3 comments about Hot Wheels: 35 Years of Speed, Power Performance and Attitude.

1. This is a general overview of the creation and manufacture of Hot Wheels toy cars. Some rabid collectors will probably already know a lot, if not all, of the information in the book but I found it to be highly readable. There's not a lot of minute details but general information about the development and production of the early years. There is also some general information about Mattel's history.

   For toy cars they put a lot of effort into creating them and to this day it still shows. They have held up well and are still like little trophies to me. There are some details that elude the end of the story, like one engineer that volunteered to work on a no salary/percentage of production basis. They never explained what the end result of that bargain was other than it worked well for him in the long run.

   Other information like the development of the wire axles, Delrin bearings and the patents involved really took me by surprise. I had no idea how involved it was to create these little gems and what a chance they took in producing them. I am even more impressed with the toys after reading this book. It really was a labor of love to some extent. I also never realized that Elliot Handler's wife was the primary force behind Barbie.

   Anyone with even a casual interest in the toys and persons involved would probably find the information in this book to be insightful. I enjoyed it immensely.




2. I bought this book for my 8 yr old that has every car I think that has ever been made by hotwheels(these include my old cars from when I was a kid). This book was wonderful. He loved seeing all the cars he has and some that he needs to get. This book was very well put together and will be an asset to any car collector or car lovers collection. Alot of information and wonderful photos inside.



3. Hot Wheels were a major pastime for me growing up and I'm surprised this book didn't appear sooner. The wealth of information and anecdotes on how this toy came to be made the book very entertaining to read. While quite knowledgeable about his subject, the author made a number of factual errors regarding automotive history (I work in the industry) and was vague about some of the actual dates during the first few years of Hot Wheels production. Still, the good photography and artwork have made this one of my favorite books!

1 comments about Tonka.

1. I enjoyed the large, clear photos of the toys and the historical information that is presented in this book. Mr. Laumann is a former Tonka employee and must have an impressive collection of toys and memoribilia given all the credits he receives in this book. This book was a "walk down memory lane" for me as my mother was employed by Tonka Toys for 24 years, only ending with the plant's closure in Mound MN. Baby Boomers, take a look at this book--I'm sure that the photos will bring back memories of a sunny afternoon outside with your favorite Tonka toy.

No comments about Warman's Action Figures Field Guide: Values and Identification (Warman's Field Guides).

3 comments about O'Brien's Collecting Toy Cars & Trucks 4th Edition (Paperback) (Collecting Toy Cars & Trucks).

1. I've found most everything I was looking for all in one source! If you like collecting cars and trucks, you must have this book!



2. Information seems to be well organized and spelled out, but was disappointed that there were so few color pictures.



3. For Matchboxes, very difficult to find and reasearch based on a proprietary numbering system. Numbering system not clearly articulated in overview. I had to purchase a new "Matchbox specific" guide from another publisher.

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.

2 comments about Marilyn Monroe Paper Dolls.

1. I never received this product so I can't make a fair review.. Thank You Erica Koenig



2. this is a wonderful presentation of M Ms most famous outfits. the art work is superb. marilyn henry is a very talented artist and i own several of her pd books. i highly recommend this along with tom tierney's M M bbok for a complete collection.

4 comments about Dolls of the Art Deco Era 1910-1940: Collect, Restore, Create and Play.

1. a real authentic and easy way to understand and MAKE dolls.
   mrs.Oroyan must be a magician to write so many books,so variabile & so full of culture & reserch that is related to the art, craft, etc...
   the book is reach, easy and wonderfull for the dollmaker! even
   for the beginer! www.geocities.com/pushadolls/



2. For those of us who admire, collect, make and renovate 1920s and 20s-inspired art dolls, Susanna Oroyan has written a thoughtful volume focusing on boudoir dolls from the Art Deco period. Although the topic is covered better visually in another of my favorites, "The Magic and Romance of Art Dolls" by Stephanie Farago, the strength of this book is in Oroyan's excellent research, writing and wonderful storytelling ability. Her fresh and fun-loving writing style shines in this book (the illustrative drawings also are quite good.)

