2 comments about McDonald's Happy Meal Toys in the U.S.A. (Schiffer Book for Collectors With Prices).

1. I consider this to be the McDonald's collector's premier guide. Full-color photos show you exactly what you're looking for. Variations are also listed, and usually shown, so you'll know to look for that horse with a green base and without! Translites, buttons, and all the other items associated with a promo are listed with values. Although this book only goes through early 1995, you can order supplements by writing to the author (address included in the book). If you're serious about collecting (or selling) McD's Happy Meal toys, you must have this book



2. Great book, very complete and convienen. It has a price guide and check-off boxes to help you to keep better track of you collection. I will not ever begin to estimate the number of photo's..There is easily 1000's

5 comments about Collector's Value Guide to Japanese Woodblock Prints.

1. I found this book somewhat helpful and useful. But there is something terribly wrong with it, which makes me highly dubious of the writer's motivations. The prices are outrageously high. Every dealer I have talked to, while delighted at the inflation of values for obvious reasons, agrees that the prices are often twice or more the true market value of the prints. I have bought several of these prints in near mint condition in the past year for half the prices quoted here. I suppose I should be delighted that my purchases doubled in value overnight, but ..........



2. I was disappointed with this book. I guess I had expected a fairly comprehensive survey of auction, retail, and internet prices but this contained only brief selections from important artists, e.g. five by Hokusai, three by Harunobu, a dozen or so by Hiroshige. And I agree with another post here about pricing; some estimates are dead on, but many estimates for things I've shopped for or purchased are at least double current retail.



3. If you are looking for a general guide to prices for Japanese Woodblock prints this is not it. I was expecting a much more comprehensive listing, or at least a discussion about how these prints are appraised, but there are only a few price points mentioned. There is quite a bit of useful information, but this is not the good, introductory text that I was hoping for.

   At one point the author says something to the effect of: "if you want to learn about Japanese Woodblock prints, go to a lot of galleries and read a lot of books on the subject." I think I kind of knew that before.




4. ...but indeed, where did she get those prices????? Still a good reference that provides loads of helpful information. A good addition to your Lane, if you are deeper into Ukiyo-e. And the price is absolutely reasonable for the amount of information provided. One of the few references that do not only give information about the classical artists, but also on sosaku hanga and shin hanga artists.



5. If only the content could have delivered on the promise of the Title. I think REDO would be in order.

1 comments about More Collectible Bells: Classic to Contemporay (Schiffer Book for Collectors).

1. This is a beautifully produced book with an unrivalled series of 620 stunning color pictures of bells. The illustrations are superbly printed (in China) and look as if they have been cleaned up with a computer so that there are no irritating features in the background. But the text is disappointing both in style and content. The reader will not learn a great deal about bells from the brief accounts that introduce each section and, in many of the captions, there is nothing about the country of origin or the use of the illustrated bell. Few of the bells shown were made to be used - many are modern decorative bells. Because of this, there is not much of interest for collectors of church, temple or animal bells. As to be expected, the emphasis is on bells of America with hardly anything on bells of Europe, Africa and Asia. There is a good index but a poor bibliography. Almost all classical books on bells are out of print and none is as well illustrated as this one. However, bell collectors interested in the manufacture and history of all kinds of bells should try to get hold of a copy of 'Bells and Man' by Percival Price, published in 1983 by Oxford University Press. Regrettably, only 1000 copies were printed and it went out of print almost immediately. American collectors should look for 'The Collector's Book of Bells' by L. Elsinore Springer published in 1972 by Crown Publishers Inc, New York. This is also out of print. The illustrations in these two books are in black and white and far from the quality of Donna Baker's pictiures. But the texts and captions are full of information. Readers of French have another option of a book that is still available. It is 'Cloches de France et d'ailleurs' by Jean-Pierre Rama published in 1993 by Pierre Zech Editeur, Paris. It has beautiful illustrations and a good text but, as the title suggests, it's mainly about French bells.

5 comments about Collector's Guide to Switchblade Knives: An Illustrated Historical and Price Reference.

1. Richard Langston's book is best summed up by the title of this review. His historical and informational references are effused
   with his personality and wit. I enjoyed reading the beginning of this book so much, it left me wanting for more. The early days
   of the cutlery industry in the United States, and Upstate New York in particular, were a fascinating time. To read about this
   history from the perspective of someone who has been an enthusiastic student for most of his life, is a gift not often discovered.



2. Richard Langston is an acknowledged expert in this field and a well known avid collector of automatic knives. He does not disappoint in the "Collector's Guide to Switchblade Knives" . While the book is a little heavily oriented to towards the early twentieth century companies of Pressbutton, Schrade Walden, and their derivatives, this is in keeping with the spirit of the hobby as these are generally the most sought after knives. His insights on the histories of these companies is invaluable from the standpoint of determining age of these products. On the down side, I would have liked to have seen a little more historical and dating information about other companies products and imported knives, but you can only get so much in one book.



3. The most comprehensive book on collectible early switchblades on the market
   Well layed out easy to understand, very good book.



4. Some pictures and grading info, has a wide array of types and years of knifes. "Antique American Switchblades" is ten times a better source.



5. This book has great information on American switchblade history. There is very little information on italian switchblades. All pictures are black and white. If your into American switchblades, this is your book. If your looking for information on Italian switchblades, pass on this book.

5 comments about The Pocket Guide to Collecting Movies on DVD: Building an Essential Movie Collection-With Information on the Best DVD Extras, Supplements and Special Features-and the Best DVDs for Kids.

