No comments about Famous Texas Men: Paper Dolls.

3 comments about Collector's Encyclopedia Of Bookends (Collector's Encyclopedia).

1. I was very impressed with Mr. Louis Kuritzky's 1998 "Collector's Guide to Bookends" I didn't think a collector's guide could be improved until I recently purchased the 2006 "Collector's Encyclopedia of Bookends" Mr. Kuritzky teamed up with Charles De Costa, and together they compiled a wonderful, detailed book on hundreds of varieties of bookends many rare ones included. I love it, this book has it all, it is all you need to know about bookends. After all, that is what the book is about.



2. This book consists of a couple dozen pages of not particularly good writing that offers short histories of bookend manufacturers and designers, plus four pages briefly covering dating, material, markings, sizes, rarity, and "value" or price. There is an eight-page section entitled "Comments on Individual Bookends" where some unusual bookends have a few paragraphs each with more detailed information than is found for most of the bookends.
   
   The remainder of the book - almost 300 pages - is photographs of bookends, typically 7-8 per page, with very brief notations for each bookend. Many of the photographs are excellent, and the paper is high quality and glossy. In some cases, several versions of a bookend are shown and described. The book is less than an inch thick, but quite heavy and has a substantial feel, like most of the bookends it pictures.
   
   The values in the book are usually lower than eBay auction prices and definitely lower than antique store prices, but the information is helpful for comparisons, and the book is enjoyable to leaf through.
   
   The bookends covered in this encyclopedia are almost entirely of American manufacture.



3. Bookends might seem an unlikely object to collect, but take a look at the gorgeous ends featured in Louis Kuritzky & Charles De Costa 's Collector's Encyclopedia Of Bookends: Identification & Values to catch a glimpse of some outstanding productions. Chapters are organized A-Z by subject: children, felines, female figures and each section features small clear color photos, object composition and rarity notes, prices, and dates. A 'must have' reference for any collecting bookends.

1 comments about Collector's Guide To Cookbooks: Identification & Values (Collector Books).

1. Looking forward to sorting out my collection and getting all of it in order.

5 comments about Official Price Guide to Books, 5th Edition (Official Price Guide to Books).

1. As a book collector I was disappointed with this book. The text was generally informative but I found the collectible book listing unreliable vis;
   The author Patrick O'Brian was spelt O'Brien and his first book "Master and Commander" (the most valueable in the series) not even listed.Also a number of collectible authors of modern 1st's were not listed.
   
   Little things like this jaundiced my view of the efficacy of the publication.
   
   A much better book is "Guide to First Edition Prices 2008/9 R.B Russell.



2. I sell used books on eBay and bought this to bring with me when I go to estate and garage sales. I tend to find and make more money with Non-fiction and this book is heavily weighted to fiction. But it's a pretty good resource none the less.



3. The book is in excellent condition and I received it well packaged and quickly.



4. Honestly, I was a little disappointed with this book. I thought it would go more into depth about how to recognize an older valuable book. It was just a list of "valuable books, and what they sold for on the Internet."
   I thought the book would explain how to recognize a valuable book.



5. This book's extensive guide to collectible book pricing is fascinating and valuable in itself, but what I enjoyed even more was the numerous interviews with longtime book dealers. These interviews, sprinkled throughout the book, provide a keen insight into today's out-of-print bookselling and collectibles market. Of course, the experts disagree on some points, but that is all part of the fun -- you get to decide what makes the best sense for you, and apply those ideas to your own book-hunting adventures.
   
   This guide also thoroughly covers genre collecting, the care and repair of books, and includes a glossary and references to many additional sources of information.
   
   So whether you're a book auctioneer, bookshop owner, an online dealer, or simply a lover of collectible fiction or nonfiction treasures, I'd recommend that you read this book from cover to cover and put it on your shelf for future reference. When I read this book a few months ago, I found myself underlining a few paragraphs on nearly every page. It will give you a finer appreciation of how the Internet has opened up a whole new world of possibilities for book collectors and dealers alike.

