2 comments about Barney Google & Snuffy Smith: 75 Years of an American Legend.

1. All of about twenty pages feature Spark Plug, lots of dull biographical stuff. The only point in its favor is the complete , sort of , (eight page story) in which Sparky first appeared.



2. Billy DeBeck began,with Barney Google,a chronicle of American lifestyle in the 1920s-which was marked by daring,willingness to take risks and cheerful optomism.Barney Google had some times at the race track,with Sparky doing his best at races-and even winning them on occasion.There were some fascinating stories well-worth reprinting in their entirty.DeBeck's Bughouse Fables and Bunky are also represented.(Learn what OKMNX means.) As time went on,especialy during the Depression, the stories took a different slant.Barney speant much time out of America,either in the Mideast or in the Carribean.When he did return to America,it was to inherited property in the Ozarks.Then he befriended Snuffy Smith,who took center-stage more and more as time went on. Although Billy DeBeck never completely forgot Barney Google,his assistant and successor,country boy Fred Laswell,found it much easier to concentrate on Snuffy an' his kin an' pals.As a result Barney Google became an occasional visitor in what is now Snuffy's territory.Yet it is because of Laswell's own brand of country-charm that the strip has lasted this long. It is easy to think of Billy DeBeck's Barney Google(1919-1934),DeBeck and Laswell's Barney Google and Snuffy Smith(1935-1942)and Fred Laswell's Snuffy Smith(1943-present)as seperate strips unto themselves.

No comments about The Illustrated Herbal.

4 comments about Standard Catalog of Stocks & Bonds (Standard Catalog of Stocks and Bonds).

1. This book contains many stocks and bonds that no one would collect. I sold many of these to the author for $1.00. There are many good references out there. Try George LaBarre's Books. They're out of Print but can be found on here and Ebay. The Author should stick with his other subject matter we writes about and Shame on Krause Publishers. They should have used a established dealer or the IBSS.



2. This is the most complete catalog of scripophily items I have found. (It is the only one I have been able to locate.) The book is organized well, and is fairly complete. I find at least two thirds of the issues I have been looking for in it. As for the listed pricing, the prices seem to be fair compared with what I have encounterd in the market. There are plenty of photographs, though most are blabk and white.

   The book would be improved if they added details on how to adjust pricing for the condition of the document. In addition, if they added more general information on the field it would be helpful. Of course for later additions, I hope that they will add more items to it.

   In general though, it is a good book.




3. This is a nice try but the prices are way off the mark. They are for the most part way too low and not in touch with reality. The book provides a good basic overview of the Scripophily hobby, but the reader should totally disregard the prices. A search of Scripophily websites on the Internet will give someone a much more realistic view of pricing and availability. I have heard a lot of complaints about this book from dealers and collectors alike.



4. This book provides a decent overview of inexpensive stocks and bonds from around the world. About 60%-70% of the items listed are from the United States. A large number of photos are provided and the type is very large. The authors clearly focused on the low end of the hobby. That's not bad, just not very helpful for mid level or high-end collectors. The quality of the photos is mediocre at best. They are black and white except for the covers and an eight-page insert. Even in this section, common material dominates, with only 9 of the 61 color photos shown being valued at more than ten dollars. Of those, only two are valued more than one hundred dollars. Many of the photos are fuzzy, taken at angles, or trimmed, giving the appearance that they've been lifted from online auctions. The values given seemed way off in my opinion. The authors note that the values were generally derived by reviewing online auctions and not by reviewing dealer price lists. I have to wonder if this approach makes sense since it doesn't consider shipping charges and the discount the buyers apply for the additional risk of buying an item in an online auction. Comparing my collection with the listed items left me with a feeling of incompleteness. Less than 10% of my collection was listed. In general, the book may provide a good overview of material available to the novice collector but advanced collectors should avoid it.

No comments about Tobacco Advertising: The Great Seduction (Schiffer Book for Collectors).

3 comments about Einstein's 1912 Manuscript on the Special Theory of Relativity.

1. The formatting of this book - such that you can see the actual handwritten manuscript, gives a unique insight into the thought process of Einstein. I think that anyone with a bit of calculus and physics (vector calculus is a must) will gain something worthwhile from the paper as a whole and from the hand-written copy in particular. I haven't spent too much time learning relativity and as such this was a difficult read for me, but I think that it is a particularly interesting look into of of humanity's greatest minds.



2. There are many beautiful elements fot hsi book:
   
   1. The opening of the book has qotations of life observed from Einstein that have nothing to do with physics or math. They are priceless.
   
   2. The layout is such that on the right --you have the actual notebook ledger in Einstein's handwriting. On the right, there is typed text, clearly defining what the text is.
   
   The large layout of this book is done very well and is a treat to anyone who wants to see the details of this man's mind in action.



3. This book contains a facsimile of the hand written draft of the original relativity paper by Albert Einstein. The quality of the facsimile is great, and it is quite interesting to see the corrections made by A.E. to the draft.

   The paper itself is surprisingly readable as the mathematical notation used is still very much current. Reading the paper requires first-year calculus and physics, so this book is definitely not for everybody.

   The left side of the page contains a translation in English of the facsimile of the original in German, which appears on the right side of the page.

1 comments about Reflections on the Connolly Book of Hours.

1. Via one "medieval best seller", the Connolly Book of Hours, this slim paperback provides a fascinating introduction to the world of illuminated manuscripts and those who created, purchased and used them. Most of us have probably seen illustrations from such books, but hesitated to do much more than admire their beauty/age. This book contains not only beautiful illustrations but a a succinct account of the creation of such manuscripts. Without speaking down to you, this book manages to turn what might be an intimidating subject into a very enjoyable read. It certainly whets your interest in life in the Middle Ages. The reflections accompanying each illumination were written by a variety of indidivuals within a college community and have a unique charm of their own. Perfect reading for a summer afternoon!

No comments about American Watermarks 1690-1835.

2 comments about All About Collecting Boys' Series Books: Hardy Boys, Tom Swift, Tom Swift, Jr., Chip Hilton, Ted Scott, Mark Tidd, Tom Slade & Others.

1. There are plenty of FULL COLOR book cover photos here to help you in collecting boys series books from the past. This includes cover variations of every Hardy Boys book published between 1927 and 1980. Tom Swift Jr., Chip Hilton, & Mark Tidd are also well represented.
   There are also examples of covers from many other series, both forgotten to well known. Examples of these range from Dave Porter, to The Rover Boys, Ken Holt, Biff Brewster, Tom Quest, & Rick Brant. Complete book lists are included for 37 boys series.
   I also recomend John Axe's other collecting guides!



2. Another great book from John Axe!! I wouldn't want to be without my The Secret of Collecting Girls' Series Books by John, and now he has given us another great gift in All About Collecting Boys' Series Books. This book is packed with information about some of the most poplar boys series including the Hardy Boys, Tom Swift, Ted Scott, and more.

   Along with the information, the book is beautifully done with photographs of the various cover arts. As I stated in the Girls' Series book review, the book is worth it for the photographs alone.

   A very good value for the price.

No comments about Guide to First Edition Prices 2008/9.

No comments about My Heart in Company: The Work of J.M. Barrie and the Birth of Peter Pan.