5 comments about Classic English Design and Antiques: Period Styles and Furniture.

1. WHAT A BEAUTIFUL BOOK ON CLASSIC ENGLISH DESIGN AND A TRIBUTE TO THE HYDE PARK ANTIQUE BUSINESS...WELL WORTH HAVING IN A COLLECTORS LIBRARY....I LOVE LOOOKING AT THE PICTURES OVER AND OVER AGAIN.....



2. This Book was purchased as a Christmas Gift for a long-time antique collector and enthusiast. She was delighted with the quality of the photographs and information presented, and the beautiful binding and overall presentation.



3. My hopes were dashed again when I received this book, but I guess its my fault this time. I assumed (from the beautiful cover) that I would be getting a book showcasing traditional interiors, but what I got instead was something that resembled a Sothebys auction catalogue -- that is, a book featuring tasteful English furniture & gewgaws from the inventory of Hyde Park Antiques. There were a few shots of interiors scattered here & there, but they weren't that interesting. (Where's the sagging couch with the half-finished needlepoint, hello?) I wish the people who write blurbs for these books would stop name-dropping my favourite designers (Bunny Williams, you are a goddess!) so I won't keep wasting my money on these expensive doorstoppers. [Maximum Toile weeps in disappointment.] Sniffles.



4. In the United States we tend to think of antiques as something our grandmother had, or perhaps something that goes back as far as the Civil War. In English history, in English antiques, that isn't old at all. And the quintessential source for as new condition, museum quality English antique furniture in the United States for the past forty years has been Hyde Park Antiques in New York City.
   
   As Mr. Buatta says: 'The gallery is like a living museum, with the important difference being that you not only get to touch the objects, you have the unparalleled pleasure of being able to take them home with you.'
   
   This book is a beautifully photographed, exquisitely printed collection of some 150 items from the gallery. It is organized by date, beginning with William and Mary & Queen Anne style dating from their reign (1689-1714).
   
   These photographs are accompanied by drawings and photographs of rooms from English (and a few imitation) homes that illustrate how this furniture was combined with other items, perhaps English, Indian or oriental to create English rooms.



5. On Wednesday December 6, 2006 on her TV show, Martha Stewart featured a small number of coffee table books for the holiday season. One of her favorites was this book: Classic English Design and Antiques by Emily Eerdmans. She said - and I quote - "This is a fantastic, fantastic book."
   
   After reading it myself, I must agree Martha had it right. Visually stunning, thoroughly researched and beautifully written - an aesthetic, scholarly and literary tour de force. In short, as Martha said, a fantastic, fantastic book.
   
   Andrew J McKeon

2 comments about The Complete Illustrated Guide to Coin Collecting: How to start and build a great collection: the complete companion to world coins from antiquity to the ... cataloguing, buying and selling.

1. This guide is a must for beginning hobbyist to get an overview of why coins are exciting to collect. It belongs in every public library and is a must gift for the new, young, or more advanced collector.



2. I got his for my grandson. It is really a nice way to begin to learn about coins. My brother, which is a long time coin collector said he would like to have one. So this coin book is good for the beginners and the seasoned collectors.

5 comments about Collecting and Classifying Coloured Diamonds: An Illustrated Study of the Aurora Collection.

1. Secrets of the Gem Trade: The Connoisseur's Guide to Precious Gemstones
   
   In 1996, a fancy quarter carat red diamond sold at Christies for $326,800 per carat the equivalent of forty-six million dollars per ounce. The following year another sub-carater, a ninety-five point fancy purplish red sold for $928,315 per carat or one hundred forty-four million dollars per ounce. At this point any lingering doubts were erased, colored diamonds were not only the most expensive items on earth, their prices had entered outer space.
   
   Stephen Hofer's book is the second and certainly the most comprehensive book on colored diamonds to appear in the past two decades. To call Hofer's book comprehensive is, in fact, something of an understatement. This tome, which weighs in the area of ten pounds, ranks not only a definitive treatment of colored diamonds it also contains one of the most interesting and relevant essays on the subject of color science as it relates to gemstones yet published.
   
   The books major theme is a through-going study of the famous Aurora Collection of colored diamonds. Along the way Hofer also offers a logical new approach to colored diamond grading, a color classification system including a new short-hand system of notation and an excellent essay on gemstone lighting.
   
