1 comments about The Dolls Clothes Collection: Complete Outfits for You to Make.

1. I have been very happy to discover this book. It gives lots of ideas and the models can be used as base for new creations ! A little girl's dream becomes reality...Many thanks.

4 comments about Official Soviet Mosin-Nagant Rifle Manual: Operating Instructions for the Model 1891/30 Rifle and Model 1938 and Model 1944 Carbines Originally Issued by the Ministry of Defense of the U.S.S.R..

1. 
   For those of you who have bought a Mosin and want to learn more about maintainence and troubleshooting.



2. Major James F. Gebhardt has done a great service for all of us who own samples of the Soviet Mosin-Nagant Infantry Rifle. He's translated a Soviet manual published in Russian in 1961.
   
   This manual concentrates on the operation and maintence of the three most commonly encountered versions of the Mosin-Nagant rifle, the M 91-30, the M-38 and the M-44. These remained in reserve for the Red Army and Warsaw Pact armies until the fall of the Soviet Union.
   
   The original Mosin Nagant was adopted by Imperial Russia in 1891. The Soviets improved the sights and shortened the barrel in 1930 (hence M 91-30) and this is the rifle so prominently featured in the movie ENEMY AT THE GATES (in a scoped sniper version, that is.) The 91-30 is a real piece of history and this manual is very helpful for any shooter or collector.
   
   The M-38 is a short, carbine length version of the M 91-30. It is interesting that the M-38 was not equipped to mount a bayonet despite the Red Army's long association with bayonets. The M-38 was designed primarily for cavalry (horse cavalry) and Red Army cavalrymen all carried sabers eliminating the need for a bayonet.
   
   The M 44 is an M-38 equipped with a folding bayonet permanently attached to barrel. This was developed to meet frontline demands for something that was handier (shorter) for soldiers who increasingly rode on tanks and trucks instead of horses. The longer 91-30s, which were usually carried with the antique looking angular bayonets fixed, were too long for soldiers who spent most of their time riding on tanks or Lend-Lease Studebaker 2.5 ton trucks. The M-44 had the reliability of the familiar M 91-30 and the 44's bayonet could be pivoted so that it rode out of the way next to the barrel.
   
   The old 91-30 bayonets could be difficult to dismount and the Red Army never issued scabbards for them. To keep the soldiers from losing them, or throwing them away, a lot of officers insisted that they be mounted all the time which is not much of a problem if you're marching on foot through open country.
   
   It can be a real headache if you're getting in and out of trucks, or off the rear decks of tanks, however. And, by 1944, most Red Army soldiers rode on some sort of motorized transport. This was a rude suprise to the Wehrmacht and a justification for the M-44 which served during the Red Army's advance into Germany during 1944-45.
   
   This manual would be a great companion to Terence W. Lapin's excellent book, THE MOSIN-NAGANT RIFLE. I gave it five stars.
   
   It is interesting that Lapin translated a 1955 edition of this same Soviet manual and published his version in 1999. The material is the same except that Lapin adds some useful comments of his own.



3. This is a must have book for every one that owns a Mosin Nagant rifle.
   This is a fantastic manual that includes instructions for every aspect of the Mosin Nagant. Take down & assembly, maintenance, cleaning, inspection, troubleshooting and even shooting & sniper tactics.



4. This book is essential for anyone who owns a M44 type, Mosin Nagant rifle.
   It is easy to read and has some very detailed schematics. There is also some information that was supplied to Russian soldiers that show how to fight with the bayonet, etc. There is even a section showing how to shoot down enemy aircraft. Overall, it was well worth the money.

3 comments about Victorian and Edwardian Fashions from "La Mode Illustree".

1. I was leery of ordering this book, because most of the books that claim to illustrate both the Victorian and Edwardian eras merely skim over the Edwardian. But I was pleasantly surprised.

   The book covers the years 1860-1914 and gives equal (or slightly superior) coverage to the Edwardian and pre-WWI years. The illustrations are large and detailed, allowing for very good views of the trimmings of the garments, and the smaller rear views of many garments are invaluable to the recreationist. Also included are period captions describing the intended uses of the garments (tea or opera, for young girls or women "of a certain age"); these are both interesting and very helpful for the self-educated costumer. The selection of dresses, coiffures, hats, parasols, coats, lingerie, nightdresses, and children's clothing is well chosen and the garments are lovely.

