5 comments about The Complete Book of Swords.

1. As the title suggests this is the complete book of the first three sword books. If you are a fantasy fan it is a must read. From the opening epilogue of Vulcan forging the 12 swords, Saberhagen will captivate you to finish the first book and the remaining two. It starts out describing the smith god with somewhat human characteristics and very descriptive action scenes, that take the human condition and forge them into the 12 swords. It starts off as a game of the gods but later turns out to be the architecture of their demise. The development of the key characters is second to none. Saberhagen conveys a deep connection with Mark and Ben even Marks father Jord. I would only say that the laps between the books does leave the read in wonder a little, there is a little of a time lapse, where I think the author could supply us with some more details, but this does not take anything away from the substance of the stories. This compilation sets the stage rather nicely for the books to follow which tell of the exploits of the remaining swords. So sit back and enjoy this carefree read!!



2. ... but I did read the entire Book of Swords and the entire follow up The Book of Lost swords.
   This review is more in response to a few of the other reviews. The Book of Swords is a fast paced fantasy that plays out a game started by "the gods" for their amusement. There are magicians everywhere good and evil, guilds, kingdoms, battles, and at least one character growing into himself. What more could you want... Oh yes you could want to go around in circles and get a whole lot more in depth so each book would take a couple of weeks instead of a couple of days.
   Saberhagen did not need to go anymore in depth for a book at this reading level!
   If that isn't enough for you than you probably don't want this series. If you wander what your getting yourself into when you start a series of books than...
   This is an excelent choice for someone who is not used to reading very long books but does not like a (good) story to end. This is one story that is broken up into smaller self sufficient stories. If you usually just read one book and your done you will be pleased with this book and may even expand your horizons. You can keep going if you want to but you don't have to if you want to be finished. However, if you are looking for your reading for the next year you would be sourly disappointed. It goes comparativly quickly for a series.
   I don't believe this series was ever intended for a college level reader, except perhaps in discusing symolizm (in fact it is full of it my english 102 professor would have a field day).
   This is a great book for some one who might be intimidated by a large book with large words. Someone on the 6th or 8th grade level should get through it but anyone who enjoys magic would be able to enjoy as well. I read strictly sci. fi. before I read this series but now I love the longer fantasy stuff. I haven't gone back to short Sci. fi. novels.



3. If you like a good fast read, that leaves you wanting more, then this book is for you. Luckily, there are stories that follow that are equally fun.



4. The book was very good reading material if you just want a story. The characters in the book are a little under-developed but the book still had meaning. If you cast aside the difference of the Roman and Greek names of the gods its a good book. I think the worst part of the book was the ending but i still would recommend it to anyone who just wants to sit down and read a good book without spending an hour analyzing it.



5. The book was very good reading material if you just want a story. The characters in the book are a little under-developed but the book still had meaning. If you cast aside the difference of the Roman and Greek names of the gods its a good book. I think the worst part of the book was the ending but i still would recommend it to anyone who just wants to sit down and read a good book without spending an hour analyzing it.

5 comments about American Premium Guide To Knives & Razors: Identification And Value Guide (American Premium Guide to Knives & Razors (w/DVD)).

1. The first thing to notice is a lack of an index. Why call something a guide if you don't provide a way to find information? The book, called an Identification and Value Guide covers only four brands of knives. It would better be called an extensive look at Case Knives and short look at a few others. If you are looking for a general guide for collecting knives, there must be better books available.



2. I will be returning this book. I should have read the reviews before buying because one reviewer described what I just discovered with the arrival of "Knives and Razors." It is a huge, detailed encyclopedia of Case (307 pages), with a bone-thrown to Queen/Shatt & Morgan (84 pages), and Remington (86 pages). It is advertised as an all-encompassing guide to American knives. It is not, although Case collectors will love its focus/detail.
   
   I collect vintage knives, mostly the Texas toothpick pattern, but not Case. An incomplete list of manufacturers in my collection includes Parker, Buck, Ka-Bar, Shrade, Robeson, Hammer Brand, Imperial, Camillus, Winchester, Smith & Wesson, Smokey Mountain, A.G. Russell. NONE of these brands are given a word in the "American Premium Guide to Knives and Razors."



