5 comments about 1000 Pin-Up Girls (25th Anniversary Special Edtn).

1. I purchased this book to help design a tattoo. It was VERY helpful, and now it makes for a nice coffee-table book! There are a few repeats of photos in this book, but that's because they're from different magazine covers, or different months.



2. Pictures are gorgeous and the book is done very well. Glad to have this to add to my library.



3. I enjoyed this Taschen edition, as I generally do with all of their publications. I remember seeing all these gals on calendars in my Dad's garage - he wouldn't dare bring some of these scantily dressed ladies like this into the house. Some of the names of the magazines were memorable - Eyeful, Beauty Parade, Whisper, Wink and my favorite one Titter. Times have changed with our more open society with X-movies, vibrators, Playboy and Hustler. These were a great series of pin-ups and I'm glad they were saved for posterity, and clearly help to explain the changing traditions and customs of sexuality in America.



4. If you're a fan of Bettie Page, Dita von Teese, or Mad Men, you'll love this book. It's basically page after page of magazine covers and (cheesy, kitschy, utterly adorable) photo-spreads from your parent's generation.
   
   For true fans of pin-up culture, you'll probably spot a few photos that you've seen floating about elsewhere on the internet, but most of the artwork was entirely new to me...and I write a blog on lingerie ([...])!
   
   The only sad thing is that this book is no longer published, and you'll have to pay an arm and leg for a volume that cost less than $10 a few months ago. Definitely worth picking up if you find an affordable version though!



5. This book is exactly what you would expect. 1000 pin-ups of many different styles. They are classy yet seductive, and sexy yet sophisticated. This was a very nice addition to the coffee table.

5 comments about Lost Rights: The Misadventures of a Stolen American Relic.

1. An engaging story about a centerpiece of American history, Howard grabs your attention within the first few pages. Captivating, the story weaves across multiple states and through the hands of some enigmatic characters as it follows the extended journey of North Carolina's copy of the Bill of Rights. As a history buff, I thoroughly enjoyed the well-researched details and history Howard provided in the book. An amazing story that piques your interest in the historical document trade and the dark side of the antiquities market. Highly recommended, one of those books that you stay up all night to finish.



2. I saw this book while browsing at the book store and downloaded the sample to my Kindle (yes I am one of those who shops in a store and downloads). I read the sample and was immediately interested and ended up purchaseing the book while I was on the treadmill at the gym so I could keep reading. It starts out with suspensfully written prose that sets up a great story that is well worth reading. My problem with it is that the timeline becomes difficult to follow and there are so many characters that do similar things that you start to loose track. The story becomes repetitive after a while and a lot of background information is repeated. Sometimes it helps, other times it is just interruptive to the progress. If you are interested in antiques, legal issues, true crime, or American history, this is a good one to pick up. A quick read and you will learn a lot. It just started more promising than it finished.



3. I'm not one who generally goes for nonfiction, but this book held me captive from start to finish!! This book has everything a good novel has; mystery, suspense and interesting characters (who are actually real!!) Very well written. Clearly, lots of research went into writing this. David Howard has definitely done his homework! Anyone that is interested in American history should read this book. Even if you're not, it's still a fun read!



4. The Bill of Rights, the first amendments to our Constitution, represents what was a new and epochal understanding of the limits of government, an Enlightenment break from royalty and from religious rule. As a concept, as a philosophy of government, and as a step in human progress, the Bill of Rights can never be over-esteemed, and of course no monetary value can be put upon its ideas. But write it down on paper (or parchment) and it might be worth millions. The founders who wrote it down for the first times in 1789 would probably be surprised that their documents were valued two hundred years latter for so much money, but the priceless Bill of Rights had, in its written form, a price. And anything with a price as high as was being asked for the document in the 21st century might be the subject of backroom deals, lawsuits, terminations of friendships, and general skullduggery. Those are the components within the spellbinding story of _Lost Rights: The Misadventures of a Stolen American Relic_ (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) by David Howard. This is a great story resonating within American history and concerning a distinctly American greed.
   
