1 comments about The Royal Winton Collector's Handbook: From 1925 Cottage Ware, Art Deco, Lustre Ware, Pastels, Etc.

1. Miller is well known in collector's circles for the Miller Guides. This small book is an excellent start for new Winton collectors, and a good resource for seasoned collectors.

   While this book does quite a good job of listing a number of the sytles and patterns to be found within the Royal Winton range, its use as a price guide is VERY limited due to the fact that it is not a comprehensive guide.

   All in all, I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in collecting Winton.

1 comments about Pocket Matchsafes: Reflections of Life and Art, 1840-1920 (Schiffer Book for Collectors).

1. The author does an excellent job of covering the subject of the matchsafe by discussing the major types that exist and then by illustrating (through several thousand crisp colorful photos) more matchsafes than one could hope to see in a lifetime. The book is arranged by collecting area and is a virtual handbook for the matchsafe collector. Price ranges are given as well, to give the new collector a basic understanding of the relative values.

No comments about The Garlits Collection: Cars that made Drag Racing History.

No comments about The Exiled Collector.

5 comments about Forgery: A Novel.

1. Quite simply, _Forgery_ is the best novel I've read in years. The ensemble cast of characters become a group of friends that readers will not want to part with.
   
   As the book begins, Rupert Brigg is sent by his wealthy uncle to hunt for antiquities in Greece. Slowly we realize, though, that the real purpose of this trip is to help Rupert begin to deal with the tragedy that has shattered his family. In Athens and on the Cycladic island of "Aspros" Rupert befriends Nikos, a lively and cosmopolitan young Greek, and the two of them find both the artwork and the eccentric comrades they are looking for.
   
   In his intelligence, dry wit, and generosity, Rupert reminds me a bit of Nick Carroway, the narrator of _The Great Gatsby_. The difference, though, is that many of the other characters in _Forgery_--Olivia, Clive, Nikos, even the obnoxious American artist, Jack--are people you want to spend time with. (And who wants to spend more time with Tom or Daisy Buchanan?) I couldn't put this book down, and then when I did I felt lonely--I missed those characters and their parties on the Greek island, and I especially missed Rupert and his insight into the human heart. So I read the book again.



2. Once again Sabina Murray has written another brilliant and intoxicating book about a cast of colorful and duplicitous characters. Set on a Greek island in the early 1960s, amidst political turmoil and intrigue, Forgery tells the story of Rupert Briggs, an antiques dealer who is haunted by family tragedy. Rupert is a "man of taste," as he calls himself, a collector of beauty, no matter what the cost--financial, emotional or moral. At the encouragement of his Uncle William, he travels to the remote island of Aspros in Greece to seek out ancient artifacts. He finds himself in a house full of artists, aristocrats and intellectuals, each one burdened with his or her own secret of debauchery or betrayal.
   I fell in love with Rupert, and with his ebulliently eccentric friends, despite their flaws or rather, because of them. As she did in her last novel, Carnivore's Inquiry, Murray weaves her characters together in startling and compelling ways, luring us in to care passionately about them with her wry, darkly humorous and unsentimental prose. Like the ancient gods whose voices echo ever so lightly in the background of Forgery, Rupert longs for that which is idealized, beautiful and immortal. His search brings his story, and that of the others in his circle of friends, to an evocative and surprising conclusion.
   Forgery is not only about a man's quest for redemption and divinity through art but it is also a book about ideas--culture, politics, the history of civilization, the folly of vanity and love. Yet I never once found this book to be droll or inaccessible. Murray's dialogue is always economical and entertaining. She paints a scene with exactitude and authenticity, and moves us through Rupert's story with a graceful deft hand. Frankly, I couldn't put it down. I missed lunch, dinner, a party, and numerous phone calls. Forgery is the ultimate book to read this summer. Board a ferry and head to the enchanted island of Aspros in the Aegean. It's 1963, you have all summer long and nothing to do but meet the most interesting people you've ever encountered. Trust me. Go buy this book right now!



