1 comments about Fenton Art Glass Colors and Hand-Decorated Patterns 1939-1980: Identification & Value Guide (Fenton Art Glass).

1. This is a very informative book with a detailed picture guide. Each type of glass design is expained and color pictures help in the identifcation of the glass.A price guide is also included. An excellent tool for identifying Fenton Art Glass. This book is worth the price.

4 comments about The American Diner (Motorbooks Classic).

1. This is a wonderful book for we nostalgia nuts! The many photographs and descriptions of pre-fast food America will remind you of simpler times, or make you sad that you missed them.



2. Thanks Mike. I new B 4 hand that the book would B great. I no your work. 2 of the diner pictures R in my home town. In Middletown Connecticut. USA. The color in the book is so nice. By. Marty.



3. "The American Diner" is a delightful book that maintains the high standards Michael Witzel has always set for himself. Very beautiful, informative and entertaining. Chock-full of outstanding images from photographers like Pedar Ness, Ronald Saari and Howard Ande.

   There are many excellent sidebar stories, including one on Jerry Berta's DINERLAND in Rockford, Michigan. This man saved Rosie's Diner, built a miniature golf course and restored another 1947 diner into an art gallery. (I've gotta meet this guy.)

   Another delightful effort from Michael Karl Witzel. "The American Diner" entices me to Hit The Road and experience these wonderful greasy-spoons firsthand, especially those original East Coast joints!




4. Witzel has done it again! The diner images in this book are fantastic, both the vintage and current shots. Many are full page size and more, giving the reader a closeup look at some of America's greatest diners. Along with really informative historical text, each chapter contains a sidebar that highlights a particularly cool diner. It was fun to learn the history of and to see some of the greats like Pal's, Rosies, The Riverhead Grill, the Cutchogue, and Mel's "Googies" Diner in action.

No comments about Handbook of Mediterranean Roman Pottery.

5 comments about Creating Fashion Dolls: A Step-By-Step Guide to Face Repainting.

1. The simple truth is that Ms. Guidice's repaints are not very good. Although she may help an absolute beginner get started, her own work is so amateurish that it's uninspiring. I don't expect fantastic writing, but the examples do not create confidence in the expertise of the instructor.
   
   Any Jim Faraone book has better eye candy and specific tips; many, MANY generous doll artists offer help online with tutorials and fabulous galleries of their work. A quick search of the Web (try "repaint tips" or "fashion doll repaint") will prove infinitely more rewarding than this book.



2. Firstly, I am quite disgusted with the author's own glowing review of her work in the pretended guise of a user/reader. Perhaps she wrote this review before Amazon implemented their "real name" options and forgot that she had written this review anonymously. In any case - one might consider disregarding a pretend review by the book's own author.
   
   I purchased this book back when I began repainting, and it was a small help to me as a beginner. This book may serve as the most base of starts but beyond that I cannot recommend it. If you are anything but the most green of novices, you will likely get no information of value from the work presented. Unfortunately there is a lack of quality repaint books in the market, so it is true that this is one of the only options. i would recommend contacting a repainter for tips instead, and searching the internet, which contains many valuable resources for fledgling repainters.



3. I just left a review for the first book Creating Fashion Dolls and I had to drop by here to leave a comment about this book. The Irish lassie "Shannon" on the cover is beautiful. I've read some of the other reviews and am beginning to think that Amazon should find out where the venom is coming from. Could it be professional jealousy? These books have helped pave the way for my makeovers and I wouldn't trade them for anything. My best advice to the person sitting on the fence over the purchase of any of these books is: Don't let nasty remarks fool you. Make up your own mind by seeing for yourself! Thanks Sabrina and I hope you continue writing many more books. I enjoy your style!



4. I bought this book with the expectation of seeing examples from a experienced doll artist. I felt her painting was elementary and not artistic. I expected a more professional and pulled together product from someone writing a how to book. Stick to Jim Faraone's book or get on the internet and look up doll customizers and repaints. The overall information was good but her painting style is sloppy.



