2 comments about Catalina Island Pottery and Tile Island Tr (Schiffer Book for Collectors).

1. This is the best guide (there have been few)that has been released to date. The best thing about it are the accurate time frames and the pricing for the individual pieces. Plus the glaze and clay content history are very helpful!!! Get this while you can, because knowing Schiffer books, it will go out of print soon!!



2. I was born in Avalon MANY years ago, and raised there for many years; and I have always loved the lore of the island. I have also become a collector of pottery and turned my attention to the wonderful items that came from my hometown. Super book! L.P.

1 comments about Devilish Greetings: Krampus Vintage Devil Postcards.

1. Book Review by Susan Brown Nicholson
   
   
   Beauchamp, Monte. Devilish Greetings, 2007, 160p, 160 color ill, ISBN 978-1-56097-871-8: Grath & Thompson, Fantographic Books, WA. To order: Fantagraphics Books, 7563 Lake City Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115, 1-800-657-1100.
   
   Once again Graphic designer Monte Beauchamp has produced a delightful book on a devilish subject, vintage devil postcards. The illustrations are outlandishly delightful with examples of metamorphic, novelty, and outstanding publishers like Osnabrucker Papierwaaren Fabrik (OPF), and more.
   
   Devilish Greetings is a fiery, full-color survey of spooky, kooky and delightfully demented devil postcards from days gone by. It is a fun filled page turner, a must have for anyone interested in the visual arts, pop culture, and the glory days of the penny postcard.
   
   The Devil made me do it, is a well known phrase. At the turn of the last century, postcard artists delighted at producing comic art to portray this mythical creature. While as Beauchamp points out, the Devil seems to have appeared in every form of mass-marketed printed matter, no where is he more prevalent than on the picture post card.
   
   The Earliest examples are European, but went on to promote the haunting holidays of Halloween, and to celebrate the sinful and saucy side of life. This book features some of the most fantastic images of this horned creature whether he is in red, blue or black. He frolics in flight with wings and tosses his long tail as a form of expression. Don't miss the colorful antics of this creature featured on the pages of this delightful book.
   
   The design of the book itself makes you want to jump into the fray and start collecting this image. The examples illustrated are outstanding with a nice smattering of the Krampus through the pages. Don't miss this as a devilish gift for someone on your list.

5 comments about Duveen: The Story of the Most Spectacular Art Dealer of All Time.

1. Excellent biography of a forgotten man and his times - a man that changed the way Americans collected European art. Funny, witty and appallingly honest. A must read for anyone serious about art buying.



2. This is one of the most fabulous books that you will ever read. At about 100 pages it is a fast read. Too fast. Duveen is the most amazing art dealer that the world will ever see and Behrman tells the life story of this undeniably interesting man with quick wit.



3. This book was horrible! There was no logical order to the book because it is just a bunch of stories put together about Duveen. It is so boring, all the book does is talk about how dumb millionares were and how they were stupid enough to buy from Duveen and his crazy ways. This book was so bad, please save yourself the time and money and not buy this book.



4. While this book is enormously entertaining, it's value is limited as a serious work of history. The reality is; Lord Duveen, grandson of a blacksmith from Delft, who went on to be an English Baron, was much more of a hustler than this 1950's era fantasy makes him out to be. For a more modern take on Lord Duveen try: Artful Partners: Bernard Berenson and Joseph Duveen by Colin Simpson.



5. This amusing read, describes Duveen's single-handed effort in creating America's most serious art collectors. Laying-out the process of cultivating a deep desire for the very best in fine art from Europe in America's richest, most insecure industrial giants. Duveen's plan unfolds; culminating in fantastically expensive, name-brand, catalogs and the pinnacle of his career, an art Museum in Washington, in which his clients, the industrial giants of the early 1900's, would achieve victory in their quest for immortality. All art sales associates and those considering art buying should read this book first.

