5 comments about Standard Catalog of American Flyer Trains.

1. I ordered this for my husband and he absolutely loves it. He had seen it other places at a much higher price and was thrilled you had it.
   
   Thank you.



2. Great book with many excellent photos and variations. A must have for any Flyer fan!



3. I too was waiting in anticipation for a new better written book on American Flyer. I am primarily an S gauge person, but to finally have at least the basic refreshed info on HO, and basic info on O and Wide Gauge presented again is a big bonus.
   
   Not to put down Greenbergs works, but Greenbergs are getting very dated and the repeatative descriptions just for the sake of saying something were nausiating. David Doyle in his book, has changed the format to a much more concise format. There are a few brief paragraphs at the beginning of each chapter giving important but generalized information on the chapters subject matter. For each variation of a numbered item, they give another brief general description then list each variation with a range of values and a rarity rating. This is better than other guides that simply give an EX or LN value and move on leaving the other grades open to abuse by sellers. One word of advice to David is to stick with common item names. Calling the Box Cars, House Cars was wierd and a big turn off. Train people know them as box cars, talk about what they are familiar with, not some abscure name no one has ever heard of before.
   
   The book is chock full of pictures, and they are new and bright and clear, not recycled from other previous publications. For the most part the photos are very well done, but some items they photograph are in poor condition and a superior example would have been easy to find. An example is the chapter on Hopper cars shows a beginning photo of a 921 CB&Q hopper, a very common hopper car, with a broken step. Other photos are of items that are covered with dust like the 283 at the beginning of the steam loco chapter. David tries I think to show photos of the scarcer versions at least half the time. I'm not sure if this was a chance thing or a deliberate move.
   
   The chapter on paper is short, sweet and helpful. There is only so much you can say about dealer catalogs and consumer catalogs and the like. The chapter on HO is also shorter and sweeter than the S gauge chapter(s), mainly because they made so much less of it compared to S gauge. Even more brief in the overall information offered are the O and Wide gauge chapters. These are grey areas in American Flyer collecting the same as OO is for Lionel. But we rarely hear of the Lionel people complaining about the lack of material in the small OO chapters when they are included in books. American Flyer people are already complaining about the O and Wide gauge chapters, and I say leave them complain as these are small niche areas, and the book was more about the mainstay of American Flyer trains, S gauge. It is a welcome blessing to see anything on the O and Wide gauge areas with more up to date pricing so everyone into those areas should be grateful they got anything at all instead of whining. There have been other HO books put out, but they are very dated as well, and the fresher HO data was welcome, even though the amount of time spent on the chapter was not overwhelming mainly because there was no need to.
   
   I have been into American Flyer trains since I first became congnative about the age of 4 or 5 and remember my first encounters with the train set up at Christmas. I've collected American Flyer S gauge for over 30+ years and am working on my 4th collection. I know what I've seen, and what I've not seen over 30+ years of searching and collecting these trains. With that said, I can say here what is wrong with this book. David tried very hard to avoid ambiguous information, something Greenbergs did not do. I saw only one or two examples of this in the book. One example is the alleged existance of a 293 steam loco with a whistle in the tender. This was NOT made that way. The whistle was either added by a previous owner or the tender was swapped from a different loco. But because some big time collector somewhere said it was made because it exists in their collection, so it was listed. The second example is the listing for a 290 pacific with Reading logo on the tender. This loco was never made that way. This is a tender swap by someone after the loco left the factory. This, unfortunately, is a big peril when writing a book of this type, the author is at the mercy of the collectors he asks for information from. The other big issue is with values vs truly scarce variations. As I said before, I know when a variation is tough and should demand a premium. There are several instances where a scarce variation is listed but given the common versions value. I'll give two prime examples. One would be the 24720 Civil War coach. The very earliest versions of this car are painted but do not have American Flyer Lines stamped on the car sides. In my 30+ years of collecting and searching, until about two weeks ago, I had only seen one of these cars and it was in a boxed "One of the First Fifty" sets. This car is HARD to find. Yet it was given a value of a meager $90, only $10 more than the painted version with the American Flyer Lines logo stamped on the car sides. Sorry Dave, this car is at least a $150 to $200 car. Second example would be the 625 Gulf tank car. Its hard enough to find this car without the 625G number indicating a change to Gulf from Shell. But to find the plain 625 version with the SEPX shell markings and Gulf logo is difficult to say the least. Yet David lists all variations of this car at $25. Again, this car is scarce, and is worth at least $150 or more. There are other examples exactly like this, such as the 636 spool flat with small lettering, and 934 caboose. One other item of note. In the O Gauge accessories section they show White with Red trim S Gauge items in the photos. This is incorrect. Pre-War O accessories that were carried over after the war were originally painted in Yellow (Dark Cream), with Brown trim.
   