3. An accomplished stylist, Sabina Murray (Slow Burn, The Caprices, and A Carnivore's Inquiry), currently a member of the MFA faculty at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, has written, in Forgery, a novel strong on aesthetic mood and weak on plot.
   
   The story is told in the first person by Rupert Brigg, 30, an American plagued by guilt and grief over the death of his son Michael and a divorce from his wife Hester.
   
   Rupert travels to Athens, Delphi, and the Greek archipelago, in search of classical artifacts unearthed by archaeological digs. He travels to Aspros and other islands of the Cyclades, encountering a menage of donkeys, sheep, and goats along the narrow streets.
   
   The conversationalists who populate this novel are akin to the avant-garde artists and French existentialists of West Bank cafes. There's a lot of cigarette smoking, imbibing of alcohol, and, oddly, consumption of eggplants. One wonders where all the chatter and wandering hither and thither is leading.
   
   Picaresque? Peripatetic? Pathetic? One struggles to describe this strange novel, and to arrive at some "justification" (a big word in this story) for its publication.
   
   Rupert Brigg is not a bad man; he's just amoral. He doesn't believe in right and wrong, good and evil. Even when he learns of a murder, he responds with a curious shrugging-off, apathetic, "whatever" fatalism.
   
   The ancient Greek philosophers sought the meaning of the true, the good, and the beautiful. Sabina Murray's Forgery is a similar examination of the meaning (if there is such) and the relationship (if such exists) of these qualities.
   
   Forgery is an artsy, subtle, and sophisticated work. Its postmodern skepticism casts suspicion on naive interpretations of reality and warns us that people are often not who we think they are and things are often not what they seem.



4. In his starred review for Booklist, David Pitt puts it best:
   (starred review) Forgery.
   Murray, Sabina (author).
   June 2007. 272p. Grove, hardcover, $24 (0-8021-1844-5).
   REVIEW. First published June 1, 2007 (Booklist).
   
   Murray's latest novel tells the story of Rupert Briggs, a recently divorced man who, in the summer of 1963, heads off to Greece to find new items for his uncle's art collection. But, like quite a few things in this beautifully written book, the title is deceiving; although it does refer to dubious works of art, it also (and primarily) refers to Rupert himself, a man who isn't quite what he appears to be. There's also friendly Steve Kelly, who may not be merely the journalist he claims to be. In fact, the story itself is something of a forgery, a psychological thriller posing as a gentle travelogue, a fairly dark voyage of self-discovery posing as a relatively light story of comic misadventure. Rupert is an intricately designed, intriguingly presented character: we know we like him, but we also know there are plenty of things about himself he isn't telling us (including, perhaps, the truth about the death of his young son). Murray does a lovely job of transporting us to mid-1960s Greece, a country teetering on the edge of political upheaval; unlike the people, this place, which no longer exists, feels entirely genuine. Forgery is a deeply complex, emotionally and intellectually rewarding novel about the lengths people can go to to make themselves into the people they wish they were.
   -- David Pitt



5. I read this book last spring when I was starting a very new experience in my life. I had just moved to Manhattan and I took the subway to work in a school in a very economically challeged neighborhood in Brooklyn. The school was amazing, but the trip was long and I often found myself getting sad when the train emptied out at Wall Street, which marked the halfway mark of my commute. But luckily for me, I was never alone because I had Rupert and Nikos, and the rest of the wonderful characters in this most brilliantly written novel. Beyond the characters, Murray's writing style in general made me feel curious about art and the Greek culture in general. Sabina Murray's writing style (that got me with Carnivore's Inquiry) just makes me hungry for more!!

2 comments about The Audubon Quartet.

1. Brian Ravener announces that he is purchasing four previously unknown paintings by the great John James Audubon. Critic Abel Lasher lashes out by claiming the paintings are fake. Brian and Abel have a nasty public argument. Soon after their melee, Lasher is found dead.

