No comments about Precious Moments 1998 CollectorÕs Value Guide (Collector's Value Guides).

4 comments about Restaurant China : Identification & Value Guide for Restaurant, Airline, Ship & Railroad Dinnerware (Volume 1).

1. I was very disappointed in this book. The colors in the photographs are beautiful. But as a reference for china patterns, it is seriously lacking. Except for a select few companies, the author seems to offer only one example rather than a more complete listing of the different china patterns used by each company over the years. There are some very nice photographs of railroad dining cars, steamship dining rooms, and airline meals being served, but again as a reference, the pictures do not show the china in these photos very clearly at all. In addition, the listings and descriptions of company logos as well as time-frames for china patterns are sometimes inaccurate and other times incomplete. As always, price guides become outdated quickly and would have been better in a separate addendum instead of being placed with text and captions throughout the book. I feel the book was too generalized. As a new collector I wanted help in identifying the different china patterns used by these transportation companies, when each pattern was used, and who manufactured them. All this book provided were scattered bits and pieces of that information. I do not intend to buy Volume II.



2. I was referred to this book for price and identification and was sadly disappointed to get the book and look up the china I had to find that it had some of the pieces and history but by NO MEANS is a complete guide. The China Company I had was in there but it didn't have the history from the year the company started but it did have the identification stamps from the year the company started go figure. The price guide consisted of showing a few pictures of china this particular company producted and gave a few prices. I couldn't believe it. The only reason I kept this book is because I was so busy I didn't get to return it before the 30 day return was over. Oh well I'll know better next time.



3. Barbara Conroy shares her extensive personal experience as a collector in this invaluable reference work. The photography is exceptional, with hundreds of examples of dinnerware pictured in each of the four main categories, along with copies of period advertisements and brochures. Each section also includes a painstakingly assembled collection of hundreds of logos to assist the collector in identifying the company the dinnerware was produced for. A must-have reference book for the serious restaurant, airline, ship and railroad china collector! Pair this book up with Volume 2 of the series and you can push all your other books to the back of the shelf, you won't need them anymore.



4. Barbara Conroy's new volume on restaurant china is a welcome addition to the growing body of literature regarding this largely American genre of utilitarian ceramic art.

   Restaurant china represents an age of americana where restuarants cared enough to invest capital in individualized ceramic pieces that would advertise and represent their establishments. It is a practice that is being undertaken with less and less frequency in our time. Many manufacturers are no longer in business. It is accordingly a genre of increasing interest to collectors.

   Conroy's book chronicles this fine craft form well. It offers a fairly exhaustive listing of topmarks and backstamps of interest to collectors. Substantial full-color illustrations are both informative and entertaining. Historical information as well as primer material about production processes are welcome inclusions.

   The book's title is a bit midsleading, however. It is really a volume focusing primarily on airline, ship, and railroad china... with some coverage of military, western, government, oriental, sports-related, casino, department store and corporate pieces. Logo china manufactured for restaurants and diners receives is afforded little coverage. And non-logo pieces in stock patterns receive virtually no mention at all; the topic is beyond the scope of the book (though Conroy plans, I believe, additional volumes which may address these areas in further detail.)

   Future volumes may benfit from incuding information on how to read backstamps to determine date of manufacture, information on stock patterns, and changes in ceramic form and decorative practices from the 1950's and 60's to the present day.

   No one volume, however, can be expected to exhaustively cover all facets of this increasingly valued utilitarian art form. On the whole, Conroy's volume enriches the literature currently available to growing number of restaurant china fans and collectors in our culture.

2 comments about British Royalty Commemoratives: 19th & 20th Century Royal Events in Britain Illustrated by Commemoratives (Schiffer Book for Collectors).

1. This is the most complete Royal Commemorative book I have yet to come across. It shows color and black and white photos of Royal Commemorative collectables past and present. With descriptive information and value. I am a avid collector and I consider this book to be my Bible. A must have for anyone who collects or is simply interested in the British Monarchy.



2. If you have any interest in the Royal Family, in history, or in items commemorating significant events relating to the Royal Family, then this is a book you simply can't do without. Whether you're a collector, an enthusiast, or simply curious about the vast spectrum of items available, you will find this book a sheer delight. Color plates and an extensive black & white collector and price guide make this book invaluable for collectors, appraisers, or anyone interested in the growing fascination with the Royal Family - and the investment opportunities associated with commemorative items. Doug Flynn and Alan Bolton have set a benchmark that others will struggle to ever improve upon. Highly recommended.

No comments about British Teapots and Coffee Pots (Shire Library).

No comments about Royal Commemoratives (The Shire Book).

No comments about The Ewers-Tyne Collection of Worcester Porcelain at Cheekwood.

No comments about British Studio Potters' Marks.

1 comments about Clarice Cliff: The Art of Bizarre.

1. Although this book is 6 years old it remains my favourite of all the Clarice Cliff books and there are now MANY available on her now. It tells Clarice's story thoroughly, with far more archive images than any other book, and great colour pictures of pieces from collectors from all over the world. The author interviewed nearly all the surviving paintresses who worked for her between 1927 and 1964 and this shows in the attention to detail about them, life in the 1930s and individual patterns they painted. There are many quotations from Clarice in the book and these give a "flavour" of her as a person. I'm prompted to write this review for newer collectors or Clarice fans who might be confused over the best book to start with, but in my opinion THIS is it, and at a very good price too. Barry

No comments about Studio Pottery in Britain 19002005.

1 comments about Taking Tea with Clarice Cliff: A Celebration of Her Art Deco Teaware.

1. As a collector of Clarice Cliff, I read almost anything relating to her. Clarice was way ahead of her time. She was an uneducated British girl in the 1920's who through hard work and brilliant ideas became a pioneer in art deco ceramics. Leonard Griffin is a master scholar of Clarice and this book was another one of his carefully reviewed study of her work.
   Identifying her teaware as a celebration is absolutely true. Almost 80 years later, her work is more collectible than ever and it is fascinating to read how she evolved her designs and manufacturing ideas into the most beautiful teaware.