   My only complaint is that a few years are either entirely skipped, or skimmed over: 1866, 1872, 1875, 1878, 1883, 1893, 1899, and 1911. However, the existing material is excellent and very useful--I wholeheartedly recommend it.




2. This book is one of the most comprehensive, well-done and complete guide to both Victorian and Edwardian fashion I've ever seen. Although the illustrations are black and white, they are surprisingly well done (most costume design books don't detail hair styles, patterns, etc, but this one does.) I recommend this book as a very accurate guide to the period for researchers, costumers or fashion enthusiasts. The book, along with fantastic illustrations, includes a summary of the times and fashions and a very helpful glossary. Also it is much more than any other book I've seen--- it included SEVERAL fashions for each year and several different occasional wear layouts. If you are curious about this period, you must buy this book. I only wish they had a similar book for every period!



3. "La Mode Illustree" was to 19th-century fashion mavens what "Vogue" and "Elle" are today, with its gorgeous color and B&W line illustrations of the latest in fashions for men, women and children. Joanne Olian, former curator of the costume collection at the Museum of the City of New York, has painstakingly assembled a huge collection of the finest illustrations showing beautiful ladies' fashions from 1860 to 1912, with almost every year getting at least one page (though, as another reviewer mentions, some years unfortunately aren't examined in much detail). Every illustration is full-page and accompanied by a paragraph or two of text, generally taken directly from the original description of the item in LMI. Nobody who is at all interested in fashions of the late Victorian and Edwardian periods should be without this book!

2 comments about The American Krag Rifle and Carbine.

1. If you need to know the in's and out's of the Krag firearm systems, this is the place to go. Perhaps not everything but pretty close to it. A good book for a good price.



2. THE AMERICAN KRAG RIFLE AND CARBINE by Joe Poyer is one North Cape Publication's FOR COLLECTORS ONLY series. This book is edited by Craig Riesch and is essential for those who shoot and/or collect .30-40 Krag Rifles and Carbines.
   
   It's also the only source available unless you can find a copy of Colonel William S. Brophy's classic book on the Krag. It'll set you back about $200, or so, but is worth it to dedicated collectors and shooters.
   
   I'm not quite that dedicated and am quite content with Poyer's book. Like all books in this series, it includes part-by-part descriptions of the various Krags which served our armed forces in Cuba, the Philippines and China (during the Boxer Rebellion). Despite its relatively short service life of 15 years, the Krag is an interesting and eminently shootable piece of American history.
   
   It's the first bolt-action repeater chambered for modern
   smokeless" powder and it replaced the obsolete "Trapdoor Springfield" which was a breech-loading single shot chambered for the .45-70 cartride, a black powder round.
   
   Poyer includes descriptions of the ammunition, accoutrments, etc. issued with the Krag and he has the best, most coherent discussion of the US Army's preference for cartridge cut-offs enabling the rifle to be operated as a single shot, thus preserving the five rounds in the magazine for close quarters. This tactical doctrine has always puzzled me, but Poyer's concise, coherent explanation of it finally caused the scales to fall from my eyes.
   
   This book would be even more useful if it had an index, but I guess you can't always have eggs in your beer. I was very impressed by this book and I gave it five stars.

5 comments about Gunsmithing: Guns Of The Old West (Gunsmithing).

1. I would like to preface my review by saying that I am not a gunsmith and do not plan to become one. Like the author, I grew up watching TV westerns and developed an early fascination for these guns. I enjoy reading about them, looking at them, studying how they operate, and learning what to look for when evaluating a potential purchase.

   In a nutshell, I would say that this book is definitely worth the money I paid for it. It should give me hours of educational reading pleasure and will be a valuable addition to my collection of gun books.

   The author devotes about the first hundred pages of the book to topics including gunsmithing tools, types of metal finishes, headspacing, sear engagement angles, repairing and making screws and pins, the issue of restoration of antique guns, and general gunsmithing repairs. I plan to thoroughly read these informative sections.