   Had this book covered any one of these subjects as well as Hofer, it would be an important work. As it covers all of the above better than almost anyone has done before, it is a breathtaking tour de force.



2. Although this seems like an expensive book, the fact that the large number of coloured diamonds are photographed so well, and rendered so accurately in the printed form is very impressive, especially to anyone who has ever tried to take high quality photographs of diamonds. It seets us a standard to attempt.
   The book should also be a must for anybody thinking of "investing" in, collecting a=or aquiring any natural fancy coloured diamond.



3. I have been aware of the Aurora Collection for 25+ years and was always amazed by it. Unfortunately,the collection raises more questions in one sitting than you can ever find answers for... until Hofer. Hofer is very likely the most knowledgeable person on earth when it comes to fancies, and his long-time association with Alan B and the Aurora collection has resulted in the most definitive book on the subject in print..



4. The most attractive parts are certainly the photography and the quality of the color printing. There are however a few disappointments. Firstly,under the chapter of the photos for the entire collection,one's appreciation can be marred by the reading of the so called Common Names for the diamonds which are by no means common.For readers who are not color diamond experts (and indeed even for those in the trade), such names could sometimes sound pompous. Secondly, the most widely adopted GIA color grading description is not used.I suppose somehow there is a temptionion for the author to preach and start his own system which could perhaps be understandable as 7 years of hard work has been done.Frequently, I still browse through the book, not so much because of the text,but because of the excellent colour photos. Overall,the author has still done a lot for the trade and introduced the wonderful color diamond world to the public.It is definitely a book I will treasure.For those who have been facinated by this book,they could be frustrated by the absence of sufficient materials on the subject.The way to quench one's thirst is to read the only other comprehensive book (a much thinner but with perhaps much more interesting and readable materials) by Harvey Harris.



5. This amazing piece of work reflects a tremendous effort by the author and his colleagues. The color photography is superb, especially noteworthy considering the difficulty in photographing small colored objects. ...A very useful appendix... and an extensive glossary provides in-depth discussions of technical terms. This is a beautifully illustrated work... it is an excellent compendium of information and should serve as a very valuable reference for gemologists and any scientist involved in diamond research, faculty, researchers, professionals. Reviewed by: Dr. M.E. McCallum, in Choice magazine, Current Reviews for Academic Libraries, October 1998, Earth Science, # 36-0970.

2 comments about The Charm of Charms.

1. This book is filled with interesting information and beautiful photographs. It's perfect as a coffee table book as you'll want to look at it again and again.



2. This is simply a jewel of a book.
   
   For any of us with wistful memories of our mother's magical charm bracelets (and the romantic stories associated with each tiny carved golden object) the lovely CHARM OF CHARMS brings it all back.
   
   The stories are fascinating, the jewelers the best, and the history indispensable for those of us currently addicted to charms (and you'll find some of the best in these pages).
   
   The beautiful people, the stunning photographs, and the luscious color make this a PERFECT HOLIDAY GIFT. They ship overnight!

No comments about Starting To Collect Antique Oriental Rugs (Starting to Collect Series).

5 comments about 2006 Standard Catalog Of Firearms: The Collector's Price & Reference Guide 16th Edition.

1. You can't go wrong with price and was also free shipping sweet deal.



2. Great book, very complete, an assest to any gun collector or firearms enthusiast.



3. This is an excellant book for firearms research and collecting, especially for those who are new to this type of collecting.



4. This is the one to own if you need to know what guns are worth. I collect guns that are in date, no antiques or just old, and this book shows me what I need to know about them. Prices seem to as close as possible to what the market is trying to get for them. All the firearms I needed to know about were in here with picture as well as description. I have the Shooters Bible and The Gun Trader which are good but not as much info as Standard Catalog of Firearms.



5. really good facts and a lot of new information in this one. Has all the standard weapons , plus some that are really rare. Perfect for all collectors like myself. Highly recomment this one.

3 comments about Shawnee Pottery: An Identification & Value Guide.

