5 comments about Bayonets - An Illustrated History.

1. Written by a military photographer of 24 years' experience, Bayonets: An Illustrated History offers an in-depth examination of the role of the bayonet in military conflicts worldwide from 1650 to present. More than 500 photographs enhance Bayonets: An Illustrated History. 300 different types of bayonets are closely scrutinized; almost every photograph features a capsule of notes specific to its topic. The text, while intended more for serious military historian than the lay reader, is highly accessible as it traces the design evolutions and purposes of bayonets as history passed. A welcome contribution to military and weapon history shelves.



2. Written by a military photographer of 24 years' experience, Bayonets: An Illustrated History offers an in-depth examination of the role of the bayonet in military conflicts worldwide from 1650 to present. More than 500 photographs enhance Bayonets: An Illustrated History. 300 different types of bayonets are closely scrutinized; almost every photograph features a capsule of notes specific to its topic. The text, while intended more for serious military historian than the lay reader, is highly accessible as it traces the design evolutions and purposes of bayonets as history passed. A welcome contribution to military and weapon history shelves.



3. Like a few other military books Bayonets: An Illustrated History by great author Martin J. Brayley gives us an accurate descritpion and amazing, extensive photographic material to illustrate each and every example.
   For collectors and simpatizers alike this is a book worth having in any military collection.



4. Photography in this book is excellent and sometimes the visuals are better than the text in aiding identification. The author points out some nuances in transitions that I had not encountered before. I felt it was worth the price and very handy as a quick reference.



5. It's a wonderful work. More information you will ever see anywhere. Beautiful and detailed photos that help a lot in identification. I'm enjoying so much reading it.

5 comments about Old Time Radios! Restoration and Repair.

1. What a waste of money! All the hype for this book lead me to believe this was a book that would be valuable to a beginner in the restoration of antique radios. I should have ignored the positive posts that were obviously posted by close members of the author's immediate family. If one is into theory, this is probably about as good as it gets. If one is looking for basic restoration help, fugeddabowdit!



2. This book is OK and I'm glad I bought it, but the author spends too much time on the theory and history of antique radios. Only about 1/3rd of the book is devoted to troubleshooting, and even that part is a little bit sketchy. I think a person can find better troubleshooting manuals, tube manuals, and other interesting literature for free online if you just spend a few minutes searching. It has been my experience that the New Jersey Antique Radio Club is a great resource.
   
   Mr. Carr wrote a great book, but you can do better online.



3. Very thorough. This is a good book if you want to restore old radios. Gives a good explanation of history, and how the tubes and circuits work. There is a good section on troublshooting and repair. The only complaint is that the author goes into great detail to explain how the circuits are effected using equations in calculus ect. It is just a bit much for the novice to grasp. Otherwise a good book on old radios.



4. If you want a book on how tube radios work, this is a great book. If you want to know how to actually restore radios, not so good.



5. I have been interested in and tinkered with electronics since I was a boy, but I didn't have the knowledge to do any involved repairs. Over the years my family and I have had tube radios that worked fine at one time, then started to hum, with the humming eventually getting so bad it drowned out everything else. I remembered my folks taking one of these sets to a radio/TV repairman when I was a kid and being told it wasn't worth fixing. For years I have wanted to find out what caused this and maybe fix those radios. Some 30 years later I spied this book, bought it, and found out what all that humming was caused by. I have proceeded to fix 3 of those old radios that now work like new, for only a few dollars in parts! This book taught me everything I needed to know to do it. I couldn't be more pleased. I had to re-read some sections a few times to "get it", but the info I needed was all there. I can't recommend this book highly enough!!

4 comments about The Master Jewelers.

1. It may seem an era long gone by but the art work is as vital and enthralling today. The photos are numerous and magnificent and it is a valuable addition to anyones library.



2. I really enjoyed my first scan of this book and look forward to many more in-depth visits. The jewelry is absolutely breathtaking. The color photos are extremely well done.



3. The book offers insight into the most important jewelry designs and the artistic talents of their creators. It gives an overview and biographies of the most important jewelry artists of the recent history and how their businesses got started: Cartier, Tiffany, Van Cleef and Arpels, Lalique, Verdura, Bulgari, Boucheron etc. The photos are wonderful; I only wish there were more of them. A great book for anyone wanting to learn more about the most important jewelry creators and jewelry pieces. It is also a great way to start your own favorite jeweler/jewelry book collection and get more specific books.



