1 comments about How to Recognize and Refinish Antiques for Pleasure and Profit, 5th (How to Recognize and Refinish Antiques for a Pleasure).

1. If you have an attic of old items or a penchant for garage sales and 'junk', you may be surprised to find with that only a few simple tools you can turn inexpensive 'found objects' into treasures for a personal collection or resale. This is for the part-time antique collector and provides tips on everything from evaluating furniture, metal, and other common items to gluing, coloring, and refinishing antiques. An excellent guide any part-time hobbyist or collection catering to them needs.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch

5 comments about Twelve Red Herrings.

1. I consider this compilation of fast-paced short stories to be a good read. If critics say this is not one of Archer's best, then, I look forward to reading his other materials.

   Compared with Roald Dahl's Tale of the Unexpected, which is also a compilation of short stories, I prefer this one more.




2. Is the first book of stories that I really like, there is one finish that I didn't like at all, the story of the painter. Is also the first time that I can select what finish I like from a story, let me tell you that if I can change the end of some books I will.
   All the stories are easy to read and have their own message (except the story of the painter, or maybe I didn't understood it.)



3. Jeffrey Archer's 'Twelve Red Herrings' are imaginative, well-written short stories. Archer (now Lord Archer, the variously popular-then-disgraced-then-popular-currently-disgraced Tory almost-leader) is better known for his novels, but has proven himself to be a good author of short stories as well.

   Each of the twelve tales in the collection contains an unexpected twist in the character or outcome, something that Archer is good at providing in most plots he's written. Archer seems to have the knack of taking one idea and spinning it, like a spider's web coming from one small strand, into a very fine and very wide reaching net that catches you and keeps you involved until the end.

   In 'Cheap at Half the Price' we are introduced to Consuela Rosenheim, a woman with expensive tastes which require both a wealthy husband and wealthy lover to satisfy, working in concert but each unwitting of the other. Her procurement of a necklace is a wonderful story.

   In 'Trial and Error' we follow Cooper on an ingenious plot for revenge, to finally carry out the murder for which he has already been sentenced and convicted, knowing that due to the construct of the law, the murder cannot be punished (he has already been convicted and served his time).

   The final story is my favourite, and of course you will, as I did, read all the endings: Archer provides a brief tale of desire-at-first-sight and the variations on the theme; how will it turn out? A question we often ask in life, and wonder will it end up well done or burnt to a crisp? Using this analogy, 'One Man's Meat...' follows a man who sees a beautiful woman while driving by, and stops to pursue her. What will happen? Is she single or married? Is HE single or married? Will she be flattered or offended? In the four alternate endings to this tale, the reader experiences each alternative.

   This is good bedtime reading, as most of the stories can be finished in under half-an-hour. For those who have not read Archer before, this is a good introduction to his storytelling style. This will not be confused for great literature, but is definitely a good yarn.




4. The 12 stories in this book are all readable. Some of the stories are brilliant -- for e.g. One man's meat where the reader is presented with 4 different outcomes.
   
   The thing I liked about all his stories inspite of some of them not having an "a-ha" at the ending was the engaging style of Mr. Archer that keeps you turning the pages.
   
   The writing style is consistent and the set of stories is way above your ordinary short stories.



5. This book is a series of twelve short stories with intriguing plots. Good read.

No comments about Parker Guns Shooting Flying.

2 comments about Million Dollar Nickels: Mysteries of the 1913 Liberty Head Nickels Revealed....

1. Hello, I'm Donn Pearlman and I was actively involved in the surprisingly successful search in 2003 for the George O. Walton specimen 1913 Liberty Head nickel. It had been missing from the hobby for more than 40 years; kept in a strongbox with family papers ON THE FLOOR OF A CLOSET FOR DECADES by a family that was mistakently told in 1962 the coin was a fake!
   
   So, I'm more than a bit biased when I say that this book is fantastic. The authors revealed information even I didn't know about the worldwide search. Of course, this wonderful book is much more than just the hunt for the Walton coin. It is a superbly-written numismatic detective story, examining the mysterious circumstances that led to striking the five-known 1913 Liberty Head nickels, and the colorful people who have owned one or more over the years.
   