1. This is a very nice book for the Shawnee Pottery collector. Every collector should use every available resourse at there disposal prior to purchasing Shawnee Pottery because over 50% of the items listed as Shawnee on our favorite on line auction web site is a fake. The value guides are not much use in that they do change frequently, but the photos and descriptions are great. This is just one tool you can use prior to buying Shawnee Pottery.



2. Good pictures and descriptions and historical information, book was as new. Like most collector's guides, the values are somewhat inflated, but it is an excellent reference and well worth the price.



3. This is an excellent book. The Mangus' have put together an exhaustive reference on this collectible pottery. They cover everything! From planters to figurines, from bookends to cookie jars, from the design lines to the kitchenware, it's all here.

   They include an extensive history of the pottery and its people (owners, designers, employees). They detail the various production methods used to produce the wide variety of wares. They include a wonderful section of photos of the various paper labels used by Shawnee (they used few, if any, backstamps or marks, other than the common "USA".)

   My only quibble with this book (and it's a teeny tiny one) is that the prices shown are high in today's market. However, that's not the Mangus' fault, as it reflects the impact that online auctions have had on collectibles in all areas and markets. The bottom line is, if you're looking for a reference on this fun pottery, this is the book to buy!

No comments about American Furniture 2007 (American Furniture).

3 comments about The History of Remington Firearms: The History of One of the World's Most Famous Gun Makers.

1. The information in this book is amazing. It is very interesting for any person interested in rifles. Pictures are real and very informative.



2. This is a superficial look a Remington's products. It is fine for the novice but there is little new information for the more informed gun nut. Pictures are nice of the old factory and early development.
   There are better sources.



3. My father use to work for Remington Arms as a project engineer back in the sixties. I was born in Ilion, New York. He really enjoys the book. I gave it to him for Christmas.

5 comments about Pocket Ed. Jackson's Hallmarks.

1. There are two books on English silver hallmarks available on Amazon, the other being English Silver Hallmarks, and although both are excellent books, in my opinion, this is the lesser of the two. Both books are almost identical in content: both provide illustrations of English, Irish and Scottish silver, gold and platinum hallmarks, and illustrations of the more important makers marks, which allow for the dating of silver, gold and platinum items. However, this book omits Sheffield plate marks, which are included in "English Silver Hallmarks", and it is harder to find what you are looking for in this book.
   
   The periods of time covered by these two books are slightly different. This book gives hallmarks for the period from 1300 to 1991, whereas "English Silver Hallmarks" covers the period from 1554 to 2004. If you are wishing to date very early pieces of silver, then, clearly, this is the book to buy. However, as I have never had any need to date items made prior to 1554, and most of the items that I have dated have been more recent items, I find the period of time covered by "English Silver Hallmarks" to be the most appropriate for my needs.
   
   Although both books are very useful and both are likely to satisfy the requirements of the average silver collector, if you are only going to buy one of these books, then "English Silver Hallmarks" is probably the book to buy.



2. Unless you are extremely experienced with Silver and Gold items and what / where their origin may be, this book is probably not for you. The chances of being able to find what you are looking for reminds me of looking for a needle in a haystack. The marks are illustrated in VERY SMALL 1/4" black and white diagrams, column after column, put in tables with time period or comment in print that is even smaller than the diagram. Several (bordering on too many) of the marks look very much the same and after looking at 170 pgs of extremely small and not necessarily clear diagrams and images, I feel I should of spent my money elsewhere for info on silver ID.



3. Not easy for any beginner to use. Unless you knew exactly what kind of silver you were trying to identify i.e. English, Scottish, Irish... etc, it was a bit confusing. Marks are black & white, some not showing very good clarity and everything is in extremely in small print. If you just want to sort through tons of marks and dates, this may be for you. If you want information about your piece, pass it up.



4. This is a great little book!
   Easy to use to look up maker's marks while out antiquing, or at auctions, or what-have-you.
   I just wish there was a section of Russian Silversmiths Marks. But other than that... A+!



5. This is a great little book to take antiquing with you if you collect English silver. Although not exactly pocket size it can still fit in your bag or you can hold on to it without it getting cumbersome. Unlike many of the other silver ID books the hallmarks shown in this book are large and clear enough that you don't need your glasses to decipher them. A nice plus is that it reviews selected makers of Georgian through 20th Century silver and offers a little comment on their work.