5 comments about Peanuts: Home Collection--A Collector's Guide to Identification and Value.

1. Freddi's book is a MUST HAVE for anyone collecting or dealing in Peanuts memorabilia. The layout of the book is fabulous and you only have to go to the index to find exactly which page you need to be on unlike other guides that give you a ballpark topic. You want bobbleheads, look up bobbleheads etc! The pricing is fair and not out of this world. Some folks like to charge outlandish prices for Peanuts items but this book gives you the real scoop on what something is worth, so don't be fooled by those who tell you an item is rare and worth $100 when this book will tell you it was made yesterday and on;y worth what was originally paid for it.

   The pictures are great, lots of them and clear and concise, not to mention they show the item as it should be, in pristine condition.

   The Collectors Corner in the back of the book is great too because it gets you up close and personal with others who are just as crazy about Peanuts as you might be. You are not alone in your craziness!

   BUY THIS BOOK!




2. This is the best Peanuts Collectors' book ever! It contains excellent pictures and the price values are right on target. These Peanuts collectibles are organized by where you might find them in your home, so it is user friendly. (i.e. Peanuts in the kitchen, bathroom, playroom etc.) It has been very helpful for shopping at auctions on the internet. I have even been able to find items by their discription when the seller has not provided a picture. This book is great and well worth its price.



3. I was greatly disappointed in the book. While it has lots of Great pictures and information, the editor, freddy Margoline has to let us know time and again how big her collection is or how she has personally met Mr. Schulz and stuff like that. I just never got a "Happiness is" feeling from this book like I got from the Andrea Podley and Derrick Bang book. That book (Peanuts Collectibles: Identification & Value Guide) really does give the "Happiness is a Peanuts Collection" feeling in the spirit that Sparky would appreciate. So if you can only get one book on Peanuts Collecting, get the Podley one - it has a "Happy" soul.



4. I have been collecting Peanuts for over 15 years. This book is the first I reach for when deciding to purchase an item. The index thoroughly covers the book making it easy to get to an item right away. The book has a great coverage of Peanuts collectibles in a logically organized manner. The pictures are professionally taken and in full color. The item descriptions are helpful and concise with production dates, manufacturers, dimensions and price ranges.
   
   Beyond being a pricing guide, this book also contains a tribute to Charles M. Schulz, an overview of how the evaluations of price were determined, collecting tips every Peanuts Collector should know, a collector's corner with photos of Peanuts Collectors' collections, Peanuts Collector's Clubs and activities, and more.
   
   I highly recommend this book for every Peanuts Collector.



5. I'm not truly a peanuts collector per se...I don't pursue any item I can find depicting the Charles Schulz characters. But I am a big Peanuts fan and I do collect certain items such as holiday themed items and other odds and ends. There are a few other Peanuts guides out there but I think this is the best. It lists over 2000 items with over 1000 photographs. In somewhat unique fashion the author has categorized the items by the room in your home where you would find these pieces. In case that doesn't work there is a very thorough index.
   
   The information provided is about as thorough as one could expect with the name of the maker, date, price, size, etc...In addition there is some good reference material noting other Peanuts collectors and clubs. Nicely done.

5 comments about Fair Warning.

1. I think this is one of those books that will appeal more to women than to men. It is the story of a forty-year-old New York auctioneer who seems to think an awful lot of herself. She has the usual romantic complications, including a banal liaison with a cliched Frenchman, whose "secret," when we find out what it is, is pretty silly. This is not an offensive book; just not very interesting. There are some lines of dialogue here that will make you roll your eyes and groan.



2. There are some great passages in this book, and some interesting dialogue between the main characters. Unfortunately the plot doesn't hold up and the conclusion of the book is pretty unsatisfying.



3. Butler is a writer that seems to enjoy taking challenges, and Fair Warning is no exception. Francis Ford Coppola hired him to write a story about a female auctioneer for a magazine. Later, Butler expanded the story into 225 pages. He does an amazing job writing from a female perspective.
   The main character, Amy Dickinson, is the star auctioneer at Nichols and Gray. We follow her as her company is in the process of being sold, and as she begins a relationship with the French businessman who is purchasing the company. Also, at the same time her life seems to be coming together, the lives of her sister and her mother are falling apart. Her sister, who has a picture perfect family, is getting a divorce, and her mother is still dealing with the death of her husband.
   But between the development of the plot, Amy describes lots of things. Things she's auctioning, things in her apartment, hands of her lovers, and even cities. (Houston, New York, and Paris.) Butler's description technique is perfect. It's never too over the top, and he uses amazing imagery.
   Amy also reflects on what it means to collect things, what it means to own things, what it means to be owned, and what it takes to own yourself.
   Fair Warning is definitely a book that will make you think, and perhaps even make you look at your life in a different way.