   Enjoy,
   -donn-
   Donn Pearlman
   American Numismatic Association Board of Governors, 1989 - 1993
   Professional Numismatists Guild, Affiliate Member



2. I am a 48 year old attorney who has collected coins on the side since my paper route days 40 years ago. As a collector, I appreciate the history and lore that accompanies the hobby. Unfortunately, most of my non collector friends think it is akin to watching paint dry. This book is a great example of why non coin collectors SHOULD read stories involving coins. You may find it hard to believe the authors could write 300 pages about a nickel, but it was well done and a very enjoyable read. This is a great book for anyone -- part folk history, part mystery, part treasure hunt -- about one of the most famous coins of all time. A MUST read for collectors and a SHOULD read for everyone else.

5 comments about Antique Boxes, Tea Caddies, & Society 1700-1880 (Schiffer Book for Collectors,).

1. One does not have to be an expert to love this book. It is a treasure trove of information on all kinds of English boxes from the 18th to the early 20th centuries. Packed with photographs and intelligent text, it is simply the best, most informative, most comprehensive book on the subject. It's easy to tell the writers are not only experts with vast experience but lovers of these boxes too.
   I'm particularly interested in writing boxes, and I could wish for more chapters on these, but that is purely out of a sense of greed. The whole book is fascinating, whether one is browsing or studying. Thanks.



2. Look I stipulate that this is most likely the best book currently on tea caddies and box's and such, but these reviews are so gushing. This book is not prefect, the font is poor and it is overpriced at 90.00 U.S. I think it is well worth 50.00 U.S., but for 90.00 I expect more pages and better quality. I was expecting the Holy Grail when I ordered this book, the reviews where hailing this as the burning bush; what I got was a good book, a very good book on tea caddies and box's, but not the end all be all. If you love tea caddies and such you will immediately enjoy this book, but the sticker shock may take a bit longer to get over.



3. This book is a box collectors dream come true. Excellent detailed photos combined with informational prose.I am glad I purchased it.



4. Good information on the periods, materials and types of antique boxes most frequently collected. Photography excellent and item pricing accurate. I love this book and it's helped me enormously.



5. My wife enjoyed the book very much, very enlightening and educational, well done and presented. Worth the cost and more!

5 comments about Peace of Mind: Insights on Human Nature That Can Change Your Life.

1. This was a favorite that sold a half million in the sixties. Viet Nam probably killed the interest. The insights of Liebman are surprising. If you like to think a problem down to its roots, please do not miss Liebman. Written for mature minds, it is pure intellectual gold.



2. I borrowed and read this book more than 20 years ago and the lesson has stayed with me. Of all the things that I believe I desire, the only thing that will sustain me always is peace of mind. Beyond health, wealth, and happiness, I need to be at peace with myself. This book gave me insight into how to maintain my peace during the times that my world was in turmoil. It is not about religion or even "self help", it is about shared human experience and the spirit's desire. I have been looking for a copy of this book for myself since the day I returned the one I read. I find it ironic that I have literally spent decades looking for "Peace of Mind" when I already know that the only place to find it is in myself. I still hope to find a copy of it for myself one day. I wish you peace.



3. I am reading the (sixth) printing of this book..which my dad read in 1946! Its theme is ageless, and it should be widely read today! If we could only attain self control of our own minds...enough so as to follow the recipe Dr Liebman has proposed....what glorious peace would be within us! I am ordering copies to give as gifts...hoping to share the joy of reading this book with my dearest friends and my children this holiday season. I am so happy to find it actively traded and shared 55 years later!



4. This is a complete work on the behavioral aspects of the human
   condition. The author describes the good life, mastering
   passions, personal unity, the true self and acceptance of
   personal imperfections. The author believes that we must learn
   to love or perish. He points to simple human needs consisting
   of acceptance, approval and companionship. Democracy is
   defined as tolerance in political relations. Insecurity is seen
   as a manifestation of prior and perhaps continuing
   inadequacies. The work encourages us to accept ourselves and
   others with limitations and imperfections. The author
   defines the inner human core of the soul, nervous system,
   mind and an inner strength which binds the various
   components. Finally, he encourages us to remove inner
   insecurities by buttressing our individual and collective
   self esteem. This is an important work in promoting
   successful human relations.



