No comments about Warman's Carnival Glass: Identification and Price Guide (Warman's Carnival Glass: Identification & Price Guide).

5 comments about Hatcher's Notebook, Revised Edition (Classic Gun Books Series).

1. The classic gun crank's book. If you have the slightest curiosity about any aspect of firearms design, ballistics, or history, Hatcher's been there & done that. One of those books you can pick up, open to any page, and start reading.



2. I'd read snatches from the book in our local Public Library from time to time. Finally decided to treat myself to the luxury of having it on hand all the time. Whilst it may be considered to be a little outdated now (2007) it's still a classic and an absolute mine of knowledge. Provides a fascinating and factual account of the development of modern 20th Century Small Arms, ranging from bolt action rifles, automatic pistols, Machine Guns and Sub Machine Guns. Add to this the development of modern smokeless powders, primers and the treatment of steel, then you have a veritable fount of information that is still relevant today.



3. BUT... you can't be scared off by technical stuff. Hatcher has a way of explaining it for the layman, but most of the book is just insights into firearms technology as seen by an insider. Great read. Buy it before any other gun book. May I also suggest Hatcher's other masterpiece, Book of the Garand.



4. the data in this book in fundamentally timeless. Yes, some deals with specific firearms and/or circumstances, but even there, many lessons for GENERAL firearms use are still lurking.
   
   This is one of the most valuable reference manuals in my library and has been read many times over during the years.
   
   Even more important is EW Mann's "The Bullet's Flight" and it was written at the turn of the century! Some types of knowledge don't "wear out."



5. One of about a half a dozen MUST have books if you have firearms and hand load for them.
   
   Steve Adams
   AdamsQuailHunter on GunBroker & Ancientguns Forums

2 comments about Georg Jensen: A Tradition of Splendid Silver.

1. Collectors of jewelry of any type now have another acquisition for which to long. It's a signature piece, finely detailed, a valued addition to any serious collection. It is a jewel indeed, but you may not find it at the jewelers. It's a creation of Janet Drucker and it should stand the test of time, for Drucker has crafted Georg Jensen A Tradition of Splendid Silver into a splendid guidebook.

   Not a dry tome, crackling with boredom, this book offers an at once scholarly treatise on Jensen amd a readable reference as well. Drucker sets up the volume by putting Jensen's ascendency into prospective. She grounds him in his time period and explains the forces which created his work and appeal. Not settling for another long line of picture strewn collection catalogs, she introduces the reader to Jensen's life story in a well written and very readable text. Next the collector's delight: the litany of his accomplishment.

   Chapters are devoted to his jewelry, his holloware and his flatware. Then Drucker offers the benediction with a look at Jensen's worldwide legacy. But don't stop there, because the appendix offers the musuem collections of the master and a listing of the artists whose work built the Jensen line.

   Now, lest you think this book is a must for scholars only, rest assured the exquisite photography and the easy to read captioning will make this gem a perfect adornment for your home library. If you know Jensen or not, Georg Jensen A Tradition of Splendid Silver will be splendid for you.




