1 comments about The Official License Plate Book 2002: A Complete Plate Identification Resource (License Plate Book).

1. Taking a road trip? This book is a terrific take along for those games of license plate spotting, showing all the variations of license plates for all 50 states. Perfect for solving the inevitable arguments that occur when someone claims that a car from Hawaii just passed on the New Jersey Turnpike. (If it hasn't happened to you, then you've never taken a road trip in your life or you're an only child and I pity you!)

   If you're a license plate collector, this isn't the most in depth book available, but it has wonderful color photographs and appears to be quite up-to-date. You'll be amazed at how many different plates are in circulation, and the variety of artistic interpretations of these everyday, often overlooked objects.

   Either way, it's well worth buying and tucking into the glove compartment.

2 comments about America's Wartime Scrapbook - Pearl Harbour to V-J (America's Wartime Scrapbook).

1. This book is very colorful and has lots of interesting items. It has pretty fair organization but if one looks carefully and has knowledge in the area of homefront collecting, many fake and reproduction items abound. Nothing is more deceiving than smuggling in fakes to augment a collection that wasnt large enough to complete the project. Also you can see where Jacob's has reused items in different shots to once again make up for an inadequate pool of resources for publication. Overall I'd buy it but be on the lookout for the fakes like the bowling pins on the back cover!!...



2. This is the ninth of Robert Opie's Scrapbooks and the first using material not from his vast collection, appropriately this covers the US war years while his first book covered the British war years. An amazing 1500 items, mostly printed ephemera, from the collections of Charles Numark and Martin Jacobs are displayed in the still-life photo style that Opie created for his wonderful Scrapbooks.
   
   The book opens out to spreads fifteen by twenty-one inches wide. Each one has a large themed still-life photo covering, Pearl Harbor, Home Front posters, ads, comics, greeting cards, magazine covers, movie posters, civil defence, V-mail, newspaper front pages, victory gardens, kids games, sweetheart jewelry, patches and medals, tobacco products, popular music sheets and more. It can get a bit overwhelming with so much material to look at but this is why I love these Scrapbooks, you can return to them again and again and still find something new.
   
   Another book, 'United We Stand', with patriotic material from Richard Perry's wartime collection covers the same area but unfortunately it is rather badly organised and only has three hundred items but a book that will perfectly complement 'America's Wartime Scrapbook' is Stan Cohen's 'V for Victory', an exhaustive photo record of the Home Front. If you lived through the war years both these books will be instant nostalgia.
   
   ***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.

No comments about Classic Roadside Americana.

No comments about Vintage Farm Tractors 2008 Calendar.

No comments about The New Four Winds Guide to American Indian Artifacts (Schiffer Book for Collectors).

5 comments about A Complete Guide to Heraldry.

1. A great resource to not only learn about the history and mechanics of heraldry, but also for inspiration for creating one's own coats of arms. I mainly picked this up to create heraldry for my strategy table top war game, but the historian in me enjoys it as well for scholarly purposes.



2. A.C.Fox-Davies:HERALDRY
   I already had a great respect for Mr.Fox-Davies, having two of his great books:THE ART of HERALDRY and HERALDRY-the magnificent pictorial archive for artists and designers. And I expected to learn quite a lot from the HERALDRY book.Guess,I was right.
   .The texts are very,very good,BUT,there are just too many unnecessary and detailed descriptions of British and Scotch Armory.Was it because Mr.Fox-Davies wanted to show off( with his long description of many personal Arms,which I doubt had any great interest for the general reader-mentioning only a few Im sure he could have got his point) or maybe,he was just carried away by his wish too make a good(fat)book?Nevertheless,Mr.Fox-Davies is among the VERY FEW experts who dared mention the painstakingly long and slow development of Armory,from Moses and the Scriptures onwards,explaining that it were first the personal signs and symbols which existed long before the Heraldry proper.And are still going strong,not as Arms,but LOGOTYPES of more or less famous brands.
   There is no" Deus-ex-Machina "Heraldry for Mr.Fox-Davies .It was a slow and painful process influenced by both the traditions and technology,development of society , classes and unfortunately.warfare..And I guess,Mr.Fox-Davies leans too much on the Crusades Myth,closed HELMETS etc..
   By the way,closed helmets existed long,long before the iron clad warriors ! Many of the drawings and other examples are very good,so that the small percentage of superfluous ones,do not play a significant role.All in all,for anyone willing to learn more,and think while reading the book,the number of lines and pages should not be tiring.It is satisfying to know that even in the days when the book first appeared,there was somebody who was NOT a stereotype,somebody who really loved the job and loved the knowledge he so willingly transferred to his readers.



