No comments about Taylor's Guide to Antique Shops in Southern California, Arizona and Las Vegas.

No comments about Pigment Compendium: Optical Microscopy of Historical Pigments.

1 comments about Monumental Miniatures: Souvenir Buildings from the Collection of Ace Architects.

1. Super 208 page volume jam packed with over 1,000 beautiful bronzetone sharp photos. Covers souvenir buildings, book ends, clocks, coin banks, thermometers, World's Fairs, sports, monuments and memorial. Features a great history of the collectible, how to build a collection, and makers and materials. Fully indexed for ease of use. Estimated values included. Very valuable reference for the mini building collector.

4 comments about The Doll Hospital Directory.

1. It is nice to have other doll hospitals to refer customers to that do not wish to mail their dolls for repair, especially knowing that they produce objects of fine workmanship. My name is Heather M. Sainsbury and my hospital, THE CHINA BISQUE DOLL HOSPITAL & GIFT SHOP IN ARCADIA, FLORIDA is listed in this excellent reference guide. The before & after section is amazing! You can look for pictures on my composition restoration there. I am honored to be included in this book, all that are listed are specialists. A SPECIAL UPDATE: THIS PAST YEAR I HAD THE HONOR OF WINNING 1ST. PLACE IN PROFESSIONAL COMPOSITION RESTORATION, BY THE DOLL DOCTORS ASSOC. AND HONORABLE MENTION IN PERIOD COSTUMING AND WIGS. Add this book to your collection it will become one of your prized possessions. EMAIL ADDRESS: dolldoctor@desoto.net Dollingly Yours, Heather M. Sainsbury C.D.D



2. I was very impressed with the concise information. I used it right away. I have a doll I wanted to have repaired. Several doll hospitals sent me repair information. One doll hospital even sent me photos of previous repairs. It's a necessity for anyone who collects dolls.



3. We are one of the doll hospitals listed in the book. We have already received a call from Louisiana from another doll hospital that was looking for Margon eyes. Also, we have a web site, and when we receive requests for the "closest doll hospital to where I live", we use the Doll Hospital Directory to answer their inquiry. We foresee using this book as a very helpful resource in our business. Every person who does any doll repair should have a copy.



4. This book is easy,fun to read AND it gave me a lot of doll doctors to speak with about repairs. It made getting the doll fixed so easy. Just the book I needed!

   I loved the before and after photos of all the antique dolls that have been restored. Having this book has opened up a new world of collecting for me - now I can collect older or worn dolls and I know they will be as good as new. This book taught me alot and I reccommend it to any doll lover.

5 comments about Renovating Old Houses.

1. I am working on an old house restoration and from my reading this book has useful and sage advice. It is not a beginners guide and does not waste time explaining tools and materials other than to point you to more complete sources of information. A very useful book for the intermediate woodworker or builder taking on an old house project.



2. Fantastic, comprehensive book on old house restoration as well as maintenance. This one book contains more useful real-world information than a whole shelf's worth of those Home Depot, Black & Decker, etc. DIY books. And it's all delivered with intelligence, character and an occaisional dose of humor. This is a must have for anyone restoring or renovating and old house, living in and maintaining an old house and would be especially helpful to anyone who is about to 'go shopping' for an old house!



3. in Kansas City. He read one chapter and pronounced it a collossal time saver, a validation of techniques he has heard from "old timers" in the craft, valued the colloquial and earthy writing style.
   He especially appreciated the details on plasterwork, tile, window frames, rim joists and other esoterica.
   I have given him many many books, and this won the Best Book Gift Ever award. That is saying quite a lot.



4. If I had to recommend just one book on renovating old houses it would be this one. Like most similar Taunton Press books, the book is accurate, well written, and informative about techniques that a real person might want to use. It includes lots of information about how old houses are constructed, the kinds of things that tend to go wrong with them over time, and techniques for fixing them. It is realistic about budgets and time constraints. And, perhaps most important, it gives fair warning about the stresses and strains of living in a house one is fixing up.

   One might want to supplement this book with more specific books about the kind of house you are working on, and books which provide more information about how to match materials and aesthetics to the existing fabric of the particular sort of house you have, but this book is not to be missed.




5. I believe this is the greatest book to read first in any attempt to restore and older home. Most homes relate to the late 1800's, but is revealing even for homes built in the early 1900's. Much detail from foundation to roof on restoring any part of an old cherised home for the do - it -yourselfer.

No comments about Rocking Horses: The Collector's Guide to Selecting, Restoring, and Enjoying New and Vintage Rocking Horses (Collectors Guide Series).

No comments about A Step-by-Step Guide to Restoring & Repairing Furniture.

5 comments about Gunsmithing: Guns of the Old West (Gunsmithing).

