2 comments about Indian Artifacts of the Midwest.

1. The descriptions and price estimates were helpful. The complete lack of color photos, except for the cover, was an extreme disapointment. The photos ranged from average to poor quality and were of limited value in indentifying artifacts. I feel the book description should have clearly noted the lack of color photos.



2. One week ago I went to do some house hunting and found something I wasn't looking for. While going through the house I came upon a large collection of Indian Artifacts. I knew almost nothing about them but susspected they were highly valuable. The next day an estate auction was held and I purchased the collection. Upon searching the internet for some information it became obvious what the best source was for identification of my midwest collection, Lar Hothem's book "Indian Artifacts of the Midwest." I purchased the book and was able to quickly identify many of the pieces that I knew nothing about. The book was written so a "layman" like myself could easily understand and identify many of the the basic artifacts. The quality photographs added to the pleasure of my learning. I was very pleased to realize the age, almost 10,000 years, and value of my collection. Thanks to such a thorough and readable source I now find myself hooked on the collecting and identifying of very interesting artfacts left in my area so long ago.

1 comments about Affordable Art Deco: Identification & Value Guide.

1. This is a fun little book. It's being little is my only complaint. For the price I would like to have had a bit more. However, it does have a lot of color photos nicely reproduced so you can really see the designs.

   It has a nice mix of furniture, accessories and even appliances from that period. Books that showcase museum pieces are nice to look at but "Affordable Art Deco" is for the rest of us -- those who want to create a Deco look in our homes. The authors give an idea of what things should cost, which is very helpful. For instance, two lighted art glass cigarette stands should run $75-$150, depending on condition. I've seen the same stands at an antique store priced at $400. I thought that excessive but now I have backup.

   I certainly don't regret purchasing "Affordable Art Deco" and would recommend it to anyone out there shopping for the real deal, e.g.; Not just looking at it in a museum.

3 comments about Art of the Cigar Label.

1. How interesting can old American cigar labels be? Enough to fill up a full color 250 page coffee table book, at least.
   
   The book is more than just a compendium of old labels from deceased brands, but a history lesson, a seminar in the materials and processes used in generating the labels, and a discussion of the various themes explored in the artwork, i.e. patriotism, women, theater, sports and gambling, cowboys & indians, you name it. Finally, there is some very informative stuff on collecting cigar art, searching for historic labels and estimating value. The book is the most complete work on the subject of this type of collectable Americana, and as such is recommended to all interested in the field.



2. Any true collector will appreciate Davidson's initial edition, and followup version, "Smoker's Art". For those of us who pore over piles of stuff seaching for a winner, be it cigar labels or anything else, this book is a treasure trove of high quality art.



3. As a graphic designer this book has served me well on many projects. It is detailed with a large display of labels that are well reproduced for the viewer. The catagories add a variety subjects to the art of labels which is why many of us feel this book is like a bible. It is the most complete book so far on this subject.

No comments about The Etchings of Louis Icart.

No comments about The Crystal Palace Exhibition Illustrated Catalogue (Dover Pictorial Archive Series).

No comments about A Western Legacy: The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum (Western Legacies).

No comments about A Catalogue of Chinese Export Paintings, Furniture, Silver and Other Objects 1785-1865.

2 comments about Dream of Santa: Haddon Sundblom's Advertising Paintings for Christmas, 1932-1964.

1. It didn't take the world long, in the thirties, to accept that the man in the Christmas Coke ads was Santa and this delightful book displays Haddon Sundblom's paintings over thirty-three years. If you see a tall, thin man dressed in red and carrying a sack of toys the chances are that it was painted before 1933. Sundblom wisely thought a fat jovial looking guy had more credability than a thin one.
   