5. I think of my beloved father Reuben Kelly Freedman and how he read and reread this book. He spoke often of searching for ' peace of mind'. And I think a book with this title is of course of most interest to those who are disturbed, restless, anxious troubled who in short have ' no peace of mind'. In this sense ' peace of mind' is not an exotic condition or an absurd goal. An ordinary mind which functions without feeling pain is in some sense in ' peace of mind'. And anyone who has been troubled in mind and comes to a kind of rest 'knows what 'peace of mind 'is. So I commend the work, not because I believe its various suggestions will in a fullproof way lead to 'peace of mind' for anyone, but because it may be of help. And apparently this work has helped thousands of people. And one more point. Help is not necessarily total. It can be some small tip inside which the person sees and which just suits them and their situation which gives them the bit of daylight they need to come out of a dark time.
   This is not a fullproof answer, but it may be worth trying to receive help.

5 comments about Encyclopedia of U.S. Gold Coins: 1795 - 1933, Circulating, Proof, Commemorative, and Pattern Issues.

1. Every now and then a real masterpiece of Numismatic research is created and made available to the public and the Encyclopedia of US Gold Coins: 1795-1933 is one of those masterpieces. As a professional coin dealer who specializes in better and rare dated gold coins I strongly suggest tha aquisition of this book as it will help the collector as well as investor of rare gold coins become more knowledgeable in the various series of US gold coins and there can never be too much information when researching this large and diverse area of coin collecting.



2. This excellent,large coffee table type book lists every American Gold coin,proof,and pattern ever struck.Gives Population figures, mintages,beautiful pictures and the latest auction records and availability of all gold coins. No serious numismatist should be without this awesome reference book!!!!



3. Any coin collector enchanted by TRULY rare classic U.S. coins (i.e., coins where mere DOZENS of examples still exist!) would do himself a huge favor by acquiring this volume. Here is one book that more than replaces the groundbreaking multi-volume U.S. gold work of David Akers.
   
   Believe it or not, there ARE still many bargains to be had in U.S. numismatics... and they reside in the U.S. gold series. Fact: Many U.S. gold coins dwarf in rarity the "keys" in any other U.S. series by 10X or even 100X.
   
   Amazingly, today's prices (even with gold bullion way up) simply don't begin to reflect this incredible rarity.
   
   Interested? Here's just the volume to guide you along the path to discovering all these hidden treasures.
   
   Does it really get any better than GOLD? I don't think so. It (and silver) are the only metals historically and universally recognized as REAL money. But gold stands alone as the one metal not subject to hideously damaging long-term environmental contamination.
   
   In its day and time, one gold coin might have represented an average working man's weekly or monthly wages. Accordingly, U.S. gold coins have historically been collected only by the super rich. But clearly this no longer need be the case. The rich collected ONLY the very top-grade examples available. These coins continue to be very expensive. Largely neglected, however, have been gold coins of lower grade (coins which would be perfectly acceptable specimens in any other U.S. series.) Bonus: In some cases, the gold content alone accounts for 30-50% of one's purchase price. So the value of your collection is meaningfully backed by gold itself.
   
   We are fortunate to live in a day and time where these lower grade examples of incredibly rare U.S. gold coins are still available (albeit with considerable searching) at true bargain basement pricing -- a combination of rarity and pricing guaranteed to quicken a coin collector's pulse.
   
   This all becomes clear in one glorious volume of amazing scope and breadth.
   
   The price of this volume is likewise bargain-priced. Hundreds of beautiful full color photos on hundreds of pages -- all on glossy heavy paper stock. Paradoxically, the bargain nature of this book about classic Americana is likely due to its having been printed in CHINA. But I have to give credit where credit is due: There is absolutely nothing second-rate about this book's cosmetics or content.
   
   My advice? Buy it as fast as your fingers can click on the order button!



4. If there was a book that was over hyped, this would be it. This book gives you nothing more than production amounts and supposed current values. There is nothing in this book that can't be found elsewhere. I was expecting an abundance of information on things to look for in a coin, similar in nature to Walter Breens works, die markings, die pairings. What I have gotten is a book that has some nice pictures....and thats it. Do yourself a favor and skip this book.



5. If what one is expecting is a well illustrated overview of all gold issues, together with superb documentation of each and every piece of information presented, this is an epitomy of outstanding presentation and scholarship.
   
   On the other hand, if one would desire to know detailed facts about each particular date and mint issue, the die varieties and the like, there are alternatives in multiple volumes, from authors such as Doug Winter for the Southern Mints or Carson City, that certainly detail much more information about those aspects than a one volume book could hope to cover.
   