3. Jim Sargent's book, American Premium Guide to knives and razors is not a let down if you are into Case or Queen knives. If you have bought other guides and been disappointed by how many advertisements were in it you will be very happy with this book because there are none.
   
   Most of the pictures are black and white but they are detailed and easy to see. There are color pics and these are quite good but few. Even still, going through the pictures is akin to walking into a knife museum.
   
   There are sections in the book for Crandall and Remington but not as detailed or lengthy as the Case and Queen sections. Still these smaller sections are very good compared to anything else I've found.
   
   The Case fixed blade section of this book is about as good as any I have ever run across with information I have never found anywhere else for any price. This section even details the differences in sheaths from different eras and how to date the knife by the sheath if necessary.
   
   I would recommend this book to any Case, Queen or Remington collector. It is not going to cover other manufacturers in detail so if you are looking for values on your Spyderco knives this is not the book you want. What it does cover for the Case, Queen, and Remington collector is perhaps some of the most comprehensive and detailed information for these knives as you can find anywhere at this writing. It is a great guide for these brands.
   
   I've said, "WOW, I did not know that" more times since acquiring this book than any other knife guide I've ever purchased.



4. The book covers mostly Case and four other makers. It is
   advertized as a guide to help you identify and date individual
   knives or whole collections. If your collection is limited to
   these five makers then you could be satisfied,however if you
   collect throughout the industry you will want a refund. It should be described properly.



5. No one book can completely cover even one subfield of knife collecting and values anymore, but this is probably one of the five or six essential reference works for knife collectors. I bought it mainly because I've been a case collector in the past, and it's also especially strong on pocket knives, and Case is the most well known and most collectible of the factory production pocket knives. The book covers all the other main names in that field, including Buck, Schrade, Remington, Queen, Camillus, Parker, Kershaw, Schatt and Morgan, Winchester, and many other lesser known names. But it also covers fixed blades, limited editions and semi-custom, and custom knives are covered as well. But this book is considered to have the strongest coverage of any collector's book on Case, and it's probably an essential reference work for any Case and other American pocket knife collector.

4 comments about Warman's Roseville Pottery: Identification and Price Guide (Warman's Roseville Pottery: Identification & Price Guide).

1. The book states it is a price guide. The author had pictures of as many as 9 pieces being auctioned and vague discriptions of some with chips. Another example is a Donatello jardiniere (with chip repair) & pedestal $180-$220. A picture of a Donatello bud vase on the same page just over 6" is listed at $180-$220.Yet another jardinier on the same page (smaller than the one that includes the pedestal with a rim chip is $200-$250.Auction prices for multiple pieces & damaged items need to be kept separate.



2. I am not happy with my recent purchase of Warman's Roseville book. It does not provide a complete listing of suggested prices and many of the pictured pieces are described with damage along with a price. For example, hanging basket with "chip on handle." For a serious collector the book is not of much use and for the inexperienced collector the book is misleading--damaged pieces do not sell for anything close to what mint pieces sell for.



3. Great book for a quick overview on Roseville pottery, the different patterns and price ranges. Not a complete book but a good quick reference for those just starting to collect.



4. Though by no means a complete showing of every shape made for each design, it IS a very generous sampling of each design, with beautiful studio photographs cover to cover. That makes it a must-have for any Roseville lover- none of the ugly black and white catalogue page reprints. NOT so great for pricing information. The pieces are priced with their existing blemishes, which would make a perfect piece of the same design worth ?? how much ?? Also has price listed for the whole set, if the photo includes more than one piece. That is just not helpful when you want to put a value on one piece.
   If not for the vague pricing information, I would rate this 5 stars- especially compared to other Roseville guides. Very helpful visuals in this one!

2 comments about Made for Maharajas: A Design Diary of Princely India.

1. This book is fascinating. It is a very complete study of the influence of europen culture, art and crafts on the Maharajas of India, encompassing all forms of consumer goods... cars, jewels, trains, etc, etc. All these works of art are the result of intense cultural and economic exchange between both worlds and the book emphasizes this very well. A scholarly publication well served by wonderful photographs.



