3 comments about Commercial Perfume Bottles.

1. This is the book to indulge in envy! Most of the collection pictured and written about is unavailable to the average collector, however it is a visual feast and the text about the perfumiers is informative. I do not regret having purchased this book and look upon the contents as my "wish list" or holy grail of perfume bottle collecting.



2. This book is a visual feast for the eyes. The photos of the perfume bottles are wonderful and can make perfume bottle collectors drool with the possibilities. This book can serve as a great educator to the types and eras of the bottles. I believe I have the earlier version of this book because I could not find a referenced photo (from the 1997 book) in my book. I found several bottles from my collection and I have selected a few bottles after finding them in the book. The section on patents of the various bottles has also helped me date several bottles. The price list section is helpful but I'm sure it is outdated. It has helped me when I bid on-line for a bottle to insure I have not drastically under or over bid. My only criticism would be that many of the bottles are very exclusive, rare and very expensive bottles that the beginning collector could not hope to possess. It would also be helpful to have a few more of the brand name perfumes from the past. Nevertheless, I have never regretted purchasing this book and I would recommend this to any collector.



3. The photographs in this book are outstanding. It is well written and has an excellent price guide. I thought too much space was taken up with vintage perfume ads. Some perfume collectors also collect vintage ads, but there was no price guide for these ads. I think without a price guide it was just filler.

No comments about Perfume Atomizer: An Object With Atmosphere.

2 comments about Miniature Perfume Bottles (A Schiffer Book for Collectors).

1. For the collector of new miniature perfume bottles - this book would be fantastic. If you are looking for a reference book for older perfume bottles, this book is not for you.



2. This is an excellent book for anyone who collects mini perfume bottles. It has a price guide in the back that is very helpful when buying, selling, or trading minis. Ms. Bowman's other book is every bit as informative.

5 comments about B J Summers' Guide to Coca-Cola: Identifications, Current Value, Circa Dates (B J Ummer's Pocket Guide to Coca-Cola).

1. I recently had the opportunity to review another company's Coca Cola collectibles book, they too a well respected publisher of antique and collectibles books and there's no doubt about it, the B.J.Summers Sixth Edition guide has got that one beat hands down. This is a thoroughly beautiful book. Hardcover, thick, glossy stock pages, and fantastic photography highlight this book.
   
   The introduction provides legend keys to the condition as well as the source of the item's value which I think is very important. Summers lets the reader know if the value came from a collector, a completed auction, a dealer, or the author himself. The book then presents 46 different item categories, everything from signs, bottles, calendars and trays, to more eclectic items like Jewelry, no-drip protectors, and ashtrays. There's also a miscellaneous chapter for items that don't fit into one of the other 45 categories.
   
   I was absolutely fascinated by the number of items pictured in the book. With nearly 300 pages and as many as 10 items pictured per page, there are literally thousands of different Coke items pictured. The signage is simply fantastic, particularly those featuring celebrities such as Eddie Fisher and jazz musician Lionel Hampton. In all there are 82 pages of signs alone. Does it picture EVERY Coca Cola sign ever made? Of course not, but what book does? Still even if you have one that isn't pictured, you should be able to find one similar that you can use as a basis for value.
   
   I really enjoyed the section on coolers and those bright, red coolers of days gone by. I remembered the old Coke cooler we used to have back in the early 70's. Like a lot of people, I love the Coke Santa items, especially those great ads by Haddon Sundblom which look great framed and are still very affordable today.
   
   The problems are few and minor. The categories could have been laid out in alphabetical order but instead there seems to be little rhyme or reason to the order. That said, it's still a truly wonderful book that will delight collectors or just plain fans of nostalgia.
   
   Reviewed by Tim Janson



2. This was a very helpful and informative guide to Coca-Cola collectibles. I would highly recommend it to any serious collector. Full of valuable information.



3. We have quite a few old Coke signs and none were in this guide. We were disappointed to say the least.



4. Pros: Extensive selection of signs and cardboard items with lots of nice colour photos throughout. Many items in this book aren't in Petrettis, so it makes a good companion. All up I am happy with this book and use it regularly to price and check items.
   
   Cons: The book is hoplessely laid out and it can be very hard to find items as it seems there is no logic to the order items are listed or displayed. It seems the entire book is largely made up from the collection of one or two private collections and as such prices can be inflated compared to market values, plus many items are missing simply because these collectors didn't feel they are important enough. As with most other Coca-cola collectors books this one is entirely US centric with very little information on foreign items.



5. *****April 2005 UPDATE: "Could be great" but after seeing the 5th edition, the publisher has taken a book with great potential and flushed that potential down the toilet. What they did was gloss up the paper and make it look old-fashioned (it doesn't work for me, but maybe it will for others), but the huge mistake is that they actually dropped a significant number of items from the book and went overboard hiking up the price values! If you are a serious collector, browse through the 5th edition at a bookstore, before buying it. END UPDATE*****
   
   This guide has great potential, but somebody should do some usability studies on it to make it better. It's a chore finding a specific item. For example, collector trays: I still can't figure out what logic was used to arrange/order them in the book. By title? By name? The index at the back of the book is incomplete and often worthless. For example, there's a whole section on blotters in the front index, but try finding "blotter" in the back index.
   
