5 comments about The Complete Guide to Shirley Temple Dolls And Collectibles: Identification & Value Guide (Identification & Values (Collector Books)).

1. This is the best ever book about Shirley Temple dolls. It is amazing. Filled with information and tips. This book could easily sell for double the price.



2. I have two other Shirley Temple Price guides and I think book is just the most comprehensive. It has lots of pictures and includes all different Shirley Collectibles. It has pictures of a lot of rare Shirley Dresses and compo. Shirley's that were made in Germany, Australia, Great Britain. It is a nice large book and is a great reference guide. Love it!



3. I found this book to be very helpfull in finding what I needed to know on the dolls and clothes



4. 
   This book is one of the best books on the subject of the Shirley Temple dolls (& other S.Temple Collectibles).
   Written on quality paper with excellent photos



5. Great pics of Shirley Temple Dolls & memorabilia organized by years-very thorough and helpful since I am a Shirley collector. Additionally, great tips on improving the looks of the dolls. Well done.

1 comments about Kachina Dolls: The Art of Hopi Carvers.

1. Cecil Calnimptewa, Ronald Honyouti, Loren Phillips, Dennis Tewa and Wilmer Kaye ... they're all in this book, plus 22 other top Hopi carvers. Need I say more! Author/photographer Teiwes begins by tracing the life, history and religion of the Hopi and brings the reader to the doorstep of 1991 (the publication date). 24 color photos serve as the central focus of the book, but the final 63 pages which profile the 27 carvers is what really "makes" it. My copy is in paperback. I assume the hardback foremat is the same. Pick up a copy; you'll thoroughly enjoy it!!!

5 comments about Les Petites Dames de Mode: An Adventure in Design.

1. I found this book very useful as a source for inspiration. Good quality pictures of very Victorian looking dresses. It is not a "how to" book, but if you have some experience in sewing, there you can find good ideas how it all must look then finished.



2. This book is a total delight for fans of couture, especially La Belle Epoch. Nothing will compare to seeing the exquisite Les Petites Dames in person, but this book comes close! I was fortunate enough to acquire some of these pictures when they were marketed in small groups, so I was thrilled to find that Mr. Burbidge had since expanded the collection and subsequently published it in its entirety (also the book goes into more detail). Just loved it!!



3. If you're into miniatures, or just fabulous seamestry, you will love this book and this man's work with textiles, and fashion of a romantic era like none you've seen. These are fashions we will never see again in our society, (thank goodness - can't imagine wearing this stuff). But at the same time, I love to see how elegant and fabulous ladies looked in these garments. This man was responsible for making some of the most fabulous wedding gowns in our country for over a decade and now has preserved for us a fashion era that won't be brought back in it's entirety ever again. A must see for those that are into preserving a culture and miniatures.



4. This book by Mr. Burbidge is a feast for the eyes. The book features dozens of 29-inch fashion dolls wearing costumes from the 1850s to around 1914. Being oversized dolls, each costume can have incredible detail. Mr. Burbidge has labored to create accurate period detail in each dress. Each doll is shown in a full-page picture with period hairstyles and accessories. Each accompanying page includes a description of the outfit, small inset pictures of close details, an interesting quote from historical sources about the time period and usually some tidbit about where the author found the material for the gown. Frequently the author will explain things about high society of the era and how certain items would be viewed - for instance, whether a gown would be considered racy because of its color or how young ladies didn't wear expensive jewelry with a gown until after they were married.
   
   There are only 2 things that I found lacking about this book and they are really trivial items in my mind. The first is that the color of the full-page images is sometimes a bit "off". The dolls often feature very soft colors and the images have a warm tone that can wash them out. The inset detail shots usually have a better color representation.
   
   The second is that the reader should not expect accurate period undergarments on the dolls. The crinolines and petticoats are fairly accurate, but there are no corsets shown.
   
   All in all, the book is beautiful and informative. If you didn't know better, you would almost think the images were of full-size mannequins dressed in real period costumes. And the accompanying text is suitable for anyone, even if they have no knowledge of the eras shown.



5. This is a wonderful book. The photography shows every detail of the exquisite designs, which are breath-taking. The commentary is very interestsing and gives an insight into life in the 1800's according to the way women dressed. I would love to be able to wear any of the fabulous dresses shown.

3 comments about Baby-Boomer Dolls: Plastic Playthings of the 1950's and 1960's a Reference and Price Guide.

