2 comments about Knitting Memories: Reflections on the Knitter's Life.

1. I like the yarnharlot and her blog and books and I enjoyed knitlit two, so I purchased this book as soon as it was on amazon. I was also curious to hear the stories of teva durham and lily chin. Maybe that is what is missing in the book: these women are desingers and that's what they do great, but they're not writers. that makes the book a disappointment for me. Buy 'knitting in America' of 'Knitknit' to learn more about the designing process and buy 'crazy aunt pearl' for a good story.



2. Knitting is more than just a craft or the creation of something to wear. Between the knitter and yarn there is a tactile experience and a time of reflection, a chance to meditate or let the mind wander as it will. Between the knitter and the knitting is a relationship, and it is this that Lela Nargi explores in Knitting Memories: Reflections on the Knitter's Life.
   
   This collection of sixteen essays has been written by knitters and non-knitters, givers and receivers, knitting stars (such as Lily Chin) and hospice-care workers. Here they reflection on the insights knitting has brought to their lives.
   
   In her introduction, Nargi shares the story of her two-year-old daughter Ada's relationship with knitting. As she thought about the pieces Ada was drawn to, Nargi shares the philosophy she used to pull together the disparate elements of this collection. "These pieces of knitting...are intricate stories waiting to be unraveled, and mostly they are stories about relationships...one that has to do with history, tracing knitting's broad and narrow channels through the ages, linking knitters to ancient craftspeople or perhaps just our own mothers and grandmothers. And the story is also, sometimes, one about pure imagination--the way knitting exists in our minds as fertile territory to be plumbed, picked at, reveled in, and perhaps eventually presented to others so that they, too, may share in the imaginings."
   
   What makes this collection more than another collection of knitters discussing their craft, is the inclusion of several essays by non-knitters. Of particular note is Cedric N. Chatterly's "Virginia," which shares the joy Virginia and her knitting have brought to his life. In "Silent Communion," Robert Bruce Cowan writes compellingly of his resentment for the activity that steals away his wife, making him feel "the house isn't big enough for the both of us." Yet he also realizes that his world is perfectly at peace when he is puttering and she is knitting.
   
   This small hardcover is the perfect item to tuck into a knitting bag for moments stolen between projects or when the knitter needs to be reminded of their place in the larger story.
   
   Armchair Interviews says: A little book filled with wonderful stories.

1 comments about Wilsons' Coca Cola Price Guide (Schiffer Book for Collectors).

1. This book has updated values and includes the old as well as recent items. The sections on calendars, playing cards and blotters are excellent with sharp & detailed photos. Along with the Petretti book this is the most complete guide available on this topic and a great source for collectors.

4 comments about United States Stamps - A History: Volume I - Colonial Days to the Columbians.

1. When will the next book of this stamp book series come out? The first one is terrific!!!!



2. I love this book because it is a very organized look at United States stamps. It follows stamps one by one from the first postmaster provisonal issues to the first commemorative. Please hurry and write volume two1



3. I am a collector of United States stamps. I was confused by all the different terms and types of stamps. I have all the standard stamp catalogs including that of Scott's but I wanted more information in just one source. I took a chance and bought this book, hoping to learn more about stamps. It really was just I was looking for. It is full of useful information. The tables are wonderful but even better are the text and pictures. The author makes the stamps come alive by his style of writing and even his humor. You can read the book cover to cover to understand the story and evolution of stamps from the very beginning. Or you can use it as a reference book to look something up on a particular stamp. I now understand all those confusing varieties of what appear to be the same stamp. I only wish the pictures were color. That is about the only drawback. I can't wait for the next volume in the series so I can learn more about the stamps I collect.



4. I loved this book. It changed the way i think about stamps. In fact my grades went up becuase of it and it made be able to read more mature and complicated books.

4 comments about Remember Pearl Harbor (collectibles).

1. Not much to rave about regarding this book. It tackles a very narrow subcollecting area of homefront collecting and consequently there are not a lot of items to show. The good news is its inexpensive and does show some really uncommon if not rare pieces albeit mostly in B&W. The insert paper priceguide is a joke and I'd scrap that. The collectors who contributed the photos were asked to price their own items hence the prices are inaccurate secondary to bias. If youre gonna buy it, buy it for pics of some pretty hard to find items and a trip down memory lane. Not much else to say otherwise.



2. The Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor compelled American into World War II and also resulted in a flood of items acknowledging this critical and pivotal event. Over the ensuing decades, a collector's market has sprung up based on the wealth of variety of materials from the period. These range from posters and placards to postcards and pins, from banners and stationary, to cigar wrappings and ladies underwear. Highly recommended for both nostalgic reminiscing and collector references, Remember Pearl Harbor Collectibles is an impressive, 88-page compendium surveying these special collectibles through a wealth of both black-and-white as well as full-color photographs.



3. This is a great new 88 page book loaded with photos of every type of Pearl Harbor memorabilia. It features more than 300 large, sharp, black and white and over 80 full color photos. After the brief introduction, each page is full of memories. Major catetories include newspapers, decals and patches, postcards, gum cards and matchbooks, post cards, pennants, banners, letters, postal covers, 3-D items, jewelry, movies, books, magazines, plaques and plates, and more. Items are described as appropriate. A separate price guide identifies each item by page number and description, along with the current value. WW II collectible fans will enjoy seeing the featured items and the memories that go along with them. Add it to your collection.



4. I recommend this book to all those that truly want to remember Pearl Harbor. Martin Jacobs and Frank Arian have collaborated to bring you the most fascinating array of "Remember Pearl Harbor" collectibles. From jewelry, flags, telegrams, posters, letters, figurines, newspapers, magazines, and much more. The book features over 300 detailed color and black and white photos with an item description and includes price values for all the collectibles.The book also features original photos of the actual bombing of Pearl Harbor and a summary of the actual events from December 7, 1941. I highly recommend this book for any World War II collector.

