3 comments about Enchanted Companions: Stories Of Dolls In Our Lives.

1. This book was created by Carolyn Michael, her friends, and other contacts as a part of individual and group writing practice. The author states in the introduction that she was inspired by a story written by another participant about her mother's feelings about a special doll. The story is the first story in the book, entitled "Who Would I Tell?" by Susan Berlin. This treasure holds 24 more stories, which the author has been collecting since 1993. This memoir style collection speaks with many voices, including several pieces by children. The stories are brought to life with black and white photos of the dolls that are in each story and by picures of the writers as children. My favorite story in this collection is called, "The Night My Fanny Hit the Wall" by Nina Munk, who was 15 when she wrote this story. She speaks of the touching moment when she realized that her dolls were not real. Carolyn Michael's collection allows each writer to share their own personal experience, while connecting the reader with the common experiences that many of us have shared. I would recommend this book for adults and older children who value the memories of love and friendship with their own special dolls, and for those who want to reflect on a cherished time in childhood.



2. filled with heart, laughter, joy and memorable characters. Vintage black and white photos of doll owners and their "enchanted companions" enhance this delightful book. A marvelous gift.



3. All these words describe Carolyn Michael's book Enchanted Companions. But mostly it is full of surprises. None of the stories are predicatable or the sort of stories I would imagine that people would have about dolls. Dolls touch peoples' lives in unexpected ways. My favorites stories were "George Rufus Yoder" and "Bawl Room Dance." Amazing writing and a beautifully put-together book. I want volume two if there is one!

2 comments about Cabbage Patch Kids Collectibles: An Unauthorized Handbook and Price Guide (Schiffer Book for Collectors).

1. Very nice ID/value guide for the collector who has to have everything. Tons of collector items listed- shown in mostly original packaging. Tons of pictures to go with descriptions. There are NO CABBAGE PATCH DOLLS in this book- only accessories- doll carriers, Koosas, Furskins, Mini Figures, Pillows, etc... Everything you can think of, and some you can't, but no dolls. Worth the money.



2. Brought back a lot of memories as I grew up with Cabbage Patch Kids and had like 8 of them. Has lots of cool pictures, but wished there was more printed information to read - basically it's just a picture and title of each item.

2 comments about Warman's G.I. Joe Field Guide: Values and Identification (Warman's Field Guides).

1. The Warman's G.I. Joe Field Guide is not a comprehensive, all-encompassing guide to G.I. Joe figures. Writer Karen O' Brien makes this clear in the introduction. Rather, this small (5" by 4") book serves as a convenient, pocket guide to G.I. Joe figures and accessories and includes hundreds of clear, vibrant photographs. It's the kind of book you can pack along easily when you travel to garage sales, flea markets, or collectibles shows. While it may not be exhaustive, there is still a lot packed into its 512 pages. O' Brien provides a brief history of the figure line and the opening section of photos display the various copyright marks and facial and uniform variations on the early figures.
   
   Some figures are show loose while others are show still in their original boxes. For pricing purposes, only a MIP price is given. Another plus is that O'Brien provides the Hasbro item number for the figure (although not accessory sets). Some of the rarest Joe figures are pictured including the Soldiers of the World sets, the rare Canadian Mountie Sears figure, and the Action Girl G.I. Nurse, valued at $4000, perhaps the rarest figure of all. The various adventure sets were always my favorite as a kid and the book includes photos of these great sets including the Secret of the Mummy's Tomb, White Tiger Hunt, and Fight for Survival dog sled set. You know I still have those plastic husky dogs over thirty years later!
   
   The first 380 pages of the book are dedicated to the original G.I. Joe line while the last 130 pages are given over to the 3 ½" line. Only figures are pictured for the 3 ½" line, no vehicles or accessories are included. As a basic, carry along guide it serves its purpose well to provide some guidelines for pricing and identification. You can get more comprehensive guides but this fills the bill for being compact and inexpensive.
   
   Reviewed by Tim Janson



2. This guide is very incomplete! It only has the basic figures and uniforms only up to the 1990's even though it just came out in print in 2006.

No comments about Irish Girl and Boy Paper Dolls.

No comments about Horsman Dolls 1950-1970.

No comments about Wedding Fashion Paper Dolls.

5 comments about Nancy Ann Storybook Dolls.

1. I agree with the reviewer who said this book was a disappointment. The editors should be smacked for including all of those horrid b&w photos. As someone who was looking for help identifying Nancy Ann dolls and could have really used this book, it was a great disappointment because of the photos.



2. I felt the book was incomplete, it only had two pages of color pictures and the description led me to believe it would have more of a complete listing and photos of the complete line.



3. Considering how long ago the dolls were produced this is a helpful book for those trying to identify their dolls. It is true that 95% of the pictures are in black & white which makes it much more difficult to recognize but it is better then no picture. Also there are several mistakes in the discriptions of some dolls and wrong accessories on some of the dolls. Lets just hope that a new and improved version (with color photos) will soon be available.