   Other than the issues mentioned above this is an excellent book. Well laid out, much easier to read, and it has a range of values for common people who want to deal in average grade tains instead of the high end collectors grade stuff. Photos could have been better and some of the values definately need tweeking. Over all, I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to get into collecting and/or operating any of the American Flyer equipment offered from the early 1900's to date.



4. So far this is the best book I've seen for the American Flyer collector. It has so much information and really helps when sifting through train shows and online auctions!! A must!



5. Standard Catalog of American Flyer Trains This is a great book that for the first time you can get all three train gauges make under the name American Flyer and/or A.C. Gilbert. Great pictures and descriptions of trains and accessories. A valuable book at a great price.

1 comments about 50 More Ways To Use Your Noodle: Loads of land and water games with foam noodle toys.

1. 50 More Ways to Use Your Noodle offered more GREAT ways to work with people, build teams, and have a great time. I've used the activities with junior high, high school, college, and adult age groups and they all enjoyed the activities and the follow-up discussions really helped open their eyes to new situations or ways of approaching challenges. Easy to follow instructions and fun reading. The biggest challenges I've faced with using these materials are deciding which of the fun activities to use and finding space to keep all of the noodle supplies between trainings! :-)

5 comments about Tomart's Price Guide to Tin Litho Doll Houses and Plastic Doll House Furniture.

1. I was very satisfied with Amazon. My book was packaged extremely well so that the pages wouldn't get messed up. I was surprised at how fast I received it too.



2. Great reference book for collector of 40's and 50's plastic doll house furniture. Copyright in 1997 makes pricing guide a tad out of date . . . nevertheless a good starting reference price range. Great photos. Interesting information on producing companies.



3. This is a wonderful reference quide for baby boomers who want to collect dollhouses and furniture! What great memories this book brought back. I found doll houses and furniture I once had and some of the models my cousins and friends had in the 1950's! This is a trip down memory lane and the price is great for this publication. Amazon delivers quickly, too!



4. I purchased three books on tin toys and dollhouses, and this one was the best by far to help me evaluate some tin/metal doll houses I was buying.

   The book sections are by the doll house maker, with excellent photographs that help identify them, and estimated years that they were sold.

   In addition there are photographs of the furniture that you would typically find in these houses. This helps alot if you have just purchased an empty doll house, and you want to furnish it with vintage items of the correct size and type.

   Simply an excellent reference book for tin doll house collectors or just old-timers wanting a bit of nostalgia :)




5. Mary Brett has written the Bibile of Tin Litho houses. Excellent pictures of the houses detail their interiors, exteriors and the furniture needed to make them cosy little homes. All major producers are covered, Marx, Cohn, Wolverine to mention just a few. Ms. Brett also includes a section on the more unusual items, such as the rare and unique Friendly Folks Motel. Better buy two copies, this book is destined to become dog-earred and worn before very long.

4 comments about Dolls of the Art Deco Era 1910-1940: Collect, Restore, Create and Play.

1. there is no other book that gives so much information on bed dolls called boudoir dolls. This is like a "bible" for doll collectors. You do not need another book if you have this one.



2. In Dolls Of The Art Deco Era, dollmaker Oroyan provides a survey of the history, makers and collectible items of the art deco era, providing both a step-by-step set of instructions for reproducing the style of doll popular in the era and covering the history of dollmaking during the era, and restoration techniques after. Packed with ideas crafts and collectors alike will appreciate.



3. For those of us who admire, collect, make and renovate 1920s and 20s-inspired art dolls, Susanna Oroyan has written a thoughtful volume focusing on boudoir dolls from the Art Deco period. Although the topic is covered better visually in another of my favorites, "The Magic and Romance of Art Dolls" by Stephanie Farago, the strength of this book is in Oroyan's excellent research, writing and wonderful storytelling ability. Her fresh and fun-loving writing style shines in this book (the illustrative drawings also are quite good.)

   Unlike her other fine books, which focus more directly on the art, design and mechanics of doll-making, this book is a loving tribute to a period, aesthetic and style of doll that she very much values, appreciates and knows well. And for that we can be thankful, as Oroyan has contributed so largely to the doll-making world, with her vision, her instruction, and her art.

   Highly recommended as another fine book to add to the resource library of "students of the doll."




4. a real authentic and easy way to understand and MAKE dolls.
   mrs.Oroyan must be a magician to write so many books,so variabile & so full of culture & reserch that is related to the art, craft, etc...
   the book is reach, easy and wonderfull for the dollmaker! even
   for the beginer! www.geocities.com/pushadolls/

5 comments about Toys to Knit: Dozens of Patterns for Heirloom Dolls, Animals, Doll Clothes, and Accessories.

