No comments about The Compleat Talking Machine.

5 comments about Antique Tool Collectors Guide to Value.

1. All I expected. Alot of information for the tools it advertised



2. I am very well please with this book.Highly recommend it to any tool collector.



3. hay i collect antique tool and enjoy my new book i would like to have another just like it for a friend.



4. i bought this book as a gift for my father in law. when i recieved it my husband who is also into old tools read it first and said that he wanted it too! i guess that means the book lives up to its standards. i liked the pictures that went along with it so you could actually see the tool they were talking about. overall, good book!



5. We love this book! We sell a lot of tools where I work - we get a lot of antique tools and it has been fun to learn about them and identify them. It is amazing what is out there.

5 comments about Collector's Encyclopedia of Vogue Dolls: Identification and Values (Collectors Encyclopedia of Vogue Dolls).

1. This Book is great and is written so the reader can find about everything that is necessary to start a Vogue Doll collection!!! There are a couple important things I want to mention to eveyone about this book that are very helpful..The way the dolls are put in YEAR ORDER and when a doll is not pictured in this book the Authors make sure it is mentioned with the NAME OF THE DOLL and in detail what she should be wearing for that year, No doll is left out. PHOTO'S ARE GREAT!!
   This Vogue book is a must for the Vogue doll collector with a wealth of information. I learned so much with this book and could not be without it! It has all you need to help you in your quest for Vogue doll collecting.



2. My doll friends and I use this book daily! Especially love the 'Herstory' section where there are plenty of vintage photos showing the factory sewers and samples, Promotional events, and store displays! Book is interspersed with actual catalog photos and many, many color photos of dolls from private collections. Great to see a variety of Vogue dolls all in one book, too!



3. This is an exceptional book for people who love the Vogue dolls! Illustrations and text cover both composition, hard plastic and vinyl dolls. The illustrations are many and identify hundreds of various costumes sold for the Vogue dolls. The Ginny, Jill, Jeff and Ginnette sections are especially helpful. Collectors who have costumes or dolls with missing pieces can use the book as a reference to complete outfits. If a collector likes 1950s Ginny dolls, this book offers a wealth of information and is known to collectors across the country as the "Bible" for Vogue collectors.



4. Even though Kathryn Kay was mentioned as a former Vogue Doll employee, her doll "Ginger" by the Cosmopolitan Doll & Toy Corp. was not illustrated and with absolutely NO information. This book is otherwise recommended for Vogue dolls only.



5. Terrific reference book - definitely would recommend for personal or public libraries. Loads of pictures and information - very helpful.

5 comments about The Power of Gold: The History of an Obsession.

1. If you have read Bernstein's "Against the Gods" you might be somewhat disappointed. "Power of Gold" reads more like a lose collection of anecdotes than a complete and unbiased history of that fascinating metal.
   
   History of gold in modern times is too US centric for my taste. According to Bernstein, paper money is in - metal is out. Now watching a crazy built up of dept by the current US administration (how many trillions are it today?) you have to ask yourself: who will repay these debts one day? Watching the dramatic decline of the US Dollar and the stellar rise of today's gold prices Bernstein seems to bet on the wrong horse.
   
   Don't get me wrong: "The Power of Gold" is an excellent source about the history of _money_. But in my opinion it's not an unbiased view of the power of gold in today's world.
   
   As Bernstein says in its epiloge to "The Power of Gold":
   "The most striking feature of this long history is that gold led most of the protagonists of the drama into the ditch". Could it be that Mr. Bernstein was misled by it too?
   
   Since "The story of gold has a deeper message, one that has none of the transitory qualities of what we choose as money. Seen in this broader sence, the story of gold has no ending".
   
   Q.E.D.



2. The Power of Gold was lent to me by a colleague at work, a fellow market analyst. He and I talk monetary policy on a fairly regular basis, so he thought I'd like to give this book a read. Indeed, he was correct.
   