5 comments about Growing Up with Dick and Jane: Learning and Living the American Dream.

1. The book arrived in excellent condition and the sender was very professional and thorough. I would order from him again!



2. Dick and Jane is a sexual book. Can it be any more obvious with those words?



3. I was disappointed in the review that said phonics is not needed when reading these books. My 5 year old will cover up parts of the words to sound out each part and put it all together. The great thing of these books, is repetition. That is how kids learn and remember. Repetition, repetition, repetition - isn't this how people learn new jobs, too? I have bought all the old editions (I don't like the updated versions), and she has read almost all of them since Christmas (1 week ago!). I think that is great for a 5 year old, she loves them, and can't get enough. Now we scour antique stores, libraries, resale shops and garage sales to keep this kid interested in reading.



4. Somewhere between the boring textbooks of cultural studies and the objects of culture which the field explores, this book offers an excellent overview of the Dick and Jane readers' evolution over time as the ideals of the society in which Dick and Jane were grounded evolved as well. And what a tumultuous time it was! Through illustrations from the original texts and photographs of cultural change, short essays on subjects and eras, and even the inclusion of Dick and Jane cut-out dolls to stand on one's desk, the authors take us through the evolution and meaning of Dick and Jane, from Dick and Jane's depression-era origins to the loss of their relevance in the sixties, when the books stopped being produced. Both a reminiscence and an excellent analysis of cultural change through a single set of broad-strokes ideals, this text is both a fun read, a strong cultural text, and a solid way for me (or any teacher) to introduce high school media and communications students to the ways in which ideals, ideas, icons and culture affect and are affected by each other over time.

   Those who look to this book for an explanation of Dick and Jane as representing complexity, as one reviewer does below, seem to have missed the point -- Dick and Jane represented cotton-candy ideals of a conservative and young-minded nature; to ask them to have represented more is to completely misunderstand what cultural studies assumes as a foundation. Those who come to this book with an open mind and an interest in mid-19th-century american culture as seen through the evolution of its primers and iconography will find this an excellent, well-presented, and fun work of scholarship.




5. ...but fear, in this day when psychobabble, family values, and the like are taken far too seriously, the "American Dream" as related to Dick and Jane is as well.

   Most of us "Depression Era through Baby Boom" kids (I'm the latter) can enjoy some memories of the Dick and Jane we knew so well in first grade. But anyone whose memory is keen enough will know that the "Dick and Jane" family were hardly those we'd have wished to imitate. The kids apparently had no friends (though the book shows that, after "my time," they did acquire a few); were not terribly bright; hardly had a decent conversation (remember story one: "Oh, Look!"?); their prime concern seemed to be "helping mother," and they might have been an adult's dream (never caused trouble, and so forth) but were not a fellow kid's.

3 comments about Warmans Little Golden Books Field Guide: Values And Identification (Warman's Field Guides).

1. Unless you need a take-along guide for garage sales and thrift stores, or you know nothing about the LGB's you're starting to collect... you'll get lots more information for the $$ if you buy the 5th edition of "Collecting Little Golden Books: A Collector's Identification and Price Guide."



2. Steve Santi's latest book covering Little Golden Books is proof positive that big things come in small packages. Colorful, nostalgic, fun, this is an awesome package. The field guide features more than 700 color pictures and more than 1,100 listings and prices of books. It's beautiful, and a collector's dream. I gave this book to my wife, a Little Golden Books collector. Because the book is organized alphabetically by book title we had no problem finding the books she has, or the books she remembered from her childhood. She loves the book. And I bet you will too. It's just a super little book packed with color photographs and great memories.



3. This is an absolute must-have for the serious Little Golden Book collector! If you like to know how much the LGBs are worth, THIS is THE book!! Don't get ripped off by sellers (such as EBay) or by sellers at flea markets/garage sales who may be asking too much, and you can talk to them to talk down the price! (I did, and it works!) This book will tell you exactly how much the book is worth.

5 comments about Instant Expert: Collecting Books.

