No comments about Coin World 2008 Guide to U.S. Coins: Prices & Value Trends (Coin World Guide to U S Coins, Prices, and Value Trends).

5 comments about Costume Through the Ages: Over 1400 Illustrations.

1. This is quite simply a fabulous book, and a very useful one too! I am an author who writes historical novels, and when I need to know what the characters I'm writing about would have been wearing in any given year from antiquity through to modern times (1930s), I turn to this book. Fortunately, it's not cluttered with text, but merely contains drawings, pure and simple and straighforward. It's the quickest, most accurate reference book I own, aside from my dictionary, of course.
   
   My only qualm is that it doesn't contain anything about undergarments, such as bustles, knickers, petticoats, crinolines or girdles. But then, the pictures in this book are sourced from historical paintings, sculptures, mosaics, illuminated manuscripts and so forth, which probably never showed such things, as they might have been considered indecent or irrelevant. (I suppose not too many people throughout history wanted to be painted in their underwear!)
   
   If you're a writer, an arts student, a costume designer or just someone who has an interest in the history of fashion, I would highly recommend this book to you.



2. This book consisted of black and white 2D scetches that lacked any real depth or detail. They are basic and generalised in presenting each period and contain nothing new that you would not have already seen or known about that decade.
   I do not recommend it to anyone who has a intrest in costume or design, but think it would be better suited as a childrens colouring in book.
   Don't waste your money.



3. They say up front that they (the authors) purposely did not put in any writing to as not to sway our view of the clothing. Alas, that means if one does not know period clothing from LOTS of different periods, one will not be able to identify items. Still, lovely drawings. It will make a fine adult coloring book! (Yes, I'm serious) :-)



4. I love to use this book as a quick visual reference while working on shows. When helping a customer, or explaining something to an assistant at our shop, this book is the easiest way to do so. It is so great to have a book where I can flip to a certain date, and have pages full of pictures grouped together to show someone what exactly I am thinking of. We have to work at a fast pace, and this book saves me lots of valuable time.



5. This was purchased as a gift for my 11-year-old granddaughter who is very interested in historic costumes. She immediately, on Christmas day, sharpened the special hard-lead colored pencils I bought to go with it and proceeded to submerge herself in the detailed illustrations. Seemed like a successful gift to me.

5 comments about Ancient Coin Collecting III: The Roman World - Politics and Propaganda (Ancient Coin Collecting).

1. This is a good introduction to the fascinating world of ancient Roman coins, aimed at the general reader and beginning collector. Contains a useful photo gallery of Roman emperors and major usurpers as well as tips on how to attribute coins, read inscriptions and figure out the various images that may appear on reverses. Highly recommended.



2. Mr. Sayles has written a beautifully presented introduction and reference to the hobby of ancient coin collecting. Any book on coins should have photographs and that's what's included in this book, along with terrific written explanations of the coins. Since ancient coin collecting is about history, Mr. Sayles spends a large part of the books detailing the backgrounds of the emperors who appear on the coins. There is also a section on "Masterpieces of Roman Coinage" which presents wonderful photographs of individual engraving art. All in all this is a "must" for anyone interested in ancient coins.



3. This book has a lot going for it, it has over 300 illustrations, it is still only about 200 pages and is in the familiar format of it's two predecessors. The helps are good, it has a comprehensive portrait gallery and is written in Mr. Sayles usual easy to understand and engaging style - that of a writer who loves and cares about what he is describing. The one drawback is that the author felt it necessary to give at least a short bio for every emperor and to read it through can get redundant after a while as much of their history overlaps and repeats, particularly for those with short reigns.

   However, if you decide to skip over the emperors who don't interest you and use the portrait gallery as more of a reference section than something that must be read - then it is a great and easy read. If however you really do love the regnal history of Rome - this might be a section of great interest to you and you may love it. Each emperor comes with his own brief bibliography and abbreviated family tree.

   Like volume II, the section on "masterpieces" is beautiful and the focus on the coin as artform is a valuable contribution. If you enjoyed either of his previous 2 books this will not disappoint. This is a nice reasonably priced and accessibly written introductory work. It should prove enjoyable and useful for the newbie and experienced collector alike.




4. But, you really should have all six volumes of the series, plus his guide to counterfeit coins. You must have volume I, and volume II is very highly recommended. My advice: Get vol. I first, then III, then II, then go nuts. You can surely buy them over time.



5. Wayne G. Sayles knowledge of Roman coins comes out in his amazing series. Wayne's book's are fun to read. His book's are easy to use. Ancient Coin Collecting III is nicely researched. The third volume focus's on coins from the Roman Imperial Age from Augustus (27 B.C.-14 A.D.) to Anastasius (491-518 A.D.).
   I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in Roman coins.