   Wonderful though this book is I wish the authors had gone the extra mile and made it a comprehensive study of his Santa paintings, his work for the years 1941, 1957 and 1963 are missing. The text refers to alternative paintings created in some years to fit the various media used (billboards, magazines ads and retail unit cutout figures etc) some of these paintings are shown but not all. Most of the paintings are shown without advertising copy, I would like to see how the copy or headlines were used, a small reproduction would have been useful. They could have reproduced the back cover of the The National Geographic which Coke used every December for a Sundblom Santa ad.
   
   A lovely book but I am disappointed that the full potential of the subject was not realised.
   
   ***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.



2. I've been searching for years,for a book about Haddon Sundblom's Santa's. The people who really should buy this book are art lovers,who think that Victorian/Edwardian Santa's were the best. I would rate Sundblom's Santa's with the masters of long ago, and personally think he was a genius of OUR time. The text against each large colourful picture is short,and very informative. The only reason I have'nt given it all 5 stars,is because it does'nt have all the Santa's Sundblom painted. I do hope there will be another volume containing all the missing paintings.

   Best wishes, Ray. P.S.It's Christmas every day in my house!

5 comments about Wabi Sabi Style.

1. Sorry, I don't understand why this book gets glowing write-ups on the Amazon review page. I found this book poorly thought out and amateurishly written. Yes, there are pretty pictures, but I wanted to learn something about wabi sabi. I didn't.



2. Wabi-Sabi is a must-read book for those into Asian Design and simplicity. Before I read the book, my room was a disaster. Now, my room is completely transformed along with my lifestyle. I have thrown away all of my junk or clutter, and only display a few items which are important to me. By changing the paint color to a more earthly and natural tone of color and using natural wood for the trim as contrast, my room clearly displays beauty in its simple form. The authors of the book, give great advice in beautiful detail as how one can apply the wabi-sabi approach to one's home regardless of its size. The ability to stay with a minimalistic attitude shows wisdom and self-control as explained in the book.



3. Much appreciation to the authors for bringing Wabi Sabi to the masses. In doing so they have rescued Wabi Sabi from the pretentious "WABI SNOBBY" pseudo intellectuals.
   here is a sampling of a few jewels found in the text of Wabi Sabi Style;
   "To ennoble the ignoble"
   "Moving beyond the glossy, gilded, and gaudy - the simple organic elegance of wabi sabi is for those who have no need to prove who they are. Wabi Sabi is for those who are at peace with themselves and want to feel the peace of the world around them at all times."
   "In order to understand wabi sabi, beauty must first be understood on a conceptual level. The traditional Japanese concept of beauty differs radically from that of the West. The Japanese have long held the notion that beauty is not inherent in an object but rather is experiential. Given an order set of circumstances, beauty is the elicited response experienced by the perceiver."
   I am an admirer of Leonard Koren's writing on wabi sabi, but it is apparent that there are those who make the unfortunate mistake of comparing the Crowley's work with Koren's. As Confucius has told us "comparisons are odious" Even the work of Lennox Tierney deserves recognition. The Japanese know that "there are many paths to reach the top of Mount Fuji"
   It is apparent that there are those who deem themselves the guru's and sensei's of a fabricated "wabi sabi movement or school" these individuals or groups are in direct opposition to the spirit of wabi sabi . Let us all remember Koren's wabi sabi universe, under "Moral Precepts" and "focus on the intrinsic and ignore material hierarchy."
   Thank you to Koren, Tierney, and the Crowley's for bringing the values found in wabi sabi to the west.



4. Will "wabi-sabi" become the new buzzword among corporate retailers and mall mongers? That seems to be the authors' intention. They attempt to transform an elegant and rarified sense of beauty into corporate easy speak: high bulk, low content. The authors' flawed methodology is to take a mishmash of things Japanese and, by association, assume it's wabi-sabi. They haven't done their homework.



5. The authors have achived the elusive, communicating concepts of wabi and sabi through poetic text and evocative images.

No comments about More Roycroft Art Metal: With Price Guide (Schiffer Book for Collectors).