1 comments about 2006 Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue, Vol. 1: United States & Countries of the World, A-B (Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue Vol 1 Us and Countries a-B).

1. I have been using Scott's stamp catalogue to organize a large collection of postage stamps collected over 50 years. This purchase represents an update of this catalogue for me. It also is the first time I have secured the item in disk form and will be an adjustment in the way I use the item. The catalogue allows me to organize and value (at least in a crude way) my stamp collecion. In the brief time I have used the new format, I like the fact that I can look at the pictures and text in very large format or if I am searching for something I can cover a lot using the zoom format.

4 comments about Fashions and Costumes from Godey's Lady's Book: Including 8 Plates in Full Color.

1. A delightful book to page through. Lots of black & white line drawings and several color plates. This must have been where Scarlett O'Hara got her inspirations!



2. This is an excellent reference guide for Lady Civil War Reenactors who want to create beautiful day dresses and ball gowns. The book has detailed descriptions of each dress. A true Godey's dress was for the lady of wealth, however many women of average means subscribed to Godey's to get ideas for the dresses they wore. Each page will give you an idea of colors, styles and types of fabrics used. This book is a must along with "Who Wore What" for a true insight into women's fashions of the 1860's



3. This book is beautiful. It is a very helpful reference and it is just fun to look at. It was also great to have the description of each of the outfits. This book is much more detailed than the "80 Godey's Full-Color Fashion Plates (1838-1880)" by JoAnne Olian, but then I liked all the full -colored as well.



4. Great book for finding out what they really wore for dressy occasions during the Civil War Era and just prior. Afterwards they did not have the money or the material to do this, but it is lovely to see what they did before the war. Reenacter's who do not wish to spend a lot of money on a gown from the wrong era need to see what is correct before some dressmaker puts them into whatever pattern that SHE likes to make! RESEARCH is the key.

1 comments about Judy Martin's Ultimate Book of Quilt Block Patterns.

1. I consider this a basic book in a quilt library. It contains any quilt block you would every desire to construct at any size you prefer. It is a perfect tool to creating and designing just what you want.

1 comments about 2007 Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue including Countries of the World J-o (Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue Vol 4 Countries J-O).

1. It was very informative. I like the color photographs and the descriptions of the stamps. It make it easy to identify the country and stamps.

3 comments about Jeweler's Resource : A Reference of Gems, Metals, Formulas and Terminology for Jewelers (Revised Edition) (Jewelry Crafts) (Jewelry Crafts).

1. Excellent content, a must have for the serious jeweler, student or craft person. Covers a multitude of areas not found in other books. This book should be at the top of anyones list that has an interest in making or designing jewelry.



2. This is a must have for anyone at all interested in jewellery and its sidelines. The amount of information at hand is absolutely wonderful and does save a lot of precious time by having all the info so readily to hand.



3. Whether you are a Professional Jeweler or a student this book has all the technical info you need...
   
   Alloys, Flux and Solders
   How long do you cut the band for a size 7 ring?
   
   Just loads of stuff!!! THE Jewelery Reference Book!

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 Marie Antoinette Paper Dolls.

1. This paper doll book is beautifully rendered (like all of Tom Tierney's work), but it disappoints with it's lack of historical accuracy. Firstly, the doll itself bears no resemblance to the extant portraits of Marie Antoinette. In fact, the doll and a gown(plate 4) look as if they were based on a portrait of Madame de Pompadour. Marie Antoinette would not have been amused!
   There are also a few costumes which would have been more at home in a Jeanette MacDonald musical than in the eighteenth century (most notably plates 4 & 15).
   Having been a fan of Tom Tierney's work for many years, as well as someone who is fascinated with the eighteenth century, I expected more from this publication.

1 comments about Studio Furniture of the Renwick Gallery: Smithsonian American Art Museum.

1. All 84 furniture pieces of the Gallery a part of the Smithsonian are pictured in full-page color photographs on righthand pages with comments on them and their makers on facing lefthand pages. One sees immediately on looking through the many pieces what Greenhalgh means when he writes in the Foreword, "Furniture is perhaps more allied to architecture than any of the other individual craft-based arts." This is especially true of this studio furniture made between the early years of the 1900s to the early years of the twenty-first century. While the furniture is self-evidently modern, made basically of wood, never loosing sight of its utilitarian purpose, and its inner details (rather than flourishes, for example), it for the most part it is for the most part within the mainstream of furniture, particularly Victorian furniture and more recently art nouveau and the arts-and-crafts furniture toward the end of the Victorian era. Where the Renwick Gallery pieces depart somewhat from the mainstream it is not in shape simply for the sake of shape nor in riotous colors or assemblage calling into question the meaning of "furniture". Where this furniture departs, it is mostly in whimsical touches.
   
   Looking over the collection, one also sees what Greenhalgh means when he comments this furniture comes from a "furniture world [that] was, on the whole, less cohesive and dramatic than these other genres [e. g., jewelry] and unfolded in a more subtle and complex way." No movement, school, or "intellectual thrust" in American furniture making during this period of roughly a century meant that there was "rather, a number of seams of activity." While basically falling within the mainstream, each piece is nonetheless distinctive in appearance. The many chairs--the collection's largest category of furniture--are each distinctive for length of back, size of seat, shape of arms, and details in these. The chairs are distinctive mainly for their sense of proportion among these variables. Except for a few, they're not meant to be ostentatious, nor call attention to their maker. The impression they give off is that of being well-made; and if they give of any kind of statement, it is that of the nearness of the world of nature and the subtle and to some extent mutable connections between it and the human world.

2 comments about Sewing Tools & Trinkets: Collector's Identification & Value Guide (Sewing Tools & Trinkets).

1. This is an excellent source for the collector of antique sewing implements. Full color illustrations of all priced objects make it easy to identify and place a value on pincushions, needlecases, thimbles and more. Not much text but price guides are generally short on text. If a price guide is what you want, I recommend this one.



2. Helen Lester Thompson's Sewing Tools & Trinkets is a collector's identification and value guide, covering everything from thimbles and needle holders to toys and trinkets. A very specific reference for the collector of sewing items.

1 comments about Zenith Trans-Oceanic: The Royalty of Radios.

1. Zenith TRANS-OCEANIC: The Royalty of Radios(Second Edition)and The Zenith Trans-Oceanic, the Royalty of Radios: The Royalty of Radios (Schiffer Book for Collectors)(First Edtion)
   If you own a Zenith Trans-Oceanic, you probably own the first edition of this book. If so, you'll love the second edition: not a word has been changed. You won't have any problem finding the new materials: it's all in a new section at the end of the book. As the authors point out, cost considerations precluded revising the text of the first edition.
   What's in the new material? A page or so of updated historical information, a discusssion of the second military model unknown when the first edition went to press, nice photos of Trans-Oceanic wannabe's from RCA, Hallicrafters, and others; photos of some of the Zenith companion radios, and some other items of interest.
   What's missing? Much has happened in the collector world since the publication of the first edition, and an expanded list of parts and suppliers would have been welcome. There's an ever-growing network of resources for Zenith collectors that should be included in the book. Additionally, these radios aren't getting any younger, and an expanded section on maintenance, repair, and restoration would be helpful. More detailed information on electrical restoration would be especially useful along with discussion on building and using battery packs as many collectors want to run their Trans-Oceanics on battery power.
   Should you buy the second edition? Should you buy another Zenith Trans-Oceanic? Of course! If your first edition is getting a little dog-eared, you'll get the same book plus some new material. As a Zenith collector, you'll want to add this book to your Zenith resources. Hopefully, when it's time for a third edition, the authors can do a true cover-to-cover revision.