3 comments about The Secret of Collecting Girls' Series Books: Featuring Nancy Drew, Judy Bolton, Kay Tracey, Beverly Gray, Penny Parker, and Ruth Fielding.

1. I ordered Secret of Collecting Girls Series books as well as All About Collecting Girls Series Books, both by John Axe... Well, after ordering both of the books, I found out that Secret of.... is just the first edition. It contains info on Ruth Fielding, Nancy Drew, Judy Bolton, Beverly Gray, Kay Tracey, Penny Parker and I think Cherry Ames. {I say "I think" because the book got returned, but I know it at least goes up to Penny Parker} Problem is, this EXACT SAME INFORMATION is found in All About Collecting... with the addition of three or four other girls' series books. I felt [disappointed] because the two books are obviously just a first edition and a second edition with some added material. I've never heard of a 2nd edition being RENAMED something else, albeit a similar title. So word to the wise. If you don't care about the other series mentioned in All About (Vicki Barr, Connie Blair, & Dana Girls) then get this book and save a few dollars. But do NOT get them both thinking they are "companion" books as inferred on several web sites.



2. John has put together a book packed with information and beautiful pictures. Confused about the various art covers on Girks' series books? Problem solved. John does an excellent job explaining the different covers and each one is illustrated in beautiful color photographs.

   Buy it for the information. Share it for the photographs. The pictures alone make this a great book for the coffee table. Even non collectors will enjoy seeing the beautiful dust jackets from the books they enjoyed as children.

   Worth so much more than the price. John presents his material in a straight forward easy to understand format. John's book is a must have for serious collectors, but non collectors will enjoy it just as much.

   I bought it, and I love it. The only regret I have is I wish I would have bought it sooner.




3. The title of this book may mislead some readers to believe that it covers many girls' series books, when in reality it covers only the following: Nancy Drew, Judy Bolton, Kay Tracey, Beverly Gray, Penny Parker, and Ruth Fielding. (The subtitle of the book indicates that these series are featured, but it is still not necessarily clear that they are the only series in the book.) That being said, this book is clearly a labor of love by a person who knows what he's talking about. There is intelligent discussion on collecting books, cleaning old books, estimating values, and different formats.

   And then... the pictures. This book includes full color photographs of all the book covers in their various incarnations. For instance, on one page are placed the FOUR different covers for Nancy Drew's "The Clue of the Broken Locket." It's fun to see how the covers evolved over the years, and the author offers much historical information about the cover artists, the Stratemeyer Syndicate in general, and the various editions in which the books have been offered. The other series mentioned above are treated in a similar manner. Overall this is an attractively designed book that can give pleasure whether you browse leisurely or read closely. Enjoy!

2 comments about Big Little Books: A Collector's Reference & Value Guide.

1. This 176 page guide contains over 800 great, full color, sharp photos of book covers. The values have been updated to 1996. Topics range from Whitman Big Little Books and Big Big Books to Tarzan, Dell Fast Action, Disney and Comic Character books. The amount of text is limited to brief discussions of history, where to purchase, condition, storage and care. If you enjoy collecting this topic, you'll enjoy this volume and refer to it often. Add it to your library.



2. It was disappointing since it only covers the Whitman Publishing company Little Big Books. If you want the prices of other publishers you need an additional book. The number of pages in the LBBs are not listed nor are the artists. There are many pluses to this guide. The photographs of the books are great. They show you what the books look like in top condition. The guide is easy to use, since the listings are alphabetical. In the back is a handy check list to mark off what you have in your collection (a column for the price you paid for your book would have been useful). It is a book I would recommend to add to your references on Little Big Books.

1 comments about Forgers and Critics: Creativity and Duplicity in Western Scholarship.

1. A short book on the history of forged historical documents, and efforts to detect them, from ancient to modern times. It skips around too much, without giving enough context for most of its anecdotes. Part of its larger message is that both practices are age-old, and that the higher criticism of 19c Germany was not as new as it seemed. Also, forgery was always considered wrong; epistemological concepts haven't changed that much. Another message is that the two are intertwined, and even some of the "gravest" opponents and critics of forgery, such as Erasmus, at times were forgers themselves.

No comments about Dunhuang and Turfan (Britihs Library Studies in Conservation Science).

No comments about De Renne: Three Generations of a Georgia Family (Wormsloe Foundation Publications , No 21).

1 comments about The Douce Apocalypse (BL - Treasures from the Bodleian Library).

1. The Manuscript Douce Apocalypse is considered one of the best of the English thirteenth century Apocalypse manuscripts, a genre which had become one of the most sought after luxury books. This manuscript illustrates the Book of Revelation of St. John the Divine. The stunning pictures "have an elegant and courtly aspect, in the manner of chivalric romance, as might be expected for a book probably made for Henry III's son, the prince Edward, later to be Edward I, and his young wife, Eleanor of Castile, shortly before 1270" (pg 9). The book abruptly stops perhaps because Prince Edward had left on a crusade and payment had ceased. Under each illustration is an extract from the Apocalypse text and commentary by a guy named Berengaudus (from the 9th or 11th century). This commentary, with its pictorial accompaniment, helped the reader interpret the sometimes obscure language of the original text.
   
   Some positives from this volume is the immense number of prints in comparison too previous volumes (sadly, not all of them). The editor also includes some very important and relevant information regarding the tradition and development of the Apocalypse illustrations from the early Medieval ages. The analysis of the commentary, analysis of evidence regarding patrons, clerical advisers, and analysis of style is also superior to previous editions. Perhaps the most important benefit of this volume is the placement of the Douce Apocalypse manuscript in regard to the trends in art of the time.
   
   All in all, this is a superior volume to previously published editions (Hassel's for example) since it really attempts to flesh out its analysis, add more plates (50 total), and to place the manuscript within the greater artistic world of the 13th century. Still, this is only a selection of plates and I wish the reader had access to them all. However, this is still a VERY worthwhile purchase for someone interested in illuminated manuscripts.

No comments about Fakes and Frauds: Varieties of Deception in Print and Manuscript (Publishing Pathways Series).

No comments about Picturing the Past.

1 comments about Maud Humphrey: Her Permanent Imprint on American Illustration.

1. This is a beautifuly done book which truly captures the exquisite works of Ms. Bogart. This is a real collectible. I have collected some of her figures which I love to display and am saddened that they have been discontinued. I hope more will be done featuring her works (i.e. crosstitch books,prints suitable for framing, etc.) If anyone is aware of anything of this sort, please advise. Thanks.

No comments about Imaging Aristotle: Verbal and Visual Representation in Fourteenth-Century France.