2 comments about A Passion for Collecting: Decorating with Your Favorite Objects.

1. If you've ever wanted to start collecting anything, as a hobby or as an investment or for any other reason, and you weren't sure of just what to collect, the amazing number of color photographs of collections from around the world will surely whet your appetite.

   The author of this book has broken down the subject of collecting into 9 loose categories of collectors: The Antiquarians (descendants of Renaissance and 18th century collectors), The Explorers (those interested in ethnic and curious pieces from all over the world), The Perfectionists (those who only want the best in its field), The Naturalists (those who collect natural objects of minerals, flora or fauna), The Utilitarians (who collect practical things), The Inheritors (those who receive existing collections from other people), The Enthusiasts (those who collect anything that pleases them), The Decorators (those who collect for the purpose of decorating) and The Miniaturists (those who are fascinated with things that are tiny).

   Just browsing through this book and looking at the great collections people have put together is a breathtaking experience and shows how wide the variety and how personal the tastes. There's plenty of descriptive explanation that goes with each of the nine categories and the photographs are grouped accordingly to make it easy to skip to the styles that most interest you.

   My only major problem with the book is that, while the photographs are absolutely beautiful, and the collections are phenomenal, the photos makes one think that these collections are well arranged and displayed. The majority are not! The displaying of these collections often appears to have been thrown together without much regard to how to display them in such a way so they will attract attention and enhance the room as well.

   It's one thing to create a great collection. It's quite another thing to feel compelled to display every single piece all at the same time. When you get into that, it's just overkill and the collection ceases to be that interesting and becomes a burden to try to absorb. Better to put out a few pieces here and a few there and store the rest and exchange what's out for what's stored periodically, rather than put everything out at the same time. Doing so is more a matter of the ego of the collector and less of a desire to enhance the collection with an attractive display.

   I recognize that a sizeable portion of these collections are from all over the world and displayed in homes where their owners reside, still there are display concepts that should be universally used if you really want other people to appreciate your collection. In this case, less would definitely be more!




2. Perhaps I'm too much of an American, but the preponderance of human(?) skulls, animal skeletons, and taxidermied animals freaked me out. Still I have to give the author points for not just including the usual collected suspects. There are small knitted sweaters, used paint palettes, and brightly colored Tin Tin posters. Some of the interiors look quite ugly to me (turquoise paint with gilded trim), but entertaining nonetheless.
   
   I hated the organization of the book or rather the lack thereof. The same collections can appear in three different chapters. The repetition made me nuts. The redundancy really annoyed me.

1 comments about Comic Character Timepieces: Seven Decades of Memories.

1. If you are into comic watches, Mickey Mouse watches, etc., this is one to add to your collection. Excellent photos, description, price when they came out, etc.

No comments about Miller's: 20th Century Design: Buyer's Guide (Buyer's Price Guide.).

1 comments about Extra/Ordinary Objects: Colors (Extra/Ordinary Objects).

1. I was walking around the bookstore, and this book popped out at me! I'm not normally an art fan, but I'm big on pop culture, and I had to pick it up to look at it!

   I found it a strange book, which I loved. It's just filled with ordinary and not so ordinary items that we may have used ourselves. (or not)

   Example: Do you remember Squeez-its? I remember drinking those juices in elementary and junior high. What happened to them?

   There were Japanese "blood type" condoms that are said to sell 2 million every year in Japan.

   One very interesting item I found was "Doti," which is hardened termite excrement, believed to give strength because they are rich in minerals. Women in Zambia eat it during their pregnancy.

   One very disturbing picture I found was of an Aryan doll that KKK members give to their children to play with. One good thing I read was that the membership is dwindling, from five million in 1920, to two thousand, five hundred in 1998. Not perfect, but getting better.

   Basically, it's a good small coffee table book that will generate some interesting conversations. It's written in French and English. I think that it would be good for all cultures to read, in order to understand each other better.

   Don't forget to look up the "edible cow pie!" Which is really chocolate, caramel, and pecans, which is destined to turn some heads.

2 comments about One Hundred Years of Valentines (Schiffer Book for Collectors).

1. This book was sent to my father Dr. John G. Scott, Jr. by my aunt Jean Stauffer, who is the oldest serviving member of the John Green Scott Sr. family. Both who are over 80 now loved this book and it has been greatly enjoyed by Dr. John G. Scott III, Charles D. Scott, James E. Scott, Myself and all of our family which extends to four more generations including John G. Scott, IV. Our grandfathter was not only a fine commercial artist with the Gibson Card Company for 30 years but was also a great landscape and protrait artist and also a respected four term state legislator and 40 year hospital administrator. Art was always his first love and the portions of this book with his work are a reflection of that love and will be treasured by all, especially by the people of Pennsylvania where he spent his entire life.