5 comments about In Flagrante Collecto (Caught in the Act of Collecting).

1. The first thing to hit me was how beautiful this book is. The photographs of the thousands of collectibles are delectable. It made me want to run out and find some of this stuff, or find new things to start collecting. The author unfolds her theories about why people collect, and describes many wonderful childhood scenes of Bronx life and early collections of marbles, baseball cards, sewing kits, you name it. Adult adventures collecting all over the world, and the collecting adventures of her friends and family, are included, and make for a wonderful warm biography of a collection of collectors. The descriptions of the original uses and methods of manufacturing of various collectibles is fascinating, and it's lovely to see simple and sometimes disposable things treated with such interest and respect. The history and character of our country shine through in the old graphics and designs of postcards, matchbooks, lawn sprinklers, and countless other items, and after spending time with them in this book, I can feel more deeply what's been lost to more efficient means of production. I'll never browse a flea market or garage sale quite the same way again. It's a wonderful conversation piece, a fun book to have around for guests to peruse. It gives you permission to bring out those old shoeboxes of stuff from under your bed and show them to your pals, even though you're not a kid any more. I loved this book, it was part anthropology, part history of design, part memoir, part encyclopedia, part travelogue, all work of endearing art.



2. I have purchased at least seven copies of this fascinating book to give as gifts to a wide variety of friends. For those interested in collecting, the book offers fresh insights into the forces that motivate people to acquire, while illustrating a remarkable diversity of eccentric collections that surprise and delight. For the novice or general reader, the breadth and types of collections are amazing. The book is superbly designed and the objects beautifully photographed and presented. The author is a farsighted collector with an awesome range of historical knowledge and an accessible, highly informative writing style. I highly recommend this book for readers of all persuasions who simply enjoy being intellectually and visually stimulated.



3. This is a beautifully produced look book. The unusual and very particular collecting subject matter is very personal. Quirky, wonderfully photographed and of superior quality.



4. Reading this book was like day at my favorite swap meet, antique collective or a random search on eBay. I visually recognize the material but appreciate it more for being brought together in groups. The collector's mind automatically seeks groupings and hierarchies of individual examples and this book plays to that weakness easily. The little stories are at times educational and fascinating and at other times too personal and esoteric. My only problem is that after reading this book, I tend to want to own too many of the objects featured.



5. This is the best book I have found on Collecting. The writer gets into the state of mind of a collector, then presents profusely illustrated collections of an almost unbelievable scope. Like - you mean people really collect THIS? Yes they do and it's there. COOL book that will broaden your horizon - and you'll never throw anything away again because someone out there collects it.

1 comments about Warman's Hummel Field Guide: Values and Identification (Warman's Field Guides).

1. THE INFORMATION RECEIVED FROM OTHER REVIEWS WAS VERY HELPFUL AND I
   CANNOT IMPROVE ON THEM THEY ARE VERY HELPFUL AND CORRECT !!

4 comments about Warman's Carnival Glass: Identification & Price Guide.

1. Great service book is in excellent condition.
   Thanks so much.



2. Another excellent identification book by Ellen T. Schroy. It is well organized and the beautiful color pictures are clear for pattern identification. She identifies the maker, the colors which were produce, the known forms, the identifying characteristics, and the prices at the time the book was written. There is a section showing and describing the colors of carnival glass, and an explanation of how to determine the color of carnival glass. Also included in the book is a time line and information about each glass company during the Carnival Glass era. This book is one of the best for identifying pieces of carnival glass. I use it more than any of my other books. It is my favorite! I highly recommend it to every beginning collector!



3. Beautiful colorful photos. Very easy to read and identify patterns. SO MUCH TO LOOK AT!!!



4. Hundreds of classic and popular glass patterns, more than 5,000 prices, and headline production pieces pack Warman's Carnival Glass: an identification and price guide key to understanding Warman colors, forms, identifying characteristics, and values. Each piece receives a color photo paired with information on common reproductions, making for an excellent and solid reference work collectors will find easy to consult.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch

5 comments about The DC Comics Action Figure Archive.

