2 comments about International Hallmarks on Silver Collected by Tardy.

1. Tardy is *the* standard book for silver hallmarks. Alas, the French company that produced it has gone out of business and it is now virtually impossible to find this book anywhere.

   The book is organised by country, and has two indexes - an "analytical" (pictorial) index showing the marks grouped together by "subject" (all the bird marks are together, all the crown marks together and so on) and telling you where in the book you will find the full details of that mark, and a second text index which tells you where to find the dog hall marks in the pictorial index.

   Highly recommended - if you can find a copy!




2. A good reference book but it you really need information regarding silver and their hallmarks save your money and get "The Directory of Gold and Silversmiths: Jewellers and Allied Traders 1838-1914" by John Culme. This is the bible for silver!

3 comments about The Gun and its Development (Ninth Edition).

1. This book is a complete sporting gun encyclopedia, it has made many of my gun books totally useless as this one looks to be the source of all information other authors used to create their books. Although its the least costing book I own, it is certainly the most valuable one.



2. Not much more to say. If you purchase, admire, fire, or just drool over old firearms you need to add this book to your shelf. Every bit as important to the collector as the works by the late great George Madis. It is not necessarily a fun or even easy book to read but it is THE authoritative historical reference. If you can get your hands on an original hard-cover edition you'll find that the illustrations are just a bit clearer -- but bring more money.



3. Everything you will ever need to know about Guns and Ammunition of all types , most informative.

No comments about Baseball Cards of the Fifties: The Complete Topps Cards 1950-1959.

1 comments about Illustrated Catalog of Civil War Military Goods: Union Weapons, Insignia, Uniform Accessories and Other Equipment.

1. I am a collector of Civil War relics and this book is a must have.

5 comments about Poor Richard's Almanack (1733).

1. Love this book. I am a fan of Benjamin Franklin. He is so witty and thoughtful. I also like Henry David Thoreau.



2. Ben Franklin's book is loaded with tips just as relevant today as they were centuries ago. You will truly be surprised at the amount of knowledge, useful knowledge, you get from this book.



3. Given as a gift so have no input. Recipient did not care for the format of the book.



4. So to start, there is a huge problem with this page. If you utilize Amazon's Search Inside feature for this version of the book it is actually showing you the inside of a different copy of Poor Richards Almanack. What you see is definitely not the inside of this book and I'll tell you why later.
   
   Another problem with this page is the fact that people are reviewing the content of Poor Richards Almanack and giving you, the consumer, a history lesson on the book. But come on... the content of the book is pretty much a given. If you're not familiar with the Poor Richards Alamanack, then it's probably a good idea to check it out from a library before you buy it. You would want to own a copy simply for novelty's sake.
   
   So onto the review of the actual product... This is a very poor copy in terms of quality (just like this review). This is just speculation, but it literally appears as if someone from the publisher went to the copy machine with an original copy of the book, pressed the "Enlarge 150%" button, photocopied the entire original book onto larger paper, bound it, put a cover on it, and sold it as the copy you see here. The black space you see on the cover is about the size of the margins within the book. This creates an obnoxious amount of white space around the paragraphs which in turn makes the book difficult to read. On top of this, some of the pages are slightly crooked.
   
   So as I've stated, the content is exactly like the original, but you can easily find a better version than this one. Unless the book was intended for people with impaired vision, there is no reason the original book should have been blown up and placed on 2 inch margins. I would steer clear of this version and find a better one.
   
   As a side note, there are several versions of Poor Richards Almanack. Some have his quotes reorganized into categories and some versions have his quotes re-written into more modern language. And there is, of course, the original. For Christmas, I got my Mom the original as well as the one with the organized quotes. So I guess it's whatever your preference is.



5. Though Benjamin Franklin never suggests that all the words are his, his assembly of commonly used phrases and sayings provides the reader with material that will make them think. Do remember, that this doesn't read like a novel.

3 comments about British Military Flintlock Rifles, 1740-1840.

1. For students of antique British military rifles, this is THE sourcebook to buy! I saw a copy at a friend's house and couldn't put it down. It is the best work to date on the subject! Collectors, museum staff, historical artists, and militaria buffs will find a gold mine of information, especially on the Baker rifle. The attention to the small details, such as gun tools, ammunition and actual performance in the field really completed this work.But be warned, you might find yourself humming "Over the Hills and Far Away"!!!