   If you are interested in gunsmithing 19th century handguns and their replicas, this is the book for you. The author devotes 176 pages to the operation, takedown, and repair of handguns. In my opinion, a better title for the book would be, "Gunsmithing Guns of the Old West, Volume 1: Pistols."

   Readers interested in the gunsmithing of rifles and shotguns aren't as fortunate. The author devotes 46 pages to rifles and 11 pages to shotguns. However, except for 9 pages discussing the operation and repair of the toggle link mechanism of the '73 Winchester (which by itself could be worth the purchase price of the book), and a paragraph for the '92, there are only takedown instructions for a variety of antique rifles and 3 shotguns, along with parts diagrams borrowed from other publications. The author doesn't include sequences of clear photographs like in Gun Digest's series of takedown books.

   When I think of guns of the old west, the first thing that comes to mind is a lever action Winchester rifle. So I expected information on troubleshooting and repairing common problems on the popular Winchester lever actions such as the '86 and '94, the Marlin lever actions, and the Colt Lightning slide action rifles. It would be nice to read about typical problems encountered with these guns, what the novice should attempt to fix, and what problems should be referred to a professional gunsmith.

   With the popularity of the Winchester Model 1897 shotgun in cowboy action shooting, I expected to see a section devoted to this fine old gun. Again, nothing except for takedown instructions is included. Readers interested in the '97 would be better off purchasing a copy of "Gunsmithing Shotguns" by Patrick Sweeney.

   In conclusion, I like the book and am glad I purchased it. I would look forward to purchasing a sequel to it that focuses more on gunsmithing rifles and shotguns of the old west.




2. Dave Chicoine's book places the years of this Mastercraftsmens experience and knowledge right in your hands.Long known amongst the collector's & shooters of the old firearms as THEE person to have do your repair or restoration's on these old classics, Chicoines book makes a most welcome addition to this booming field and is written in a down to earth,understandable manner,
   clear and concise, and reader friendly.The information found in this new book contains a tremendous amount of hard to find facts and details surrounding working on these "old timers" and new information about the modern reproductions of many of these classics and the "ins & Outs" of them also by the man who has the most experience to date in working,repairing and "sprucing up" these new firearms. Let us hope he produces more such works for those of us in this field down the road a piece.



3. I returned this book because I felt it did not live up to my expectations after all the hype I had read about it.



4. I found this book to be very helpful when repairing top break replicas, Colts (single and double action), and percussion revolvers. He also covers lever action rifles extensively although I have not personally used that section.
   
   Gunsmiths these days are hard to find, so a lot of us have to do it ourselves. The author thankfully covers a lot of important and common problems I have faced, so that I didn't have to go on a usually futile search for a gunsmith. Mr. Chicoine is obviously an experienced and intelligent man, and he writes clearly. Plenty of illustrations guide you through the repairs he describes.
   
   Does he cover every possible conceivable problem? Every firearm? Of course not. Who could? For the money I recommend it. It has saved me more than the purchase price already.



5. Very well presented with a wealth of information for the pro or home gunsmith.Another good reference book to add to the collection.

No comments about Desiree.

No comments about Guide to Stamp Collecting (Collector's Series).

5 comments about Red Rabbit.

1. This has to be the most turgid, dull, repetitive pile of absolute tosh I have read in years. Nothing more than a 600 page propaganda leaflet for the Republican Party, the US military industrial complex, privatised medicine, the Catholic church and whatever else Tom Clancy supports, it's a painful read that seems to never end.
   
   Your mind will bend as you read Clancy's utterly lame attempts at mundane and repetitive dialog between people eating breakfast, drinking coffee and riding on trains and in taxis.
   
   Your eyes will roll at each stab at the British healthcare system, which is "socialized medicine" for those of you reading in the United States. You might think Clancy hates the concept as much as he clearly hates Communists.
   
   Everything else about Britain and the "Brits", meanwhile, he seems to love in an offensively patronising and condescending manner that will make you gag. Those "Brits" seem all to be ripped from central casting in their accents, actions, and universal love of liquid lunches. All appear to be ex-British military and most have one syllable names, in a reassuringly working class, honest guvna' fashion.
   