   In brief, this is a book which tracks the use of gold from a monetary perspective through most of human civilization. If you're at all interested in history, then this book is definitely right up your alley. It takes a look at world events from a perspective that you won't find in many other sources. Primarily that means focusing on how gold was (or was not) the main focal point of money and trade. I personally didn't care for the author's occassional forays into discussions of the decor of various palaces and whatnot, but they weren't too distracting. Beyond that, it was a very well written book, and a pleasant read.
   
   The really interesting stuff from a my perspective as a trader and analyst, of course, is the latter part of the book where it gets to modern times. I personally found the whole discussion of the 20th century, which was probably the last third or more of the book, to be the most meaningful. The author really presents an excellent discussion of various perspectives and efforts related to different countries being on or off the gold standard and how that all played out in both domestic and global economies.
   
   One of the things which has come up in modern political, social, and economic discussions is the idea of going back on the gold standard. There have been some very prominent proponents. If you want to get an idea of what that might look like, how that might play out in the global trade and economic modern environment, you'll definitely want to give The Power of Gold a read. It will really have you thinking about the complexity of it all, and the implications.



3. Peter Bernstein's "The Power of Gold" is an interesting read. It begins with a series of anecdotes on the history of hold - from the Israelites to King Midas to Crassus to Pizarro and everything in between.
   
   Suddenly, the anecdotes stop and instead the reader faces down some pretty hard core history of the gold standard and the economics therein. The change in tone was startling. Eric Conger, the reader on the abridged audio cassette handles it in stride and does his best to keep the tone and material light.
   
   Bernstein sets gold up as a villain in the lives of men and men's quest for gold does not usually turn out the way they plan. Bernstein details the evolution and subsequent gold standard and in so doing, uses the images of the anecdotes told previously. One of the more powerful and useful images was that of the merchant who was on a ship when it began to sink. Carrying all of his gold, the merchant jumped overboard and promptly sank - which poses the question, did the merchant possess the gold or did the gold possess the merchant?
   
   Once the nations of the world were off the gold standard, the market fluctuated wildly. It reached its zenith when it peaked at $850 an ounce in 1980. When Bernstein published the audio edition in 2000, gold had promptly gone downhill precipitously with a price below $300 an ounce. Bernstein all but closes the door on gold pronouncing that its time in the monetary system come and gone and its uses as a hedge non-existant.
   
   But just before Bernstein hammers in the last nail of gold's coffin, he quotes economist Robert Mundell who stated that gold would make a comeback in the 21st century. Sure enough, on January 14, 2008 (or 3 days before this review), gold was trading at a record $914 an ounce showing that gold's use as an enduring hedge seems as durable as gold itself.



4. The older edition (Aug 30, 2000) has more pages (448 instead of 304) but costs more ($39.00). Comparing the table of contents between the 2 editions, it appears that the first 14 chapters and 207 pages are identical between the two editions but the new 2004 illustrated edition may have discarded or condensed some of the later chapters. The older 2000 edition is still available from Amazon if you look further down in search results for this title.



5. Recently, I have noticed a decline in the value of the dollar in the market and great increase of gold. Even the gold went over one thousand dollar at one point. Then, I came to thinking: what if we might be heading to some kind of economy collapse in our near future where our dollars in the banks will disappear overnight and we will be left penniless and head into a great debt without much a warning. Then, it would be likely that gold and silver might return to being as values/standards of money for survival purposes in the event of economy collapse. At least, that is my understanding of using gold.
   
   Before this year, I rarely take notice of gold and often thought of it as just piece of metal. And, I often wondered why gold would be such a big deal or why would gold became a driving motivation behind every nation's growth. Again, I thought, "they are pieces of metals, nothing more...geez, it sounds like everyone is obsessed with such illusion. Why do we even bother?" Then, I was recommended to this book by Peter Bernstein.
   