No comments about Pennsylvania Curiosities, 3rd: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities & Other Offbeat Stuff (Curiosities Series).

2 comments about Saddle and Western Gear Catalog, 1938.

1. Victor Linoff edits an important coverage: an unabridged reprint of the company's 1938 catalog which will prove a treasure trove of detail for any involved in costuming or representation of the Western wear of the times. From hats to overalls and boots, Saddle and Western Gear Catalog 1938 presents small black and white photos and excellent detail.



2. This is a great reprint of an old catalog. It shows all of what was in the orginal. Saddles, chaps, saddle trees, hats, boots, bits, spurs, and some clothing. This is a great referance book for the person looking to research old equipment that they may have. I would recommend this just for informal reading if you like old west items. It includes prices of items in 1938. This book makes a great addition to your library.

5 comments about Victims (Little House on the Bowery).

1. Unlike most of the customer reviewers, I don't have strong feelings for or against Dennis Cooper -- I read _Try_, and I liked it, but haven't read anything else by him. With that preface, I have to say I agree with most of the other reviewers -- this painfully bad book is a waste of pretentious hot air, which Jeppesen seems to have no shortage of. He's tried to inflate a shoddy narrative structure and horrendous prose with "philosophy" and "ideas", but it just comes across as another one of those painfully cute (in a condescending way), kiddie attempts at being grownup, like when your neice butchers Fur Elise at her third grade recital. Sadly, most of us outgrow this phase before the end of our teens; Jeppesen apparently has been able to live out this extended adolescence thanks to an indulgent publisher. His interview on the publisher's website is a gem ... Here's a teaser:
   "Without intending to, I ended up writing this book against the reader, to a large extent, at least to the reader who comes to this book with any preconceived notions of what a novel is supposed to be. This is why it is immensely gratifying for me, on a purely egotistical level, when readers have a negative reaction to this book; it merely confirms everything I suspected! I'd much rather people hate this book than like it. If people like it, that means it fails. Then again, failure is a lot more interesting than success . . . "

   Then, ummm ... I guess it's a smashing success, Jeppesen! Congrats!




2. From Dennis Cooper's "Little House on the Bowery" series comes this first novel from Travis Jeppesen. Loosely chronicling the last days of a religious cult called the Overcomers, the novel is composed of fragments of the stories of Tanya, who joins the cult as a pregnant teenager, and of Herbert, her son who leaves the cult before its end. Various other characters appear, including two of Herbert's friends and the man who fathered Herbert, as well as the cult leader Martin Jones. Jeppesen's stark style is quirky and noteworthy, but the story threads unravel as the novel progresses, and by the end, the surreal quality of the fragmentary episodes overtakes the book and dilutes whatever meaning readers are supposed to take from it. Despite my problems with this book, Travis Jeppesen is definitely an author with a future.



3. I don't see the Dennis Cooper comparison either on this book.
   I feel Dennis Cooper is much more controversial.
   Maybe in the syle of writing they might seem similar but not really.

   This book was a bit of a chore to finish but I was curious about where it was all going.
   I have to say I was disappointed at the end for it was too bland but it kept my interest flowing enough to reach it.

   And I'm sure that that "has been rocker" had nothing to do with publishing this particular book. I mean yes it's his company BUT he gave Dennis Cooper the opportunity to publish HIS choices not the company's. It's part of the deal that Cooper signed on with Akashic.




4. So what do you get when you buy a book published by a has-been rock performer, edited by an absurdly overrated cult novelist, and written by a young American trendoid with more pretensions than talent who lives in what is ponderously described as an "undisclosed Eastern European country"? A mindless, empty novel that manages to say absolutely nothing about its obstensible subject, cults, and that you forget the moment you finish it (if you can manage that). Spare me.



5. So what do you get when you buy a book published by a has-been rock performer, edited by an absurdly overrated cult novelist, and written by young American trendoid with more pretensions than talent who lives in what is ponderously described as an "undisclosed Eastern European country"? A mindless, empty novel that manages to say absolutely nothing about its obstensible subject, cults, and that you forget the moment you finish it (if you can manage that). Spare me.

3 comments about Garish Gardens Outlandish Lawns.

1. Pink flamingos, elves & gnomes, ceramic geese & plastic ducks, oh my! Americans, from coast to coast, have a penchant for decorating their yards with gizmos & gadgets that please & tease. Modra & Roberts started across the nation & recorded many of Amwerica's more eccentric gardens. This is a charming little book, impish, ironic & crass. What kind of people place metal cut-out characters at various points on their lawns so they appear to be having a conversation? Who lives in a house by a lake where the front & back yards are carpeted with animal statues, old mailboxes & year-round Christmas decorations? Who is the Pink Flamingo King? END



2. I expected a lot more from this book than I got. I myself have seen much weirder lawns than are included in this book. It sometimes appears to be more of a comment on class-driven levels of taste than on personal weirdness and eccentricity, and I didn't like that. Interesting to browse, but not worth the price, in my opinion. For this type of book, "Weird Rooms" is much better.



3. I EXPECTED IT TO BE FUNNY BUT THE STORIES WERE A REAL SUPRISE. THE TEXAS TORNADO, THE MAN WITH THE BEDS WERE MY FAVORITE. THIS BOOK WOULD BE A GREAT PRESENT FOR ANYONE STARTING THEIR OWN GARDEN.

1 comments about The Typewriter (Dover Pictorial Archive Series).

1. has a lot of information for machines and companies before the 30 s but still neat stuff

No comments about The Official Price Guide to American Patriotic Memorabilia (Official).