5 comments about Blue Book of Electric Guitars.

1. Had to return this stinker fast. Very incomplete book for guitars alone, never mind their value (Which most are valued too low in here). Inexperienced author (not the guy on the cover), some kid. I could not believe how bad it was. Format is terrible, it's painful looking up a particular guitar. A Good book for this type of info is Vintage Guitar Price Guide. It is a four star book (still incomplete) - I've yet to see a five star on this subject.......??



2. THE BLUE BOOK OF ELECTRIC GUITARS is a great book featuring information about different guitars, both old and new. Some information here needs to be taken like the humor in comedy films featuring Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Alyson Hannigan, Sarah Michelle Gellar, and/or Melissa Joan Hart, because instruments that are still in production are listed as discontinued, but it's still a wonderful book.



3. I use this book as a reference in pricing. I have found it to be a very valuable tool for a starting point on pricing. Also, I have found it to be a very handy reference to locate model information without having to go to several sources. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in collecting or buying vintage guitars.



4. This book is great not just prices but a ton of knowledge that is extremely helpful... What to watch for and how to verify it... There are always those that try to get a little more than they deserve in any business... After reading this books hints and tips it is like you have twenty years experience in buying selling trading guitars... Many of my long time guitar experience friends are amazed when I come up with things that even they didn't know... Like serial codes that indentify what country their guitars were made... One of the biggest bang for the buck books I have bought in a long time...



5. If you're a total guitar nut like me, this is a must have book. The 10th edition is the best yet. It's a tremendous resource for brand information, model specs, history, and pricing. While I found some errors and disagree with a few price listings, it is still one of the best books of its kind. It's a toss-up of which I like better between this and the Vintage Guitar Guide book. The Blue Book of Electric Guitars 10th edition has more brands and is a bigger book, but the Vintage Guitar Price Guide 2008 has more accurate information and better research. For example, the Blue Book only has a few USA Kramers included, while the VG book has more vintage models listed and a better written history. But the VG book doesn't include a great company/luither like Wollerman, while the Blue Book has a nice section for that brand. The Blue Book has a better section on ESP, and the VG has a better section on Charvel. Both books cover Gibson and Fender well. I say a serious guitargeek needs both books. Neither is overly impressive with accurate pricing, but the Blue Book provides more ranges which is nice. They both do give you a ball-park figure and lots of fun info. I read both of them cover-to-cover, yearly.

1 comments about Kovels' Bottles Price List, 13th edition (Kovel's Bottles Price List).

1. This did not help to identify the bottles that I have. You have know what you have to look up the possible prices in this book.

5 comments about Ancient Coin Collecting II: Numismatic Art of the Greek World.

1. If you are as fascinated with ancients as I am, you MUST have this book. You will love how easy it is to read and you will constantly refer back to it.



2. In roughly 200 pages that are divided into 6 chapters and 4 appendixes with copious illustrations and brief bibliographies throughout - this book is beautifully jammed with coins and information. Following the example of the first volume, this book is in plain language and is easy on the eyes in it's print, format, tables and charts.

   The bulk of this book deals with differing coin types from differing geographical areas and and the artistry of the larger series. This really does a new collector a big favor because the new collector gets to purview a plethora of coin types from throughout that series and it may go a long wat to help them decide what they would like to collect. What is really important about this book is the focus on the coiner or "celator" and what he did and the role he played as artist and the chapter on "Masterpieces of Greek Art" is a beautiful read by itself with large B&W illustrations of some of the most aesthetically pleasing coins in the series.

   The great strength of this book is that it is equally beautiful and useful and the author obviously loves what he is writing about rather than giving a very dry, scholarly and perfunctory survey. I highly recommend this book.




3. Sayles' prose has a way of bringing alive some great coins. It is a great way for a beginner to become both more interested in the hobby as well as developing the principle of purchasing books in field of study rather than buying every forgery and fake on the market. The biggest drawback is that you really need Volume I as an introduction to the series and collecting, then pick up the other volumes as your interests expand. It took me about two years to get all six volumes. They're worth it at a reasonable price, but no substitute for other standard reference works. You can also loan them out to friends to get them interested.