5. This book is for the beginner who has less than no idea where to start. It does have basic how-to info but I found the examples and dolls in the book very disappointing. I feel like even though I have never done a fashion doll repaint I can do at least as good a job as the author did if not better. I was expecting a lot more and if I had paid full price for this book I would have returned it. (I bought a used one) I don't want to be mean but the nose holes on one doll looked like boogers and the Julia Roberts repaint doll's lips were disturbing. If you want just the basics on how to get started then buy the book, if you expect more then don't.

5 comments about Petretti's Coca-Cola Collectibles Price Guide.

1. I like the fact that the book shows so many color pictures. That is great! Unfortunately, as, with many of these types of books, it doesn't list many of the collectible coca cola items. The book could also be organised better. There are several different places to find clocks for example. If you go by the table of contents you might miss what you are looking for. When you go by the index you have to sift through different sections of the book looking for it. However, the back of the book was very helpful with the section on slogans for different years. It is a good book, but I wish it listed more of the collectibles or at least mentioned them. Still, I recently ordered a few other books on coke collectibles and this one seems to have more info than they did.



2. I have owned most editions of this book, and as a resource for researching Coca Cola memorabilia, I would have to say it is unsurpassed. I haven't seen any other guides come close in the number of items shown.

   I do question the pricing of these items, however. I don't see how everything can continually increase in price from one edition to another, especially when you consider internet sales activity (a very large part of Coca Cola memorabilia sales nowadays). As a collector, I never pay at price-levels shown in this edition, and I certainly do not obtain these prices when I occasionally sell an item off on an internet auction site. I just feel that the prices are a bit inflated. No one could keep track of the huge amounts of Coca Cola memorabilia sales in all venues around the country. I tend to take pricing in guidebooks with a grain of salt, especially, as in this case, when the author is also a major collector. Just a little too much potential for conflict of interest.




3. Right off the bat: I agree that the omission of blotters and assorted other collectibles from this guide is a gaping omission as big as a barn. I hardly use this guide anymore for several reasons:

   1) The back index is as bad as they come. Totally incomplete.

   2) You want to find a certain tray? Be prepared to bounce from one end of the book to the other looking for what you need. There is no apparent logic to the way this guide is arranged. I'm sure the author felt it was completely logical, but his logic escapes me.

   3) The front index is just painful to figure out. There is a usability book out there called "Don't Make Me Think". The author of this Coke guide should study it.

   4) Too much rhetoric and opinion about "fantasy" items. I find this section of the guide painful to sift through. Just the facts, please. And then there's the illogical order of everything .

   The best that can be said about this guide is that it's big. It is poorly organized and has way too many omissions to be my primary guide. If a 12th edition ever comes out, I'm going to check it out before buying, to see if these problems have been fixed.

   I much prefer Wilsons' guide over this one.




4. A lot of pictures. Prices that reflect nothing on reality. Not one Cleveland Electric Neon Clock. Not one American Time Clock. I have 3 originals hanging in front of me. Missing some of the major buttons. Typical collectors book. Pictures of everything that's out there, except the rare items you buy these books to find out about. Total dissapointment. I have stacks of collector books that have proven useless. There all written by the "authority" on the subject on hand. I think this explains the ... in collecting and the stacks of used books available. If you're going to make a "Know It All" book, than you better know at least %90. Monster let down.



5. I'm very dissapointed in this book! After waiting 3 months beyond the original publish date, I find there are no blotter pages. I understand there will be no more blotters in future books, also. As I've been buying and selling blotters based on the Petretti's prices, I feel I cannot give this book a good rating. Also, why do we now have to jump all over the place to find the trays? They used to be simplified in one area.

1 comments about Magnificent Molas: The Art of the Kuna Indians.