1. I was looking for a book with some doll clothes patterns for a Waldorf-style doll I was making for my daughter. I picked this up at the library. One irritating thing is it doesn't tell you the size of the doll in the book, so I wasn't sure if the patterns would work for the doll I was making. But I set forth and made the wrap sweater and it was very easy and fit my doll very nicely. Which was a 13" Waldorf doll. I also knit up the skirt and the undies. The undie pattern needs a little adjusting to fit better but the rest work out just fine. My kids love looking at all the fun stuff to knit and telling me what to make. After keeping it too long at the library and then wishing I still had it, I think I'll go ahead and buy it.



2. Most of the toys and accessories in this book are really cute, but there's just not much else going for this book. The instructions look deceptively simple, but as it turns out only a really experienced knitter can make much sense of them. Many of the toys have multiple errors in the instructions, such as the bear, which is missing several rows of stitches. In addition to being deceptively simplistic, the instructions are also way too vague, without any detailed explanations, either for the trickier steps or the more basic parts. The only "explanatory" material for troubleshooting are sections in the back about abbreviations and the conversions of needle sizes and weights and lengths of yarn. And someone who's just a novice knitter might not even realise that it's just asking for disaster and frustration when there isn't even any gauge or yardage given for any of the yarns specified.
   
   A lot of the colors don't even match in the various pictures and accompanying instructions, such as the teddybear sweater that is off-green in the picture yet described as light blue in the instructions. Many times the reader is instructed to assemble the various parts "according to illustration," yet there are no such accompanying illustrations. It also doesn't make sense to have to separately knit all of these little pieces and then seam them together when there is another way. I've made some stuffed animals and dolls in the past, and my sewing instructor didn't tell us to make and stuff each part separately before sewing them all together! If you wouldn't make a sewn toy that way, you wouldn't make a knit toy that way either. Beyond all of the cute pictures of things like various dolls, the teddybear, finger puppets, mouse, kangaroo and joey, and monkey, this book won't be worth much to even an experienced knitter. Someone with a lot more experience probably could figure out the many error-ridden instructions, but why go through so much headache when one could make toys from a better book like 'World of Knit Toys'?



3. Do not buy this book. Period. As others have said, the instructions for the teddy bear's head are so far off that only an expert knitter is going to be able to figure it out. I completed this after spending hours recalculating the stitch counts and figuring out which row (I think two are actually missing) needed to be added. The results are adorable, but the hassle isn't worth it.
   
   I contacted the publisher, and finally gave up. Those with whom I dealt were a bit on the dim side and couldn't understand what I was telling them regarding the problems with the pattern. The author is apparently British and shares the same name (Tracy Chapman) with a well-known singer, so reaching her is not possible.
   
   Again I stress, don't buy this book unless you are an expert knitter and are willing to rewrite the directions to make them accurate.



4. I picked up this book because the doll on the front cover looked just like my daughter and I thought it would be cute to make one for her. I am a fairly new knitter but thought the pattern appeared to be something I could tackle. I did find some errors in the instructions for the legs (very confusing for a new knitter). I also found it strange that there was not any type of gauge or swatch (I was taught to NEVER skip this step!), nor the finished size of the doll or any of the toys. Once I did finally get the doll made up, it did turn out to be very adorable in a retro sort of way (think the Island of Misfit Toys on Rudolph) and my daughter absolutely loves it.
   I am now trying to knit up the wrap sweater, and the instructions are disappointing. I was hoping to make a set of clothes for her doll, but if the rest of the instructions are as erroneous or incomplete as the ones for the sweater, I'm afraid I won't get them done.



5. I had a similar experience to a lot of the other reviewers. Bought this book because the projects looked cute, but the instructions are terrible. Vague and chock-full of mistakes (were there no testers for any of these patterns?). A lot of these pieces could have been knit in the round with a bit of shaping, instead you have to knit a gazillion tiny pieces and then seam together "according to illustrations". There are no illustrations. Only a few really bad photographs - I mean, they're cute and all, but totally useless. There's a pattern for a cute looking fish with a bunch of scales that are knit and then sewn on "according to illustration" but in the photo, the fish is peeking out from the folds of a blanket, you can barely see a couple of scales.
   
   In another pattern for an elephant, there are so many pieces to make individually that I've given up hope that I'll ever finish it. Even with many years' knitting and designing experience, it's more effort to fix these patterns than it is to just create one from scratch!
   
   It's deceiving in its perceived simplicity. A novice knitter might leaf through the book and see that they only need to know how to knit and purl and do a simple increase and decrase, but it is easier to learn a few more shaping stitches than to suffer through the dozens of seams required to assemble the final product, especially since the incorrect instructions often lead to pieces that dont fit together properly. Very frustrating and a huge waste of $16.

No comments about Warman's Action Figures Field Guide: Values and Identification (Warman's Field Guides).