   You will also squirm every time you read the word "pshrink", or "cutter", or "driver". You will wonder why you never hear people in real life with such limited vocabularies as the characters in his books. How bored you will be as you read again and again about those "eye cutters" from "Hopkins" who worked on Suslov's eyes under the direction of token Jewish man, Bernie Katz.
   
   You will also shudder each time you are clumsily reminded that the Soviets have unwittingly given the code "666" to a plot to kill the Pope.
   
   You will want to be sick every time Jack Ryan's tastes in coffee are mentioned, and when you are reminded how unbelievably smart he is to recognize that an up and coming company called Starbucks will be a huge success. You will also wonder where Ryan's Starbucks obsession was when he was chasing the Red October around the Atlantic and doing battle with drug cartels in Central America.
   
   You will also find yourself wishing Jack Ryan hadn't survived that damn helicopter crash because you are so fed up of reading about it and how much he hates flying, a characteristic he apparently shares with B.A. Baracus. You almost start to hope someone would feed Ryan a hamburger in a brown paper bag and a carton of milk before he gets on a plane so he's not conscious to whine about it.
   
   In using the fear-of-flying device, Clancy clearly wants us to believe that Ryan, a multi-millionaire who has killed IRA terrorists, invested in Starbucks in the early 80s, arrested a Bulgarian assasin, helped capture a Soviet ballistic missile submarine, and become President of the United States has at least one weakness that makes him at least somewhat the everyman among us.
   
   Apart from the atrocious errors in history already mentioned (Clancy must have thought himself oh-so-clever to keep mentioning that young short stop Cal Ripken and hoped we would think him clever for it), you will wonder how an assasination attempt in 1981 happened after the 1982 Falklands War.
   
   Finally, you will wonder what the heck ever happened to Tom Clancy, when exactly the point in time was that his ego overtook his limited writing skills and why exactly he thinks smart people will part with good money to read bad books with his name on them.



2. The Ryan saga goes back in time. Clancy as usual gets long winded and seems to gt tired of the story by delivering a sub par ending. Overall a bit disappointing.



3. Jack Ryan's evolution has followed that of the author. In the earlier books Jack Ryan was a well intentioned, if reluctant, hero who had a simple rubric for determining right from wrong. As Tom Clancy has "evolved" from a fiction writer to a "personality" we have seen Jack Ryan go from a simple CIA analyst to President of the free world. Along the way he became a foul mouthed, boorish individual who bases his decisions on Catholic doctrine and conservative dogma. I guess this is what happens when the author thinks people actually care what he thinks. This reader doesn't.
   
   The saddest thing about this book is the depiction of Cathy Ryan. She once was depicted as a classy lady. Now she is a nasty individual who would easy (and fairly) characterized by the use of the "b" or "c" word. The only good thing about the book is her character disappeared half way through. It was one half too many.
   
   My days of feeding Clancy's ego are over. He can get rich off other people who think what he says is important. He should take some lessons from John Grisham and build baseball fields in needy communities. And most importantly, keep his opinions to himself.



4. It is a shame no stars is not an option for rating. It would appear Clancy was attempting to write the screenplay of another Jack Ryan movie with this work.
   
   With the high tension that was rampant between NATO and the Warsaw Pact during this time period, there was plenty of background to place many of the characters from his other books. And I had to laugh at Clancy's buildup of Ed Foley and the New York Times reporter, yet there was no further mention of this later in Foley's career. The NYT would have never lived down a sleeper CIA agent on their reporter staff.
   
   Instead, we get a plodding story that is lacking virtually everything Clancy had become well known for.
   
   ...and it only gets worse with the TEETH OF THE TIGER.



5. This is one of the earlier books in the Jack Ryan enterprise. It starts off pretty slow and does not really take off like many of the others. Jack and Cathy Ryan have just moved to London with Sally and Jack Jr. The Foleys, Ed, Pat and Little Ed, have just started in Moscow. The Russians are crazy as ever and want to kill the Pope. A Russian communications expert gets a case of morals and wants to try and save the Pope. I should not say much more, or I will ruin the best part. I have read many Clancy's and this would not be in my top 5 but it does put a few things together so I am glad that I read it. I guess I would give it a C+.

5 comments about The Springfield 1903 Rifles.

1. This book contains a huge amount of very detailed information. It is relatively expensive, but it contains enough information for two books. I recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the M1903 Springfield.