1. My wife is a fiber artist and I am the webmaster of her site. We own nearly 4.000 books and we have gladly added Magnificent Molas by Michel Perrin to our collection. It is difficult to imagine that anyone could do better than Perrin. His Magnificent Molas is a remarkable book in every sense: illustrations, text, layout and printing are all of highest level and come together in a well documented and passionate praise of the magnificent textile art of the kuna indians and their culture. It is even well written, so it makes pleasure to read. This book is a must for those who are interested primitive and textile arts.
   Gösta & Agostina Zwilling, Verona, Italy

5 comments about The National Gem Collection.

1. Excellent information on the history of gemstones, understanding color and cuts. Exquisite examples, beautifully photographed. A must for anyone interested in gemstones or the history of jewelry.



2. This review is for the paperback version of the book, which I loved. It has a lovely balance of terrific photos & explanations of the various sources of the featured gems. It serves as a nice beginning reference when you have heard the terms sapphire & red sapphire (huh? I thought red gems were rubys or spinels) and would like to know more about which gems are related to others.
   
   And did I say the photos are just wonderful? Enjoy!



3. "The National Gem Collection," by Jeffrey E. Post, features photographs by Chip Clark. The book is a beautiful celebration of the title collection, which is part of the Smithsonian Institution. The informative text discusses the history of the collection, facts about types of different gemstones, and specific pieces in the collection.

   The full-color photography is really stunning, and brings a rich assortment of gems to glorious life. Some of the historic pieces pictured are the blue Hope Diamond, the diamond Napoleon Necklace, the Hooker Emerald, and more. Also shown are a colorful collection of "fancy" diamonds, a rare red diamond, the 858-carat uncut Gachala Emerald, the delightful "pink tutu" (a band of dainty rose quartz crystals on a large smoky quartz crystal), a dazzling group of fire opals, a lapis lazuli carving from Afghanistan, and more.

   I appreciate how the book celebrates gemstones at various stages: uncut, cut, and set in artfully crafted pieces of jewelry. Many different types of gemstones--aquamarine, garnet, spinel, chrysoberyl, turquoise, etc.--are covered. Features such as a scanning electron microscope photo of the inner structure of an opal give the reader a deeper understanding of the science behind gems. From start to finish, this book is a marvelous feast for both the eyes and the brain.




4. This is a beautiful book with lots of interesting information on the gem collection.



5. If you have visited the National Collection and want a souvenir to remind you of the stunning array of unique World Class Gems then this is the book for you. Both the format of the book and the superlative quality of the photography make this book the next best thing to being in the exhibition hall. There is a fairly light weight coverage of the gemmology in the text, but it mostly focusses on the history and ownership of these fabulous gems. The National Collection is unique, no where else in the world is there such a concentration of fabulous jewels with such an interesting history, with the possible exception of the British Crown Jewels in the Tower of London. This book is a fitting celebration of such a marvellous collection.

4 comments about Standard Catalog of Comic Books.

1. The Overstreet Comic Price Guide has been around so long that it's become ubiquitous in the industry. It's the default standard of most collectors. Now while Krause Publications does out their own yearly price guide, the Standard Catalog of Comics is a whole other animal. This massive, 1600 plus page tome lists more comic titles than any other guide at over 165,000 comics, far more than any other guide going, and includes hundreds of variant issues. The Standard Catalog of Comics is the blue collar guide to comics. It isn't filled with fluff articles about Superman or Archie, this is a guide designed for and by comic book collectors and enthusiasts.
   
   First, this book does a far better job of explaining comic grading and conditions than Overstreet, and features close-up photos of standard defects such as creasing, spine-roll, rusty staples, and stress creases. But what really sets The Standard Catalog apart from its competitor is it's pricing data. With Overstreet, we get dozens of pages of retailer reports offering their opinions and a handful of recorded sales that to me has always been fairly useless. Today, the internet, and particularly eBay has changed the way comics are bought and sold and pretty much replace retail shops and conventions as the preferred place to buy and sell back issues. What this book provides is real date culled from real sales, and a lot of it.
   