   When the Bill of Rights was drawn up in 1789, the framers made fourteen copies of the document, one to be sent to every state and one for the newly-founded federal government itself. North Carolina's copy rested in the state capital building in Raleigh until the Civil War, when Sherman's marauding soldiers swept through the capitol. Some unknown soldier from Ohio tromped into the secretary of state's office and took the document. He sold the parchment for $5 in 1866 to Charles Shotwell, a fellow Union Veteran, whose family kept it through the twentieth century. North Carolina knew they had it, but would not buy it back when it was offered, and wasn't aggressive about regaining it. The price dropped in various steps, North Carolina continued to refuse, and then Wayne Pratt and Bob Matthews did some complicated haggling to buy it for themselves in 2000. Some of their enthusiasm for the document must have come from the fantastic sums paid for that Declaration of Independence. Neither man was a skilled document dealer. Pratt, who is the central character in the modern portions of this story, was a dealer in historic furniture, a funny, folksy guy who had an expert eye for valuable desks and chests. He had gotten national recognition as an appraiser on the PBS show _Antiques Roadshow_. His millionaire friend Matthews was a smooth-talking broker for real estate in Nantucket and West Palm Beach. Neither of these men were thought of as crooks. They convinced themselves that the provenance of the Bill of Rights they had purchased from the Shotwell family was confused enough that it could not be traced reliably to North Carolina, and might be an extra fifteenth copy made independently for the benefit of a clerk or someone else.
   
   Pratt and Matthews dreamed of making, oh, $5 million on their investment. The twisted story of how they successfully bought the document, and then offered it for sale to Philadelphia's National Constitution Center, is a complicated intrigue involving naïve or knowledgeable or crooked players who are antique dealers, document experts, auctioneers, historians, attorneys, governors, and museum directors. In the end, there was a worry that the document might even be sold overseas, and that it had to be protected; since it could be considered as stolen property transported across state lines, the FBI was involved and arranged a complicated sting for the document's rescue. It is a rousing, funny, troubling tale in which right eventually triumphs. That right is helped along, rather sweetly, by the Bill of Rights itself. No, not the copy in question; that's but a bit of parchment. The real Bill of Rights, the "laundry list of freedoms," was there to protect even the miscreants who had tried to sell the copy: they had every right to invoke the Fifth Amendment to avoid self-incrimination.



5. This was a terrific read for non-fiction. The story was intriguing and the characters involved were both appealling (Pratt) and appalling (Matthews). Dave Howard tests your vocabulary in a friendly way. Buy the book!
   
   American Brass

5 comments about Mickey Mouse History and Other Essays on American Memory.

1. Is this guy for or against preservation? It's hard to tell sometimes. Gives another, if not confusing, viewpoint of the preservation movement.



2. Aside from a proverbial axe that Mr. Wallace is grinding (especially in the Reagan essay), the text employs a down-to-earth approach, avoiding the typical multi-syllabic lingo that is usually associated with academia. In addition, the broad purpose of his text is applaudable: the deconstruction of the myths and ideologies of history and the return to historical research and study.

   However, I can say that while I agree with most of Mr. Wallace's viewpoints, I should also note that he has many fallacies in his case studies, particularly those with Disney. As a former Disney employee, I have to wonder how much time he truly spent researching the inner cogs of the "Mouse Machine," and who he spent time interviewing.

   As a volunteer museum curator/collections manager, I must agree with other reviewers about Mr. Wallace's critical analysis of museums. "Could," "should," and "would" are great words when theorizing and idealizing about the historical preservation process, but until one actually experiences the real-world struggles of museum revitalization and artifact preservation, I tend not to pay any heed to the noisy cymbals of criticism.

   Finally, as a graduate student of Popular Culture, and from an academic viewpoint, the lack of detailed citations and direct references in this book raises my concern about the integrity of the research that was done. The bibliography, while impressive in its depth, is not annotated enough to make up for the missing footnotes of works cited.