2. The first edition of Janet Drucker's Georg Jensen: A Tradition of Splendid Silver was published just four years ago, in 1997. Now, just a few breaths later, a revised and expanded second edition with an updated price guide is out. Given the impressive richness of the first edition, one might say,"So soon?" The first edition had gone out of print, but it would have been more usual at this remove to reprint it without revisions. The reasons are not especially apparent at first glance; the jacket design(and the jacket advertising copy) has barely changed, the general organization and graphic design of the first edition have been retained in the second, and the number of pages is about the same. When one sits down with both editions and begins to compare them page by page, the differences quickly become apparent. A very large amount of new material has been added into the new book, including 250 new images and expanded archival information on production and designers. Since the publication of the first edition, so much previously unavailable material came to light that its inclusion seemed paramount.
   No matter how long and fully one has worked on a research project in the arts, as soon as one publishes, more material, often keenly interesting material, appears in response to the publication. A study of the second edition's acknowledgements suggests that the beauty and inclusiveness of the first edition brought the suthor new contacts with other dealers, collectors, museum curators, auctioneers, and other specialists, each of whom had something wonderful to add to the story.
   In the case of the new photographs in the second edition, many previously unlocated Jensen pieces turned up. Some pieces illustrated in the first edition only in rather murky old catalogue or magazine photos became available for new color photography. Additional historical photos surfaced as well. The net gain of images in the new book is(by my count) just over two hundred color and black-and-white images overall. That the new addition is physically about the same size as the old one owes to a meticulous reworking of the layout on perhaps half the pages in the book. There was enough "air" (unused white space) in the basic design of the text pages for the first edition to accommodate many more photos in the second edition without choking the graceful layout of the book.
   One of the most important innovations of the second edition is also easily overlooked in a casual inspection, and it will prove very useful to collectors and dealers in understanding Jensen product. The photo captions now include all Jensen design numbers that were stamped on their items of jewelry and hollowware, along with the trademarks and other marks on the back and bottoms of the pieces(only some of these were available to the author for the first edition) All Jensen jewelry and hollowware items were so marked, except for special-order pieces, and much of the earliest flatware was also marked in this way. As in the first edition, there is a full explanation of the marking system near the end of the book. Other important additions to the book are more readily apparent. These include complete reprints of the Jensen illustrated flatware catalogues for the Cactus(flatware pattern 30) and Acorn (flatware pattern 62) patterns, and for the so-called"Unique Serving Pieces". These include seventy-two ornamental serving utensils in a variety of numbered patterns not matching the full-line flatware patterns. The new edition also includes both chronological and production data for all of the sterling silver designs of Henning Koppel that were produced for the Jensen company. The Value Reference Guide has also been updated. This guide is not based on opinion but consists of actual auction records from sales in the major American and British houses over the past decade.
   Given that the first edition had been sold out before public demand for the book had subsided, a reprinting would have been welcome enough. Both the author and the publisher are to be congratulated for instead producing this most significant and valuable revised and expanded second edition. I am glad to recommend it to owners of the first edition along with the ever-expanding group of collectors of Jensen"estate" silver who were not able to obtain the orginal book.

2 comments about Standard Catalog Of Die-Cast Vehicles: Identification And Values, Revised Edition (Standard Catalog of Die-Cast Vehicles).

1. this hefty tome covers the lower end of the market with nothing much for the serious collector of quality models.



2. First of all, I HATE the BIG UGLY picture of American Car Racer...do not know his name, on the cover of the book. Second, I hate NASCAR and Cheap political HOT WHEEL junk I do not even care for looking at. The book should focus on HIGH QUALITY COLLECTIBLE BRANDS ONLY. What a waste of paper~!!!

3 comments about Warman's Pez Field Guide (Warman's Field Guides).

1. Great book for the pez collector. It lists the American pez releases with some of the variations and a possible value. They are in alphabetical order. Shows some from private collections that you will never see or have...lol...
   Has an index for easy look up and a list of terms used in the pez world for the non-pezheads. It IS indeed small enough to put in your purse or backpack to take along on those trips to antique stores, swapmeets, or garage sales. No matter how many times i look at this book i still cannot remember the values so i have to look them up constantly.
   
   This does not have foreign pez in it, but is still an excellent guide. The best of its type on the market i believe.



2. While I am not one to criticize any comment regarding my books, good or bad I do take isssue on the comment- "This does not have foreign pez in it" - much to the contrary. There are a large number of foreign Pez in this book. Everything that had been produced up to the publish date is included in this guide, domestic AND foreign release . This guide does not get into the mini Japanese dispensers, those are licensed by Pez for Bandai not an actual Pez produced item but a licensed item. There are LOTS of foreign Pez in this guide. -Shawn Peterson



3. This book is a must have for true pez seeking people, the colored illustrations and information is a useful tool, and continues to be at my side always, to look up and review pez's that I am interested in.

