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.

4 comments about Louis Icart: The Complete Etchings.

1. If you are a fan of Louis Icart, this is the book for you. The pictures of his work are magnificent , about the closest some of us will ever get to the real work. It is a beautiful book.



2. I started collected Icart sketches a few years ago. This book is FABULOUS. It breaks down his work by periods. The pages are full of his sketches / year created / little tid bits regarding them. The reproduced works are full color (though I love love love the black and white sketches) and just beautiful. At the end of the book is a short glimpse of other artists whose work was during the same time, making comparison easy.
   
   If you like Icart -- this book is a HAVE TO HAVE!



3. The book gets bigger and better with each new edition. The latest revision just came out in July, 2002. There are about 600 pictures and all are in color. It is by far the most complete book on Louis Icart.



4. Anyone remotely interested in the work of French artist and illustrator Louis Icart, will be impressed by the comprehensive presentation of his etchings. The colour printing is excellent, and in chronological order one can see the development of his career, his charming females in various fashion garments of the period, and also nude, curiously rival the work of Australian artist Norman Lindsay, although Linday's nudes are of the buxom variety, and perhaps more agressive than sleek French models whom Icart make so decorative. Icart is firmly in the tradition of great French Art, after painters like Boucher and Watteau. My only small regret there was not more text about Icart, but this is a book of pictures and as such a recommended reference work.

2 comments about Antique Trader Clocks Price Guide: Including All Types of Clocks-17th Through 20th Century (Antique Trader Clocks Price Guide).

1. This book has some wonderful pictures. I think some of the values are dated, but the pictures and examples were very useful to me.



2. A brave title with "ALL Types of Clocks" and it disappointed as it did not include many (if any) small Boudoir Clocks. Few 20th Century clocks only 1 electric clock. Few mentions of swiss clocks of note. NO INDEX - what sort of book dose not have an index.
   
   Like many American authors - if it does not happen in the USA it does not happen.
   
   I would not recommend this book to those who collect clocks from "the world" as the world is greater than the USA.

3 comments about How to Start Making Money With Your Crafts.

1. This book is full of sound advice for starting a craft business and will be a welcome help to anyone interested in doing that.



2. "How to Start Making Money with your Crafts" is a great book for those crafters (like myself) who love to craft, and have decided to take their crafts into the "new world" of business, but have no idea how to go about doing that! The author takes the reader through a step-by-step approach from deciding on a product line to pricing and selling your products for profit. When I started reading this book, I only knew that I wanted to open a crafts business and work with fabric...when I finished the book, I had nailed down a product line, made decisions about pricing, and had decided how to sell the products! The book is full of helpful worksheets and questions at the end of each chapter to help you make important desisions about your business. It takes many considerations into account: time, family/ children, money, your abilities, etc. to help you succeed at your business. There are also many stories about other succesful crafters, their ideas, and hints to help you. The "selling" part of this book focuses on selling at craft fairs. Other selling options are discussed, but not explored, but even if you do not plan to sell at craft fairs, you will benefit from the wealth of information given in this book!



3. This is a simple and diresct book that is very good for the beginner, like me. I like the way it details out how to figure pricing.

2 comments about British Tea & Coffee Cups (Albums Series).

1. A very nicely done brief discussion of British teaware, mainly cups and coffee cans. The text is short but informative. The pictures are excellent, well selected, and clearly reproduced, with useful captions. Good on handle types. My only objection is the price which is steep for such a very short book, though I feel it was worth it to me because of the fine pictures which I will continue to refer to.



2. I found the book (40 pg. pamphlet) to be an abbreviated, superfical treatment of the subject. It has limited pictures and text. Perhaps the book does not satisfy my novice tastes, but I have difficulty identifying a constituency to which this book would appeal. If you are looking for a thorough treatment of the subject, try Jim & Susan Harran's book, Cups & Saucers - Identification & Values. Sorry to have wasted my money.

5 comments about Standard Catalog of World Paper Money: Modern Issues, 1961-Date (11th Edition).

1. Brilliant, could not do without it- the best on the market without a doubt.



2. This book is the third volume in a line series dedicated to paper money collecting. This one particularly concentrates on the banknotes issued by central banks all over the World from 1961 onwards. The book is "The reference" used by all collectors and dealers alike. Thus, it is a must in order to keep uptodate with market prices and with the current issues. Unfortunately, it has mistakes and sometimes it lacks continuity with its counterpart (vol. 2) which is not issued annualy like this one. Nevertheless, if you are involved in paper money collecting, owning this book is imperative in order to be able to refer properly to any moder banknote.
   The book can be bought from many sources, starting with its Publisher (Krause), however, my advice is to get it from Amazon.com, since its discunts are unbeatable.