   Unlike her other fine books, which focus more directly on the art, design and mechanics of doll-making, this book is a loving tribute to a period, aesthetic and style of doll that she very much values, appreciates and knows well. And for that we can be thankful, as Oroyan has contributed so largely to the doll-making world, with her vision, her instruction, and her art.

   Highly recommended as another fine book to add to the resource library of "students of the doll."




3. In Dolls Of The Art Deco Era, dollmaker Oroyan provides a survey of the history, makers and collectible items of the art deco era, providing both a step-by-step set of instructions for reproducing the style of doll popular in the era and covering the history of dollmaking during the era, and restoration techniques after. Packed with ideas crafts and collectors alike will appreciate.



4. there is no other book that gives so much information on bed dolls called boudoir dolls. This is like a "bible" for doll collectors. You do not need another book if you have this one.

5 comments about Tomart's Price Guide to Tin Litho Doll Houses and Plastic Doll House Furniture.

1. Mary Brett has written the Bibile of Tin Litho houses. Excellent pictures of the houses detail their interiors, exteriors and the furniture needed to make them cosy little homes. All major producers are covered, Marx, Cohn, Wolverine to mention just a few. Ms. Brett also includes a section on the more unusual items, such as the rare and unique Friendly Folks Motel. Better buy two copies, this book is destined to become dog-earred and worn before very long.



2. I purchased three books on tin toys and dollhouses, and this one was the best by far to help me evaluate some tin/metal doll houses I was buying.

   The book sections are by the doll house maker, with excellent photographs that help identify them, and estimated years that they were sold.

   In addition there are photographs of the furniture that you would typically find in these houses. This helps alot if you have just purchased an empty doll house, and you want to furnish it with vintage items of the correct size and type.

   Simply an excellent reference book for tin doll house collectors or just old-timers wanting a bit of nostalgia :)




3. This is a wonderful reference quide for baby boomers who want to collect dollhouses and furniture! What great memories this book brought back. I found doll houses and furniture I once had and some of the models my cousins and friends had in the 1950's! This is a trip down memory lane and the price is great for this publication. Amazon delivers quickly, too!



4. Great reference book for collector of 40's and 50's plastic doll house furniture. Copyright in 1997 makes pricing guide a tad out of date . . . nevertheless a good starting reference price range. Great photos. Interesting information on producing companies.



5. I was very satisfied with Amazon. My book was packaged extremely well so that the pages wouldn't get messed up. I was surprised at how fast I received it too.

3 comments about Plastic Culture: How Japanese Toys Conquered the World.

1. Ah, what a wonderful invention plastic is! Nearly limitless possibilities, able to be shaped into almost any form, take on any color, and endure across the centuries. As functional as it is fantastic. Of course, it was only a matter of time before artists took this malleable material into their capable hands, and created something that the inventors of the plastic would have never imagined. In this case, it is toys.
   
   "Plastic Culture: How Japanese Toys Conquered the World" supposes to tell the story of plastic, and its journey from function to fantastic, from commerce to art. Supposes to, because unfortunately the book seems to have fallen victim to a loss of focus, or possibly a conflict between writer and editor. Instead of this history of plastic, and their connection to Japanese culture, what the writer wanted to write about was an artistic movement called Urban Vinyl, originating in Hong Kong and then spreading to Japan and the US. That's his passion, and it shows.
   
   The first half of "Plastic Culture" is rough. It begins with a very brief history of plastic's invention, and its use in toys across the years. There is some brief connection with Japan, introducing the Kaiyodo model makers who perfected the garage kit. There is a half-hearted section on using toys for marketing purposes as mascots, mainly mentioning McDonalds Happy Meal toys and the Olympics. Trying to swing the story back to Japan, Sanrio is covered with their successful line of Hello Kitty figures and other characters. These articles are all short on text, and heavy on pictures, jumping rapidly from section to section without much logic or interest. Its pretty boring, and not very well researched. Then, on page 43, author Woodrow Pheonix begins the section on Urban Vinyl. And it all changes.
   