3. for someone interested in museum, spaces of exhibition and the like you will find section one and two of this book quite interesting. the first deals with different sorts of museums placing a critical point of view from communitary museums to opend air museums, to technology museums. the second part is great dealing with the forms of exhibition at disney. dystory, that special kind of reality that it is at once purified and sanitized and tha is quite part of the essence of thematized environments. parts three and four deal, respectively, with the restoraton movement in america and the politics of culture during regan's era, specially with the enola gay case.



4. Mike Wallace uses the kind of academic writing that all scholars should aspire to achieve--lively, free of jargon, and entertaining. His subject, as suggested by the book's title, is history and the debates that surround different depictions of history. Wallace observes, astutely, that the struggles over how to portray history reveals much about ourselves, our beliefs, and our agendas. Wallace points out that history is never neutral, a point that is well worth reinforcing.

   My particular interest is Disney Studies, and Wallace has a section (actually two essays) devoted to Disney and it use of history. The first essay concentrates on Disney's use of history in its theme parks, particularly in places such as the Hall of Presidents and EPCOT. While Wallace does not shy from criticizing Disney's portrayal of history (in fact, one of Wallace's strengths is he does not shy from representing his own viewpoint clearly), he also does not simply dismiss the potential in integrating history, entertainment, and the kind of technological wizardy that Disney is known for. He makes a serious case for a reconsideration of Disney and its techniques, all without constantly hitting his reader over the head with things. In his second essay, Wallace concentrates on the failed Disney's America project, providing background information and a critique of Disney with a call to re-examine Disney's use of history as emblematic of other movements and struggles over American history. He also makes it clear that he believes simply dismissing Disney is not an effective strategy for considering how portrayals of history could engage the public. The strength here is that Wallace is not afraid to criticize both Disney and kneejerk criticisms of Disney, or to envision the melding of history and entertainment. Nor does he abandon the quest for critical presentations of history that open history to even further investigation. While this is no easy task, Wallace does succeed.

   If there is one thing I would suggest, perhaps the element I feel is missing, is a better development of these strategies for the presentation of history that Wallace supports. Although that could indeed be a book in itself, it would have been nice to see more of Wallace dwell more on his own engagement with, even answers to, the questions he has raised in this book.




5. This is a very easy-to-read, jargon-free book about various ways in which the American past has been marketed to the American public. Wallace makes clear that the past should not be sanitized or exaggerated for any purpose, no matter how noble. And he makes clear how dangerous distortions of the past can be, particularly in chapters that discuss Ronald Reagan's or Newt Gingrich's . . . shall we say, passing acquaintance with history as it happened, as opposed to how they wish it had happened.

   That last sentence makes pretty clear that Wallace has an ideology of his own. He interprets much of American history in terms of the conflict between classes. He does not insist that his interpretation is the only valid interpretation, but the force with which he makes some of his ideological points keeps me from giving this a five star review. That said -- everyone should read this book. It pokes away at some of the myths that keep us from doing what we can to make American society even better. Mickey Mouse History might make you uncomfortable -- but it's a discomfort that has plenty of rewards in understanding.

5 comments about Diary of an Early American Boy: Noah Blake 1805 (Dover Books on Americana).

1. Diary of an Early American Boy is a very informative book. It is listed for use with Sonlight Curriculum's 4th Grade Science program. My 4th grader had trouble tolerating it. (Each child is different.) For my next child, I waited and will do this "4th Grade Science" program with him in his 5th grade year. I think it will be a good fit.
   
   The book is best read aloud to this age level (10-11 years old), and in small increments. It is rich with content, and the illustrations are excellent. It is a sit together and savor the pictures kind of book, not a book to rush through. It is a go outside together and try to recreate the described invention kind of book. It is not to be rushed through, that would gain you little.
   
   Buy, savor, but if you are in a hurry, don't bother. I don't think most kids will pick this book up on their own without prompting. The excellent illustrations are, nevertheless, black and white (or brown and white), and many children aren't drawn to these less stunning types of art.
   
   Hope that helps!



