4 comments about Postmarked Yesteryear: Art of the Holiday Postcard.

1. These postcards are truly works of art. Compare these oldies to today's postcards and you will be greatly disappointed with the apparent lack of artistry and imagination that goes in to current postcard design. Each postcard is a wonderful reminder of a more intimate time, when getting a postcard was an event. Praise must go to the authors for compiling a wonderful collection and presenting it to the reader.



2. If you have any interest in vintage holiday postcards, or just an interest in "holiday history/graphic symbolism", this wonderful book is a "must-own". The examples shown, and the writing in general, could not have been better. It is NOT a book you put on the shelf and forget about. Joe Hohmann, Media, PA



3. This is a very good book in terms of introducing the different holidays/postcard themes that can be found. It has really great pictures and I guess what I take away most is the general ideas on what is considered valuable/rare. I just collect ones I like and think are attractive, I don't really collect because of the collectability, so this book was helpful for me in getting ideas on what else I might like and should look for.



4. The art on the postcard is the focus and this book does a great job of picturing different views of the holidays. Starting with a brief history of the post card and publishers, she then presents some common symbolism. She moves through the year, covering each of the holidays. At New Year's are images of pigs pulling a coach. On Valentines days is the "Penny Dreadful", with ill wishes from someone you may have wronged. At Christmas are Louis Wain's cats, which can be rare (and the relative prices of the cards are indicated). She includes holidays not commonly celebrated in the states today, such as Guy Fawkes Day, the Mexican Day of the Dead, and Krampus. Because of her own collection, the images of Halloween are spectacular and a highlight of the book. My only minor complaint would be that on some of the light backgrounds her annotations are hard to read.

5 comments about Collector's Encyclopedia of Cookie Jars, Book 1.

1. The Enyclopedia is well written in an easy to read and understand format.....Starting with the Intro and Hints to collectors, the authors relay their extensive knowledge to the reader...including their views on what to collect and how to collect in the world of cookie jars.....The full color photos of the jars are very helpful in identifying your next find when you go cookie jarrin' at the weekend flea market....In fact, I have all three books of the Collector's Encyclopedia of Cookie Jars.....I enjoy these books a great deal and they make great gifts for the collector in your family.



2. This is the 3rd edition of the popular book, featuring more than 1,800 large, sharp full color photos in its 360 pages. No repeats from the prior editions. There is not much in the way of background information, but loads of beautiful pictures, descriptions and prices. A complete index makes it easy to find the jars you're interested in. If you like to look at cookie jars, you'll love this picture encyclopedia.



3. Found this extremely helpful, especially the photographs. I was thankful for pricing guidance that the author also included. Information of the backgrounds of the manufacturers was interesting but a found a few that were too brief to nothing at all. When selling these jars it is always good to be able to pass on that type of information to the buyer. History was not covered in this book as this was the 3rd book covering the subject. I found this to be a very valuable reference tool to have available.



4. This book was not helpful at all. I have many older McCoy cookie jars and none of them were listed. This book mainly has new cookie jars listed. So if you are looking for a price guide for older jars this is not the book.



5. Wasn't as extensive as I would have hoped, I might have been expecting too much, and didn't contain alot of jars available on the market. But what it did contain was very good and I found very useful.

1 comments about Marvelous Majolica: An Easy Reference & Price Guide.

1. A beautifully illustrated and thorough guide to Majolica, and an invaluable addition to any collector's library!

5 comments about Antique Radio Restoration Guide.

1. For those who are relatively new to the hobby of collecting and restoring antique radios, the frustration stemming from the lack of material devoted to the beginner in this field is all too often the cause of those with high initial enthusiasm to give up prematurely. If you are one of the many who may have found their entry into this potentially facinating pastime to be a bit daunting, take heart. Now in its second edition the "Antique Radio Restoration Guide" provides an abundance of information for the beginning to intermediate antique radio enthusiast. Throughout its twelve chapters the reader is guided through the basics of choosing a radio, the fundamentals of radio theory and repair as well as cosmetic and cabinet restoration. There is also a section on setting up your own repair shop including resources for obtaining test equipment and instructions for actually building some of your own. Though beginners may find some of the technical material in a few of the chapters a bit challenging, this book is nonetheless a fine reference work that, providing the reader's enthusiasm for the subject prevails, he will likely refer to often and will grow into in no time.



2. If you never collected a radio, then this is for you. Other than that, there is not enough information to be of help if you have restored one radio. Also, sad to say, the information and sources are not current.



