2 comments about Warman's Fishing Lures Field Guide: Values an Didentification (Warman's Fishing Lures Field Guide).

1. This is an interesting book for the dealer & collector alike. Chockablock full of pictures & pertinant information on lures, one of those esoteric fields that you REALLY need a book to master.
   Carl Luckey is generous with sharing information on lures. I've learned plenty owning this book - I carry it in the car & I can't wait to find the "big one". Hope springs eternal!



2. The size of this book is the best thing about it. You can get all the info in other books but they are big and heavy to carry around at lure shows or just out looking at garage sales. It has very good pictures and accurate info.

1 comments about Connoisseur's Guide to Antique Glass (Connoisseur's Guides).

1. For the collector this is a book to dream with and display on your coffee table... for someone searching for information and ball park figures on Grandma's attic stuff this lacks both of those.

No comments about Good guns.

No comments about The Electric Kiln (Ceramics Handbooks).

1 comments about Roman Society: A Social, Economic, and Cultural History.

1. Professor Boren takes on the difficult task of explaining the development of Roman political institutions within the framework of social and economic developments that characterized the rise of the Romans from a regional to international power.
   
   Tracing the origins of the Roman people as possible refugees from the Trojan War who settled in and around a small backwater village on the Tiber River in Italy through the rise of their economic power and increased rivalry with their Etruscan neighbors, he explains how the Romans' penchant for both the organization and imitation of the positive traits of the peoples around gave them cultural and political advantages over their neighbors and propelled them to become a republic, to defeat first their immediate neighbor, the Etruscans, then the highly organized North African city-state, Carthage. From there, Rome went on to establish itself first as the leading power on the Italian peninsula and with the gradual conquest of lands in every direction from Italy, to become first a regional power and eventually the dominant force in Europe, North Africa and Eastern Asia.
   
   Boren explains that it was ongoing rivalry between the ancient landed nobility, the thirty-plus patrician families called the patricians and the emerging economic power of the "new men," new entries into the nobility, of bright and ambitious men such as Cicero and Pompey that led to the eventual downfall of the old republic when the Roman people decided to support economic and political "peace" even at the surrender of their ancient freedoms long guaranteed by a Senate that had become a hollow corrupt shell of the original grand and noble institution it once was.
   
   With the advent of the Empire, under Julius Caesar and after his assassination on March 15, 44 B.C, soon under his nephew and "chosen heir," Octavian, who became Caesar Augustus, a long period of political order came to the Rome to be known as the "Pax Romana." During this period a tremendous spurt of both political and economic growth came about.
   
   But social and political excesses, corruption, civil wars, pressure from incoming barbarian hordes and the removal of political power from Rome to Constantinople led to the initial decline and eventual fall of Roman power, first in the West with the sacking of Rome by barbarians in 344 and eventually in the East with the fall of Constantinople.
   
   Boren makes an excellent case for characterizing the decline of Rome not as some mere "historical accident," but rather as the direct and inevitable result of the decline of the social and political institutions that had once propelled Rome to the world stage.
   
   An excellent book that stands on its own as a useful overview of Roman Society and its cultural and political institutions within the context of its history.

No comments about Essential Songs: Movie Songs.

1 comments about U.s. Stamps: Collect All 50 States (U.S. Stamps).

1. The stamp album is very basic. But, it is a great, inexpensive album for a grade school child. They can see if they like the hobby without spending a lot of money

5 comments about Super #1 Robot: Japanese Robot Toys, 1972-1982.

1. My love affair with Japanese robots began with the Transformer toys of the 1980's...those generation one beauties that were at least part die-cast metal compared to the plastic versions of today. But as a collector my obsession grew once I found out there were Japanese Transformers that were never released here in the states, or were variations on the American versions such Twin Cast a re-colored version of Blaster which cold hold two of the mini-cassettes instead of one, or Sound Blaster which was an awesome black repaint of Soundwave. But as I started to get into collecting these Japanese versions I started finding other interesting toys...Macross I had been aware of for some time, mostly as model kits. And I knew that Takara had licensed a version of the transforming Valkyrie that would be called Jetfire. But then I discovered Popy, Bullmark, and Takatoku, among others and began learning about Mazinger and the Jumbo Machinders and so many others.
   