2. Ok, I'm an admitted "history geek" so I love most things that have to do with history, and especially early U.S. history. But this book was facinating. I discovered it completely by accident one day when cleaning out my classroom of "stuff" left by three previous teachers. I teach, you guessed it, U.S. history. I only grabbed it and put it in my purse because I was going on a weekend trip and needed a read for the car ride; I had never heard of the book nor of Eric Sloane. What a great accidental discovery! I studied early U.S. history in college and have taught it for four years, and still learned a great deal from this book. What makes it so facinating to me is that it doesn't concentrate on what was going on in politics at that time, or world affairs, or what the aristocracy was doing (things that most history texts focus solely on) but just what life was like for the everyday white New Englander (important to point out white and New Englander because this was not everyday life for a great majority of folks). Still, this is the obscure and even arcane things that people did everyday that went unnoticed at the time, but are so completely enthralling to imagine doing these days. A great read and quite educational!



3. My 9-year old daughter and I are reading this together. She's not very interested in reading yet, but she likes this book a lot. We're using it as part of a science curriculum about "how things work" and it gives a good perspective on simple tools and machinery from 1805. The illustrations are wonderful.



4. I've used DEAB (Diary of an Early American Boy) in my fourth grade Science curriculum for a few years now. It's amazing how Noah and his father are able to craft so many tools (and bridges, mills, and homes) using such "archaic" technology. Students are given a first hand glimpse at wood-working, pulleys and levers, and splitting and heating using wood (many of my students actually still heat their houses using wood!).
   The budding romance between Sarah and Noah is an added little perk! :)



5. I echo what everyone else has written here - an excellent book. Noah's diary is very terse, but Sloane fleshes it out with fascinating details of what living on a farm must have been like for Noah.
   
   Sad thing, though... as I was reading this I wondered if Noah and Sarah Trowbridge, whom he frequently writes about (it's clear he was attacted to this girl) ever married. Alas! I can find no mention at all of Noah Blake or his parents on any online genealogical database. Other than via Sloane's book, Noah Blake seems to be unremembered... but that's sufficient, I guess. (I can find a Sarah Trowbridge born in 1791, but it might or might not be the right one. Not enough genealogical details in Sloane's book.)

5 comments about 1897 Sears Roebuck & Co. Catalogue.

1. This catalog is wonderful.. Quality of the reprint is just fine. I love going through all the old items to see how life was then. (and the prices..lol)



2. Fun and very extensive -- much moreso than I thought it would be, for the money. Very pleased.



3. This book is a very good quality large paperback featuring crisp lettering and illustrations all the way through. I very much enjoyed the curiosities contained in the book, especially the archaic phrasing and overcooked descriptions of items. I found it amusing that the catalog states, in effect, don't be a nuisance and a waste of time by not doing your homework before purchasing products... the times have definitely changed! The range of goods sold and shipped by Sears, Roebuck, and Co., even at the end of the 19th century, is absolutely staggering! This Victorian-age wonder is "coffee-table approved" in my house.



4. I remember looking at one of these when I would visit my uncle as a kid. You could spend hours looking at all the things they sold "way back then." I bought it for a Christmas gift last year. It's a lot more interesting that you would think an old catalog would be.



5. I sit for long periods of time just wandering through this old Sears catalogue and wonder where our country went. It's nothing like it used to be. The prices were amazing too. You should get one of these. It's informative, fun and very sad at the same time. Because, you can't get the products any longer and especially at the prices listed. What a shame. What a wonderful catalogue for the pupil, for the older generation to remember the way things were, before we were stripped from being a nation to be proud of, and for the historian. There are others old Sears books or catalogues too. Their house catalogues are great! I have them. A whole house only cost a few hundred dollars. When you see today's prices compared to then you'll see that in the last 100 years something happened to America that isn't very good. Thieves and corrupt people, plus foreign invasion has taken a nation, the greatest country ever known to mankind, mind you, to total ruin. Ted Kennedy, one of the many devil's disciples, did the most damage to America by changing the American Immigration Policy back in 1965 and opened the flood gates to the Third World gushing into the land and bringing along with them their horrible politics and violent, cheating corruptive ways. Every American is now suffering it's aftermath and feeling it's "change' and will no longer be able to live the American dream, unless changed back to the way it was. These catalogues show you how things have changed.