4. Having collected ancient coins for decades, I must confess to a real fondness for the Sayles books, and for this one in particular. It is beautifuly illustrated, as well as informative, and makes the reader truly want to own the coins which Sayles discusses. One thing which makes this better for new collectors than some other books, is that Sayles isn't touting ancient coins as an investment. They are NOT a sound investment for the average collector, who can expect a 30% or higher LOSS when reselling the coins which most average collectors can afford to buy -- beautiful as they are, the typical coins which the average collector can afford are NOT going to shoot through the roof in value, even if they are extremely rare or unique. The market strength and bullish demand isn't present to allow the average collector to profit from most of his or her coins. What makes the Sayles book appealing is its inspiration for readers to COLLECT these coins and treasure them, as they have been treasured for thousands of years, and YES, it is thrilling indeed to buy a coin of which only two or three other specimens are known in the world, and -- YES! -- it is possible to own coins which are absolutely unique. Thanks to generations of dedicated collectors, it is even possible to buy -- for small sums -- coins which have established provenances dating back a century or more. My own collection includes coins once owned by President John Quincy Adams and by J. P. Morgan, but they each cost less than some best-selling potboiler novels which will be forgotten by next season. Read Sayles and begin to dream!!!



5. I agree with other reviewers that this book is an excellent introduction to ancient Greek coins collecting.
   
   What I also liked about this book is:
   
   1)The list of major issuing cities with brief but interesting comments regarding the cities' history (e.g. the dramatic events such as the destruction of Messana by Carthaginians)
   
   2) The list of the rulers of major Hellenistic dynasties (reading about these people's lives and seeing their faces on coins is really impressive)
   
   3) Masterpieces of Greek Art section featuring 25 beautiful coins which are among the author's favourites (I personally liked about 20 of those).
   
   One of the things you learn from this book is that you don't actually have to OWN these beautiful coins to ENJOY them. All it takes is willingness to spend your time and energy to explore these treasures from the past.

5 comments about Morgan: American Financier.

1. Jean Strouse's thorough biography on J.P. Morgan was...thorough. Strouse must have gone through a tremendous amount of work to put together this almost 700-page book. The result of her toil was an in-depth study of J.P. Morgan's life. The biography is divided into four parts, which makes it easier if one would prefer to skip around and concentrate on only certain aspects of Morgan's life and career. I most enjoyed Part I, which discussed the formation of his character. This section went through extreme detail of his parents and his childhood. What a surprise to learn that Morgan was a relation to Jonathan Edwards and Aaron Burr! Even though the biography was a great length and did become rather boring at parts, it is a must read for those who wish to learn more about J.P. Morgan. Without him, America would not be what it is today.



2. Jean Strouse's powerful gift to tell a story combined with her intellectual muscle lead to a riveting biography of J.P. Morgan's life. I read this book when it first came out. I remember at some point there after visiting The Morgan Library and some "Morgan -- Bella da Costa Greene" missive was on display which I found enchanting after reading about the unusual and dynamic woman that came to work on his collection. "Morgan American Financier" is a great read and I imagine J.P. Morgan would approve.



3. Jean Strouse, the author of several acclaimed biographies, decided to write a biography of John Pierpont Morgan, who was, in his day, America's preeminent financier. At the beginning of her project, she was intent on writing a book along the lines of "Morgan: American Ogre," but in doing research for the book, and reading Morgan's correspondence, she came to radically rethink her views. The subtitle for this book could be "Morgan: American Genius."
   
   When J. Pierpont Morgan entered banking, Europe had substantial savings which stood to get much higher rates of return in the developing markets of their day, the New World, but only if they were invested with reputable and well-managed concerns. Morgan's bank guaranteed that the companies he dealt with were reputable, honest and well-managed; by serving as a bridge between the New and Old Worlds, Morgan became America's preeminent financier.
   
   In her biography, she reports that many of the criticisms leveled at Morgan were bereft of any basis in reality, or misrepresentations of the facts at hand. Among other points she raises, she shows instances of companies where Morgan had a substantial amount of influence giving business to the lowest bidder rather than to each other, which rebuts the charges of favoritism. She explains than in 1907, when Morgan put his entire prestige on the line to stop what threatened to be a stock market crash similar to that of 1929, he was acting to save the system, and not to enrich himself as some critics have claimed; on the contrary. Her revelation that the Morgans père et fils declined to make "contributions" that would have averted the Congressional hearings that portrayed Morgan as America's "malefactor of great wealth" is revealing.
   
