No comments about Pigment Compendium: A Dictionary and Optical Microscopy of Historic Pigments.

5 comments about O'Brien's Collecting Toy Trains: Identification and Value Guide (O'Brien's Collecting Toy Trains).

1. This 5th edition, 448 page volume contains a wealth of information, updated with the latest prices. It contains over 6,000 listings and more than 2,200 photos, mostly black and white (plus a 16 page full color section containing very large, sharp photos). In addition to the complete listings, it provides background information on each manufacturer. Topics range from American Flyer to Lionel, to Marx and Tootsietoy. A number of pages cover "miscellaneous" makers. Every item bears prices for up to 3 grades of condition. A must for toy train collectors!



2. This book is worth 10 times the money,It has valuable pictures and price guides for various makes and models.It also has accessories with price guide. I would recomend this book to anyone who collects model trains.



3. For the first time in full color, the updated 6th edition of O'Brien's Collecting Toy Trains pairs photos of the leading brands with listings of collectible pieces and their values. Over a thousand such photos provide visual reference to updated prices of over 6,000 train listings, organized handily by maker name for quick reference. David Doyle is a renowned toy expert who has produced catalogs of Lionel trains before: O'Brien's Collecting Toy Trains expands to other makers, includes color sidebars of data and information, and is a 'must' for any avid train collector.



4. The 6th edition is much improved over previous editions, especially with more and clearer pictures. It does have two faults -- almost nothing on pre-war American Flyer accessories (neither did previous editions) and seems to have left out Marx 3/16 scale tinplate cars, a very popular catagory, and which was included in previous editions.



5. This book is very helpful tool to determine values and identification of collectible model trains. There are numerous good quality pictures and a very complete listing of models. Valuation of trains are in line with other publications. Very good reference for a collector or a model train dealer.

5 comments about My American Journey: An Autobiography.

1. I read the book and had to get the CD set for my husband's aunt. She loves to read non-fiction, patriotic American historical insights, etc. She cannot see now and longed for such things. She is a huge Powell fan (as am I) and wanted to share his story with her. Colin Powell is a hero and I have nothing but respect for the man and what he has done for this country! When he left the State Department, it was truly a sad, sad day.
   
   This book is written and read with intellect and interest that will keep you listening from beginning to end.



2. CP did himself a diservice when he chose whomever to help him write this. I was completely surprised how bad the writing was. CP has an interesting story, but his author fails him. In the Army we would call this good initiative, poor execution. Terribly underwritten.
   
   In the book Powell states that minorities are under represented in elite forces aka Rangers, Special Forces, etc. because of institutional racism. That is a total lie, and it is racism on his part. I began in the Army as an enlisted soldier and retired as an officer after 20+ years. The only racism I experienced was when my African American squad leader took care of all of the other African Americans in my squad and platoon and gave me the crappest and worst details because I was white.
   
   Besides that experience, after much experience in the Army I have never seen a more racially fair organization in my life. If there was every fairness and opportunity for minorities, it is certainly in the Army. There is a lot to dislike about the Army like ego maniacs allowed to run loose and having stupid people in charge of you and utterly ridgid thinkers, but the Army did, from my perspective, an excellent job with fairness to everyone with regard to color. I also served from the squad level to the platoon level to company level as an enlisted soldier and an officer, and I served at the battalion level and brigade level as an officer. I have been a few places and seen and done a few things if you are unsure about my validity.
   
   So, it seriously surprises me that CP said this. I think he was making a cheap political excuse to curry favor or work out an old grudge. By the way, after I left my unit, my squad leader got caught cheating on his wife with another African American squad leader, and his wife left him. I am sure he go into more trouble than that, but at least there was some justice.



3. This is a great book and an inspirational story of what one can accomplish in America if one has the drive. Powell was born from two poor Jamaican immigrants and rose, quickly, to the highest uniform office in America, and took some of the top political posts (or was offered them), though he wrote this before he became Sec of State. Looks like a volume two would be a good idea. After reading this my respect for Powell has grown. He served under five presidents, top posts under four of them. It is an amazing story of an amazingman.



4. Well, I kind of liked Colin Powell once. I kinda don't anymore. The book was ... dull. The same old same old - Horatio Alger type stuff. I bought the book because I thought that Colin might be going someplace and I wanted a glimpse at his philosophy. After his stint in Republican politics his future in that area looks pretty dim.
   He was a soldier and he has the soldier mentality. This book was probably designed to put him on his political career. I liked Swartzkoff's book much better. What happened to Swartzkoff anyway?



5. I read biographies of key officials as a means of trying to understand how they make decisions, and on what basis of fact or fancy they make decisions.
   