5 comments about Stereo Views: An Illustrated History and Price Guide (Stereo Views).

1. This is a brand new, year 2002, 336 page book with over 3,000 detailed listings of stereo view collectibles. It has more than 500 black and white photos with a wealth of useful and interesting text on this popular collectible. Chapters include care, condition, and dates of views, evaluating views, leading photographers and publishers and much information on modern era 3-D visual collectibles, including Tru-Vue, Novelviews, View-Master, GAF and more. The volume is completely indexed for easy location of items. Very comprehensive updated value guide. This updated edition is a must for stereo view enthusiasts. Add it to your library.



2. There are prices listed, as well as tips about how to grade collectibles. While prices are always debatable, it is still a great reference. With more than 300 photos on a total 336 pages it is also a wonderful book to browse.

   A true "must have" book for any stereo collector!




3. The revised edition is excellent, apart from forming a useful catalogue of stereographs to seek out, it is also a wonderful history of the many subjects photographed in 3-D over the years. I rated it at 4 stars rather than 5 because I consider the reduced content of the index to be a retrograde step. Having said that it is a 'must have' for all stereographers.



4. This is an excellent history of the 19th and early 20th century phenomeon "stereo views" in which two copies of a photograph were produced on a letter-sized card and viewed through a hand-held viewer to see the picture in 3-D effect. You still see these old photo cards occasionally at flea markets and antique shops and they have been avidly collected for generations although this form of entertainment died out around the 1920's. Mr. Waldsmith gives us detailed listings of many of the stereo view cards, price value, and information on many photographers. A wonderful bonus for the baby boom generation is the inclusion of the history of Viewmasters, the "updated" version of SVs a fond memory for children for over 50 years and still being issued today. Waldsmith includes a complete list of Viewmaster photo reels and packets issued up through the book's publication as well as the less popular rivals of Viewmaster in the past. Highly recommended even if you don't collect either stereo views or viewmaster reels and invaluable if you do.



5. This is a "must-have" book for the serious collector of stereo views and those just now getting interested in this fascinating subject. Waldsmith really knows his stuff. Highly recommended.
   
   -David Burkhart, author of Earthquake Days: The 1906 San Francisco Earthquake & Fire in 3-D.

3 comments about Quilts in a Material World: Selections from the Winterthur Collection.

1. i have barely had time to savour this book. there is so much to interest quilters and non-quilters that it is hard to know where to start to review.
   
   the photographs of the quilts are wonderful, with lots of details. the textile history is thorough and accurate, including a fascinating section on the different techniques of putting pattern on cloth. the history of the quilters is, yes, fascinating, including letters written by one quilter to her fiance and later husband in the early part of the 19th century.
   
   anyone interested in early america, early manufacturing, and the lives of our forebears will enjoy this book as much as any quilter.



2. "Quilts from a material world" is a long-awaited opportunity to view some of the finest quilts in Winterthur's collections, but also to have them expertly placed in social, economic, mercantile, and political context by Linda Eaton's well-researched and readable narrative. This book is a must for quilt and fabric historians, American history buffs, and members of the general reading public who are interested in knowing more about American material culture (in both senses of the word "material"). It is an excellent contribution to the study of fabrics and quilts.



3. My wife is a "quilter". While I was on the East Coast attending a family reunion, one of my cousins, with whom I was staying, asked if I wanted to join her in a tour of Winterthur, close to where she lives. I accepted the invitation and totally enjoyed it especially the quilt collection there. I am not a quilter myself - there are some males interested in and "artists" in this art form, but I have become acquainted with it through my wife's interest in it. When I saw this book, examined it and checked out other's reviews of it, I decided it would make a nice birthday gift for my wife. I liked the fact that it dealt with the history of this art form here in the US, the quilt makers of particular quilts, and the progression of technique in "constructing" them. To me it would appeal to my wife's knowledge of this art form through the collection of the H. F. DuPont family.