4. Of the three Butler books I've read, this is the weakest rendering. The writing, as always, is artistic and nuanced. The characters, as always, are full-blooded and dimensional. What fails to measure up to Butler's talent is the story. We read and expect more -- more resolution, more understanding, more growth. Nonetheless, it bears the stamp of intelligence that we've come to expect from his work and is worth reading.



5. In this book Butler paints a truly extraordinary picture of a female auctioneer from Texas, working in New York City at the 3rd biggest auction house. She is in fact the star of the house. She has an ability to auction like very few others. And as this is the case, when the auction house decides to sell to a French investor, her continued employment is a significant issue in that purchase.
   
   But as usual, Butler takes on the role of a female character for his protagonist. In this impressive and interesting stream of consciousness presentation Butler reveals the innermost mental meanderings of a lady who is in a wonderful position in life, all she has to do is figure out who she wants to marry.
   
   As an auctioneer, she is obsessed with collectors and valuation. This predilection would be most natural for a person who does such activity every day of her life. But what she had not thought much about is that people can also be collectors of people and memories. In a sense, all people are collectors of memories. And this concept is highly relevant to her when she is making certain life-impacting decisions.
   
   Truly a fine modern novel, it is recommended to all those who are interested in the inner workings of the female mind, as Butler sees it. Since this is often his authorial position and since he has some incredible insight into the workings of the human mind, his book comes as no surprise.
   
   The book is recommended for all readers of classic literature, particularly those interested in gender analysis. Once again, this book is a fine offering from Mr. Olen Butler.

No comments about Modern and Contemporary Prints: A Practical Guide to Collecting.

No comments about A Gallery Of American Weathervanes and Whirligigs.

No comments about Miller's Collecting Modern Design.

No comments about Collector's Guide to Magazine Paper Dolls.

5 comments about Blue Book of Acoustic Guitars.

1. My Friend has an addiction to guitars so I purchased this book as a birthday gift three days ago and he hasn't put it down. Great book, very informative and apparently addictive too.



2. Some prices are above what they actually sell for (priced too high) well some prices are below market on EBAY anyway.
   Also they need to expand some area's such as Harmony,Yamaha,Taylor and Blueridge,excellent overall guide to Acoustic Guitars aand there prices.
   Blue book has set the standard for all.
   They do an excellent job on Gibson and Martin both but too little info on small names.
   Maybe i should write a book of Yamaha Acoustic Guitars?
   These are very popular on EBAY and are considered the poor man's Martin,which includes me by the way.
   Good amount on the history of companies that Manufacture Guitars which i find interesting,facts most people do not know or realize.
   Gives buyer's the uphand on what price to pay for what condition,as well as an very good examples shown in pictures.
   I would rate this a 5 but there is too much info missing in there guide which forces me to use several.I wish some day they could make this more complete so i only need to buy one.But otherwise i depend on it.
   If you do not own this you are either a genius with one of the best memories on this planet or you are operating in the dark ages.



3. This is an excellent guide for serious buyers & sellers of musical instruments, and gives a fair appraisal of their market's value (in this case, electric guitars) together with historical information & background.



4. Needed reference if you have anything to do with guitars. Well done and helps to peg odd guitars.



5. I've used this book for years for all my guitar buying and selling needs along with the Vintage Guitar Guide. My only complaint is that they have yet to add many of the smaller niche guitar makers over the years and the burgeoning market in house brands is not well covered ( Airline, Supro, etc). Otherwise it has most of the information you'll ever need. Don't take the pricing as the absolute word though, the market fluctuates a lot and prices can be dramatically above or below what is quoted in this book. Use it as a baseline and you're fine, at least you'll always know if that guitar your friend or neighbor wants to sell you is junk or of some value.

No comments about Prints, Posters, & Photographs Identification and Price Guide.

No comments about A Modern Patronage: de Menil Gifts to American and European Museums (Menil Collection).

5 comments about Thief of Light.

1. I was simpley amazed at the writting of this 1st. time author, that I came on line to see if he has done others. I am anxious to read his other works to see if this was a fluke are if David can realy write. When I started this book only maybe into the 1st to 3rd. chapter Dean Kontz New novel came out. I had to rush out to get it immediately. To my own amazment,I went onto finish the Thief of Light first.