   "The Power of Gold: The History of Obsession" is very intriguing and easy to read, with only twenty chapters and roughly four hundred pages. It is certainly a book that I could not put down because it answered some of my questions on the subject, or at least to my understanding. I really liked reading about the histories of gold from the ancient times to present, including the stories of Lydian and Greek as well of Johann Sutter in the time of California gold rush. Also, it was interesting to acquire an understanding about the attitude of the people towards gold in the aftermath of The Black Death during the mid-fourteenth century.
   
   I most certainly agreed with the author when he said the following:
   "Those who believed that gold was a hedge against the uncertainties of life failed to understand that the pursuit of eternity is not to be satisfied by gold, or by anything else we choose to replace gold - dollars, euros, whatever. Gold and its surrogates make sense only as a means to an end: to beautify, to adorn, to exchange for what we need and really want." (p. 372)
   
   After reading this book, I have gained a better understanding about gold itself: how it was viewed, how it was and is being used, and why were/are people obsessed with gold. Gold may be a piece of metal, but it seems to serve mult-purposes.
   
   I am no economist or trader, but I found this book to be an enlightening read and very informative about the gold's nature, its history, and its relationship with humanity.

2 comments about A guide Book of Double Eagle Gold Coins: A Complete History and Price Guide (Official Red Books).

1. Dave Bowers has shown us all once again his superb writing skills and in-depth Numismatic knowledge with this fairly new release on what just may be the worlds most popular gold coin, the US Double Eagle. All that is missing from this superb date by date analysis of the US double eagle gold coins guidebook is up to date pricing information, which of course has seen many changes ( most to the upside) since the release of this book.
   Whether you are investing in these coins or collecting them , this is one of the guidebooks you need to study this facinating and important series of US gold coins. As a professional coin dealer and specialist in double eagles, I recommend this book to anyone with an interest in these coins. Buy the book before you buy the coins!



2. I've just started collecting Double Eagles and this book offered many interesting details and excellent photos of all Double Eagles. There is good historical background offered also.

4 comments about All the Money in the World.

1. "I don't know of any country that has successfully introduced the equivalent of a dollar coin without getting rid of the corresponding paper unit," said Douglas Mudd, author of a new book on the history of money, "All the Money in the World." Also quoted my local newspaper, Palm Beach Post.
   
   I lived in Germany 10 years and for most of those years used 5 DM coins and 5 DM notes. My wife is from Hong Kong and we visit frequently, using the 10 HK$ coin and the 10 HK$ bill among other matching HK$ coin and bills.



2. As a historian (former corporate historian for Grumman Aerospace) and an educator, I found Mr. Mudds book informative, insightful and entertaining! It is especially useful to educators as an introduction to the amazing world of money. The author has a wonderful way of presenting historial events and anecdotes that is compelling to all age groups. The illustrations and photographs are especially striking. My students are actually vying for the privelege of borrowing it. If you are a history or business teacher it is sure to become a classroom favorite!
   
   I noted in some previous reviews that the author, Mr. Mudd, has been misunderstood in regards to his comments on the introduction of new dollar coins. If one were to take the effort to review his original quote, it is clear that he was not saying the dollar coin has never been successful, but rather, for it to be successful, the existing paper notes must first be withdrawn. It is understandable for children to misread data but it is sad when adults do so.



3. This is a wonderful overview of the world's money, written in a concise, knowledgeable manner. The illustrations a magnificent and I would recommend it to anyone with any interest in the subject. But then isn't everyone interested in money? If you read this and remember half of it, you will be an expert of the highest order.



4. While some of the "reviews" here do not even really review the book, here is the real story. This is a beautiful collection of illustrations of coins and currency from all over the world. I obviously could not afford to include some of the items illustrated here in my own collection -- they are just too expensive. But owning this book is a great substitute.

3 comments about Antique Trader Royal Doulton Price Guide.