1. Being born in the early 1960s,I have had lots of DC action figures growing up,this book does not come close to having all the DC action figures.Most of the figures covered in this book are from at best early 1990's.I'm definately thinking about sending this book back.If I could,I would have giving this book a negative 5 stars because of its title.Buy MEGO 8" SUPER-HEROES:WORLD'S GREATEST TOYS! this book brings back good memories.



2. This is a great book to casually leaf through but not entirely thorough. As far as I could tell the author has at least listed every DC figure made, but I personally would have liked pictures of every item. I know that sometimes may not be possible, but a book like this is likely to be used as a reference guide and photos of every item would have been more useful. Still, I liked it and if you collect this sort of figures you will enjoy this book.



3. I'm not sure why I bought this - impulse I guess (darn your targeted marketing Amazon!)
   Do you really want to know how many stupid versions of Batman Kenner made? Some of the pages include information about the DC Universe, which is nice, but I think if it were a true archive, it would have images of the 300+ Batman toys made.
   If you are sometimes obsessive, don't look through the book! You'll see that many of the toys were sold exclusively to Target or marketed exclusively in other countries. If you can collect them all - invite us over to see! (And explain how you display them.)



4. Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R1Z1QHAFVEUXZG This is a brief video that shows you a little bit about this cool book.



5. Being a collector of Batman action figures and also the animated Justice League action figures, I was really looking forward to this book. But upon reading I discovered all the different versions of the Justice League Mission Vision figures were not listed and few other figures were not listed as well.

No comments about Surfs Up: Collecting the Longboard Era (Schiffer Book for Collectors).

5 comments about Heisey Glass 1896-1957: Identification and Value Guide.

1. Fair treatment of history of Heisey Glass, a very basic collector book. There were a few actual errors in the index that made it hard to research particular pattern.



2. Very useful resource- illustration and descriptions are clear and helpful.
   
   Filled with information about manufacturers and designs. I had no prior knowledge about this book before I purchased it . I was very pleased with its resource value.



3. Difficult book to read, but the best of all the books I've found on Heisey glass. There is so much to learn about the beautiful glass.



4. This is an excellent reference book for the Heisey glass collector. It is filled with helpful information!



5. Although the written information in this book is pretty informative, especially about the company and it's history, I was disappointed that all the pictures in the book are in black & white and it is difficult to find specific pieces (owned) to see what they may be worth or what particular pattern they are. There is no definative catalog of glassware as I have found in various other books about depression glass and Jadite products. This book will probably stay on my bookshelf.

2 comments about Arts and Crafts (Dk Collector's Guides).

1. I first became aware of the Arts & Crafts movement of William Morris and his circle back in the late 1960s, when Art Nouveau (an outgrowth of Arts & Crafts) was enjoying a renaissance. I ended up with several pieces of Arts & Crafts-style furniture (replicas, naturally, on my graduate school budget), some poster (reprints) and a couple of affordable ceramics (original). And I made a point thereafter of searching out museum collections and galleries specializing in this stuff. I still have a preference for the clean lines of furniture and the luminescent glazes on pots, especially those by Pilkington and Rookwood. Miller has brought together in this beautifully produced volume more than a thousand examples of design and craft, with detailed descriptions and notes and a list of "Key Features" for various artists and studios. Approximate values also are included, though I'm happy just to look at the pictures. If you're trying to learn about the Arts & Crafts movement, this would be a good visual textbook.



2. I think the Judith Miller books are very clearly set out and give a good, quick 'flavour' of a lot of the major designers and names for the arts and craft period.
   
   She doesn't go into any depth (with only 1 or 2 pages per person, she doesn't really have the space to) and some of the text is repetitive but it is clearly presented with good photos and would allow you to look up further on the people you find interesting.