Columba:
   This same Irish manuscript containing the Four Gospels, is known also as the "Book of Columba", probably because it was written in the monastery of Iona to honour the saint. Some small portions at the beginning and end of the manuscript have been lost, but otherwise it is in a very good state of preservation. It was apparently left unfinished, since some of the ornaments remain only in outline. It is written in part black, red, purple or yellow ink, and it has been thought that the hands of two scribes, neither of whom is known by name, are discernible in the writing and illumination of the manuscript.
   
   Book's Beauty:
   This is the most copiously illuminated manuscript of the four Gospels in existence. No words can describe the beauty and splendour of the richly coloured initial letters, which are more profuse in the "Book of Kells" than in any other manuscript. The artist possessed a wonderful knowledge of the proportion of colour and the distribution of his material -sienna, purple, lilac, red, pink, green, yellow, most often used, and the shade tinting of the letters was managed with fine taste and skill. A series of illuminated miniatures, including pictorial representations of the Evangelists and their symbols, the Blessed Virgin and the Divine Child, are worthy of notice. It is no wonder that it was believed that the "Book of Kells" could have been written only by angels (very artistic indeed!).
   
   Composition and Loss:
   The date of the composition of the book can hardly be placed earlier than the end of the seventh or beginning of the eighth century, It is likely that it is to this book that the entry in the "Annals of Ulster" under the year 1006 refers, recording that in that year the "Gospel of Columba" was stolen. According to tradition, the book is a relic from the time of St. Columba (d. 597) and even the work of his hands, but, on palaeographic grounds and judging by the character of the ornamentation, this tradition cannot be sustained. This must be the book reported at Kildare in the last quarter of the twelfth century, described in glowing terms. Later, it was located at the cathedral of Kells (Irish Cenannus) in Meath, a foundation of Columba's, where it remained for a long time, until the year 1541. Archbishop Ussher presented it to Trinity College, Dublin, In the 17th century where it is the most precious manuscript in its library and by far the choicest relic of Irish art that has been preserved.
   
   Manuscript Ornaments& Designs: The most characteristic ornaments of the Book of Kells, as of other illuminated Irish manuscripts of the period, are the coloured representations of fanciful beings, or of men, animals, birds, horses, dogs, and grotesque, gargoyle-like human figures, twisted and hooked together in intricate detail, a system of geometrical weaving of ribbons plaited and knotted together.
   The versatility and inventive genius of the illustrator surpasses all belief. Lines diverge and converge in endless succession, and the most intricate figures, in lavish abundance and with astounding variety of ornament, are combined and woven into one harmonious design. In spite of the extent of the work and its thousands of exquisite initials and terminals, there is not a single pattern or combination that can be said to be a copy of another. The artist shows a wonderful technique in designing and combining various emblems, the cross, vine, dragon, fish, and serpent. The drawing is perfection itself. It has been examined under a powerful magnifying glass for hours at a time and found to be, even in the most minute and complicated figures, without a single false or irregular line.
   
   *Most of this review material are from Trinity web & New Advent

1 comments about Six Old-Time Easter Cards.

1. I love the old fashion design of these greeting cards, so purchased them at an amazingly low price. When they arrived, I discovered that they were flimsy and of poor card stock. They're not nearly as nice as the photo appears. I never sent them out for Easter, instead, I used them as bookmarks in books I'm reading or cookbooks, etc.

No comments about Book of Matchbox Labels.

No comments about Railroad Timetables, Travel Brochures & Posters: A History and Guide for Collectors.

No comments about Ephemera (Grafton Book).