5 comments about The Urban Treasure Hunter: A Practical Handbook for Beginners.

1. This is a great book for beginners or people who have not yet started in the marvelous hobby of treasure hunting. It really motivates you to just leave everything you are doing and heading out to your nearest park or historical site and start searching.
   
   The chapters on how to take care of your finds and places to find history reports on the place you are MD's are also a great idea.
   
   My only complain is the word URBAN in the title... I live in one of the biggest cities in the world but I like to go out of the city and search in old farms and arqueological sites. There is not much information on this subject. I just don't see why everything needs to be from NY's perspective in the book without any chapters to old country sites or even other countries (ancient Europe anyone?).
   
   Overall if you are starting or about to get starting in treasure hunting this is a great book to begin your new hobby.



2. If you are at any level of metal detecting, this is a great book. The author tells stories of his own little adventures, and points out a lot of ways to find things that you may never think of on your own, and pointers on researching before you go. He also tells you of how to deal with snoopy bystanders. Overall, it is a good book, and covers pretty much all of the bases, especially for someone just getting into this hobby.



3. Shipping time great as to be expected with Amazon. Book was good for a beginner metal detector user. Provided useful ideas on how to get started with this hobby and where to look. Worth the read and price.



4. Excellent book. Lots of good tips on getting started in metal detecting. Plus, many personal stories you can reflect on when you're out in the field. I especially liked the do's and don't when treasure hunting in the "bad" sections of a city.



5. I haven't read it because it was given as a gift. But the book was in excellent condition and arrived quickly.

1 comments about Christmas Wishes: A Catalog of Vintage Holiday Treats and Treasures.

1. I pre-ordered this book and was very excited when it finally arrived. I was not disappointed! If you love nostalgia & Christmas, this book is for you! The stories about how our favorite vintage Christmas decorations and characters came to be was fascinating. The color illustrations are fabulous and the pictures of the author during his childhood at Christmas adds a special touch that invokes memories of Christmas day during my childhood. I recommend you buy this book and take a trip down your own memory lane.

5 comments about Backroads of New England: Your Guide To New England's Most Scenic Backroad Adventures (Pictorial Discovery Guide).

1. Bought this book for my grandparents who love to travel through New England and take the back roads. They loved the book!!



2. This was obviously a carefully researched, well-written book, with great photos. But I was disappointed that there was so little focus on maps. Rather than showing a detailed maps of a recommended route, the author chose to write a verbal description of a recommended route. That's sufficient if you wish to follow the author's route exactly. But if you would rather create your own route with some guidance from the book, it's virtually impossible.



3. My wife and I just came back from vacation in New England. Aside from the Delorme maps, this book was the most important item we took with us. We went on several of the scenic drives described in the book, and they were all absolutely beautiful! The directions were perfect, even if they don't tell you the distances involved. The photographs in the book are worth the price alone, but it's even better when you come across the places pictured in the book and find out they're just as gorgeous as the author said they would be. If you're going to New England, you need this book.



4. Kim Knox Beckius, a well-known New England travel writer, has teamed up with New Hampshire photographer, William Johnson, to create a pictorial guide to 30 scenic drives throughout the region.
   
   You get five scenic drives each from Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, and New Hampshire. Rhode Island offers up another four, and Maine weighs in with a larger six. The drives cover the best of New England, from mountains to the ocean, and from the lakes to the beaches. And a whole bunch more.
   
   Kim doesn't spend a lot of time on directions. They tend to be brief and on the side of the pages - enough to get you around but not much more. Kim focuses her travel writing skills on making sure you experience in words the sights, sounds, and smells of each region. The beautifully produced photography greatly enhances this experience.
   
   While I love this book if you're looking for one crammed with detailed directions and a step-by-step tour of attractions this isn't it.
   
   This is a book to keep near you throughout the long winter... to browse whenever you want to remember a drive already taken... or one waiting for you in the spring.