1. This short introduction to book collecting is a quick, witty and entertaining read. The author's enthusiasm for collecting is obvious.
   
   This is an easy to read, entertaining, and opinionated guide to book collecting. If you are new to this hobby, and have an interest in building a collection that may increase in value over time, this book can be strongly recommended, especially in view of its low price.
   
   The book focuses more on the financial, rather than the reading or educational aspects of this passion. The author spends much more time providing advice on how to collect books that may gain value compared to helping you find inexpensive reading editions, nor does he provide or point the reader to focused reading guides. However, Mr. Budman does present a clear discussion of the pitfalls of entering this hobby with the hope of making money. Experienced collectors will find a kindred spirit, although probably little new information.
   
   There is the occasional editing error, as when the author mentions the term "toned", referring us to the glossary to find its meaning, although "toned" is not in the glossary.
   
   In summary, more experienced collectors, or those focused more toward reading or education, may want to examine this at their bookstore or library before buying. However, for new collectors this will be a valuable addition to their library, one that can be highly recommended.



2. Let me add my voice to those who characterize this book as a concise and unsnobbish introduction to book collecting.
   
   I purchased and read this book because I own a small bookstore and wanted to learn more about the collectible end of the business. There was a lot of information that was more of a review for me, but I found lots of little nuggets that will help me in my line of work. Some of these included:
   
   - A discussion and list of publishers which are primarily reprint publishers and have little value and are ubiquitous on the used market
   
   - A discussion of grading older books and how it is different from grading newer books
   
   - A bibliography and running commentary of other books on books for further study
   
   - A discussion about the fluidity of the market, especially on the internet, but also in auctions.
   
   While, I have more interest in selling books than I do in collecting them, I found the book to arouse a desire and passion in me for the possibility of beginning my own collection. I also found Budman to be witty and appreciated his politically progressive undertones.
   
   For the moment, anyways, this is one book I won't be reselling.



3. Nice, handy book. Easy to read, and gives the info that a novice
   would want. I don't collect books, but the "Bookman" mysteries
   prompted me to learn more about the subject.



4. This book was entertaining and well-written, and very concise. It is a small volume but it's a great introduction to collecting if you're trying to figure out if this is something you want to get more serious about. The resources it offers are great ways to figure out what else you need to learn about and where to get that information. Because if you truly are interested in becoming a book collector you will need another book (at least) to learn more, but this is a good way to pique and guage your interest in the subject.



5. I have collected books all my life, and incidentally sell them as I try to make room for more. I recommend this book as the best one on the market right now for true beginners to either book collecting or book selling. It is frank, unsnobbish, and it is very realistic about the changes (good and bad) the Internet has brought to the book market.
   
   Some books on book collecting seem intent on convincing you that book collecting is worthwhile. That is not this author's approach. He takes it for granted that you want to collect or deal in books. What kind of books is up to you -- he is refreshingly unstuffy about that. But if you have an interest in buying or selling books already, the information in this book will make you a much more effective collector/seller.

4 comments about Scouts in Bondage: And Other Violations of Literary Propriety.

1. Scouts in Bondage is a photographic collection of book covers of titles that have not withstood the test of time. Compiled by a retired British secondhand book seller, this is an amusement for the bibliophile with a taste for the double entendre. It is a very short book with minimal text, highlighting about 45 photos of book covers whose intent was serious at the time but, over time, have developed unintended secondary meanings. Facing these covers is the bibliographic details (Author, title, publisher, date, and size) and occasional excerpts or additional information to add to the amusement.
   
   Being an engineering librarian, I was especially drawn to the technical titles gone wrong such as:
   
   The Resistance of Piles to Penetration
   
   and
   
   Hardening and Tempering Engineers' Tools
   
   as well as the illustration of the goddess Hygieia holding a water closet pull chain on the cover of The Modern Plumber and Sanitary Engineer.



2. This is a VERY SHORT book. Each book cover shown takes up 2 pages so there are fewer than 50 examples in the 96 pages. UPS delivered the book at 2:15pm. I opened the package, began looking at the book, and was finished with it well before 2:30.



