4 comments about Our Pennsylvania (Our ...).

1. I work with the Rotary International Youth Exchange Program. Students age 15-18 come to the USA to spend the school year and learn our customs, cultures and educational systems. We take them to historical sites, like Wash, DC and points of interest like New York City. Their host families and Rotarians take them to places of interest around the state. We are located in PA so this book is a perfect keepsake for them. The book highlights the wonders of our keystone state and the photos bring back the memories of what they experienced.



2. Attractive, reasonably priced photo book on the Keystone State.
   Irwin, whose photography has appeared in National Geographic, is particularly good in his coverage of the plain people of Lancaster County. Irwin doesn't neglect any part of the state, however. An excellent keepsake for anyone living in or visiting this state.



3. Even if you're not a Pennsylvanian you'll enjoy leafing through this pictorial celebration of the Keystone State. Enriched with 150 color photos by ace photographer Jerry Irwin this landmark volume offers glimpses of every nook and cranny of a beautiful state.
   There are breathtaking views of Pennsylvania Dutch country in autumn with towering trees lit by brilliant oranges and reds. Who would want to miss the battlefields of Gettysburg, an integral part of our nation's history? Picturesque covered bridges in Lehigh County merit attention as do the majestic Poconos and the Appalachian Mountains.
   Mr. Irwin's unerring eye captures familiar scenes as well as little known treasures found in historic buildings and landmarks.
   In addition, photos are accompanied by succinct captions which enhance the viewers experience. "Our Pennsylvania" is a volume to treasure and return to again and again.



4. Even if you're not a Pennsylvanian you'll enjoy leafing through this pictorial celebration of the Keystone State. Enriched with 150 color photos by ace photographer Jerry Irwin this landmark volume offers glimpses of every nook and cranny of a beautiful state.

   There are breathtaking views of Pennsylvania Dutch country in autumn with towering trees lit by brilliant oranges and reds. Who would want to miss the battlefields of Gettysburg, an integral part of our nation's history? Picturesque covered bridges in Lehigh County merit attention as do the majestic Poconos and the Appalachian Mountains.

   Mr. Irwin's unerring eye captures familiar scenes as well as little known treasures found in historic buildings and landmarks.

   In addition, photos are accompanied by succinct captions which enhance the viewers experience. "Our Pennsylvania" is a volume to treasure and return to again and again.

   - Gail Cooke

1 comments about North American Indian Artifacts: A Collector's Identification & Value Guide (North American Indian Artifacts).

1. This is the 6th edition on North American Indian culture and artifacts by a true expert. It contains thousands of photos, mostly black and white, with some in full color. Lots of data on dozens of topics from arrowheads to pottery, baskets, beadwork, clothing, toys, weavings and jewelry. It includes a handy directory of dealers in Indian materials, arranged by state. Most items shown include their approximate value. A worthwhile addition to the library of everyone interested in North American Indian culture. Not just a picture-price guide, but a valuable reference.

2 comments about Classic American Diners: Collectible Postcards and Matchcovers (Schiffer Book).

1. A rich selection of diner postcards and matchbooks though it must be said one diner postcard is not too different from another but when you see more than 270 all in one go they become quite fascinating. The rest of the 450 pictures in the book are matchbooks. All the material is from Don Preziosi's collection but he left out color glossy photographic postcards. I agree with his reason: these cards, though obviously an exact record of what a diner looked like yet they lack the exuberant color and period feel of the illustrative diner postcard.
   
   There is an interesting few pages near the front of the book that covers postcards and matches from diner makers. The O'Mahony, Silk City, Kullman, Paramount, Fodero, Manno and DeLuxe get a look in with black and white photographic postcards though they have a retouched look to put the best gloss on the units. The matchbooks use illustrations. The diner makers didn't miss a trick by going for a streamline look, suggesting modernity and cleanliness, so many of these diners use the curves, glass bricks and lightweight metals associated with streamline design.
   
   There is a nice feature on page 132: four cards and a matchbook for the Ideal/New Diner on Route 40, Aberdeen, Maryland. Preziosi writes a bit about the background to the changes to this diner over the years. There are also a few cards where owners used the Dinor rather than Diner spelling.
   
   Wonderful though all these postcards are I was disappointed with the book's production. There are so many pages with two or three items that just don't fill the space even though they are angled and frequently a bit of one overlaps another. I suppose the problem was having a book of too many pages for too little material. To break up the editorial flow of white pages a few use blown-up card images as a background with the proper cards printed on top of the picture but even here crude white oblongs are arbitrarily cut into the background for the short captions. The imprint, contents, acknowledgements, intro and the few text pages are uniformly dull with unimaginative typography. The author's text is set in a large type to fill out as many pages as possible. The one concession to a contemporary look is a nice drop shadow on all the illustrations.
   