5. When fall comes in New England, the trees turn into a splendid mass of reds, oranges and yellows that temporarily distract us from the coming winter. At the same time, the first fresh snowfalls have a special beauty that New Englanders love as well. But the first blush of spring causes a special joy to burst out from our hearts. In the lazy days of summer, we love to watch the wind blow the grasses and trees from languid poses.
   
   At any one of those times, I find myself thinking how much fun it would be to see some new sights in the context of those favorite New England conditions. In the forty years I've lived in New England, I've found many of my favorite locations purely by accident. The back roads are always the best. But I don't have the time to randomly drive all the back roads to find the best ones.
   
   That's where Backroads of New England comes in. Kim Knox Beckius has found 30 delightful drives over back road that mix scenery, history, culture and just plain fun. I have taken about half of the drives in the book, so I can swear by those. I am looking forward to doing the rest now that I know where to go.
   
   How can I tell I would like the others? First, Ms. Beckius provides helpful essays about where to begin, what to see, and what to stop and do along the way. She even includes some suggestions for hiking to beautiful waterfalls. Second, William H. Johnson's gorgeous photographs colorfully illuminate the main sights for each drive. Whether you love covered bridges, snow-capped peaks, delightful streams, pounding surf, or mysterious vistas, you can page through the book to find the places that speak mostly fervently to your soul.
   
   The book is also organized by state. So if you are planning to go just to Maine and arrive by air in Portland, you can simply focus on the Maine trips and those in New Hampshire and northeast Massachusetts that are not too far away. If you live in New York, and want to drive for no more than two hours, you can focus on that radius in western Connecticut and Massachusetts.
   
   I have been looking at travel guides for New England for many years. I've never seen a finer one for back roads adventures.
   
   Give it a try!

No comments about Defining Memory: Local Museums and the Construction of History in America's Changing Communities (American Association for State and Local History Book Series).

5 comments about The Seasons of America Past.

1. In the old times in colonial America there were certain times to perform specific tasks. When to cut wood for firewood when to tap maple trees when to mow hay. All seasons had their tasks that needed to be performed. This book will help you to get er done.



2. We liked the book because it lays out a lot of the good, old lifestyles and methods that were used in this country that have been lost. Many of the old methods involved much more wisdom and care for the land and our natural resources than we consider today. The old methods seemed to have much more concern for the long term affects on our land and other natural resources. Today's mentality seems to be much more focused on instant gratification.



3. All of the Sloane books are worth reading and owning. As a boy in the 1960s I was very impressed with the pen and ink drawings, more impressed than with the color paintings. (I still am.) I even built models of some of the buildings for grammar school dioramas. In the 1980s, I bought all the titles that were still in print (or remaindered). Buy the Dover reprints and any other editions you can find before they disappear again. Abebooks.com is a good source for OOP books.



4. Another one of Eric Sloane's great historical narratives on the development of America with this book focusing on the seasonal nature of farming.
   
   Thankfully most of Sloane's books are available as reprints as anyone interested in learning about the American way of life, from 1650 to 1900, will find these books real treasures. The text is straight forward, very informative and shows a reverence for all aspects of American farming, craftsmanship, invention and "common sense". The book is illustrated with great sketches and shows the modern urbanite how the rural Americans survived, thrived and prospered.
   
   Any Sloane book is an essential part of a library for those individuals who are feed-up with the urban ratrace and are seeking a simpler, self-supporting, rewarding experience.



5. This is the second Sloane book I've had the unique pleasure to read and I liked it every bit as well as the first. Mr. Sloane is as learned in his subject matter---daily life in the rural American past---as any professor. I love the illustrations and the attention to tiny detail. Truly these books are treasures that preserve information about our past that is so in danger of being lost in the hectic pace of twenty-first-century life. To read this book is to place one's mindset in another era and circumstance. Yes, existence in the past was more physically difficult compared to today but in their own way our forebears lived richly in a world that was every bit as complex and rewarding as our own. This is a book for children, for adults, for anyone open-minded enough to look backward without condescension. I think any thinking person will be greatly impressed.