3. Good book - just wish it explained more simply and clearly - in a concise way - the symbols.



4. I can not possibly imagine a more complete guide to Heraldry. This engaging book really brings you into the world of crests, family honor, and ancestry. It gives a comprehensive guide to all the symbols used, and their various meanings. If you are even remotely interested in Heraldry, pick this up today.



5. This might be the most thorough introduction to the study of family crests and medieval coats of arms readily available today. It clearly explains the origin and meaning of dozens of symbols and emblems. The best part is that it includes lots of photos and illustrations (including several color plates)which are invaluable in trying to trace one's heritage.

5 comments about Marilyn Monroe: Cover to Cover.

1. This thoroughly unique and enjoyable approach to the documentation of Marilyn's career is a comprehensive collection of magazine covers from all around the world, featuring her throughout her career. The whole is an eclectic gathering of photos highlighting her metamorphosis from unknown young model to luminous superstar.
   
   Although many of the more well known American covers are absent, there is plenty here to satisfy! The variety and sheer number of colorful covers is impressive. The memorable quotes that accompany so many of the covers capture the essence of her endearing personality without being an actual biography, and the timeline is a good but brief overview of many of the important events in her life.
   
   Although I am not an avid collector of MM memorabilia, I'm sure the pricing information would be valuable to those who are. I found comparing the various values to be very interesting reading. I can only imagine the painstaking work that went into identifying each of these photos and determining the worth of each cover.
   
   This would be a welcome and unique addition to any MM library - highly recommended!



2. This is an unusual outstanding picture book.
   
   Marilyn in unforgetable pictures.
   
   Thank you!



3. I absolutely loved this book! It was fantastic. Marilyn Monroe was such a beautiful, talented person and this book definitely shows it. The pictures are sharp and bright and the captions are wonderful. The variety is nothing short of impressive. I highly recommend this "coffee table book" to any Monroe fan!



4. Now in a revised second edition, Marilyn Monroe: Cover To Cover by Clark Kidder is a unique collection for the fans one of Hollywood's best known personalities, as it features full-color illustrations of numerous magazine covers that showcased this talented actress and American heartthrob. Each picture offers a brief caption or memorable quote (often by Marilyn herself) about the picture, as well as the average selling price for good condition copies of the magazine. Marilyn Monroe: Cover To Cover is a very highly recommended resource for celebrity memorability collectors in general, and Marilyn Monroe fans in particular.



5. Clark Kidder has done it yet once again. His magnificent Marilyn Monroe magazine collector guide " Cover To Cover " is lavishly illustrated with gorgeous Norma Jeane covers from around the world. This book is very helpful for Marilyn Monroe collectors. I have been collecting Marilyn Monroe Memorabilia since 1991 and everytime one of Clark's great Marilyn books come out I learn so much valuable information. This book gets my highest recommendation. Simply delightful and is a definite must have referance guide for any serious Marilyn Monroe collector. Clark Kidder is a Marilyn Monroe Super Collector and his work promoting the hobby of collecting Marilyn Monroe memorabilia has done wonders for the hobby. Two Thumbs Up!

3 comments about Baby Boomer Toys and Collectibles: With Price Guide.

1. A great trip down memory lane! Two chapters deal with my own fields of interest and still has a nice cross-section of different items for everyone. Great pics, good descriptions. I can't call it a coffee table book because it never gets to stay on the table. Every visitor picks it up and can't put down. Thanks for the memories!



2. Forget the criticism - this is a great book stuffed with monsters, space toys plastics, kits - all the CLASSIC boomer stuff that the collectors go nuts for.



3. The book has some great photos of old toys but, they are not the type of toys I remember from my childhood. I was born in 1950. Maybe I just never had these toys in my toy box. As a collector of Boomer and 50's era toys..I was disappointed in the content of this book.

No comments about Warman's Country Antiques: Identification & Price Guide (Warman's Country Antiques Price Guide).

2 comments about Our Chicago (Our States Series).

1. Although it has been 20 years since I left Chicago, I still miss it with a passion. It was good to me. I was young and found plenty of opportunity in that great city. I meet some wonderful people as well. I just got this book today but it is a keeper, I can tell. The photos are great and the facts in it are educational, I learned something already; I never saw a picture of the oldest remaining house in Chicago until now.
   So, if you are a Chicagoan, former Chicagoan, or just someone that would like to learn about a great city, buy this book.



2. Our Chicago is a visual smorgasbord of the great sights and highlights of this grand city. Full-color photographs by Ron Schramm, enhanced with an engaging text and informative captions by Marilyn D. Clancy vividly illustrate this visual tour of this American Midwestern city, from its homey neighborhoods to its fast-paced commerce and high culture. An excellent and memorable souvenir of vacationing or living in the Windy City, Our Chicago is a welcome and highly recommended work, which could well serve as a template or example for similar visual showcase tributes for other major American cities.