2. Dr. Amin Jaffer is a curator in the Asian Department of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London where he specializes in Indian art and culture during the era of European influence during the British Raj period (1857-1947). With "Made For Maharajas: A Design Diary Of Princely India", Dr. Amin has compiled with narrative commentary an impressive historical overview of art and luxury goods in all manner of media and associated with the aristocracy of the maharajas during these centuries. Superbly illustrated with 290 images (150 of which are in full color), the representative and custom-made artifacts range from private airplanes and luxury cars, to chandeliers, gold dinnerware, couture fashions, fine leather goods, houses, furniture, jewelry, and more. Dr. Amin drew upon the archives of firms that included Louis Vuitton, Boucheron, Chaumet, Cartier, and Hermies, he had access to palace and private collections, and employing his own extensive expertise, has written a text that is as entertaining as it is informative in revealing the extraordinarily varied works commissioned by princes whose personal wealth was exceeded only by their eccentricities. As an impeccable work of scholarship in a coffee-table art book format, "Made For Maharajas" is especially recommended for academic library collections and would make a superb choice as a community library Memorial Fund acquisition.

5 comments about Fashions of the Regency Period Paper Dolls.

1. If you are a collector of paper dolls, you will adore Fashions of the Regency Period by Tom Tierney. The detail is exquisite, the fashions are historically accurate (thirty in all) and you may want to buy two sets --one to cut and one to frame.
   
   Tom Tierney's work is always delightful!



2. The dresses looked like they were hanging off the arms on some of the illustrations, the figures were drawn a little out of proportion. The dress details were lovely.



3. I enjoyed this book, but it would have been really helpful for the author to have just given a couple of lines on each page to describe the outfits. For example "Silk ballgown, 1812" or "Muslin pelisse 1815," would have made this book more than just a child's cut out toy. Just a few words on the page would have made all the difference and given this book historical weight...and a fun learning experience. A real shame.



4. This book is full of excellent costumes to fit every ocasion, and use. Balls, walks in the park, traveling, court presentations; "George and Jane" are prepared for it all. The dolls have been great fun and very useful for everything from period dioramas to costume ideas. Even the undergarments on the dolls are apropriate for the period. Certainly my favorite of the Tierney's I own.



5. Being a sucker for everything of the Regency period, I bought Tom Tierney's FASHIONS OF THE REGENCY PERIOD PAPER DOLLS with the hope that it can acquaint me with the odd-named clothing items at the time. I was not disappointed.

   In the book we are introduced to George, a young lord who is a fastidious dresser, and his intended, Jane, both of whom display a variety of dazzling outfits for different occasions. These paper dolls are not just for kids-they are wonderful for anyone who, like me, has a hard time visualizing what a Carrick coat or sleeves "edged with swansdown" actually look like.

   Are you interested in knowing what Piccadils are? Or what is the proper attire for an audience at Regency court? Get a copy of this book and you'll find out!

2 comments about Antiques Investigator.

1. This book was selected as a Christmas present to help a young couple learn to look and notice important details in older objects. The techniques would be helpful to anybody regardless of experience with antiques.. We were so impressed with the content as we thumbed through that we then bought a copy for ourselves



2. This book is exactly what I was looking for even earlier in my antique experience. It touches on everything from porcelain to styles of furniture, fakes, how to detect quality, and much, much more. Every page is full of color photographs and examples. It's a great place to start for anyone who wants to know the basics of different types of antiques. Definitely worth the money!

No comments about Rare Finds: A Guide to Book Collecting.

1 comments about American Furniture: Queen Anne and Chippendale Periods in the Henry Francis Du Pont Winterthur Museum (Winterthur Book).

1. I was excited from the time I opened the package. The volume has high quality photographs printed on gloss pages. The photographs represent a broad spectrum of works by superior funrniture makers. The comprehensive text explained the obvious and not so obvious distingtions in form, format, style, constrution approach, and a host of like details.
   