4. "Delicious", sumptuous... full of beauty! This book is for anyone who loves to look at jewelry at its best!!

2 comments about Barbie the First 30 Years, 1959 Through 1989 and Beyond: Identification & Value Guide (Barbie the First 30 Years).

1. This book is a good starting point for collectors. With information on vintage dolls and even some newer dolls too. This book explains How to use the price guide, since most dolls found are not truly mint or mint in the box. It also has lots of color photographs, to make identification of a doll easy. The layout of this book is nice too, there are different sections for dolls, outfits, cases and so on. Dolls are listed by year, making a particular Barbie or Friend fairly easy to find.
   This book is not as in depth as some other Barbie doll books on the market, you will not be able to find specific markings for each doll as well as a complete list of accessories - exactly what booklet, shoes, wrist tag, box (and so on) each doll came with. Also some of the photographs are fairly small, but that said, this is still a good book.
   I would also like to add that this book features many foreign dolls and accessories, Not sold in the US. (Lot's of Barbie stuff that were exclusive to Canadian and European, as well as other markets.)



2. this book does not go into enough depth to be of much use as you shop for dolls. you can use it to get some info on year produced, and to get a rough idea of where each doll fits into the larger scheme, but to do it right, you really need a book that includes much more.

No comments about The Creative Hooker.

No comments about The DC Vault: A Museum-in-a-Book with Rare Collectibles from the DC Universe.

4 comments about Luckey's Hummel Figurines and Plates: Identification and Price Guide (12th Edition).

1. I have quiet a few Hummel books, but Luckey's Hummel Figurines and Plates, 11nd Edition is my favorite. The book did educate me in the different Trade Marks on the bottom of the Figurines, The Authors explanation is simple and clear. I purchased many Hummel figurines at Internet Auctions and found that the "Current Value" prices of Mr. Luckey's book are very conservative and very closed to the final Auction prices! I do recommend this book, it is the "real" thing!



2. A absolute must have resource - well organized, descriptive, and easy to use. It has served me exceptionally well each time I have had to use it!



3. I was hesitant to purchase Luckey's 12th Edition Price Guide because I have always relied on Robert L. Miller's No. 1 Price Guide in the past. However, curiosity got the better of me and I'm glad it did. It's a great reference, and a very good companion to Miller's guide. The main advantage Miller's 10th Edition No. 1 Price Guide has is all figurines are now shown in color... but the images are smaller than in previous editions. Since Luckey's guide (updated by Dean Genth) is presented in a larger format, it has larger images and text, which makes it easier to read. It also displays more images of the older trademark figurines to show the differences between the older figurines and their current production versions a bit better. This was important to me because I generally prefer to collect the older, more rare figurines.
   
   Figurine pricing is now essentially the same between the two guides, which isn't surprising considering Dean Genth owns Miller's Hallmark in Eaton, OH, the home of Robert Miller.
   
   For the average collector, or one that usually tends to purchase the newer released items, Robert Miller's guide is now more up to date. However, for the truly serious collector, Luckey's guide has more or different information on some of the more rare figurines such as those made in white overglaze and sold only in Belgium in the early days. Since I own several of these figurines, I found the information contained in Lucky's guide very useful.
   
   Highly recommended for both the novice or serious collector... but don't forget to purchase Miller's book too.



4. This book holds all the information any collector will need. I found it to be very useful.

5 comments about Heisey Glass 1896-1957: Identification and Value Guide.

1. Well constructed and very well thought out. This is a beautiful book in every aspect. The detail is complete with super descriptions, pricing and history right down to the patents. The photography in black and white as well as color is extremely professional, clear and consise. The diagrams are also detailed and reliable. The index is as complete for a super reference guide.

   Novice, Collector or Glass Afficiando will be extremely pleased with this beautiful guide of history, education and reference to the world of Heisey Glass. It's Complete!!




2. Fair treatment of history of Heisey Glass, a very basic collector book. There were a few actual errors in the index that made it hard to research particular pattern.



3. Very useful resource- illustration and descriptions are clear and helpful.
   
   Filled with information about manufacturers and designs. I had no prior knowledge about this book before I purchased it . I was very pleased with its resource value.