   The Urban Vinyl movement began in Hong Kong, with a couple of young talents started taking apart GI Joe figures and putting them back together street-style, dressed in the latest Hong Kong fashions and with an attitude that GI Joe never imagined. These two, Michael Lau and Eric So, exhibited their work at galleries, and inspired other artists to see toys as a medium of expression, rather than just playthings. The movement jumped across the water, to Japan with its ingrained toy culture, and then to the US underground comics scene, where artists like Dan Clowes ("Ghost World") and Archer Prewitt ("Sof' Boy") began teaming up with Asian designers to produce unique figures combining all of their talents and visions. Into this comes Takashi Murakami, famed for his Superflat exhibition and one of Japan's greatest modern artists, who sees the concept of creating original works of art in toys, rather than just reproducing existing works in plastic. Yoshitomo Nara, another prominent Japanese modern artist, follows suit. Its fascinating.
   
   If this book had been called "Urban Vinyl," and started with Lau and So in Hong Kong, then been given enough depth to explore the artistic movement completely, it would have been incredible. Woodrow Pheonix has a real passion for this movement, and a deep insight into what makes it tick and how the pieces fit together. His interviews with Murakami and Nara really made me reconsider the way I see toys, and it was great to here these two giants of modern art put forward such opposing yet complementary viewpoints on Urban Vinyl.
   
   But it wasn't, and so "Plastic Culture" is really only half a great book. That second half is really something, and worth picking up the book for. It makes me want to learn more about Urban Vinyl and hopefully someday Pheonix will get to write the book that he should have. I will be first in line to pick it up.



2. All the cool pictures of toys I can't have are nice. But it's really better than all the other toy books becuase it explains all about toys and how come they are so cool. I know it was for adult level reader but I learned a lot that my friends don't know! It wasn't hard to read and I wish it was twice the size. My only problem is There was not enough Blythe information even though she's on the cover.



3. This is an amazing book! Eloquently written, with great insights into toys as a whole, this book gives a comprehensive overview of the emergence of designer vinyl. Great images!

5 comments about Standard Catalog of American Flyer Trains.

1. Standard Catalog of American Flyer Trains This is a great book that for the first time you can get all three train gauges make under the name American Flyer and/or A.C. Gilbert. Great pictures and descriptions of trains and accessories. A valuable book at a great price.



2. So far this is the best book I've seen for the American Flyer collector. It has so much information and really helps when sifting through train shows and online auctions!! A must!



3. I too was waiting in anticipation for a new better written book on American Flyer. I am primarily an S gauge person, but to finally have at least the basic refreshed info on HO, and basic info on O and Wide Gauge presented again is a big bonus.
   
   Not to put down Greenbergs works, but Greenbergs are getting very dated and the repeatative descriptions just for the sake of saying something were nausiating. David Doyle in his book, has changed the format to a much more concise format. There are a few brief paragraphs at the beginning of each chapter giving important but generalized information on the chapters subject matter. For each variation of a numbered item, they give another brief general description then list each variation with a range of values and a rarity rating. This is better than other guides that simply give an EX or LN value and move on leaving the other grades open to abuse by sellers. One word of advice to David is to stick with common item names. Calling the Box Cars, House Cars was wierd and a big turn off. Train people know them as box cars, talk about what they are familiar with, not some abscure name no one has ever heard of before.
   
   The book is chock full of pictures, and they are new and bright and clear, not recycled from other previous publications. For the most part the photos are very well done, but some items they photograph are in poor condition and a superior example would have been easy to find. An example is the chapter on Hopper cars shows a beginning photo of a 921 CB&Q hopper, a very common hopper car, with a broken step. Other photos are of items that are covered with dust like the 283 at the beginning of the steam loco chapter. David tries I think to show photos of the scarcer versions at least half the time. I'm not sure if this was a chance thing or a deliberate move.
   