   The front cover, with twenty postcards, all the same size and butted together looks stunning but how frustrating to see these lovely period graphics wasted on the inside pages because of poor editorial design. For the price I really expected something better looking.
   
   ***FOR A LOOK AT OTHER DINER BOOKS click 'customer images' under the cover.



2. The classic American diner is an image embodying American culture, and here matchcovers and postcards which captured these images and were giveaway promotional items are presented in a collection which could've been featured in our Collector's Corner, but deserves a spot here for artistic and historical significance. Over 400 examples in color are included, along with a history of the diners and details on postcards and period matchcovers. Perfect for both collector's libraries and for art and American history holdings.

3 comments about The Vernor's Story: From Gnomes to Now.

1. This unique and eye opening saga into the history of Vernor's, reveals a facinating evolution from a doctor prescribed tummy soother, to "Detroit's Drink". Lawerence L. Rouch is an increadible writer who brings to life the colorful and amazing history of more than just a soft drink, but of the city of Detroit itself. From "The Original Ginger Ale's" post civil war beginings to its current position in the highly competive soft drink market of today, the Vernor story truly is one of a kind.



2. This is a super book, intelligent and attractive as well. As a child, I loved Vernor's Ginger Ale, and I enjoyed reading this book tremendously! The history of the company is well written and interesting, and the numerous illustrations are varied and delightful. I especially appreciated the chronology and bibliography that balance the cool graphics with authoritative research. Well done!!



3. Wow! This book takes me back to my childhood in MI. It's so richly illustrated & so fun to read! I love it. I am going to buy it for all my friends and family for XMAS. What a great Michigan read!

No comments about Farm Safety Handbook (Country Workshop).

1 comments about Fantastic Filling Stations (Enthusiast Color Series).

1. Although this coffee table book has photos, it is the short stories about the abandoned gas stations that make the book worthwhile.

No comments about Introduction to African American Photographs: 1840-1950: Identification, Research, Care & Collecting.

No comments about Gather Up the Fragments: The Andrews Shaker Collection.

2 comments about Warman's Disney Collectibles Field Guide: Values And Identification (Warmans Disney Collectibles Field Guide).

1. The first thing to know about the various Warman's Field Guides is that by design they are not meant to be all encompassing. If you're looking to a comprehensive guide to every Disney collectible then you will have to look elsewhere (if there is such a beast). The Warman's Field Guides are designed to be pocket-sized guides, easily able to take-along on those trips to flea markets, antique shows, or garage sales. They are meant to give an example of various types of Disney collectibles, more for the casual or new collector, than one who's a veteran. Thus you won't find every item in the book but you'll probably find pretty close approximations, enough to at least make an educated guess about an item's value. It's either that or haul around a Webster's Dictionary-sized guide.
   
   The book is alphabetized by character name/film beginning with the "Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad", and then goes on from there. There are marvelous treasures in the book that will make Disney collectors salivate and it's complemented by fantastic, full-color photography, highlighting one item per page for the most part.
   
   Among the treasures are a complete Alice in Wonderland lobby card set of 8 valued at $1400, a Davy Crockett one-sheet movie poster from 1955 for $650, A 1950's Donald Duck tin lithograph bank from Marx toys for $265, a 1930's Clarabelle drinking glass for $40, a Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs bisque figure set for $215, and a Mickey Mouse pocket watch from the 1930's, valued at $465.
   
   There are a myriad of toys, figurines, books, posters, and lobby cards to be found within the pages of the guide. If I have one minor complaint it would be that there are too many examples shown in the book of the Mickey Mouse Magazine, Dell Four Color Comics and Walt Disney Comics and Stories. There's probably a hundred pages, one-fifth of the book dedicated to these items which to me is a bit too much since there are already many excellent comic book price guides (Krause themselves puts out many great comic price guides) on the market which do a better job on these types of items. I would have rather seen much more coverage of non-comic book items.
   
   All in all though, the book definitely does what it intended to do.
   
   Reviewed by Tim Janson



2. Was not overly impressed with the coverage of collectibles in this guide. Can't be too specific except to say I perused the book when I received it a month ago and have not even opened it a 2nd time. Pretty much a wasted purchase. Sorry to be so critical.

1 comments about Mechanical Variations of Mauser Bolt Action Military Rifles.

1. This book is a compiliation of articles out of many other reference books. If you have all the other references, it's kind of a dissapointment. However, I'm sure I'll find some limited use for it someday.