   What the editors have done is to track up to 25 recent auction closings for various combinations of CGC graded comics. For example, Daredevil #1 had at 25 reported closings in a condition of CGC 6.0 over the evaluation period. These books closed with a low of $455, a high of $911, and an average of $640. In another example, Marvel Team-Up #24 had 4 closing (and three is the minimum used for reporting) in a grade of CGC 9.8. The high was $147. Now this book in standard NM condition is only valued at $8 so you can see the wide disparity in slabbed comic books. This is real world data that is invaluable to collectors like myself who have moved to eBay to buy and sell comics. Where there is no auction data each book is given only a NM grade and then there is a chart to calculate the value of a book in lower grade. This information comes from the Comic Base, as well as convention and mail order sales. Purists may be bothered by that but really, what more does one need? The CGC data is what is going to appeal to most collectors anyway.
   
   Another thing setting the Standard Catalog apart is its circulation data. With records of capital City and Diamond orders along with the publisher's statement of ownership figures, circulation totals are provided for thousands of comics. Now you can know just how many copies of the supposed "rare" title were distributed. Again, this is invaluable information for collectors. Listed for issues are items such as notable character appearances, events, origins, first appearances, artist/writer credits, they even list the title of the story for hundreds of thousands of individual issues. In addition brief capsule essays are provided for nearly all mainstream comic titles.
   
   The book is clearly and concisely written. The information is provided in a well laid out format and is easy to follow and locate. Is it perfect? Well not quite. While there are over 2,000 comic photos that only averages to just over one per page and more photos would have been welcome. Still the wealth of valuable information in the book makes it absolutely indispensable for any comic book collector and should be in the possession of anyone who is series about comics.
   
   Reviewed by Tim Janson



2. This book is so much more than a price guide. Don't get me wrong, as a comic book price guide it's a good one, not only giving you the average comic store retail value of books, but that the average online auction value is in several CGC grades. It's fair and accurate on most books, though it doesn't give insanely high values to some of the `hot new' books. Also, it has individual listings for each comic book with check boxes by every issue so you can keep track of what you have and what you need.
   
   But this 5.5 pound monster isn't just about how much your comic is worth. For most series it gives a background and description of the series. It tells you who wrote and drew every single comic, and it even has how many issues were printed for most comics.
   
   Newcomers to comic books can enjoy this rich wealth of comic book information but I believe the long time comic book fanatic will best enjoy it. For the long time fan this book will not only help you keep track of your vast collection, but it will allow you an opportunity to discover new comic series. It will reacquaint you with lost comic book loves, and it will provide you hours of reading.
   
   This is a must have for every comic book fan new and seasoned, young and old. I can't recommend this enough!



3. This catalog provides a wealth of information for collectors of comic books. It can be overwhelming for a novice (me) to absorb, but what fun I will have while I learn. Definitely a worthwhile investment.



4. This thing is a monster. It has details on nearly every comic published, through to September 2001 or so. Besides the usual pricing information, if also includes circulation info (for some titles) and CGC info (how many copies have been CGC'd, and what the highest grade is). Many titles have a short series synopsis included, with information on storylines, creators, and anything else that might be interesting about a title.

1 comments about Pictorial Guide to Vaseline Glass (Schiffer Book for Collectors).

1. The pictures of the glass in this book are all taken under black light which shows off the effect of the uranium salts used in the manufacture of Vaseline Glass. The patterns and manufacturers of the individual pieces are noted, and there is a separate section with photographs of European Vaseline Glass, much more elaborate and highly decorated than American Vaseline Glass.
   
   The author wisely does NOT included prices since values can change dramatically. This is a very worthwhile book for the serious collector.

2 comments about Glock Exotic Weapons System.

1. ....To make a glock full-auto. It is a 58 page book that gives you step by step instructions on how to turn a glock fully automatic including blue prints and schematics, its rather user friendly and easy to do. There is nothing else in this book other than directions to do what I mentioned above.



2. I was VERY disapointed with this book. If all you want to know about is converting the glock to full auto, you might like it, that is all it covers.