3. A book which will especially delight males who love word-usage that has changed, making language that was reasonable in its time slightly salacious. Most pages are copies of book covers.
   
   Do you like the Three Stooges? How about Monty Python? If you do, you'll love this book!



4. Lamest sample chapter EVER. Consisted of two title pages, a blank page, and one sentence from the preface. Can't evaluate from that -- too bad, so sad, no purchase from me.

4 comments about Inventing Christmas: How Our Holiday Came to Be.

1. Jock Elliott captures and relates all of the building blocks that went into making our Christmas holiday what it is--in terms of the way in which we celebrate.
   
   As an ad man, he's got a unique perspective.
   
   Fascinating reading.



2. Saw this book when it was listed with a book I wanted to buy about Christmas and the history of our American traditions. It is a beautiful book with lots of pictures- not alot of written information. Still find it interesting and informative.



3. Almost all Americans celebrate Christmas but so few of us really know its deep-rooted and ancient origins as well as the origins of so many of the traditions we hold so dear.
   
   In his wonderful book called, Jock Elliott has charted all of this story (and more) with care and good cheer. He reminds us of how recent the Christmas "tradition" is, and how ancient. He tells us, for example, that the Christmas tree is basically a product of the second half of the American 19th century, and can be traced to England. The British royal family - themselves imports from Germany - first pitched such trees in their palatial homes. But the trees, and the rituals of winter celebrations, could themselves be traced all the way back to pagan times and the celebrations of the winter solstice.
   
   We learn about the men who defined Santa claus Including Clement Moore who wrote the "Night Before Christmas", and Thomas nast. Nast was the greatest political cartoonist of the 19th century, perhaps of any American century. During the holiday season of 1862-63, Nast put visual flesh on the poetic bones provided by Moore. In the Jan. 3, 1863, issue of Harper's Weekly, he showed Santa Claus cheering up the battered Union troops. He's wearing striped pants and a shirt spangled with stars. Nast would do a year-end drawing of Santa Claus for each of the following 25 years.
   
   From giving gifts to misletoe, Elliots great book fills us in on the origins of Everything Christmas. Highly Recommended



4. This book is such an amazing find! It tells the whole celebration of the Christmas holiday, from it's pre-Christian pagan celebrations, through the 20th century. Particularly interesting is how it became a Christian Holiday a few hundred years after the birth of Christ. But the book also covers how Santa Claus came to be, the history of the Christmas Tree, carols, and a pretty extensive article on Charles Dickens 'A Christmas Carol.'
   The author, Jock Elliott, is probably the foremost collector of Christmas memorabelia, and through many color photos has shared some of his extensive collection with us. The man even has his letters to Santa from the 1920's! But, most impressive of all (to me!) is his 'A Christmas Carol' collection. He has a copy of the original first edition from 1843, as well as the original newspaper advertisement for the book from that same year! And, yes, Mr. Elliott shares this with us, too.
   I've compared his history of the holiday with other books I own and I feel I can safely say that Mr. Elliott has done his research. His writing style is very entertaining and easy to follow, so the younger set can enjoy this book, too.
   All in all, this is one of the most entertaining books I've read on the Christmas holiday. I guess if I had one complaint it would be for Mr. Elliott to maybe add a bit about the Reason for the Season - Jesus Christ.
   Very highly recommended.

1 comments about The British Library Guide to Manuscript Illumination: History and Techniques (British Library Guides).

1. This is a brief, yet thorough introduction to the methods and history of manuscript illumination. After purchasing this book as a birthday gift for my sister, I read in only four evenings. I meant only to browse; but De Hamel's eloquent, affable writing style provided relaxing, fun and informative non-fiction reading. His logical presentation of technical information and facts are easy to re-assemble into a clear, basic understanding of medieval, European illumination.
   
   Non-European illumination is mentioned but not discussed in this introductory text. Though not picture-laden, images are clearly reproduced and efficiently illustrate concepts discussed in the text. My curiosity is peaked and I look forward to learning more about manuscript production and conservation.