3. Don't waste your time. Way off on prices-(low). Looked up the first ten tombstone radios on ebay and only one was in the book.Take the money you wound spend on this and get something with a high recommendation.



4. This book starts off on an extremely elementary tone. In fact, people who know what a resistor is may find themselves wondering whether they should be reading this book at all. However, later in the book, there are detailed descriptions of how certain circuits work and how radios work - in a fair amount of detail for an elementary book. Unfortunately, there is very little middle ground. That is, after the first few chapters, terminology is used that has not been defined, nor is it found in the glossary. Consequently, the truly novice reader may need to look elsewhere for the missing information. Some chapters describe, in detail, what could go wrong with an old radio and how to fix the problems. This makes for rather heavy reading, unless one is actually trying to fix a radio that has one of those particular problems; in such a case, these sections could be quite valuable. Radio cabinet refinishing is also covered and suggestions are made on acquiring equipment, parts and further references. Overall, I found this book to be very interesting and written in a style that is clear, authoritative and quite engaging, although, as mentioned, a bit dense in some areas. I intend to refer to it extensively in restoring my old radios.



5. I found the book to be a very good guide to restoring tube radios. I agree with one of the other reviews that transitor radio fundimentals would be a handy guide for those of us that can't remember how to biase a transitor anymore. The book is about everything that a person would need to restore tube radios. Thanks.

2 comments about Antique Brass & Copper Identification & Value Guide.

1. This paperback with glossy cover is a must for collectors inthe metalware field. It's strongest points are in the excellent and numerous photos presented (all of which are in color). ... Most people would find the prices paid for identical pieces to be much lower, but it is still a worthy effort.

   The author also devotes the last chapter to discussing forgeries, fakes, and reproductions which is also a must for a novice or anyone who hasn't had years of hands on collecting in the field.

   If you had only one guide for the field, although I would never recommend only using one reference source, this could be it.

   The only weakness with the book is that the text and background surrounding the various pieces is seriously lacking. But taking into consideration the price and the superb pictures, it is money well spent.

   At the same time I would also recommend "Collecting Antique Metalware" copyright 1974 by Evan Perry. It has a mixture of both color and b/w photos in a hardback, but it much superior in explanatory text. I would whole heartedly give each book 5 stars.




2. There are a few nice pieces in this book but not enough to warrant a whole book. There is one picture I spotted as being identical to a picture on another page. Many of the items one could see by going to a Copper and Brass store that sells new items. I now have the book, "Metalwork in Early America : Copper and It's Alloys from the Winterthur Collection,". If you want in-depth information on antique copper and brass, I'm afraid you're going to have to go the money. This is what I was looking for when I bought this other book. Save your money.

1 comments about Bakelite Pins.

1. As a long time Bakelite jewelry collector who has just about every book ever written about Bakelite, I didn't think there was much more that could be said about Bakelite Pins- but Karima Parry has done it again. This is not another "Hey, look what I've got" book written by a collector just to show off their collection. Only a few of the pins shown in this book are from Parry's own collection. And, like some of the Bakelite jewelry books out there, it isn't a compendium of the finest Bakelite pins in existence- you know, the ones that most collectors are never going to find, or be able to afford. This book shows a range of Bakelite pins, from very simple and affordable, right up to several of those rare showpiece pins that all Bakelite collectors lust after. Bakelite pins are examined from the perspective of their design and craftsmanship, tracing the evolution of both from the late 1920s right up to the present pieces being made by a few modern Bakelite artists like Ron and Ester Shultz and Bruce and Vicki Pantti. Instead of just presenting pin after pin, Parry discusses the different design trends in the early to mid 20th century that influenced Bakelite pin makers, and she offers a unique insight into the pins. But true to form, the author is careful to make this book a useful reference for collectors. Every pin is shown in full color, with pertinent details and a price range, and the pins are well organized by subject. Most of all, this is not just a picture book, or a collector guide. This concise study of Bakelite Pins is a short, beautifully illustrated lesson in art history, as viewed through the micro lens of Bakelite pins.

1 comments about Collecting the Imagination: The First Fifty Years of the Ransom Center (Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center Imprint Series).

1. While many of the cultural treasures of the Harry Ransom Center are beautifully displayed in this "history" of the Center,this sweetened, coffee-table version of that history is generally flat, without heart or excitement, and steps around the personal conflicts, the financial and political obstacles, that so frequently, and for so long, stood in the way of its growth and the availability of its holdings to the full spectrum of students, scholars, and broader public who now have eased access in person and online.
   