1. This is an excellent book for younger collectors who may not know about classic films. Also, I think it would make a good gift this holiday season, especially for those folks getting a new DVD player. The book was fun to read with lots of good information on collecting DVDs.



2. With all these "Special Edition" "Extended Version" and "Director's Cut" DVD's floating around, this cheap little book is worth the money to anyone building a library of DVDs. What's on the three-disk Fellowship of the Rings that isn't on the original DVD release? Which version of Casablanca has the interview with the writers? Which 80-dollar "Special Edition" of the movie is the same old DVD but in a fancy box with a poster? The writers of this pocket guide have watched all the supplemental material and can tell you what's there. They're not afraid to tell you what's worthwhile and what's drivel. As a screenwriter and an author (Crafty Screenwriting), I like to watch my DVDs over and over. I'm glad I've added this book to my library.



3. This is a really good book, and I do recommend it. This, and the Video Hound's Guide to DVDs series are the only ones I've found that describe and rate both the movie and the DVD, as most movie review books really only give capsule reviews of the movie and ignore the DVD extras. This book has in-depth reviews of 134 good movies and their DVD editions, whereas the Video Hound guides try to give a capsule review on a much larger set of DVDs. I think the reviews in this book are very good, and the information about DVD extras are even better.

   However, there's one thing that I really didn't like about this book: It doesn't list any identifying information about the DVD, like the studio catalog number and / or UPC number. A number of the titles reviewed in this book have had several releases, and even though the review will mention which version to buy (at least by which studio released it), it's not always easy to pick it out of the review. They really should, at the very least, clearly list the catalog and UPC number of the versions they are reviewing at the beginning of the review (with recommended version if there is one), and ideally also use this information when they are comparing features of different releases of a title.




4. I've been a film junkie all my life. And every year I avidly read every review and buy every book (of reviews) that I can lay my hands on. I consider myself such a serious fan of film that I read so many reviews I end up being a critic of critics. Vincent Canby and Janet Maslin (both from The New York Times) always won the award for the two people I could totally trust. I must now double that list and add Alida Brill and Steven Scheuer to that small circle of respected critical resources. This pocket guide puts an end to the silly idea of a collection of quickly created paragraph reviews (like just about every other dvd book) and instead focuses serious attention and commentary on about 180 must see movies. And it explains, quite thoroughly, why you will need to add quite a few titles to your collection. In their review of the classis "Do The Right Thing" they start by telling the truth: "this film grabs you by the first frame." And to that I must add THIS book (The Pocket Guide) grabs you on the first page. If you are a fan of film, buy a front row seat to this book and sign up for one-click shopping on Amazon and other sites... because your DVD collection is about to grow much bigger... and smartly so.



5. Normally, I would read DVD reviews found in the internet (as they are up-dated on a regular basis) as I collect both NTSC & PAL versions. However, I did pick up this book out of curiosity (probably due to the low price). Can't say that it's really outstanding but it is useful to some extend. The obvious advantage is its small size, thus you could bring it anyway & read it during your leisure.

   For those serious DVD collectors, then this is a must buy. For me now, not only I'm colleting DVD movies but also any interesting DVD books!

No comments about Victorian Furniture With Prices (Wallace-Homestead Furniture Series).

1 comments about The Official Price Guide to Bottles, 13th Edition (Official Price Guide to Bottles).

1. This is a terrific bottle reference book. It tells you how to identify bottles by age, color, style, and much more! Bottles are easy to find, and price. Many pics. A++

1 comments about Collector's Encyclopedia of Lefton China: Book III (Collector's Encyclopedia of Lefton China).

1. I was disappointed in this book. Beautiful pictures and ok info, but not enough examples of Lefton china. I have several inherited pieces which are clearly marked. Found only 1 in this book. I guess if you can afford to buy a large library of hardback books, finally you find what you are looking for.

4 comments about Collectibles for the Kitchen, Bath & Beyond: A Pictorial Guide.

1. This book is full of full color photos. Presented very well! Looking forward to their next book!



2. You'll enjoy the 224 page book with over 1,000 full color terrific, sharp photos in this photo-price guide. Everything from napkin dolls, pie birds, stringholders and laundry sprinkler bottles, to egg timers, childs cups, baby dishes and razor blade banks is shown. Each major topic is fully discussed. A delightful addition to the collector's library and reference shelf.



3. This brand new year 2001 edition is a great follow-up to the previous volume. This book features 256 pages and more than 1,300 full color, large, sharp photos. Collectors will really enjoy the great variety of items shown and the clarity of pictures. Chapters range from Napkin Dolls, Pie Birds, String holders, and Laundry Sprinkler Bottles to Figural Egg Timers, Razor Blade Banks and more. There's adequate, informative text provided. Collectors of these items will find it of interest and value, particularly with the updated pricing.



4. Collectibles for the Kitchen, Bath & Beyond: A Pictorial Guide Bought primarily for their info on Pie Birds and Pie Funnels which we found was very informative. Also, found that the book was very interesting and also informative on other related items such as String Holders, Egg Timers, etc; Would highly recommend!

1 comments about Instant Expert: Collecting American Folk Art (Instant Expert (Random House)).

1. This book tries to cover a lot of ground on a very broad and subtle topic. Unfortunately, no one can really become an expert on American Folk Art by simply reading this or any other book. The book does provide a good overview of the various collecting areas of American Folk Art and might be a good place to start for someone new to the field.