2. Many books have been written about the U.S. M1903 Springfield Rifle, and this one is the very best, bar none. It gets down into the technical and minutiae without becoming a bore, and has enough of life inserted to make it readable. If you need a textbook on the M1903, this is The Book to own. now I have to consider disposing of several books I have purchased, as they are no longer needed>



3. I'm a firm believer that you can never have too many reference works in your field of interest. I bought this book as I had very little information on the Springfield rifles. This is one of the most comprehensive single subject books that I've come across and I'm very happy to have it on my shelves. It gives a very full rundown on the history of the rifle, all the various versions, the accessories and users. Its lavishly illustrated, well written, well laid out and it comes in a proper binding that makes it a pleasure to use.
   
   I can't speak too highly about this volume and I thoroughly recommend it to anyone interested in military firearms.



4. The book is really great, with a lot of work evidently put in on it. I would consider it a must for any serious collector's library. However, be forewarned, all of the photos are in black and white, and some are too dark to reveal the detail you would like to see for identification purposes. Having that been said, I still would want it as a part of my reference library, if not, but for the devotion that Lt. Col. Brophy put into it.



5. The first center-fire rifle I ever shot was a Springfield '03/A3 my Dad got from the Division of Civilian Marksmanship (DCM) during the late 1940s. I got my first antelope with that rifle and I still have it.
   
   Dad said that it was a replacement for an older M 1903 he'd sent back to the National Rifle Association in response to an appeal from them for the return of World War I surplus '03 Springfields. Our good friends the British, it seems, were in a spot of trouble after Dunkirk and desperately needed small arms like Dad's. Although we're more German than English, he reluctantly sent it back with the understanding that it would be returned "after the war."
   
   Of course he never got it back which triggered mumbled complaints about "Perfidious Albion", but I found pictures of the same type of rifle and its complete history in this excellent reference book by Colonel Brophy. I also found everything I needed to know about the M 1903/A3 which still enjoys a place of honor here and still goes out with me from time to time.
   
   Brophy's book is the starting point for the study of the Springfield '03 rifle. You simply cannot find a better, more accurate, more comprehensive book about '03 Springfields. If you have such a rifle, or are interested in them, you will need this book.
   
   I gave it five stars because it is well illustrated, exhaustively researched and the best single book on the '03 Springfield you will ever see. This is also the kind of book that tends to cost an arm and a leg once supplies of it have dried up. Collectors like me pass them down to their sons along witht the rifles they describe so well.

5 comments about Marble Mania.

1. Marble Mania will prove to be the standard to which other marble related books will be compared to. A thorough, comprehensive view of all aspects of marble collecting. Graphically superior with detail that will be utilized by not only the beginning collector but the advanced collector also. Mr. Block has taken the time, performed the research and compiled this vast amount of information into an enjoyable, eye and mind satisfying beautiful book. Mr. Block is clear in his intentions to continue to be the leader in an area of great challenge, I can't wait for Mr. Block's next marble book. The bar has been raised!



2. I bought this book for my husband (from Amazon) for Xmas. Not only is the book very beautiful, but he has become an expert in his own right. With a year-2000 interest in things retro, marbles are enjoying a boom. We now have jars of them everywhere, looking great and, according to this great book, appreciating in value as we watch. With the help of the pricing guides we discovered that we already owned some very valuable marbles, and have since acquired more. In fact, the book paid for itself about 10 minutes after we got it, with the discovery of an unrecognized treasure.



3. Marble Mania has fine photographs of every imaginable marble from pebbles found alongside streams to the Industrial Revolution in Germany & Austria. Here the cutting of agate cubes & polishing them into marbles for export all over the world became a huge cottage industry. You have to see the beauty of all the clay, pottery, crockery, china & porcelain globes. It was fun to read this big book. Found myself chatting at the local recycle shop about the blue canning jars in their windows filled with marbles. Eyeing them eagerly, with a little more knowledge & a few more names.



4. i loved this book because it gave you funny expample of how to play i also loved it because it gave you marbles that you can play with.
   from,
   caroline



5. wonderful photos', informative narrative, the new guy can't go wrong. And the speed of shipping can't be matched. Thanks all around.