5 comments about Standard Catalog of Lionel Train Sets: 1945-1969 (Standard Catalog of Lionel Train Sets 1945-1969).

1. This book is great, fantastic reading about all Lionel train sets and lots of great pictures. This book covers all Lionel O, O27 and Super O made between 1945 and 1969 sets. It also covers in sites to changes from year to year, and also what to look for to alert you to forgeries in many cases. P.S. NO HO



2. The Standard Catalog of Lionel Trains - Cataloged sets, by David Doyle is a very nice book on Lionel Trains. The photos of the Lionel sets are excellent. Do not miss this book if you love Lionel Trains. Richard Archer



3. Anyone interested in Lionel Toy Trains would find this book very interesting. Listings presented with many pictures and a excellent description. There are many pictures showing the original boxes the train sets were in and giving various dates on production. This book is not just numbers and prices. A very good source of information for the collector and train buff.



4. I found my old HO gauge train set in the attic and wanted to learn more about it. Reading the info about this book you would think it covered all Lionel train sets. The truth is there is info about all sizes except HO. If HO is your interest look elsewhere.



5. Excellent book, well written for even the most experienced Lionel Collector. I've put together a nice collection of books on Lionel Electric Trains over the years, and this nice work fits right and....and fills a void or two in the other works.
   
   You will enjoy looking through it, and find answers to your questions.

5 comments about Encyclopedia of Matchbox Toys (Schiffer Book for Collectors).

1. Besides the Stannard,this is the book to have on Matchbox.
   Great for starters and long time collecors.



2. Excellent book. I was looking for this for a long time. Now I can check out my mini cars and find the best cars and prices I can get.



3. As the owner of both the 1997 1st edition and this newer 2004 3rd edition, I am disapointed. In order to fit 7 years of new photos into the same size book, the photos were digitally shrunk and subsequently distorted and blurred. But worse, the 1st edition had 198 pages of photos, the 3rd edition has just 159 pages of photos. Bottom line, this makes the photos tiny, blurred and distorted. Also, the paper stock (thickness) was significantly reduced so although the newer edition has just seven more total pages, the first edition is significantly thicker and heavier. So if you do not collect Mattel Matchbox, purchase the 1st edition (also it does not appear the prices between the 1997 and the 2004 price guide have changed). By the way, the 1st edition is a great book!



4. Its a big book and plenty of clear colour photos of so many examples throughout.covers every era of Matchbox toys.This type of book is superior over the wide but short books printed by this publisher.There is so much information here no matter whether you are devoted collector or just love looking at the old toys you had.This book will please most people.Its good value and high quality.



5. This is a great reference book, full of details and history about evolution of Matchbox toys. If you love Matchbox, this is a must. Charlie Mack is a true expert on the subject, and this is for sure the most complete and updated information about the subject. The only complains are: cover picture is not representative at all. Pictures are excelent but could be larger for the "reg. wheels" and "miniatures", and several rare cars and boxes are ommited (no space probably). However, "Tomart's Price Guide for Hot Wheels" have a much better and contemporary graphic design and many more pictures in a smaller book, and also with more description of individual models.

No comments about Toys for Girls: If Women Didn't Exist, All the Money of the World Would Have No Meaning.

5 comments about The DC Comics Action Figure Archive.

1. Being a collector of Batman action figures and also the animated Justice League action figures, I was really looking forward to this book. But upon reading I discovered all the different versions of the Justice League Mission Vision figures were not listed and few other figures were not listed as well.



2. Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R1Z1QHAFVEUXZG This is a brief video that shows you a little bit about this cool book.



3. I'm not sure why I bought this - impulse I guess (darn your targeted marketing Amazon!)
   Do you really want to know how many stupid versions of Batman Kenner made? Some of the pages include information about the DC Universe, which is nice, but I think if it were a true archive, it would have images of the 300+ Batman toys made.
   If you are sometimes obsessive, don't look through the book! You'll see that many of the toys were sold exclusively to Target or marketed exclusively in other countries. If you can collect them all - invite us over to see! (And explain how you display them.)



4. This is a great book to casually leaf through but not entirely thorough. As far as I could tell the author has at least listed every DC figure made, but I personally would have liked pictures of every item. I know that sometimes may not be possible, but a book like this is likely to be used as a reference guide and photos of every item would have been more useful. Still, I liked it and if you collect this sort of figures you will enjoy this book.



5. Being born in the early 1960s,I have had lots of DC action figures growing up,this book does not come close to having all the DC action figures.Most of the figures covered in this book are from at best early 1990's.I'm definately thinking about sending this book back.If I could,I would have giving this book a negative 5 stars because of its title.Buy MEGO 8" SUPER-HEROES:WORLD'S GREATEST TOYS! this book brings back good memories.