   Prices are conservative. Unrealistically low in many cases.
   
   There are items that aren't found in other guides, and the color pix are exceptional. I really like this guide, but it has design flaws that need to be fixed.

1 comments about The Magic of Perfume: The Perfumes of Caron.

1. The book is not about the perfumes of Caron but about the perfume BOTTLES
   that Caron has manufactured.

4 comments about Toby & Character Jugs of the 20th Century and Their Makers.

1. What a marvelous reference tool "Toby & Character Jugs of the 20th Century and Their Makers Is"! The dazzling photos and quality information make this book a "must-have" for all Toby collectors! Indeed, I discovered that I had actually purchased a FAKE Doulton. When I returned the jug to a local antiques store, I took along my Toby reference book. No questions were asked as for the return. In fact, the owner quickly wrote down info about the book in order to purchase one for herself.



2. I have always been fascinated by toby mugs and jugs, but could not find the right source of information. This is one of the best reference books ever. I use it daily to help identify toby and character mugs and jugs. I was very lucky to get an advanced copy of it's companion price guide. The combination of the two has proved to be very useful. I would recommend these two publications highly!



3. This is a fabulous book for the toby and character jug collector. The photo quality is exceptional (although some jugs are fairly small in the photos) and the organization is alphabetical by manufacturer. The information contained in the book is extensive. A wonderful reference source.



4. When this artfully compiled book was handed to me for inspection, my first thought upon viewing it was "Wow! I wish all reference books were this thorough!"

   They're not kidding when they say "Busting with Color." It also has tables with prices, edition numbers, and the item's history. I learned more about Toby and Character Jugs that I ever thought I knew! I plan to spend hours in the American Toby Jug Museum first chance I get! And the second, and the third, and ...

   Great book. Wonderful.

1 comments about The Standard Old Bottle Price Guide.

1. Have an old bottle? Want to know what it is worth? Then the Standard Old Bottle Price Guide is a good place to look.

   This bottle guide clearly describes the words, letters and numbers embossed on a bottle or the bottle label making identification easy. An example is "Abbott's Bitters: on base: C.W. Abbot & Co., Baltimore on shoulder; machine made; 8"; amber. $30-40."

   The Standard Old Bottle Price Guide covers most bottles, including those early bitter bottles that began surfacing when England's George II was on the throne (1727-1760). At the height of the patent medicine phase, drugstores in the United States sold about 365 million bottles of elixirs known as "cures" in a variety of bottles. Most are collectible today.

   Though the author died while completing the manuscript for this book, it adequately covers these sought-after glass bottles: poison, soda,, mineral water, gin, ink, and perfume. The book even devotes a few pages to fruit jars.

   This guide is a good addition to any bottle collector's library

1 comments about More Miniature Perfume Bottles.

1. Ms. Bowman's books on miniature perfume bottles are full of color photos and lots of fun facts about them. I have both of her books and browse/ read through them over and over again. I never quit learning from her and look forward to more books by her in the future.

No comments about Anchor Hocking Commemorative Bottles: and Other Collectibles.

4 comments about The Art of Perfume: Discovering and Collecting Perfume Bottles.

1. This book does an excellent job of showing the cream of the crop of collectable 19th and 20th century perfume bottles (and often their presentation boxes). The text is profusely illustrated with small black and white photos, while also containing several full color sections illustrating in detail hundreds of different bottles. The text goes into intricate detail for the novice to expert collector without dumbing it up or talking down. The 16 pages of concise bibliographys at the back are infinately useful, if you are wondering when where why who or how a house started its probably in this list. Jam packed with facts, tips, annecdotes and illustrations by a TRUE expert in the field.



2. I know that the writers are savvy perfume bottle collectors. They have incorporated years of experience into this book. That is the reason why that among all the books on this subject, this one is the most appealing. I have also used part of her materials (w/permission) to write my book (published in Chinese).



3. As an avid collector of advertisements and literature on perfume, this is the first book I always recommend to fellow collectors. In the past ten or twelve years, many books were published to cater to the exploding popularity of perfume bottles as a collectors item. Christie Lefkowith's book stands out because of its focus on the ART of perfume bottles (hence the title), rather than their monetary value. Bottles are viewed in the cultural context of their time, with photographs of by far THE best quality I have ever seen in perfume books. I agree with the previous reviewer, though: too bad the book ends with the fifties. There should be a sequel.



4. This book is lavished with the most magnificent perfume bottles and their pacaging. full color photos of Lalique, Baccarat, and other exquisite bottles along with the histories of the fragrance companies who commissioned them. There is also an index of these companies for quick refrence. I found the title missleading. the author is of the belief that the "art of perfume" died 30 years ago. All of the bottles are from the late 1800's to the 1960's and I feel that the title should have mentioned this. If you collect antique bottles or are looking for a good fragrance history book, this is a must.