3 comments about The Postal Service Guide to U.S. Stamps 34th ed (Postal Service Guide to Us Stamps).

1. When I first started looking for The Postal Service Guide to U.S. Stamps.
   I found that there were a lot of choices to choose from. However this is complete with all the information needed for a Stamp Collector.



2. This book is a necessity to the serious stamp collector. Its ease of use when trying to identify stamps makes identification quick. The colors are bright and images are clear. This is my third year purchasing this item. A certain must!



3. This is the book to have if you are identifing US Commerative Stamps. It has a "lay flat" coil plastic spine, and large colorful pictures with full item details. I've had the other books with the glued spine, and this is the best improvement I've seen. Amazon has the right products for all your needs, and at great affordable prices.

5 comments about Antique Radio Restoration Guide.

1. For those who are relatively new to the hobby of collecting and restoring antique radios, the frustration stemming from the lack of material devoted to the beginner in this field is all too often the cause of those with high initial enthusiasm to give up prematurely. If you are one of the many who may have found their entry into this potentially facinating pastime to be a bit daunting, take heart. Now in its second edition the "Antique Radio Restoration Guide" provides an abundance of information for the beginning to intermediate antique radio enthusiast. Throughout its twelve chapters the reader is guided through the basics of choosing a radio, the fundamentals of radio theory and repair as well as cosmetic and cabinet restoration. There is also a section on setting up your own repair shop including resources for obtaining test equipment and instructions for actually building some of your own. Though beginners may find some of the technical material in a few of the chapters a bit challenging, this book is nonetheless a fine reference work that, providing the reader's enthusiasm for the subject prevails, he will likely refer to often and will grow into in no time.



2. If you never collected a radio, then this is for you. Other than that, there is not enough information to be of help if you have restored one radio. Also, sad to say, the information and sources are not current.



3. Don't waste your time. Way off on prices-(low). Looked up the first ten tombstone radios on ebay and only one was in the book.Take the money you wound spend on this and get something with a high recommendation.



4. This book starts off on an extremely elementary tone. In fact, people who know what a resistor is may find themselves wondering whether they should be reading this book at all. However, later in the book, there are detailed descriptions of how certain circuits work and how radios work - in a fair amount of detail for an elementary book. Unfortunately, there is very little middle ground. That is, after the first few chapters, terminology is used that has not been defined, nor is it found in the glossary. Consequently, the truly novice reader may need to look elsewhere for the missing information. Some chapters describe, in detail, what could go wrong with an old radio and how to fix the problems. This makes for rather heavy reading, unless one is actually trying to fix a radio that has one of those particular problems; in such a case, these sections could be quite valuable. Radio cabinet refinishing is also covered and suggestions are made on acquiring equipment, parts and further references. Overall, I found this book to be very interesting and written in a style that is clear, authoritative and quite engaging, although, as mentioned, a bit dense in some areas. I intend to refer to it extensively in restoring my old radios.



5. I found the book to be a very good guide to restoring tube radios. I agree with one of the other reviews that transitor radio fundimentals would be a handy guide for those of us that can't remember how to biase a transitor anymore. The book is about everything that a person would need to restore tube radios. Thanks.

4 comments about Standard Catalog of Firebird 1967-2002 (Standard Catalog of Pontiac).

1. The book is probably the most complete coverage of the Firebird line that is available at this time. Several books cover the Firebird up to the 2000 model year, but this is the first to include 2002. This is a first edition, and it does contain some errors; i.e. erroneous engine data, 2 photos were incorrect for the model year they represented, etc. All small details that are easily outweighed by the quality of the photos and text. Excellent job detailing the differences and all the anniversary models. Also contains production numbers, values, etc. Highly recommended to anyone who loves Firebirds. I own a 2000 WS6 Formula and consider this required reading!



2. The amount of misinformation in this book is unbelievable. John Gunnell needs to do a LOT more research before printing a book like this. This should be a very nice source of information on the Firebird but I have found so many incorrect statements that it makes everything in this book suspect.
   I sent an email to Krause Publications describing the numerous errors and they responded to me in a very inappropriate way.
   
   Example: The book states that the 98+ LS1 Ram Air engine had a cast iron block and heads and the LS1 engine came with an aluminum intake. This is completely incorrect. When I first opened the book and skimed through the pages I found many, many more incorrect statements like this.



3. This is a very good guide to the illustrious Pontiac Firebird. Having owned two versions of the original 1967 Firebird, I found this to be a nostalgic examination of one of my favorite sports cars.
   
   The photographs in this text are really well done. Many of the unusual versions of this great car illustrated. There are great little tips for someone looking to invest in one of these fine rides. The book is worth the money.