4. Difficult book to read, but the best of all the books I've found on Heisey glass. There is so much to learn about the beautiful glass.



5. This is an excellent reference book for the Heisey glass collector. It is filled with helpful information!

3 comments about California Wine Country (Pictorial Discovery Guide).

1. California Wine Country is a most impressive guide.

   In 1973, I worked in the wine industry and was given the assignment to visit every winery in California of any size. Since then, I haven't been able to duplicate the feat as the number of new and interesting wineries has expanded rapidly.

   This book focuses on the highest quality winemakers in the Golden State, and gives you both an advance view and a sense of what's there before you visit. With this guide, you will vastly increase your enjoyment of touring wineries and vineyards by being able to pick from among the most interesting sites for you.

   The photography represents a lot of visits to each area. I doubt if you could capture all of these views, variations in lighting and seasons in less than three years of visits. Even areas I know well I saw differently.

   The book places about equal attention to the images of vineyards and the exteriors of wineries, many of which are magnificent structures to behold.

   Mr. Leffingwell is not as talented a writer as he is a photographer. But his prose is more than adequate to extend your knowledge of the industry as he explains about the history of each region and winery. For detailed information on wine making, I suggest you supplement this book with other resources. There is a limited discussion of the process except as applied to super premium reds and whites. There is no mention of how sparkling wines are made.

   The historical information is a little over focused on religion, Prohibition, the Depression and marketing.

   I was pleased to see the extensive discussions of the microclimates in each area. Very nice!

   I was disappointed not to find a better description of the wine qualities at each vineyard. Again, I suggest you supplement this book for that with one of the better wine guides.

   I hope that Mr. Leffingwell will update this book quite frequently.

   As a final test of how good this book is, my wife and I visited several of these areas last year around when the book was published. We used another guide, and had a wonderful time. However, if we had had this guide, I think we would have had a much better time . . . because we appear to have missed half of what we would have wanted to see.

   A final word of caution: Contact the wineries directly to verify times for tours and tastings. The information here was different from what we discovered on site in July 2002 in a few cases.

   Before you leave this wonderful volume, I suggest you consider where else a preview of what you are going to see adds a great deal to your enjoyment. What about a complimentary appetizer from the chef to whet your palate for what is to come?




2. This book is obviously intended to be purchased for its beautiful pictures, and does a great job at covering all wine regions in California - not just Sonoma or Napa, but Mendocino and Lake Country down through San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties.
   
   If you are looking for a book with some great photos of wineries and vineyards across California, then I can heartily recommend the book. However, some of the text leaves much to be desired, with some obvious omissions and flatly incorrect information. Some examples:
   
   On grape varieties: Petite Sirah is identified as being the same as Syrah and Shiraz (it isn't). Pinot Gris and Gewurtztraminer are not mentioned at all, but I would consider them more important than Sylvaner in California white grapes.
   
   On locations: Livermore Valley is "to the west in Alameda County", which must surprise people living in the eastern half of the county. Woodside Vineyards in Woodside and Thomas Fogerty Winery in Portola Valley are listed as being in Santa Clara Country (they are in San Mateo County). Morgan Hill and Gilroy are identified as being in Santa Cruz County (they are in Santa Clara County), and there are others too.
   
   The choices of wine labels are odd too. In a list of wine labels for a particular geographic area, often the wines come from someplace else. In the Mendocino County section, a wine made from Lodi (in the Central Valley) is listed. The San Francisco Bay section shows labels from three Monterey wines.
   
   Despite these faults, the book is definitely interesting - containing many nice photographs, and reasonble listings of wineries with contact information in all parts of California, even fairly obscure ones missed in many books, such as the wineries in Santa Clara, Ventura, Los Angeles, Nevada, and Calaveras counties.



3. I bought this book for my mother for Christmas. She wanted a picture book about the wine country in CA so she could paint some of the scenes. She had just visited my sister in S.F. and loved every minute of her visit. She LOVES this book. It contains beautiful photographs of Northern California and she looks forward to painting many pictures.

1 comments about Collecting Antique Marbles: Identification and Price Guide.

1. I is a good reference book for marbles. A bit dis-jointed and hard to follow. Pictures are not as clear as some other referance material but book should be in a marble collectors library.