   I suppose much has to do with one's expectations. This book met my expectations much in the way that my volume of Breen does. Often it is a starting point. The information provided by Breen is not that deeply detailed compared with the immense amount of literature that has been published since his leaving the scene, and the varieties he identified often are not wholly complete. Yet, I have never found that to detract in the least from my enjoyment of Breen as light reading or my ability to use that volume as a first stop when viewing a coin in a series in which I have a limited knowledge.

2 comments about Indian Baskets (Schiffer Book for Collectors).

1. I first learned of this book from a basket trader in Tucson who was explaining why I could never find any Pima baskets that matched a photograph in a booklet I had. He suspected the photographer used a brown filter to enhance the appearance. He pulled out a copy of "Indian Baskets" to show me the difference and told me if I was serious about baskets I needed to get this book. In it, I found along with beautiful photographs large enough to see in detail of many tribes' baskets: an encyclopedia of information including a list of tribes that still made baskets with descriptions of the designs each uses, detailed drawings and descriptions of the many different stitches used in baskets, a chart that can be used to find which tribes make baskets with your favorite stitches, and even a list of prices for baskets sold a few years ago. It was the book I longed to find on this topic. The one obvious omission was a list of sites where tribes sell baskets today, but fortunately that information is readily available from other sources.



2. Completely indispensable text for the weaver, curator, researcher, student, collector or just plain curious. Not a theoretical text; rather, the intent is to enable the reader to identify any basketry work produced by Native North Americans from the Arctic to the Southeast.

   This book has scores of photos, including a preliminary section where baskets from each geographical region are reproduced in good color photos. Good but simple overview of the history of Native basketry, *great* overview of techniques with schematic drawings. Also has a thorough bibliography. A must-have reference book for any Native American or art-focused library.

No comments about New England's Visitors from Outer Space (Collectible Classics, No. 8).

2 comments about SEVEN FOR A SECRET.

1. Thirteen year old Frederica (called so she tells us because there were many in her family line but she prefers to be called Fred) lives in what she calls "genteel poverty" with her mother and two maids. All questions about her Father are meet with a stone face and very little information from her Mother....the first secret surrounding Fred.

   Soon Fred's Mother becomes so ill she has to be sent to a nursing home and Fred is sent to live with her Mothers sister in Wiltshire. Fred quickly makes friends with two of her new classmates. Rachel, quiet and reserved and Tamarisk, just the opposite! Other new acquaintances include Tamarick's much older widowed brother, who, much to Freds dismay finds her, at 13, plain. Fred dislikes him ....though she can not seem to stop thinking about the dark man. Also to be found here is Lucy Lane and her unbalanced (why she is this way is yet another secret) sister Flora. This is where Fred becomes reaquainted with the old child's rhyme One for sorrow Two for Joy Three for a girl Four for a boy Five for silver Six for gold and seven for a secret never to be told.

   As the three girls grow to womanhood Fred finds there are many secrets surrounding their lives. When the truths are finally revealed will Fred be able to move past them and find happiness or will she be forever reminded haunted by them?

   Many people complain that Victoria Holt's books are too alike. I think this is what keeps bringing me back. You can always count on a brave heroine, egnimatic love interests and of course a gripping story. "Seven For A Secret" is no exception. I found it a very interesting book. At just under 300 pages it is a quick and consuming read! If you have never read Holt it is a great book to start with... if you are a fan and somehow missed this book what are you waiting for?




2. Don't believe what's written in the editorial review from Publishers Weekly. Read the book and find out for yourself how good it is. As one would expect from Victoria Holt this book is yet another winner. All of her books are easy to read, and she spins an interesting yarn. I agree that her stories tend somewhat to follow a pattern but as the other reviewer has already pointed out, this is what brings readers back to her time and time again.
   This book is as good as any of her other titles to start on if you haven't previously tried this author. You may also be interested to know that Victoria Holt wrote over 200 books (under several different pseudonyms). All I want to say to Publishers Weekly is - if the books are as bad as they say this one is why would a publisher have printed so many of her titles, and why would the author remain (to this day) so well-beloved to many readers all over the world. At the time of this review several of this author's books under the pseudonym of Jean Plaidy have just been reprinted. The Jean Plaidy titles are magnificent (if you like historical fiction) & they too are very easy to read.