   Colin Powell is a great man, and I hope he returns as Secretary of State under a transpartisan team. He was destroyed by Dick Cheney and his own confusion of loyalty versus integrity.
   
   Here is the sentence, on page 293, that made my day:
   
   when he was Military Assistant to then Sectary of Defense Casper Weinberger, he preferred the Early Bird with its compendium of newspaper stories to the "cream of overnight intelligence" which was delivered to the Secretary of Defense by a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) courier each morning.
   
   See also:
   Preparing America's Foreign Policy for the 21st Century
   Vice: Dick Cheney and the Hijacking of the American Presidency
   Running on Empty: How the Democratic and Republican Parties Are Bankrupting Our Future and What Americans Can Do About It
   Weapons of Mass Deception: The Uses of Propaganda in Bush's War on Iraq
   Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA
   The New Craft of Intelligence: Personal, Public, & Political--Citizen's Action Handbook for Fighting Terrorism, Genocide, Disease, Toxic Bombs, & Corruption
   Fog Facts: Searching for Truth in the Land of Spin
   The Price of Loyalty : George W. Bush, the White House, and the Education of Paul O'Neill
   High Noon 20 Global Problems, 20 Years to Solve Them

No comments about Vintage Christmas Ceramic Collectibles.

1 comments about Carnival Glass: Warman's Companion.

1. Great take along book for the car. Let's me evaluate glass that I am looking at.

No comments about The Penny Bank Book (Schiffer Book for Collectors).

1 comments about Maxfield Parrish Identification and Price Guide (Maxfield Parrish: Identification & Price Guide) (Maxfield Parrish: Identification & Price Guide).

1. Incredibly useful. I believe Flacks has written the most accurate and convenient pricing guide available for Maxfield Parrish collectors and anyone else who wants to figure out what a Parrish item is worth. If you're looking for a great coffee table book, I suggest Alma Gilbert's The Masterworks. -- James Halperin, sf novelist (The Truth Machine & The First Immortal) and Parrish collector.

1 comments about Knoll Furniture: 1938-1960.

1. If you love modern furniture, you will love the history of Knoll. This book provides excellent photos, with all the history on the family of designers that made this company what it is. Every interior designer needs to read this one!

4 comments about Collecting Fluorescent Minerals.

1. Minerals from the United States from New Jersey to Arizona and California, as well as unusual selections from mineral mines around the world, are profiled in Stuart Schneider's Collecting Flourescent Minerals, a guide to gathering in the field and one of the most complete references to the topic in print. While introductory pages discuss notable mine sources and fluorescent minerals, the heart Schneider's discussion lies in color photos of the minerals themselves, supplementing a price guide which reveals glow factors and favorable lighting.



2. This is a terrific book for the beginner as well as for someone who has been collecting for years. Tons of pictures, explainations, and locations of where certain minerals were found, as well as what to look for when rock hunting yourself.



3. I have both of Stuart Schneider's books and think they are wonderful. I collected fluorescent rocks all over Europe for many years, and now I am doing the same here in the Southwest USA. Stuart is an honest man and he knows a great deal about the subject. It is difficult to get the printed colors in the book to match the beauty one sees in reality, but he comes closer than anyone else. His books are required as part of any good book collection about fluorescence.



4. Pictures are fairly decent and accurate, with minor exceptions. A few obvious PhotoShop jobs. But the text has factual and spelling errors that number in the hundreds. I still recommend this book to beginners I come in contact with, but I cringe at the errors I see. Price Guide is 100% subjective, therefore worthless. Most likely what the author paid for the rocks he bought and included. If it were accurate, I'd have a rock worth over $37,000.
   
   Book was published with far too much "blind faith" in references. This should have been published by a person who is more knowledgeable and committed, not a "dabbler".

1 comments about The Artist-Signed Postcard Price Guide, Second Edition: A Comprehensive Reference.

1. Mashburn writes terrific books. His Postcard Guide is the best general book out there. He also does specialized postcard books such as this one. Anyone who collects artist-signed postcards will want this book, no question about it.

   It is filled with hundreds of pages and pictures of all our favorite artists, like Harrison Fisher, Philip Boileau, Earl Christy, as well as the more obscure yet fabulous artists like Lupiac and others. He covers a variety of categories, like Beautiful Ladies, Beautiful Children, Nudes, Blacks, Sports, and Comics. He includes a reference section in the front which goes over important information such as how to determine the age of a card, grade a card's condition, and so on. My only quibble with this book is that all the inside images are in black and white, and I would have loved to see some in color. Perhaps in the next edition.

   If you're looking for a comprehensive reference on Artist-Signed postcards, this is the book to buy.