   Strouse has painstakingly researched many aspects of Morgan's life, from his time at Goettingen, Germany's most acclaimed university, where Morgan was urged to become a professor of math because of his phenomenal mathematical talent, to the economics and business rationales behind Morgan's dealings, to his understanding of art history and the legacy of his gifts to American museums, and into the relationships among and history between the New England families from which Morgan hailed. This is not simply a biography but the veritable work of an artisan-biographer.
   
   All the same, I suspect that Jean Strouse was so enthralled by Morgan's exceptional erudition, achievements, charm and taste - to this day his library is one of the smaller wonders of our world - that she neglected to delve into a question that may be a less fortunate aspect of Morgan's legacy. Not long after Morgan's death, a slaughter erupted in Europe whose after-effects still carom in our day. During the World War One, the British liberally tapped the American credit markets, through the House of Morgan. Morgan had enjoyed the confidence of the highest levels of the English government, as well as that of the Kaiser; for that matter, the Pope was greatly impressed by Morgan and wished him much health and wealth. As Strouse writes, Morgan had offered to lend Balkan countries money if they agreed to end their belligerent ways. Did Morgan not foresee the horrible possibility that Europe would use his bank to raise the funds to extinguish its bestest and brightest in a truly senseless orgy of violence? If he did foresee this, could he not have sought to avert this disaster? Had Strouse tried to answer these questions, I would bestow more than 5 stars on her book.



4. BECAUSE OF THE SUPERB CHAPTER ON ONE OF THE MOST CRITICAL PERIODS IN THE HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES - THE PANIC OF 1907 - THIS MAKES THIS BOOK THE PREMIER BOOK ON THIS PERIOD IN MY OPINION. M GORDON



5. A good history of not only the man, also of american politics and finance.
   The real workings between BIG Business and the men who created them

1 comments about Kentucky Derby Glasses Price Guide.

1. Among the legions of racing fans that frequent such thoroughbred races as the Preakness, Belmont, and the Breeder's Cup, are those for whom their enthusiasm for the sport leads them to collect various kinds and categories of racing memorabilia. Now in an expanded and updated fourth edition, the "Kentucky Derby Glasses Price Guide", compiled by Judy Marchman is a unique and superbly illustrated compendium focusing on all of the Kentucky Derby glasses and shot glasses, as well as other rare and valuable glasses associated with professional horse racing. Organized chronologically by year, each color illustrated example also cites its price as a collectible. Ideal for novice collectors just starting out, and an informed reference for dealers and established collectors, "Kentucky Derby Glasses Price Guide" is an ideal and prized addition to personal, professional, and community library Antiques & Collectibles collections.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch

5 comments about The Ultimate Barbie Doll Book.

1. I love my new Ultimate Barbie Doll Book. I still have my first Barbie Dolls from the early 60's along with Ken, Midge & Skipper. I have over 100 dolls and found them all in this wonderful book. The photos are beautiful. The Barbie novice to enthusiast will truly enjoy this book.



2. This is the best Barbie identification book out there. It's useful to identify those thrift store and garage sale dolls and their outfits. Each item is also described with identifying marks, etc. I have owned this book since it came out and it's the one I go back to the most, for complete Barbie information.



3. I mainly purchased this book to remember some of my childhood toys- I wasn't expecting the detail and page after page of pictures that made me interested in collecting Barbie's as well-
   
   This thick hardcover book has colored photos of each Barbie both in the box and then a close up of the face. The Barbies are presented in chronological order by year by doll type- so i.e. Barbie from 1950s til 90s then Skipper from 50s-90s, then Ken, etc.
   
   The book also has friends of the infamous Barbie and Ken couple; many of which I have never seen or heard of!
   
   If you are looking for a nice photo array and price guide of Barbie and Friends. Truly the "Ultimate" Barbie book.



4. This book is NOT the Ultimate Barbie Doll Book. I could not find a single collectible Barbie Doll which I posses from the years it describes it covers when I purchased it. Description of the dolls covered should really be more detailed for collectors who are new to the industry. In addition, there is no option to select from Amazon if the item described does not meet your needs, you simply get a refund, minus shipping as a user error...Not too fair in my opinion.