3. As always, the work and research to get the latest information available to the collector is presented to us in the catalog as best as possible. I would like to see a section that list countries whose names have changed. While the catalog is a tremedous effort to 'keep current' with the many changes going on while it is in the making, I long for the day when the CD comes out and changes are added electronically. Stamp collectors now have this and a virtual stamp collection. Thanks to all that work to get the latest information for a great hobby!



4. Most useful - but - there seem to be several errors in this catalogue. One of the most glaring is the complete omission of SOMALIA, despite the index refering the reader to page 772. These are, in fact, the entries for SOMALILAND from 1994. All entries for SOMALIA from 1962 to 1990 have disappeared.



5. I would say, - there is no other, better book, so we have to use this one. I have looked through some pages of it and I already found quite a few blunders. First of all there are quite a few misleading price valuations, I would even say many price manipulations. I haven't gone through every single page of it yet, but a quick look at the book reveals the following:
   
   - Overall image quality got worse (much worse) in this year 2005 edition. Some photos have some white spots and cuts.
   
   - Signature tables have disappeared in quite a few country listings. Instead of signature tables Krause website is advertised all across the pages. Question: why remove what already has been added over years?
   
   - Most of the country letter code explanations and country names are gone from West African States listings.
   
   - Signatures are numbered but not always displayed in signature tables.
   
   - Catalogue numbers are changed and moved around to frequently confusing the collectors and especially addong tons of extra work for dealers.
   
   - Many banknotes are valued way below market value. Some are valued below anytime exchange rate. Example: Latvian 100 Latu exchange rate always was over $160 but Krause values it in Uncirculated condition at $150.
   
   - No ERRATA is being printed. Any self-respecting publisher prints errata pages and puts them in a book, or even sends Errata (corrections) pages to all their customers and book owners. The book was published carelessly. Some colourful images (not so important to a professional) were added, but what's most important is the text info and price valuations. This book is important to a beginner and as well to a professional. We still have to use it, cause there is no other catalogue for All World's Paper Money, but making so many errors and blunders shows that the publisher of this book does not care much about what the reader gets from it.
   
   Good-bye Pick... hello Krause.

3 comments about American Victorian Costume in Early Photographs.

1. The arrangement of the book is refreshingly neat. It is firstly chronological, and then subdivided into men, women and children. The text is brief. No deep history lessons, more of a broad overview of each decade. The pictures are wonderful though. So it's a good "look book". If you can't or don't collect antique photos to reference, this is a good alternative.



2. This book contains useful illustrations representing all ages and classes of American society. Ms Dalrymple wins my approval by basing some of her conclusions on dated photographs; in other words, she uses photographs as documentary evidence, not just as illustrations.
   
   -- But important source information, ie. the format of the photograph, the photographer's name and geographical location, etc. has been moved to the endnotes, and the captions consist of stating the obvious; ie. "man in patterned trousers". With a few exceptions, the captions do not explain why the photographs were selected for the book and do not enhance the illustration. In her well-written chapter introductions, the author demonstrates her knowledge of the field and uses interesting and significant quotations from primary sources. (I like the footnotes.) So I wonder... was there an editorial decision made to "dumb-down" a potentially useful piece of work?
   
   Finally, reproduction of the photographs is adequate, but not exciting. It is sometimes difficult to see costume detail.



3. The Victorians put their (mostly) best foot forward in this collection of period photographs. Most of the photos are obviously studio pieces and catch our ancestors at what they considered their best, but a few, like the picture of the little girl missing a coat button, seem unplanned.

   The photos are grouped by decade and show men, women and children of all ages and social classes. The editor's notes are conveniently placed near the photos and contain clear and interesting details about the costumes. Together the notes and the photos provide a useful resource and fun browse for all those interested in Victorian costume and manners.

5 comments about Modern Book Collecting.

1. The information in the book is a little aged, but it is still applicable and useful. This book will remain in my reference collection.



2. Good reference book for book collecting. I read it as often as I can.

   Good book to have if you collect or sell books




3. From Publisher's Weekly - Publishers Weekly:
   Wilson's guide combines discussions of the basics of book collecting with helpful appendices.



4. The copyright date on this book is 1980. That's right, over twenty years old and the title says modern. The book is sorely in the need of an update. I was disappointed in lack of recent infomation dealing with the internet. It is a good source on basic book info, however. I would recommend looking elsewhere for anyone interested in this subject.



5. Robert A. Wilson is something of a legend in the book world. His experience can be useful to the beginner. If you buy no other book on the subject than this you could do much worse.