   Having spent the full fifty years, and more, from the birth of the Ransom Center to this birthday, this reader had the privilege of sharing in the broad partnership of campus libraries who overcame initial suspicion and helped provide financial, technological and people skill support to bring the Ransom Center to its present recognition -- collaborations ignored, and inaccuracies included that could have been avoided.
   
   One can hope that the remarkable kind of leadership that its present director brought to the management of this international wonder can be continued in the future, the Center flourish ... and a more imaginative reflection on the Center will some day do it justice.

2 comments about Standard Encyclopedia of Carnival Glass.

1. This is just as good as all the previous books. I like the format and the price guide.



2. This is a great book but if you know nothing about the glass, how do you look up the items you have.

5 comments about The Celebrity Address Directory & Autograph Collector's Guide with 30,000 Entries.

1. I just heard that this book received the No. 1 rating from Autograph Magazine, Congratulations!



2. When I received my copy of this book I was surprised. It has many top name celebrities and a lot more! I like the lists he has in this book - celebrity birthdays, celebrity charities, celebrity hobbies, top paid entertainers, Rock' Roll Hall of Famers, Nobel Prize winners, places to get in person autographs and via venues -places to send a request where a celebrity is performing. I haven't seen these features in any other celebrity book. Got to go, I have letters to write.



3. I like the way this book gives background information on celebrities. I can always use some useful facts about celebrities when I write to them. I use the celebrity birthday list a lot. It is a good way to break the ice in writing to a celebrity. I usually write to all the celebrities that have the same birthday as me. Other times I just write to the celebrity wishing them a happy birthday. I have had good success this way. Some of the celebrities that have replied to me are Mohammed Ali, Bill Gates, Bill Clinton and Ron Howard.



4. I live in a small town in North Dakota and writing to celebrities is the only way I have to contact them. I have used the "The Celebrity Address Directory" and I am getting fantastic results. I had a couple of return to sender and used the satisfaction guarantee form in the back of the book. I got answers to my requests right away. I contacted the publisher by e-mail and the publisher had the new addresses within minutes! I will stay with this book forever, it is the only one I will ever need.



5. I received my copy of the January issue of Autograph Collector Magazine and read the review on "The Address Directory & Autograph Collector's Guide" (which I own and use a lot). It received rave reviews as "refreshing, rich in data and this book will keep autograph collectors busy for a long time." Since I have used this book I have been getting better than average responses.

2 comments about Giuseppe Panza: Memories of a Collector.

1. Currently associated with the Art History Institute in Florence, Italy, Steffi Roettgen brings to bear an impressive level of expertise to this compendium of informed commentary and stunning examples of Italian art masterpieces in "Italian Frescoes: The Baroque Era, 1600-1800". Beautifully enhanced with the photography of Antonio Quattrone and Ghigo Roli, this 440-page coffee-table book features 330 illustrations of which 260 are in full color -- including lavish full- and double-page color plates, many of which feature recently restored frescoes. "Italian Frescoes: Baroque Era, 1600-1800" celebrates and provides historical context for twenty-five fresco cycles, each of which represents a notable achievement in the history of Italian art. Represented are masterworks by such luminaries as Domenichino, Sabastiano Ricci, Guercino, and Tiepolo. Their works of art still visible today on the walls and ceilings of palaces and churches from Venice to Naples to Rome. The concluding volume of the simply outstanding five volume series on Italian fresco art published by the Abbeville Press, "Italian Frescoes: The Baroque Era, 1600-1800" is an impressive, important and very strongly recommended addition to personal, academic, and community library Art History reference collections and supplemental reading lists.



2. A must purchase for readers interested in the various streams of "difficult" art, especially those with fountainheads in the United States, as they emerged between World War II and the turn of the century.
   
   This memoir contains the thoughts of a now aged Italian collector who apparently knew every significant artist in such movements as Pop Art, Conceptual Art, Los Angeles Environmental Art, the art of color.
   
   The story jumps around, sometimes things are repeated, points made are often overly cosmic, but after a full reading one is forced to admire Giuseppe Panza for his lifelong and relentless search for earthly meaning in new forms of beauty as expressed in types of art that many had rejected out of hand. (Count me among the many.)
   
   The photographs in this book are excellent and serve as evidence of the real beauty of Mr. Panza's collection.