   I took the volume with me to Marc Adams School of Woodworking for a Philidephia Lowboy class with Allen Breed. The pictures aided in layout and construction of the item. Class members were impressed with the quality and quanity of the photographs. This book is well worth the price.

3 comments about Kitschmasland!: Christmas Decor from the 1950s Through the 1970s (Schiffer Book for Collectors).

1. You might think, as I did, from the cover photo that this was a nostalgic visual treat of Christmas décor. It certainly contains plenty of festive items but the giveaway are the cover words: With Price Guide. It is actually a collector's guide to decorations from one of the leading publishers for this market. Books for collectors are basically plenty of individual photos (mostly no better than snaps) of items from whoever owns the largest collection, whether it's Barbie dolls, Fostoria glass, baseball cards or Avon bottles. From my experience the layout and typography are rather heavy handed and very dull as it is with this book.
   
   The back cover says there are more than four hundred photos, no doubt very true but they are of individual decorations just placed on a white background, snapped and placed randomly on the page with a too thick black box round each and a caption below. For collectors this might be fine but for anyone else who wants to capture the festive glow of a fifties or sixties childhood I thought the book was a real disappointment. It is possible to be creative with collectors material, Beckett Publications did some wonderful looking books of Coca-Cola collectibles.
   
   The book also includes several interior photos of collectors homes with their Christmas decorations displayed on mid-century décor. Mostly these are very unimaginative photos, badly cropped and displayed on the page in an uninteresting way. Three pages in the book did catch my eye though, they show nineteen LP covers of festive season music. None of the covers are anything special but seen together they create their own interest (publishers: how about a book of these Christmas LP covers? Surely a few hundred must have been released over the years).
   
   Kitschmasland! didn't capture it for me.



2. Travis Smith's Kitschmasland is an homage to the quirky, kitschy, holiday trimmings of more innocent, less consumer-crazed times. I was thrilled to see the felted Santas, bottle-brush trees and ceramic elves that decorated my parent's and grandparent's houses back when Christmas season officially started after Thanksgiving and endowed December with a magical quality. His collections span the gamut of gorgeous to goofy with smart, witty and personal stories for appreciators and collectors alike. Smith has captured all those delicate foil angels, plastic santas and beaded ornaments in exquisitely detailed photos that will light up your memories and revive the wonderful spirit of the season for anyone.



3. Every page of this wonderful book takes me back to those kinder, simpler years. When my guests peruse this book, I love watching their eyes light up and hear them say "I used to own one of those". This book is beautifully photographed and the assortment of Christmas decor is mind boggling. The book contains a wealth of information, great for the collectors, but so much fun for all of us.
   
   I hope Mr. Smith has another book waiting in the wings.

2 comments about 20th Century Glass (Dk Collector's Guides).

1. A very good selection of designers and examples. I miss more elaborate explanations about the technics used in glass production. Images are in very good quality and the colors are vivid and beutifull. Very recomended for an overall study of 20th. century glass art.



2. I think this may well become the standard reference guide for glass collectors. Beautifully designed, accessible and I thought very comprehensive in its coverage. Starting with blown and cased glass then pressed and moulded, iridescent, enamelled, painted, stained, engraved and finally cut glass. Each of these sections is broken down into national styles, for instance, the Scandinavian section of blown and cased glass covers Kosta Boda, Orrefors, Holmegaard, Riihimaki and Karhula-Iittala. All the glass shown has a caption that includes a dimension and price guide. The back of the book includes a glossary, dealer and museum addresses and that all-important index.
   
   A particularly interesting chapter is the last one, contemporary and studio glass. Eighty-two artists are featured with one or two examples of their work. This is beautiful fine art glass and with some items it is hard to believe that they are made out of such a brittle substance. Predictably, there is not much in this section costing less than a thousand dollars.
   
   I think it is worth commenting on the presentation. All the pages are very cleanly designed with typographic clarity for the main text, captions, key dates and designer information. The photos (over a 1,100) are presented as cutouts and almost jump off the page, all this glass looks just stunning.
   
   BTW. The main US publishers of collector's books should study '20th-Century Glass', this is what highly visual titles should look like!
   
   ***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.