5. Sveglia Italia! Articoli di difficilissima reperibilità sul mercato interno arrivano regolarmente in tempi ragionevoli ed a prezzi inferiori, spedizione compresa, di quelli pretesi da rivenditori nostrani. "Ahi, serva Italia, di dolore ostello, nave sanza nocchiero in gran tempesta ........" . Il libro? Ogni appassionato del genere ne conosce autorevolezza e valore.

5 comments about Blue Book Dolls and Values, 16th Edition (Blue Book Dolls and Values).

1. Although the Blue Book is the avid doll collectors' favorite price guide, it contains numerous categories that have not been updated for quite a number of years. China, parian, papier mache, and wooden, some of the earliest dolls in existence, have been gaining in popularity for several years now and the market prices, both at auction and online have been rising considerably. The Blue Book has not caught up with this trend.
   
   Also, it would be extremely helpful if there were a comprehensive section that described the methods used in compiling the information as well as the sources of this information. Some of the prices are so far off the mark in actual market prices realized, that it makes the professional wonder if the numbers are merely picked out of blue sky.
   
   The book is well structured and is the easiest to use on a daily basis, of all the price guides, however, serious updating and a description of the price compilation process, would improve it immensely.



2. THE resource for all your doll questions on values and dolls.



3. I am formilair with this book. It is a great book IF you know the name of your doll. If you don't it is not a good one for you.



4. I bought this book to help me determine the value of a collection of high quality dolls that my aunt wants to help her sell. Our of five doll designers, only one of the designers was even listed in her book. This was a waste of my money, for sure!



5. Very helpful book - have really been enjoying this book as I have wanted this book for years, finally got it!

5 comments about Famous Jewelry Collectors.

1. An entertaining book with memorable personalities and their world famous baubles. The section on socialities and the nobility is fun to read; especially countess Mona von Bismarck. The incredible story of Poor Little Rich Girl, Barbara Hutton and socialite Daisy Fellowes (she must have been an incredible woman, reading her self-improvement on her nose!). Some of the gems are world famous, like the bejewelled menagerie of the Duchess of Windsor, her cats, her flamingo, her tiger lorgnette etc. All in all, a fun book to read, but not only for lovers of jewellery, but also for people who are interested in royalty, fashion and high society. In short, a nice coffeetable book!



2. This book is wonderfull, the jewelry is wonderfull. It renews my faith that at one time people with money DID have some taste. This book is well worth the money spent.



3. I really enjoyed this book, the images are crisp and the text is fascinating. The people in this book live for their jewels and many of them, particularly the Duchess of Windsor, had impeccable taste. Some of the pieces are just stunning, and the background on the collectors is most interesting. I highly recommend this book to anyone with any interest in beautiful jewelry.



4. ...for everybody who loves great jewellery.
   
   The books provides both, interesting information about jewellery and gorgeous pictures. It shows the treasure chests of collectors from the aristocracy, society as well as from stars of the stage (both movie and opera). Although I'm particularly interested in noble jewels, it's the mix of collections in this book I really appreciate.
   
   It's always a pleasure to read and look. My book hasn't found yet the way to the bookshelf - it's still right to my hand on the table...



5. as a collector and wearer of gem stone jewelry, this book caught my attention. the photographs of the collectors and their jewels did not disappint. i would recommend this to any serious jewelry lover.

No comments about Costume Jewelry (POCKET COLLECTIBLES).

1 comments about The Ethics of Collecting Cultural Property : Whose Culture? Whose Property?.

1. This goal of this volume is to present a variety of perspectives on cultural heritage issues to a broad audience, from archaeologists to collectors, museum curators to the general public. As editor of this volume of essays originally published in 1989, and author of the 1999 update, I believe it is extremely important for all of us to be part of an ongoing dialogue about how to preserve the past for the future. When the University of New Mexico Press approached me to update the original volume, I was struck by the changes that have occurred in the last decade. In the United States, the passage and implementation of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, or NAGPRA, has had a major impact on the treatment and disposition of American Indian objects of cultural heritage. And the world wide web has had a major impact on the kinds of information that is readily available to anyone, whether for the trade of antiquities or for tracking down stolen artifacts. At the same time, the problem of illegal and unethical destruction of the past continues--and in some areas of the world, has worsened. I hope the reader will find the essays thought-provoking and the appendices, including an overview of U.S. and international laws, statements of professional ethics, and a listing of resources and organizations, to be helpful in developing one's own stance on stewardship of the past.