2. The beginning of real, verified info on the British rifle, and the dispelling of myths about them, and about the men who carried them.
   
   DeWitt Bailey is a thorough scholar, and leaves little to chance or to lore. Unlike other recent books about British riflemen (Phillip Wright's "Rifleman" and Haythornthwaite's "British Rifleman", for example) which rely on traditionally-believed information and guesswork from regimental museums and reenactors for their content, Mr Bailey wields a well-written, easily readable mix of official records, primary sources such as diaries, journals, inspection returns, official correspondence etc., all laid out in assiduous detail, complete with all sources in footnotes and a voluminous bibliography.
   
   Lots of myth busting: The concept of the Ferguson rifle was not invented by Patrick Ferguson. The Baker rifle was not called a Baker rifle in its heyday. The 95th Rifles gave up powder horns very early on- why? Buy the book and you will find out, and, you can trust the info Mr Bailey gives you- it's all backed up with solid research. Would that more writers in this field were like him!



3. I really enjoyed this book. It's very much like another magnificent book, The Flintlock by Torsten Lenk.

3 comments about 5,000 Years of Textiles (Five Thousand Years of Textiles).

1. This is an excellent textile history survey and a welcome addition to any costume/textile library. However, the changes the publishers have made in producing this edition are deplorable (check the dimensions in the product specs). The book is much smaller than the original edition and difficult to handle when one is reading and taking notes. The font is miniscule, probably about 6 point, and makes reading difficult and unenjoyable. The illustrations - which in the older edition are wonderful - are scaled down to such a small size that their impact and usefulness is diminished considerably. Publishers should keep in mind when they are making changes in format to cut costs that the reader's experience does not suffer.



2. Great book, lots of info and great pics. i just wish the print was alittle bigger



3. this is a good book that can give you a quik review about the historey of textile.its a very freindly book that can give even to the amateur reader any idea about textile.

No comments about Neat Pieces: The Plain-Style Furniture of Nineteenth-Century Georgia.

4 comments about SS Uniforms, Insignia and Accoutrements: A Study in Photographs.

1. Very sensitive and intelligent vision of uniforms used by ss political and army organisation. The must for collectors and reenactors people. Every one must have it !



2. A must have for the collector. A.Hayes shows everthing from Uniforms, Helmets, Weapons, Musical Intrustments to childrens toys. He also shows period photographs not seen before. He does not fill the book up with the history of the SS where you can get anywhere else and concentrates on the colored photos.



3. Wonderful reference guide with full colour photographs of SS tunics and SS related gear such as insignia, cufftitles, daggers etc... Includes B&W photos as a historical reference point, very useful for those contemplating the purchase of any SS related items or those restoring uniforms. A must for any SS enthusiast!



4. The book is a great photographic resource since there are few resources on this topic, however for the price, I was expecting more detail. There are many nicely detailed photographs of badges, insignia, and accoutrements, but I would have personally liked to see more detailed photos of the uniforms.
   
   Pictures of medals, belt buckles, and cloth badges were all well photographed in the front and back. The uniforms had front and back pictures as well (but not all of them). I wanted to see the inside lining of the tunics. It may be too much for some, but I thought if the author showed the internal label in the collar, he should also include areas like the internal lining near the cuff, back, and front button areas.
   
   The book is more of a general reference for a look at uniforms than a detailed look at the construction and detail of some key areas (for collectors or curious people) is a downside. So if you want detailed photos of uniforms then I would suggest another book, but if you just want a general idea of the uniforms, insignia, and accoutrements, then this book is a good resource.

1 comments about Quilts and Quiltmakers: Covering Connecticut (Schiffer Book for Collectors and Designers,).

1. Well, I wasn't joking. One of the quilts in this book is from my family.This book is very personal to me. For sometime, I have been trying to see the family quilt. But due to the age of, it wasn't a good idea to pull it out of storge. I was unable to see it person.

   But now, I am so glad it was put in this book. And I now know what it looks like. I understand now,why heirlooms need to be sheared with others.This is part of American History that needs to be sheared with everyone.

   This book is not a "how-to" book on quilting. This is like a "text book" on the History of quilts and quiltmakers in Connecticut.

   This is real "Americana" quilting shown in this book. The stories are wonderful that go with each quilt,and lots, and lots of color pictures. A quilter's must, who loves Historic quilt designs. As you can see I love the book. :o)