2. This book is for the serious collector of vintage valentines. I bought the book wanting to look at beautiful victorian images of love, cupids, children etc., but was extremely disappointed when the cards were too small to view comfortably. If you are a collector and want to know dates and monetary value of antique Valentine Day cards, this is the book for you. There are hundreds of cards. I wanted something altogether different. Just wanted to clarify what you should expect if you purchase this book.

3 comments about Discovering Art: A User's Guide to the World of Collecting.

1. What a helpful book. Ms. Frank's primary message is "don't let the so-called experts intimidate you." In simple, down-to-earth prose she makes even neophytes feel as if their opinion and taste matter. Her book is chock full of stories and pearls of wisdom distilled from a lifetime of enjoying art. She explains terms, demystifies art criticism and tells charming tales from her career as an art buyer, dealer and collector.



2. This book is beautifully written yet easy to understand, even for the novice. It is better than an Art History course at a University. The author clearly explains the origins and characteristics of Impressionalism through Abstract Art. The book is informative while being a pleasant reading experience.
   Don't fail to read it!!



3. If youre looking for technical and detailed advice then do not buy this book. It should be titled "Personal Memoirs". I don't have the money to buy the artist that she talks about in this book. If I were considering a painting by Cassat or an etching by Braque then I would be well beyond what this book informs. If youre really a newcomer to collecting then buy a book that will teach you how to determine a paintings age by the condition of the canvas or how to distinguish a valuble lithograph. Anybody would know 90% of what this book advises.

No comments about Antique Motorcycle Toys: Featuring the Collection of "Indian" Al Liebowitz (Schiffer Book for Collectors).

2 comments about Will H. Bradley: American Artist in Print: A Collector's Guide (American Artists in Print).

1. 60 color plates and 117 black-and-white illustrations adorn the Hudson Hills Press edition of Robert Koch's Will H. Bradley American Artist In Print: A Collector's Guide. This visually impressive compendium showcases the work a man who, in his heyday, was the highest-paid commercial artist of North America. The printed oeuvre of Will H. Bradley (1868-1962) is gathered and lavishly displayed, along with an extensive biographical text adding insight into the stark and vivid images brought together from periodicals, programs, illustrations from books and much more. Bold lines and eye-catching contrast characterize these memorable works. Will H. Bradley American Artist In Print: A Collector's Guide is a welcome addition to American Art History collections and will prove an invaluable informational resource for art students, art collectors and art dealers, as well as gallery and museum staff.



2. Hurry and buy this book before the remainders run out, sure to become a $50.00 or plus Classic Collectable Book within a year. The best book yet on the subject, was just poorly marketed!

1 comments about The Century of the Teddy Bear.

1. Serious collectors and loving keepers of amiable hugs alike are so fortunate to have this new selection from author Constance Eileen King and the Antique Collectors Club.

   Any reader familiar with the Antique collectors Club publications appreciates their outstanding coffee table book quality and comprehensiveness. Their collectors' guides have far reaching appeal in a variety of categories from metalwork to British 19th Century furniture. In publishing The Century of the Teddy Bear, they are acknowledging the Teddy Bear as an appreciating and respected new category in the antique and modern collectible marketplace.

   Each page of this chronology is stretched to the margins in full-colored photographs of charming rare teddies and bearaphenalia treasures. Informative captions are placed next to each photo detailing delightful little tidbits of fact and folklore.

   The text begins by telling the Teddy Bear's history well before his birth in the early 1900s. It traces the undeniable appeal of the bruin as a character in fable back to the time of King Arthur (whose name is derived from the Latin Arcturus or bear guardian). Continuing on with delightful details of a history full of remarkable twists and turns that have created the teddy we know today which has become a respected part of the collectibles marketplace fetching record hammer prices at illustrious auction houses as Sothebys or Christies.

   This book is so valuable in that is has been written from the perspective of a noted authority in the antique doll and toy field. But most importantly, Ms. King is also an author who understands the soulful and endearing qualities of the Teddy that pull at the nostalgic heartstrings of any Teddy Bear lover. After all, the little bear she was given at six months of age is still a "close friend". She understands what makes the value of a Teddy Bear so much more than simply its market collectibility.

No comments about Before 1948: American Paintings in Georgia Collections.