2. O-ver-ra-ted... This NYC art-world thriller, which got much hype when it came out is nothing more than an insider's hackneyed paint-by-numbers attempt to hit it big as an author. There are so many clichés, I wouldn't want to waste the space listing them out. Ramus' insider status doesn't add much to this tired story about a crooked art dealer whose world crumbles when his master forger is unexpectedly slain prior to completing a Manet water lily fake. Japanese mobsters, younger posh love interest, child from previous marriage, blah, blah, blah. Waste of time.



3. David Ramus's first novel is interesting, a page turner, but the huge amount of clichés makes it very pointless. It is the kind of book that when finished you ask "What is the point?", and this is a question that should never be asked to any work of literature -- or any other kind of art.

   Due to the fact that Ramus himself was a marchand, the novel has many points close to reality -- anyway, he knows how this world works; but what could be a dark trip to the underworld of art becomes a cold thriller. The characters are very one demensioned: the good guys, the bad guys -- and there are also some undercover people, but you can easily discover them. The protagonist Adrian Sellars is the over-clichéd idea of bad-guy-cum-good-guy looking for rendemption. He solve his problems to easily. Life has been to good to him, as a matter of fact. He is rich, but he owns millions to other art dealers; he has money to buy everything he needs, but we never know where it comes from, once he uses the only money he has in the beginning of the novel to buy drugs. Add to him the lovable and shallow Devon, a very rich girl who happens to be his secretary... why? Because the author wants her to be, this is the only explanation. The Japanese Mafia is very caricatured. Their moral code in Ramus's hands become a simple reverence-killing-reverence-hummiliation and strange guys in expensive suits.

   His style of writing is the simplest possible, and you can point out how the end will be after reading 100 pages. There is no twist that makes you hold your breath and the ending... well, it is what you got in your mind. This book is definetily a page turner, because it is easy and it doesn't require too much of your mind, just read to spend your time; or read "Thief of Light" between two hard books in order to refresh your mind, but don't expect something deep or provoking . Another thing: I wish I could give 2 ½ and not 3.




4. I liked the concept and applauded Mr. Ramus'
   courage to face prison , while in Recovery from 1995 through 1996 , when I would hear him speak of this project.I lived in Atlanta at the time.
   He got a huge sum of money in advance, tremendous media exposure, including a People Weekly back page feature.
   I delighted in all of the contraversy surrounding his profiting from a crime and was one of the few people who was silently in his corner.
   He must have been very lonely and I can vouch for the fact that many of the folks in the Recovering Community were less than kind in their thoughts , hopefully not their deeds and most certainly at the gossip fence.
   I wish that I could have chatted with him more , but I was in a heap of legal trouble myself and was somewhat intimidated by him and his celebrity.
   Next to my sponsor , David Ramus inspired me to follow my dream and adopt the craft of writing as not only a form of expression , but a means to make a living ammends to the thousands of people I swindled in my past career.
   Today I write Restaurant Reviews , some Entertainment and Social Commentary here in Los Angeles.My life story , particularly the references to Drug Addicts, swindlers and the parade of Hooples I associated with has been in the works for over 7 years and will not be as legally bullet proof as " Thief of Light".
   I throw the Police , Fire Department , Drug Dealers , close former friends and others under the bus and it's imperitive that I wait for some time to pass while some die and others retire.

   Unlike David Ramus , I no longer have jail time and myriad legal risks hanging over my head.I completely understand why his book is so far afield from what really happened and eventually became of him.
   I thought it was fascinating and had trouble putting it down , although I wasn't as objective as most would be.I still think it will make one helluva film.
   It's sad to see that it is not in stock on your site.




5. "Thief of Light" is a book about the real world. A world filled with drugs and crime where people are willing to kill others for money. The main character Adrian Sellers is vividly portrayed by Ramus and the entire cast of characters are nicely done by Ramus. I could see the characters come to life in front of my eyes. The setting was set against the background of the worst part of New York City. This is a very interesting setting and really gives the book the edge over others of the genre. Adrian Sellers, the main character, is very well portrayed because he is based on the author, David Ramus. I really enjoyed reading this book and liked the style of writing that David Ramus used. It had a dark tone and mood to it and really immersed you in the world. I can not really relate to the book but that didn't stop me from enjoying it thoroughly. It is a joy to read and a real page-turner. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys to read.