   While long time collectors may know all the history that "Super #1 Robot" relates, less knowledgeable collectors will certainly find it valuable. The book spans the history from 1972 to the early 80's and covering the first Popy toys right up to Bandai's Valkyries. These toys first started appearing on American toy store shelves in the mid-1970's but under new names with new background stories created for them. We knew them as Shogun Warriors or Micronauts. The book traces the history of Japanese robot toys which began to take off after WWII as weapons factories were re-tooled to make toys. Popy, a division of Bandai, would introduce the first Chogokin Mazinger Z toy in 1974. Made almost entirely of hefty die-cast metal, with bright enamel paints and real firing missiles and fists, they took Japan by storm. By 1977 there were over a dozen giant robot shows on Japanese TV and over two dozen makers of toys.
   
   The book provides a brief history on the main players such as Popy, Bullmark, Ark, Takatoku, and Takara. Popy introduced the Jumbo Machinder in 1973. Standing two feet tall and made of sturdy polyethylene these giant toys would become Shogun Warriors in the states, complete with a Saturday morning cartoon and comic book from Marvel Comics. But the real robot craze would begin a few years later with Takara's Diaclone series of transforming vehicles which would eventually make their way to our shores as the Transformers.
   
   Some 250 pages of full color photos trace the history of these robot toys from 1972 to 1982, just before the arrival of the Transformers. The photography by Tim Brisko is absolutely stunning and is worth the price of the book alone. Each photo has the toy name and number and the manufacturer. So what's pictured? Here's just a brief list: Getter 1 Chogokin, Great Mazinger, Robocon, Robo Meka, Black Raideen, Getter Ryger, Robo X, Gakeen, Dangard A, Buildplan Daikengo, Gokai Dragon, Tetsujin 28, GoLion, Royal Comination Daiojya, Combat Armor Dougram, VF-1F Super Valkyrie, and the Destroid Tomahawk.
   
   This is simply a fabulous book and one that needs to be in the collection of any die-hard Japanese robot collector or fan!
   
   Reviewed by Tim Janson



2. Hi, this is hubby James writing this review...
   
   I just got SUPER #1 ROBOT and it totally rocks. As much as I thought I knew about J-bots, this really showed how much I didn't know. Even if you are well-versed in "super robots" and anime mecha, expect to be surprised by some really far-out machines you've never seen, from shows you've never heard of (but wish you had)!
   
   The photos are wonderful, shot from a proper low perspective, giving these tiny giants their respect. They look like huge works of art here, which in some ways, they truly are. Great work! I am looking forward to Alt's next book very eagerly.



3. It's about time an American book in english came out on this subject, authored by people who know what they're talking about and thankfully NOT including tin and wind-up robots from the 60s and earlier. This little paperback is what chogokin collectors would humorously refer to as "robot porn." It's a glossy, high-quality picture book that causes salivation and drooling with the turn of every page. Unfortunately it is by no means a complete encyclopedic manual for all toys diecast during the 70s and 80s, but that can't be expected, considering such an undertaking would produce a book (or morelike a series of books) far heftier than this little paperback. Since that expectation is unreasonable, it is entirely forgivable since this little tome covers quite a chunk of the chogokin, vinyl and plastic market, and a nice variety, as well.
   
   First off the book construction is sweet - small and easily handled, it's like a mini coffeetable book with a glossy softcover. I wasn't expecting such a nicely made little book. There is minimal chitchat and all the talent is poured into the photography of the most mint-looking chogokin robots I have ever seen. I think the thing that I was most tickled about was there was a picture of a mint Tetsujin 28 in the front of the book, and a beat up, played-with, broken and paintchipped version of the same robot in the back of the book. The wear on the used robot shows more as a sign of how much that toy was loved, not abused, and anyone who loves collecting chogokin, I think, would get the same tingly warm feeling looking at that beat Tetsujin 28 as the shiny minty one.
   