   Brian is the prime suspect, though Abel's death has pleased many people, who suffered at the hands of his caustic personality. Brian turns to his friend, bird artist Jonathan Wilder, who recently solved a mystery (see DANCE OF THE SCARECROWS) to prove his innocence by uncovering the real killer. As he travels through the world of high financed art, Jonathan realizes that someone will do anything, including murder an amateur sleuth, to insure that his identity remain a secret.

   Though Jonathan remains a likable chap, THE AUDOBON QUARTET fails to leave the ground as the story line never soars. That is too bad because the concept behind the plot is quite intriguing and Ray Sipherd clearly demonstrates that he has plenty of talent. However, in spite of a well designed flight pattern, the story line never takes off. Readers need to pass on this novel and try the first tale in the series, DANCE OF THE SCARECROW, to obtain a taste of a well written and executed amateur sleuth tale.

   Harriet Klausner




2. There's a nifty premise here -- that John James Audubon reached the Pacific Coast and left behind four previously undiscovered paintings (in real life, he never made it that far west). Unfortunately, this becomes incidental to an at-best conventional murder mystery plot. The writing is sub-par, character descriptions are cursory, and details are bobbled. The dialogue reminded me at times of reading Hardy Boys books when I was a kid. It's too bad, because I love a birdwatching hero! I'll try his others and see.

1 comments about The Renaissance: Masterpieces of Art and Architecture (Great Masters).

1. I use this text as a classroom reference as I teach Greek mythology (which heavily influenced the art of the Renaissance) and Shakespeare (who came at the tail end of the Renaissance).

   I find that the large, full-color illustrations of artwork and architechture helps students picture some of the stories and time periods we study. We discuss how some of the movements of the time period (which are clearly explained in the text of this book) can be seen in Shakespeare as well as in the art, architecture and even the fashion of the time period. (Although fashion is regrettably not covered in the text, the ornate influences in the artworld did carry over to the dress of the tme period).

   I do have to admit that the text may be difficult if you are not already familiar with some of the places and events of the Renaissance, but in that way the text may also serve as an introduction. Whatever interests you, research further.

   In the meantime, marvel at the art wrought by those Renaissance masters!

1 comments about Collecting Souls, Gathering Dust: The Struggles of Two American Artists, Alice Neel and Rhoda Medary.

1. A fascinating study of two women--close friends--who attended art school together, but whose paths then diverged widely. One woman, Alice Neel, became one of the greatest American painters of the 20th century. The other artist, Rhoda Medary, chose a different life as a housewife whose artworks remained obscure.
   
   How and why these two painters traveled their respective paths makes for illuminating reading, especially for today's woman artist. The issues these women grappled with are far from being resolved in contemporary society: how a woman balances a career with marriage and/or motherhood; how an artist responds to pressure from family and culture to conform; how to follow your dream but still pay your bills. Highly recommended.

3 comments about Imperial Carnival Glass.

1. Mr. Burns has produced a well organized and very useful reference book. He has done an excellent job of providing identification information as well as historical data. The author does a good job of organizing the history and production of the Imperial Glass Company through its existence from 1901 to 1985. The chapters on Imperial Trademarks are particullarly helpful This book is highly recomended to collectors of Imperial Glass and students of American glass making history in general. The book includes a helpful price list.

   Mr. Burns has also authored another great book titled, "Dugan & Diamond Carnival Glass 1909 -1931."




2. This book is a "must have" for any collector of Imperial made carnival glass.



3. I have this book, & have had it since it was released. The photography is wonderful, it's easy to read & understand. TONS of great info. I just wish there was a new release of a price guide to go with it! It's like a Bible for all serious Imperial collectors. It does need an updated version since more pieces have come to light in other colors/variations in the 8 yrs since it was written, but it's still a book I wouldn't trade.

No comments about Collecting Writing Instruments: From the Flint Tool to the Stylus : From the Quill Pen to the Fountain Pen and Felt-Tip Marker.