1. If you collect dolls of the 50s and 60s you should buy this book. It has hundreds of full color photos with descriptions and prices. It's a great reference guide. I enjoyed looking at so many of the dolls I grew up with.



2. This was strong on Terri Lee dolls (9 pages) and on Mattel (13 pages). Though 16 pages were devoted to Madame Alexander, I felt that just two small pictures of "Cissy" were not enough; and there were no pictures of the Winnie or Binnie Walker dolls. Most of the MA coverage was of the child-dolls and Alexanderkins.
   There were only two pages devoted to "Ginny"--and there were no pictures of Ginny with painted eyes, molded lashes, or bent knees. All were of the painted-lash version.
   Karl offers less than 1 column (about 100 words!) on the prolific and highly collectible Virga dolls, offering no pictures at all.
   The quality of the pictures is excellent, and this is a nicely produced book. But I feel that it does not offer full enough coverage, especially of the hard plastic dolls of the 1950s, to be considered a comprehensive guide.



3. To try to fit all the Baby Boomer dolls in one book would be impossible. This book gives a good overview about dolls from this time. Good pictures, lots of company info. In its second printing so that should say something right there. My favorites were the TV related dolls like Jeannie and Pebbles and Bamm Bamm.

No comments about Tomart's Price Guide to Saalfield and Merrill Paper Dolls (Tomart's Price Guides).

No comments about Warman's Dolls - Antique to Modern (Warman's Dolls).

1 comments about The Collector's Encyclopedia of Dolls, Vol. 2.

1. collector's guide about dolls

5 comments about Boys' Toys of the Fifties and Sixties: Memorable Catalog Pages from the Legendary Sears Christmas Wishbooks 1950-1969.

1. I come from a family of 7 boys. We all grew up wishfully dreaming every Christmas of GI Joe and erector sets found on the pages of the Sears Wishbook. This book brought so many memories rushing back - of things I fondly remembered and things I had forgotten about - I can't count them. My wife bought it for me last Xmas, I'm going to buy a copy for all my brothers this Xmas.



2. I liked the catalog, but was dissapointed to see that all of the pictures were black and white (I think I do remember pages in the 60's that had color). It looks as though someone just copied the pictures on a plain copier, and slapped this book together. The idea was very good, but don't expect the quality of true Sears Catalog pages.



3. for those of us who grew up in a certain era and were products of the commercial age this book will bring back many memories. having had a dad who worked in the field until i was 7 i was spoiled and got about anything i wanted. try explaining to a 7 year old that dad no longer gets all the freebies he wants! well worth the time for any boi boomer!



4. The type of catalog i would i would like you to send is sound effects, ice skates, record players, and so much more. So that would be great.

   thank you
   from
   Emile Alston




5. Boys Toys of the Fifties and Sixties is a terrific book for us boomers who grew up in that era. There's no color inside the book, but that may have made it too expensive to print. I found the b&w pages clear, no problem reading them.
   
   You'll find most of your favorite toys in here, as well as those pre-inflation prices. We tend to forget our parents didn't make much money in those days, so everything's relative.
   
   Obviously they did not include all the pages from each year's Sears catalog, but the representative pages give a nice sample. As you read through this book, you'll find yourself slipping back 40 or 50 years when times were much simpler and toys required more imagination.
   
   You'll see great toys from Louis Marx (my favorites), Mattel, Kenner, and the other big names of the time. The descriptions are fun too, probably written to appeal to the 8 year-old mind.
   
   If you come home from work with a headache or have some worry, this book is great escapist reading. I think you'll enjoy it.

1 comments about Toys: MTV Overground #3 (MTV Underground).

1. great cross section of today's contemporary toy scene. designer vinyls and more! check out the insurgents wilderness gruppo toy line by www.rocketworld.org . ;-)

2 comments about Barbie the First 30 Years 1959 Through 1989: An Identification and Value Guide.

1. There's not a lot of printed information in this book, it's mostly pictures, but I absolutely LOVE this book. The pictures are great, & they come in handy if you need something to refer to, say for auction information (buying or selling). I highly recommend this book if it's pictures of vintage items you're after, you won't be disappointed!



2. I've had this book for years and look at it often. the European dolls pictured are not seen in most other guides . I wish some of the photos were better and that the color was more true to life in them but I can't fault her research or her doll knowledge. I don't know this author like I do Jim or Michael or Joe so this is a legit review and not done out of kindness but the guys i mentioned are top notch too and don't need friendship reviews either