1 comments about Kitchen Collectibles: The Essential Buyer's Guide.

1. I almost returned this book because it wasn't a price guide - I'm very glad I kept it. It was a good read - factual, historical, witty - hated to finish reading it. As a price guide it's no great shakes - the listing at the back of the book is just ok. However, there are lots of price guides, but there aren't many books as well written and fun to read as this one. Especially good are the listings of resources - from newletters and books to museums and clubs for all the kitchen stuff one could ever hope to collect. The black and white photos are good but the light hearted tone is what makes this book well worth its price. I learned a lot from Ms. Stoneback. Highly recommended.

4 comments about Pinball Machines.

1. which is OK, if it's clearly labelled as such, which this book is not. The cover also implies that it's up to date to 1999. It's not. There are only a handful of machines from the 80's mentioned and absolutely none from the 90's (which is the peak era of pinball as far as playability goes.)



2. I was checking this book out at Borders. Its really acollection of artwork from pinball games organized by theme (cards, pool, "vacation" - which includes sports like skiing, etc). Not much info here and your not even sure if the prices are for the just the backglass or the whole game. The prices were way too low I thought compared the action Ebay's coin-op auctions. Ugly book with cheap feeling paper...



3. I was really let down by this one -- the title of the book is quite a misnomer.

   If you're expecting detailed pictures of backglasses, playfields, cabinets, and rulesheets, you're out of luck. This book contains only pictures of backglasses and partial backglasses. An occasional playfield shot is thrown in now and then, but there aren't enough to be useful.

   OH, and I should mention that more than half of the pages are in BLACK AND WHITE, making the pretty colorful backglass artwork boring to look at.

   The book gets two stars instead of one for the index in the back. It's nice to now have one place to look when I want to find out what year a particular pinball was made.

   In future editions, I would love to see the index in the back expanded to include rule cards and trivia. Maybe a current price guide also. But most importantly, I'd love to see a crisp top-down picture of the playfield for each machine as well as the backglass. All in full color, of course. This would be an invaluable tool for techies trying to piece together several old ratted out machines into one good one.

   Sorry, but as a pinball/video game collector, I can't recommend this book.




4. This book has alot of pictures and drawings of pinball machines, categorized by subject. There is also an excellent index in the back that lists pinball machines in alphabetical order by the name of the machine. Quite enjoyable.

1 comments about Our New England (Our ...).

1. In New England, we have a saying. "If you don't like the weather, just wait five minutes and it will change." New England finds itself receiving weather systems that converge from the west, south and north . . . sometimes at once! As a result, many New England cities receive very little sun. When the sun comes out, people flock outside for a few minutes of joy. I never saw the like in my home state of California.

   Imagine then what a surprise it was to see that the 150 photographs in this splendid book revealed optimum weather conditions over 95 percent of the time. You could visit these locations every day for a year and possibly never see the exact combination of sky and light. In fact, I could only find four scenes where I had personally seen better weather conditions than the photograph portrayed.

   So think of this book as being an idealized view of New England. As such, it will make an incredible contribution to those who have left our rocky, cloudy shores . . . and want to remember New England as a glorious, almost heavenly, place.
   
   The photographs themselves show considerable planning. Compositions are rich and vivid. Shooting angles are startling and interesting.
   
   Those who love winter may be a little disappointed that our more picturesque seasons, spring, summer and fall, receive much more attention than the days when we huddle from the "Montreal express."

   All of the New England states are well represented, but Maine seems to receive the most attention. New Hampshire is well represented as well. Connecticut residents may feel a little under represented.

   All of New England's most beloved icons are here: church steeples, antique shops, rocky shores, whales, lighthouses, sailing ships, Old Ironsides, autumn colors, covered bridges, icy peaks, famous buildings and images of Minutemen.

   The quality of the images is amazingly good. I cannot remember a regional photographic guide with such high average quality.
   If you love New England, you owe it to yourself to have this book.

No comments about Gesammelte Abhandlungen: Band 1.

No comments about Gesammelte Abhandlungen: Band 2.

No comments about Voyage dans la Macédoine: Contenant des recherches sur l'histoire, la géographie et les antiquités de ce pays. Tome 2.

1 comments about That Might Be Useful: Exploring America's Secondhand Culture.

1. Leslie takes the reader on an enjoyable and instructive journey through the world of flea markets, tag sales, auctions, antique shops, and other outlets where used and antique items of all ages and price levels exchange hands. Not having much money as well as prompted by the desire to shirk the "rampant materialism" he found in large chain stores, malls, and mainstream retailing, Leslie made the decision to buy only secondhand goods when he needed something despite the extra time this often required, with no guarantee that he would ever find what he was looking for. But before long, these drawbacks were put out of mind as the author became ever more involved in, and fascinated and delighted by what he found in this supposedly marginal, but thriving and populous area of American society. "In the secondhand culture, I have discovered the joys of a genuine American market, unfettered buying and selling, which most first-level retailing has lost." Leslie has become friends with many dealers he has met. The author's ventures into all aspects of this secondhand culture from major international auction houses, regional and local auctions and flea markets, neighborhood tag sales, and also the world's largest and longest flea markets also serve as a guide for anyone wishing to become more involved in this market as either a buyer or seller. Leslie teaches at Siena College in upper New York, which also happens to be a prime area for the secondhand market he was drawn to and colorfully and fully recounts.

No comments about Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society Vol 104, Part 2.

No comments about Heraldic Anomalies: Volume 1.

No comments about Making Women's History : The Essential Mary Ritter Beard.