1. This is a good resource for Royal Doulton items not found in the Charlton Standard Catalogue. The two books together will give you a pretty comprehensive resource for identifying & valuing "most" Royal Doulton pieces.
   
   This duplicates a small portion of the info in Charlton Standard, but includes most things missing from it. It is a great resource for animals, Bunnykins, Character Jugs, Flambe, Burslem, Lambert Art wares and more!
   
   To any Royal Doulton collectors, I recommend BOTH of these volumes! (Charlton Standard Catalogue & Antique Trader)



2. Good price guide for many (but not all) of Royal Doulton products (tableware not included). An improvement over Charlton in that it provides colour pictures as opposed to Charlton's mostly black/white.Antique Trader Royal Doulton Price Guide



3. Antique Trader Royal Doulton Price Guide I collect Royal Doulton items and had hoped this book would be up to date, especially on their Bunnykins Series, animals, and figurines. However, most of what I look up isn't in this price guide. It is nicely illustrated. Maybe useful for beginners, but I was looking for a far more detailed price guide.

5 comments about The Care and Feeding of Books Old and New: A Simple Repair Manual for Book Lovers.

1. The Care and Feeding of Books Old and New is a lovely little volume that provides the novice book repairer with all the information they need to make minor repairs on damaged books. The authors do an excellent job of describing the tools needed and methods to be used, and are very clear about what sort of damage should be tackled only by an experienced book binder. The repair of loose pages and broken hinges are covered, as well as what to do about a stinky book.
   
   I believe this is an excellent book for any bibliolater (defined by the authors to mean anyone with an extravagant devotion to books) to have on their book shelf. With the dust jacket in a protective cover, of course.



2. As a Librarian who specializes in Preservation Management, I found this book somewhat appauling. I found it to be full of factual errors. Many of the cleaning and repair procedures described in this book would actually do more harm than good in the long run - while book tape, rubbing alcohol, homemade paste, and Elmer's glue might seem like harmless substances, these items will break down over time, yellowing, cracking, and damaging your treasured book. The bookbinder's motto is not as these misguided souls profess "Don't make it any worse", but rather "Don't do anything you can't undo". Readers of this book will come away with just enough knowledge to do some real damage! If you're unsure of your methods, you're better off leaving your books alone! If you're really interested in learning book repair, there are many manuals written by trained professionals who actually have some idea what they're talking about.



3. This breezily written guide to repairing books (and many other aspects of book buying and collecting) is a good introduction to its topic for the casual collector. The writing is extremely clear and simple, and the authors do not give advice on more advanced repairs in which you might do damage to the book. It is more of the "how do I get the price tag off the jacket?" or "what do I do about a dirty fingerprint on a page?" variety. And that IS helpful.
   
   At some point, the reader becomes aware that the book is no longer talking about book repair but about various topics that become less and less related to the original topic: how to store books, how to handle books, libraries, book borrowing, and so on. I found this somewhat entertaining, though it does not fit into the book's putative topic, as given in the title and subtitle.
   
   The authors write in a style that is very informal, with many references to their own lives and experiences. This makes the book easy to read, and it is generally not overdone so much as to become cutesy-wutesy. However, the authors' constant references to dog, including the most far-fetched analogies between book care and dog care, did become tiresome. No matter how much the authors love dogs, they should understand that most such references are not actually useful and that some readers may be cat people--or even just book people. However, the effect of this was not to impede understanding; it was simply annoying a few times.
   
   Overall, a good, short introduction to this topic that is easy to read.



4. The backcover blurb reads "Here at last is a short, simple, inexpensive guide to book care and repair." Amen! While this book, as other reviews suggest, may not be ideal for rare or leather-bound books, it is great for the mundane volumes of any book collection, or for experimentation purposes, if you're a neophyte repairer. Their advice for removing old price stickers, e.g., is excellent and easy and less harmful than the use of a fingernail. In addition, the advice comes with a charming dialogue about dogs the authors have owned and loved, and the dogs' contribution, or lack thereof, to the book owning and cleaning process. I have thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it as a first step toward book repair mastery. Just don't try it on your Gutenberg Bible!



