1 comments about Collecting Art Deco.

1. I have written to the author in the past, but got no response to the fact that of his examples some are not truely old or not matched:shades that did not come with the lamp, but refered to as if they did.

2 comments about Modern Toys from Japan, 1940s-1980s (Schiffer Book for Collectors).

1. As a long-time collector of Japanese tin toys, I'm always eager to acquire new reference works, especially where most of the illustrations are in color. This book is ok, taking into consideration that Modern Toys Company is more or less the Budweiser of the Japanese tin toy industry. The pictures are small but quite high quality. My main reservations lie with the overwhelming number of toys from the 1970s that are pictured. As far as I am concerned, this was the nadir of their industry and most Jap tin toys made in that period are at best mediocre. They incorporate inordinate amounts of plastic, pretty crude shapes and in general are reminiscent of modern Chinese tin.
   
   I expect I'll keep the book mainly because I maintain an extensive reference library. But if you're expecting anything at all close to the superb Kitahara titles, be warned. There are a number of quality toys pictured, but not enough.
   
   Why it was necessary (given the long history of Masudaya) to provide no fewer than 20 illustrations of the 1970s Overland Express or Hill Climber trains, which came in numerous slightly different shapes and colors, I cannot imagine. This toy and its versions may excite the totally clueless dealer who finds one and puts it on Ebay as "probably 50s", but it has zero appeal to collectors. Indeed, when one is searching for "Japan Trains" on Ebay one spends most of one's time skipping over the endless examples of the Overland/Hill Climber offered for sale; which incidentally hardly ever get any bids.
   
   A large proportion of the toys in the book don't deserve coverage, I'm afraid to say. The Japanese made very few charmless toys up through the 60s, but they made up for lost time in the 70s.



2. I think this is a great book. A good selection of photos for the expert collector as well as for the beginner. Good to see reference material on items that you actually have a chance to find at a reasonable price.

No comments about The Best of Shaving Mugs (Schiffer Book for Collectors).

No comments about Oxygen-Free Museum Cases (Research in Conservation).

No comments about Extreme makeover: museum edition; Washington's Phillips Collection.: An article from: Commonweal.

1 comments about Bohemian Decorated Porcelain (Schiffer Book for Collectors).

1. My book describes the development of porcelain production in the Karlovy Vary (Carlsbad) region of western Bohemia. Through the declining years of the Habsburg's Austro-Hungarian Empire to the rise of communism in Czechoslovakia, a history of each factory exporting ware to the United States is presented which recounts details of factory owners never described in English literature. A description of each small town or village in the Karlovy Vary region that manufactured porcelain is provided. Details of the methods of exporting porcelain to the United States and the history of import businesses and their owners gives the reader an insight into how today's antique porcelain found its way from factory to home. Numerous advertisements of import companies illustrate the array of Bohemian porcelain sold in America during the late 1800s and early 1900s. As the demand for whiteware increased to satisfy the growing interest in amateur china painting in America in the 1880s, the Karlovy Vary area factories expanded and their export business grew. I describe the factory methods used to decorate "Carlsbad china", the name given to porcelain exported from this region in the late 1800s. American decoration of imported whiteware is also presented making the book an invaluable reference for those who purchase, sell, or who have inherited pieces of this china. In addition, the book should be of value to those interested in family histories of factory owners and decorators. Over 600 color photographs and illustrations demonstrate the rich variety of porcelain pieces exported to as well as decorated in, the United States during this time. An extensive presentation of American export dinnerware patterns from the oldest producing factory is featured in one of the book's appendices. Many factory marks are illustrated in color and are presented in a chronology following the description of each factory. A price guide is provided to give a relative value of one piece to another. If you have questions about Bohemian/Austrian porcelain please contact me and time permitting, I'll try to help you.

1 comments about The World of Armand Hammer.

1. Armand Hammer is one of the all-time great humanitarians and industrialists. He was the first Western businessman to form commercial links to the nascent Soviet Union. Unlike the ideologues in the west that poisoned the atmosphere between the Soviet Union and the rest of the world, Hammer was a pragmatist, buying grain on the world market and shipping it to the Soviet Union to help avoid starvation. Hammer also had a good relationship with Lenin, finding him charming and pleasant to be around.
   Hammer's commercial ties to the Soviet Union lasted until Stalin consolidated his power, and Hammer, seeing the reality, left the country. He stayed away until the early 1960's, when President John Kennedy asked him to go back to try to open ties between the United States and the Soviet Union. The Soviet leaders had such a high opinion of him that he was the only person who was allowed to fly his personal jet into the country.
   This book is largely a photo history of the life of Hammer; there are pictures of him from childhood up until his eighties. Many were taken in the Soviet Union and show him as a hands-on leader, meeting with a succession of Soviet leaders. Hammer was also active in the United States, he was involved in many charities, areas of industry and he is frequently shown meeting with western political leaders.
   It is unfortunate that the life of Armand Hammer is not more closely studied than it is. The modern news about the business sector is full of stories about company leaders that are guilty of lies, deception and greed. Hammer was an honorable man who risked his own money to prevent starvation in the early years of the Soviet Union and received rewards and respect for those acts for decades afterward. He was a decent man and his life could teach many indecent people how business should be conducted.

No comments about Pacific Pottery: Sunshine Tableware from the 1920s, '30s, and '40s...and more!.

No comments about Antique Glass End-Of-Day Marbles.

1 comments about Collector's Guide to Children's Automobiles.

1. Will not buy this book. here's why. This authors other book "Juvenile Automobiles" is poor. As a device for identification of your car JA may help. Good for UK made Triang/ Lines Bros cars - Has a reprint Triang catalogue in the back.
   Purely a random collection of black & white piccys of cars with little or no comment this book appears to have been written in under 4 hours. There is self-indulgent bumpf about the author, which is OK if for the fact there is more about the author than the subject. Can I be more damning?? Make it the last book you buy on the subject, not the first.