No comments about The Arts & Crafts Collector's Guide.

3 comments about Tribal Art (DK Collector's Guides).

1. Having finished this book, I must say I found it rather strange and unsatisfactory. On the plus side it shows an enormous amount of beautiful pieces from Africa, the Pacific (including some art from Indonesia) and North and South America. So far so great.
   There is alas also a minus side to this book, or rather a couple of minuses:
   - a lot of the world is missing, e.g. nearly all of Asia and the whole Arab world;
   - what is tribal art anyway: I wouldn't classify artifacts from cultures like the Maya, Inca and Aztec as 'tribal';
   - is it wise to put SO much in. I think not. It gets to be a bit of a hotchpotch;
   - the book is supposed to be a guide to collecting this art. I don't wish to be ultra PC about this, but hardly anything is said about the fact that at least some of this art comes from graverobbers, stealing the history of the countries they rob.
   
   All in all a beautifully presented book with some caveats.



2. I wanted to look to the art of the past to inform my art now. This book has been very helpful, in that it has so very many photographs of tribal artwork. I especially love the masks and the symbolism involved, and I wish there were even more of this book! I want more pottery, more masks, more everything. There really is a lot of information in this book, though, so I shouldn't complain. It would be great for collectors of tribal art, which is what it's meant to be.



3. This book isn't what I thought it would be but it had a lot of information and beautiful renderings of the pieces.

5 comments about The Collector's Encyclopedia of American Art Glass: Identification And Values (American Art Glass Identification and Values).

1. Definitely some great pieces of glass in this book. However, I found the printing of the images rather dark and sometimes lacking clarity....the pictures are a little fuzzy or out of focus on some pages. Some pages were much better than others for photo detail. In addition, there was a large section devoted to pictures of stained glass catalogs and glass factory postcards that I didn't find particularly useful...I guess I'm a little disappointed in the book overall, despite it still being a good reference for American art glass.



2. This is an excellent piece of work. It will be of much interest to any serious collector of American glass. The photographs are very good, the historical perspective is to be commended, and the pricing of pieces seems to be well researched. Of course, the focus is on high end items and categories of glass so that it is not a stand alone reference for all "art glass" produced in the United States. Nor should it be. It is a fine book to be part of a collector's resources on the subject.



3. The second updated edition of Collector's Encyclopedia of American Art Glass is a winner: it packs in full pages of color photos on each and every page, pairs these with written descriptions, and includes the latest updated values. Pieces come from a range of collections, so they aren't limited by collection or ownership, and glass examples were chosen with readers' interests in mind. From glassmaking tools and their history to logos and design insights, this is an outstanding survey and a 'must' for any serious collector.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch



4. This book displays an illustrative and educational summary on may forms of American art glass. Beautifully done with colorful photographs and a large variety of glass. Improvement could be done in value and time periods, however and excellent book.



5. This hardcover book shows colored examples with prices and an informative text on each type of antique American Art Glass. Logos used by a variety of companies on their glass and quadruple plate holders are also shown. Numerous other sections provide information on the following: tools, chemical formulas, and early catalogue/newspaper ads. A book worth owning and enjoying!

1 comments about Instant Expert: Collecting Art Deco (Instant Expert).

1. Collecting Art Deco is a great, accessible, and useful guide to collectibles and decorative art from the Art Deco period, appropriate for any level of collector. It contains a multitude of resources within the field of collecting, as well as a complete guide to what to collect and how to identify Art Deco. Collectors will find complete in-depth information, simplified in one book that is user-friendly and compact. Collecting Art Deco covers furniture, sculpture, metalware, prints and graphics - all different types of collectibles and decorative art that fall under the category of Art Deco.

   The book is divided into easy-to-use chapters, with helpful sections on recognizing Art Deco, understanding today's market, identifying fakes, and understanding a collectible's value. There are chapters that focus on furnishings, sculpture, glass, prints, industrial design and more, with lots of black and white pictures throughout the book. In the back, there are invaluable resources such as a directory of art deco dealers, art deco societies, a bibliography and the Instant Expert Quiz, which tests how much you have learned from the book.

   All in all, if you are looking for introductory information about Art Deco that is in-depth and comprehensive, look no further than Collecting Art Deco; as the tagline says, it will help you to "Think like an Expert."

No comments about The Winterthur Guide to Recognizing Styles: American Decorative Arts from the 17th through the 19th Centuries (Winterthur Decorative Arts Series).

No comments about Decoys: Sixty Living and Outstanding North American Carvers.

3 comments about Louis Icart: The Complete Etchings.

1. I started collected Icart sketches a few years ago. This book is FABULOUS. It breaks down his work by periods. The pages are full of his sketches / year created / little tid bits regarding them. The reproduced works are full color (though I love love love the black and white sketches) and just beautiful. At the end of the book is a short glimpse of other artists whose work was during the same time, making comparison easy.
   
   If you like Icart -- this book is a HAVE TO HAVE!



2. The book gets bigger and better with each new edition. The latest revision just came out in July, 2002. There are about 600 pictures and all are in color. It is by far the most complete book on Louis Icart.



3. Anyone remotely interested in the work of French artist and illustrator Louis Icart, will be impressed by the comprehensive presentation of his etchings. The colour printing is excellent, and in chronological order one can see the development of his career, his charming females in various fashion garments of the period, and also nude, curiously rival the work of Australian artist Norman Lindsay, although Linday's nudes are of the buxom variety, and perhaps more agressive than sleek French models whom Icart make so decorative. Icart is firmly in the tradition of great French Art, after painters like Boucher and Watteau. My only small regret there was not more text about Icart, but this is a book of pictures and as such a recommended reference work.

No comments about Art Collecting 101: Buying Art for Profit And Pleasure.

No comments about African Fabric Design (Schiffer Design Book).

No comments about How to Buy and Sell Art.