4. This is truly the best and most complete book on Firebird's. There are very few errors. All of the photos are of un-modified cars, my personal preference in car collecting. I currently own the following Trans-Am's: 1970 Ram Air III 400 4 Speed, 1974 SD-455 Auto, 1976 455 4 Speed, 1977 T/A 6.6 400 4 Speed

3 comments about Tomart's Price Guide to Character & Promotional Glasses Including Pepsi, Coke, Fast-Food, Peanut Butter and Jelly Glasses; Plus Dairy Glasses & Milk.

1. We have waited paitently for the release of this book as it has been 2 years since we were told it was going to be released. Time and effort are clearly visible as it gives reference of over 800 new glasses that the previous editions lacked. Many of the small mistakes about certain glasses have also been corrected.

   This is clearly at the top of its class for promotional glasses and is more extensive in categories then all the other so called glass books available on the market. As with any collector book this one has prices in it and not all of them are reliable as the common items appear to be overpriced and the high end glasses appear to be underpriced. The only dissapointment I had overall with the book was its combining black and white photos on same pages as color shots, since part of the page is in color it would be nice to have the whole page in color.

   In any event Tom Hoder did an excellent job overall and this book will still stand above others as the one people will use as a guide.




2. I bought two other books at the same time as this one.. Chase and Kelly's "Collectible Drinking Glasses" and John Hervey's "Collector's Guide to Cartoon and Promotional Drinking Glasses". All three are good, but this one is the one I keep coming back to, while on the hunt at flea markets etc.

   I am new to collectible glasses so I can't speak to issues of accuracy or pricing.

   Hope this helps!




3. I confess that I am a little disappointed in the revised 3rd edition of this book which I purchased after seeing an earlier edition in the reference section of our local library. I am a collector of Big Top peanut butter song glasses, and this book seems to be one of the few that has information about these glasses. When I looked up the Big Top glasses in this latest edition, there was actually less text and fewer photographs of these glasses than there had been in the earlier edition!! For this reason, I have a hard time considering the third edition "revised and expanded." There are also a number of Big Top glasses with children's songs that are not listed (London Bridge, Farmer in the Dell, Little Bo Peep, Billy Boy, etc.)

1 comments about Warman's American Records: Identification and Price Guide, 2nd Edition.

1. The author clearly put great personal effort and care into crafting this book, which is a refreshing concept after seeing so many price guides that were obviously slapped together for a quick buck. I've read Miller's writing in several magazines. He's excellent. I also think he's right on the money with the prices, which reflects the fact that he is, himself, a record collector. This book is worth every penny.

2 comments about Lighthouses of New England (East Coast).

1. This book is not only very informative, but full of wonderful photographs. It is an interesting read and lovely to look at.



2. When I received this book as a gift I expected that it would be another lovely book of New England photos to keep on the guest room bookshelf. I was pleasantly surprised to find myself caught up instead in the beautifully-written text. Who knew there were so many intriguing myths, legends, historical facts, and entertaining anecdotes about the people who built, populated, and even haunt New England lighthouses? This book turned out to be a terrific history lesson and an all-around great read.

5 comments about Antique & Collectible Fishing Rods: Identification & Value Guide.

1. Got this book to help me understand more about a number of rods bought at auction. Although helpful, it spoke more about what a perfect rod should be. It has a price guide, but limited pictures to cross reference to. Most collectors will not run into the perfect rod so it was hard to compare. Book is not tailored for the person new to collecting rods. It would be better for the new person with more pictures and more educational background.



2. This book is a great reference for the serious rod collector or antique dealer that is in need of expert information about evaluating old bamboo rods. The author includes a good sampling of close-up B&W photographs covering many of the historic rod makers. Old patent drawings are used to explain various rod designs and component functions. A comprehensive chapter is devoted to common rod defects to look for and how each one might lower the collectible value of a rod. The back of the book contains a 32 page rod price guide listing which is helpful in formulating an approximate appraisal of value. A very worthwhile addition to any tackle collector's library of reference materials.



3. I have 7 antique/vintage fishing rods and none of them were in there. Also, the prices were separate from the descriptions so I couldn't tell what I was pricing.



4. This book was perfect for the avid rod collector. The photos and detail were great and easy to compare your own rods to theirs listed in the book. Highly recommend.



5. While Homel's book is helpful in giving a general idea of a fishing rod's value, there are some gaps in information. For one, the material is four or five years old and collectible rods have skyrocketed in price in that time frame. So the dollar amounts placed on rods are not very realistic. Secondly, I have found that there are sizes and models of fly rods that are not included in the listings of the various rod makers or manufacturers. This can be a little frustrating when one has purchased, or is about to purchase a rod and cannot find any reference to it in the book.