5 comments about Collecting Art Plastic Jewelry: Identification and Price Guide.

1. "Collecting Art Plastic Jewelry: Identification and Price Guide" by Leigh Leshner is informative for the novice as well as seasoned collector. The author seems to convey a keen balance between old and new plastics to give the reader ample knowledge of both. I particularly liked the price guide; it is a good gauge for individuals new to the market. I thought the photos were very well done. Thank you, Leigh.



2. I own all the books in Leigh Leshner's series and cannot fault Leigh for showing off great photos, great jewels and intense information. Leigh has done an excellent job with all of her books. Cannot wait to see what she has next in her jeweled magic hat. I hightly recommend all of Leigh Leshner's books. She gears them for various types of collections and you surely won't be disappointed.



3. Leigh Leshner's "Collecting Art Plastic Jewelry" is a fascinating look at today's plastics artisans. Modern designers like Jackie Weeks, Judith Evans, Jim Foltz and Judy Clarke--excluded from other bakelite and plastic jewelry guides--are well-represented in this clear and interesting book. There are sections on vintage pieces, history and types of plastics as well as the requisite price guide (which seemed more accurate than other guides for this current market...), but it is the photographs and the info on the new generation of artisans that make this book a winner. A must for the serious and the casual collector.



4. This book is a must if you are into collecting Art Plastic Jewellery including plastic ,celluloid , bakelite and lucite.There are beautiful large coloured photographs on every page with descriptions and a price guide. Lots of chunky bracelets, dog brooches, mah-jong bracelets, animal pins, fruit jewellery etc. Very useful if you are into collecting vintage and modern plastic jewellery but also just a lovely book to look at!



5. Great book! Wonderfully photographed and illustrated. Thank you Maurice Childs for going the extra mile to present beautiful photography. Leigh Leshner does a great job of describing the different types of plastics, identification tests, vintage designers, current modern designers, how to collect, and price guide. There is only one negative that I could possibly say about this book. I wish they had put more history included with the photographs such as the designer and manufacturer (if known), year made, and any other pertinent information. I especially liked knowing more about Judy Clarke, Jim Foltz, Ester & Ron Shultz, Karen & Howard Kronimus, Jackie Weeks, and others. A must have for your library!

No comments about The Official Overstreet Comic Book Companion 10th Edition (Official Overstreet Comic Book Companion).

2 comments about Made for Maharajas: A Design Diary of Princely India.

1. Dr. Amin Jaffer is a curator in the Asian Department of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London where he specializes in Indian art and culture during the era of European influence during the British Raj period (1857-1947). With "Made For Maharajas: A Design Diary Of Princely India", Dr. Amin has compiled with narrative commentary an impressive historical overview of art and luxury goods in all manner of media and associated with the aristocracy of the maharajas during these centuries. Superbly illustrated with 290 images (150 of which are in full color), the representative and custom-made artifacts range from private airplanes and luxury cars, to chandeliers, gold dinnerware, couture fashions, fine leather goods, houses, furniture, jewelry, and more. Dr. Amin drew upon the archives of firms that included Louis Vuitton, Boucheron, Chaumet, Cartier, and Hermies, he had access to palace and private collections, and employing his own extensive expertise, has written a text that is as entertaining as it is informative in revealing the extraordinarily varied works commissioned by princes whose personal wealth was exceeded only by their eccentricities. As an impeccable work of scholarship in a coffee-table art book format, "Made For Maharajas" is especially recommended for academic library collections and would make a superb choice as a community library Memorial Fund acquisition.



2. This book is fascinating. It is a very complete study of the influence of europen culture, art and crafts on the Maharajas of India, encompassing all forms of consumer goods... cars, jewels, trains, etc, etc. All these works of art are the result of intense cultural and economic exchange between both worlds and the book emphasizes this very well. A scholarly publication well served by wonderful photographs.