4. THIS IS A GREAT BOOK ON NANCY ANN DOLLS. IT HAS A LOT OF PICTURES. THE ONLY THING IS THE PICTURES ARE IN BLACK AND WHITE. IT WOULD BE A LOT BETTER IF THE PICTURES WERE IN COLOR. IT WOULD BE EASIER TO FIND THE DOLL YOU ARE LOOKING FOR. WOULD BE GREAT IF SOMEONE WOULD WRITE AND UPDATE THIS BOOK ON NANCY ANNY STORYBOOK DOLLS WITH COLOR PICTURES. SEEMS A SHAME THAT THE TOY COMPANIES CAN'T BRING THESE DOLLS BACK FOR US TO BUY. THE LITTLE GIRLS MIGHT NOT LIKE THEM, BUT I AM SURE US ADULTS WOULD LOVE TO HAVE SOME NEW NANCY ANN'S. I KNOW I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE SOME MYSELF.



5. The author (who is now deceased) wrote this book with the information she had collected. Since then, it has been further researched, new facts were collected, new pictures taken, and now Elaine Pardee's "Encyclopedia of Nancy Ann Storybook Dolls" is the result of this research. This book was wonderful when it was published, and I still love it.
   Mary

5 comments about Gi Joe: Official Identification and Price Guide 1964-1999 (Collectibles).

1. A very informative and concise detail presentation of the 'Singled Boxed' GI Joe's and the 'Packaged Sets' he was sold with . Wealth of detailling; Right down to the different type screws used on some fiqures. Well done. A 'must have' reference for any serious collector.



2. This book has some useful information on uniform and figure variations, but it is far from being a complete guide to G.I. Joe. For a more complete reference to every vintage boxed and carded figure and equipment set, check out this authors other book, The Complete Encyclopedia to G.I. Joe (1997 Krause Publications). Although it is primarily black and white, it is the most complete and comprehensive guide to in-package G.I. Joe stuff. When I first heard Vinnie was doing this book, I assumed it would be as complete and comprehensive as his previous book, only in full color, with a focus on individual and out of package stuff. While there are values for individual pieces of equipment, and many sets are photographed out of package, not every set and piece of equipment is covered, mentioned, or even listed in the book. This is obviously not due to a lack of knowledge on the authors part, but may be due to publishing considerations. I can only speculate. Perhaps Vinnie only had a limited number of pages to work with and realized he wouldn't be able to get it all in. If that's the case, perhaps he should have omitted the sections on 1980's and 1990's Joes and focused exclusively on the vintage 60's and 70's stuff. I like the format and the idea of the book, it just seems as if it's only about 1/4 complete. As a supplement to Vinnie's other book, this is okay, but don't expect to gain a comprehensive knowledge of Vintage G.I. Joe from it. This book was not licensed or approved by Hasbro, so the term "Official" in the title is somewhat bogus.



3. I would like to correct a statement made by reviewer Andrew Walls regarding the "official" status of GI Joe: An Official Identification and Price Guide (1964-1999). This book, like others written by Vincent Santelmo on GI Joe, was licensed and the manuscript was reviewed and approved by Hasbro Inc. As Acquisitions Editor at Krause Publications, I was involved in every step of this legal process. I can understand the reviewer's confusion since many publishers don't take the necessary steps nor commit the time and expense to create licensed or "official" books.



4. A straight-forward catalogue of Joe figures and accessories from the beginning through the 4" era and on to today. Black & white pictures are plentiful. Not the book for blissful page-flipping and reminiscing, but definitely the place to turn for organizing your collection.



5. I am no expert at gi joe collecting but I did not find what I was looking for in this book. It has very nice color pictures but is extremely specific and repetitive. This may seem good for some people but not for me. It does not include the spec for the Deep diver, vehicles and some equipment. Also it does not include many boxes that you can easily see on the net. I do not know if I can rely in its price guide also. The book is mainly focused in showing one pic of single items and in describing the subtle differences between one series and another of the SAME figure in almost all cases. The format is in two column and you have to go reading from the top to bottom and to the top again so it becomes kind of confusing to read at first.
   I will conclude that this is a nice book if you are looking for specific information and not if you are looking for a visual aid to see what item goes with what to complete your collection.
   If you want it anyway try to find the lowest price.
   But anyway do not forget to HAVE FUN!!!

No comments about Kitty Dale 1959: A Collectible Vintage Fashion Paper Doll.

1 comments about Fashions of the Old South Paper Dolls in Full Color (Paper Dolls).

1. Tom Tierney's Fashions of the Old South paperdolls are pretty good, but not his finest work. There are several dolls, including two women, six children, and two confederate soldiers, and many plates of costumes. Included in the costumes are a riding habit, a house dress, a nightgown, a wedding dress, and a ball gown with Spanish-styled mantilla. While the costumes are historically accurate and very detailed, the color combinations are not always aesthetically pleasing. One of the prettiest dresses doesn't quite fit the doll. And I really didn't like the fact that four of the children are grouped together as one paperdoll. I liked the notes on each costume in the book, and found them very helpful. If you're a collector of antebellum stuff, you need to get these. But if you just want some pretty paperdolls, you might want to get a different book.