   The chapter on paper is short, sweet and helpful. There is only so much you can say about dealer catalogs and consumer catalogs and the like. The chapter on HO is also shorter and sweeter than the S gauge chapter(s), mainly because they made so much less of it compared to S gauge. Even more brief in the overall information offered are the O and Wide gauge chapters. These are grey areas in American Flyer collecting the same as OO is for Lionel. But we rarely hear of the Lionel people complaining about the lack of material in the small OO chapters when they are included in books. American Flyer people are already complaining about the O and Wide gauge chapters, and I say leave them complain as these are small niche areas, and the book was more about the mainstay of American Flyer trains, S gauge. It is a welcome blessing to see anything on the O and Wide gauge areas with more up to date pricing so everyone into those areas should be grateful they got anything at all instead of whining. There have been other HO books put out, but they are very dated as well, and the fresher HO data was welcome, even though the amount of time spent on the chapter was not overwhelming mainly because there was no need to.
   
   I have been into American Flyer trains since I first became congnative about the age of 4 or 5 and remember my first encounters with the train set up at Christmas. I've collected American Flyer S gauge for over 30+ years and am working on my 4th collection. I know what I've seen, and what I've not seen over 30+ years of searching and collecting these trains. With that said, I can say here what is wrong with this book. David tried very hard to avoid ambiguous information, something Greenbergs did not do. I saw only one or two examples of this in the book. One example is the alleged existance of a 293 steam loco with a whistle in the tender. This was NOT made that way. The whistle was either added by a previous owner or the tender was swapped from a different loco. But because some big time collector somewhere said it was made because it exists in their collection, so it was listed. The second example is the listing for a 290 pacific with Reading logo on the tender. This loco was never made that way. This is a tender swap by someone after the loco left the factory. This, unfortunately, is a big peril when writing a book of this type, the author is at the mercy of the collectors he asks for information from. The other big issue is with values vs truly scarce variations. As I said before, I know when a variation is tough and should demand a premium. There are several instances where a scarce variation is listed but given the common versions value. I'll give two prime examples. One would be the 24720 Civil War coach. The very earliest versions of this car are painted but do not have American Flyer Lines stamped on the car sides. In my 30+ years of collecting and searching, until about two weeks ago, I had only seen one of these cars and it was in a boxed "One of the First Fifty" sets. This car is HARD to find. Yet it was given a value of a meager $90, only $10 more than the painted version with the American Flyer Lines logo stamped on the car sides. Sorry Dave, this car is at least a $150 to $200 car. Second example would be the 625 Gulf tank car. Its hard enough to find this car without the 625G number indicating a change to Gulf from Shell. But to find the plain 625 version with the SEPX shell markings and Gulf logo is difficult to say the least. Yet David lists all variations of this car at $25. Again, this car is scarce, and is worth at least $150 or more. There are other examples exactly like this, such as the 636 spool flat with small lettering, and 934 caboose. One other item of note. In the O Gauge accessories section they show White with Red trim S Gauge items in the photos. This is incorrect. Pre-War O accessories that were carried over after the war were originally painted in Yellow (Dark Cream), with Brown trim.
   
   Other than the issues mentioned above this is an excellent book. Well laid out, much easier to read, and it has a range of values for common people who want to deal in average grade tains instead of the high end collectors grade stuff. Photos could have been better and some of the values definately need tweeking. Over all, I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to get into collecting and/or operating any of the American Flyer equipment offered from the early 1900's to date.



4. Great book with many excellent photos and variations. A must have for any Flyer fan!



5. I ordered this for my husband and he absolutely loves it. He had seen it other places at a much higher price and was thrilled you had it.
   
   Thank you.