5. Boy, was I disappointed with this book. The Author certainly took advantage of a good title, because that is all you will be buying. I didn't count how many times "the jury was out on this one." The only thing I got from this was a list of home remedy supplies and I still don't know what I am suppose to do with half of them. Since then, I have typed in google "how to clean old books" and have come up with the exact same information and more. This was a complete waste of money, especially when you add in shipping charges. Good luck!

5 comments about 59 Authentic Turn-of-the-Century Fashion Patterns.

1. I've been looking for a book with some illustrations of how women dressed in the 1800's. This book give its reader a number of illustrations and patterns where a crafty person, or a person with some seamstress knowledge, could create an outfit by enlarging the patterns and selecting materials that might have been used during those days. Takes a little doing, but can be done. Lots of puffy sleeved dresses and some beautiful coat patterns.



2. Great book. Thank you!



3. It only covers a few years of fashion, but if what you're looking for are patterns for women's and girl's fashions from 1890-1896, this may help you. But do note, it doesn't actually have any patterns later than 1896.



4. I liked this book because it showed many different styles of dress for women and children in the victorian age. I make victorian costumes and it now refer to it for ideas on how to make all my costumes a little different from each other. Also shows coats and many childrens clothes which are also helpful. Most of the dresses have leg of mutton sleeves but each is a variation.



5. As the book's name suggests, it has patterns from the "turn of the century". More specifically, from 1890 to 1896.
   
   The first three pages run over how to graph out a pattern, take your measurements, and adjust the pattern to fit. Basic knowledge of sewing, and a familiarity with patterns is a must. Or at the very least, you need to be a daring new sewer that isn't intimidated by challenges. The instructions are informative but brief.
   
   Each pattern has a fashion etching in black and white to illustrate the design it's based on. The etching shows trims and accessories. There is a diagram for each style that lays out all the pattern pieces needed to create it. All the measurements are listed in inches. They are clear and easy to read.
   
   There are 31 womens patterns : included are numerous sleeve layouts like two part coat, leg-o-mutton, 2 part leg-o-mutton, different fullnesses of sleeve. Several styles of skirt, one draped like the previous bustle decade, mostly three or five gore skirts, umbrella skirt. There are different collar styles, bodices cut in both princess and darted. A cape and coat pattern, etc. There is one nightgown pattern.
   
   There are 21 misses and girls costumes. They cover the same span of years. There are dresses appropriate to very small children up to teens. There is one evening dress pattern for a girl of about 5-9. There is also one pattern for drawers and one for a chemise.
   
   There are two patterns for boys. Mainly young boys. One is a pants suit, so i assume that would be for post diaper age. The other is a kilt costume.
   
   There are three mens patterns. One nightshirt, dressing gown and coat. There is no picture of the coat.
   
   My count brings me to 57 patterns, I must have missed a couple somewhere. But hopefully this will give you a good idea of the book contents. I have made some of the dresses from this book. The patterns work out well, however to create a truly period looking garment you need more information than what this book gives you. The construction techniques and trimming methods are quite different from how most basic sewing is done today. It would help the beginner to have some hands on exposure to actual period garments. Mostly to see how they are lined, interlined, stiffened, boned, etc. In my experience, it is the linings and foundations that give the finished product it's form. The outer image of the costume is merely floating on that foundation. This book does not cover foundations sewing techniques at all. But with some hands on antique garment experience, you could easily create an authentic looking dress from this book.

1 comments about Kennedy Half Dollars Folder 1964-1985 (Official Whitman Coin Folder).

1. This book offers housing for all half dollars from the year 1964 - 1985. Overall, a good holder for the average collector, but does not offer protection from dust and elements in the air.