1. Very well presented with a wealth of information for the pro or home gunsmith.Another good reference book to add to the collection.



2. I found this book to be very helpful when repairing top break replicas, Colts (single and double action), and percussion revolvers. He also covers lever action rifles extensively although I have not personally used that section.
   
   Gunsmiths these days are hard to find, so a lot of us have to do it ourselves. The author thankfully covers a lot of important and common problems I have faced, so that I didn't have to go on a usually futile search for a gunsmith. Mr. Chicoine is obviously an experienced and intelligent man, and he writes clearly. Plenty of illustrations guide you through the repairs he describes.
   
   Does he cover every possible conceivable problem? Every firearm? Of course not. Who could? For the money I recommend it. It has saved me more than the purchase price already.



3. I returned this book because I felt it did not live up to my expectations after all the hype I had read about it.



4. Dave Chicoine's book places the years of this Mastercraftsmens experience and knowledge right in your hands.Long known amongst the collector's & shooters of the old firearms as THEE person to have do your repair or restoration's on these old classics, Chicoines book makes a most welcome addition to this booming field and is written in a down to earth,understandable manner,
   clear and concise, and reader friendly.The information found in this new book contains a tremendous amount of hard to find facts and details surrounding working on these "old timers" and new information about the modern reproductions of many of these classics and the "ins & Outs" of them also by the man who has the most experience to date in working,repairing and "sprucing up" these new firearms. Let us hope he produces more such works for those of us in this field down the road a piece.



5. I would like to preface my review by saying that I am not a gunsmith and do not plan to become one. Like the author, I grew up watching TV westerns and developed an early fascination for these guns. I enjoy reading about them, looking at them, studying how they operate, and learning what to look for when evaluating a potential purchase.

   In a nutshell, I would say that this book is definitely worth the money I paid for it. It should give me hours of educational reading pleasure and will be a valuable addition to my collection of gun books.

   The author devotes about the first hundred pages of the book to topics including gunsmithing tools, types of metal finishes, headspacing, sear engagement angles, repairing and making screws and pins, the issue of restoration of antique guns, and general gunsmithing repairs. I plan to thoroughly read these informative sections.

   If you are interested in gunsmithing 19th century handguns and their replicas, this is the book for you. The author devotes 176 pages to the operation, takedown, and repair of handguns. In my opinion, a better title for the book would be, "Gunsmithing Guns of the Old West, Volume 1: Pistols."

   Readers interested in the gunsmithing of rifles and shotguns aren't as fortunate. The author devotes 46 pages to rifles and 11 pages to shotguns. However, except for 9 pages discussing the operation and repair of the toggle link mechanism of the '73 Winchester (which by itself could be worth the purchase price of the book), and a paragraph for the '92, there are only takedown instructions for a variety of antique rifles and 3 shotguns, along with parts diagrams borrowed from other publications. The author doesn't include sequences of clear photographs like in Gun Digest's series of takedown books.

   When I think of guns of the old west, the first thing that comes to mind is a lever action Winchester rifle. So I expected information on troubleshooting and repairing common problems on the popular Winchester lever actions such as the '86 and '94, the Marlin lever actions, and the Colt Lightning slide action rifles. It would be nice to read about typical problems encountered with these guns, what the novice should attempt to fix, and what problems should be referred to a professional gunsmith.

   With the popularity of the Winchester Model 1897 shotgun in cowboy action shooting, I expected to see a section devoted to this fine old gun. Again, nothing except for takedown instructions is included. Readers interested in the '97 would be better off purchasing a copy of "Gunsmithing Shotguns" by Patrick Sweeney.

   In conclusion, I like the book and am glad I purchased it. I would look forward to purchasing a sequel to it that focuses more on gunsmithing rifles and shotguns of the old west.

2 comments about Care and repair of everyday treasures.

1. I bought this book when I needed information on BASIC care of my antiques of all sorts, including reviving leather on furniture and gilding on pictures, as well as polishing etc. To a small extent I got that. But most of the techniques in this book --most notably in the section on upholstery -- while clear, leave a dangerous impression of ease. For almost any of them, you need a degree of skill that would make much of the advice unnecessary. Don't try upholstering anything from this book or you'll have a dead sofa! Theory is only a small part of handcraft. Even hand's on basic courses aren't enough. incidentally, if you want to clean gilt,say, forget it, though Miller tells you how to regild. NOT a basic care manual, in fact!



2. If you're someone faced with antique for the first time (like I was), this is exactly what you need. The book addresses all the repairs I'll have to do on my furniture and silverware, lists all the necessary material and tools as well as documents the procedures you have to follow. Highly recommended.

No comments about The Antiques Clinic: A Guide to Damage, Care, and Restoration.