   There are a few vinyl robots included in the line-up, and I could think of quite a few chogokin that were left out that could've taken up the pages of the vinyls, as I'm not much of a vinyl collector myself; vinyls are a whole other collector market and I can see why they were included in the book, but then again, I would've preferred that they weren't. Vinyls were usually monsters, but the ones that depict robots were the ones focussed on. All in all they don't take up a lot of space. Also the book is an almost even mix between the comical/humorous chogokin like Robocon and Robodachi and the more serious robot gladiators and team robots like the Godaikins; again these are (more or less) two different collector markets and not everyone collects both. As well, there are some Giant Machinders included, which is not even a scratch on the surface for them since there are quite literally hundreds if not more to collect in that category, but this book is really not meant to be a catalogued record of every robot ever made. Even though one will be able to think of some robots that were left out, all the major ones were included. The only complaint I have is that a lot of them are shown not holding a weapon, when many of them are known for their specific or characteristic weapon(s). Some are shown with a weapon, like Garbin, but too many are just robots standing weaponless. Again, though, this book isn't meant to be an official catalogue, so don't expect accessories to be featured.
   
   If you want lists and cataloging of every robot ever made during the 70s and 80s, there are plenty of online sites that attempt to accomplish such a massive undertaking. But if you want to flip through a nice hefty little book just to get the tingly warm feeling of joy gazing upon the robots of your childhood, this book is totally worth it. It's a little window peephole into the past, but man is it worth peeping.



4. I bought this book for my husband because he's obsessed with transforming robots. He squealed when he read it. The photography is wonderful and it is like a history book for the ultimate transforming robot fan.



5. In addition to Tim Brisko's incredible photography, Matt Alt and Robert Duban provide a brief history of Japanese toys that explains how these toys fit into the grand scheme of things. Recommended!

3 comments about The Official American Numismatic Association Grading Standards for United States Coins (Official American Numismatic Association Grading Standards for United States Coins).

1. This book is one of the finest if not the very best tool avaliable today, not only to collectors but dealers as well. I strognly reccomed the purcahse and use of this book. Keeping in mind that you must pay close attention to the details for accurate grading.



2. How many times have you heard a dealer say, "shine it up and it'll be BU?" If you're like me, you've seen the questionable grading standards of some dealers. Having a guide like this is absolutely essential if you're going to be spending money on coins. Being able to grade coins well is as essential to the hobby as buying the coin.

   This guide has more information that simply what to look for in grading coinage. It has information on the history of the hobby, how to detect cleaning and other alterations, what the key areas are to look for in coins, and some other useful articles.

   Grading coins is both art and science and you'll find even experts grading the same coin differently. But with a book like this you can have a basis of comparison. The only thing I wish the book had is more color photography of each grade/coin. But that's what the book Photograde is for...




3. This book contains the official grading standards of the ANA so obviously it is a must own for people who wish to grade within the standards of the ANA. I mean, that is why I purchased the thing but you know what?, I found that I didn't really need it...at least not this edition of it. This is because the ANA is the, ahem, gold standard when it comes to grading coins so practically any current book that you buy concerning the grading of coins will use this information as the baseline. Thus, you can buy books on the hobby that may focus on a topic more exciting to one and which are interesting reads as well, but which nevertheless will refer to the standards elucidated here as the starting point of any discussion of coin grade. What I am saying is that the information contained here is critical to establishing a coin grade so you probably already know what you need to know about these standards from other coins books you have read which purport to help you to establish grade bcause they use this book as a jumping off point. So, use this book as a reference manual, especially if you want to become a professional grader and all the while hope that the ANA comes out with an easier to read and more useful edition soon. Either that or read the other books out there by well-respected coin experts who use these standards and help you "how to use" the standards laid down in this book. The reason that I'd rely upon experts who write books on the hobby for such guidance is that they understand what makes one coin more desirable than another even though each ostensibly meet the objective standards contained in this book, and they tell you how they know and try to instruct you how to do the same. The best way that I can demonstrate what I am talking about is that I bought a coin on ebay that was slabbed by NGC to be a 1938 D/S buffalo nickel. I returned the coin to seller because the '8' in '1938' had been sheared off at the mint. Yet, this coin was in MS-65 condition according to the standards laid down in this book. Get my point?

1 comments about American Furniture of the 19th Century: 1840-1880 (Schiffer Book for Collectors).

1. This book serves as an excellent reference for Victorian furniture and is a great buying aid due to the large number of photographs with captions that identify the maker. Includes profiles of many of the famous makers such as John Henry Belter and J & JW Meeks.