1 comments about Moving Rooms: The Trade in Architectural Salvages (Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art).

1. When we lived in England, we were constantly visiting old homes, stately mansions, and castles, and were always impressed by how deep the history went, especially in the oldest, darkest oak-paneled rooms. If those panels could talk, what a rich history going back perhaps six centuries they might tell, of what had happened in those rooms, what agreements signed, what assignations made, and so on. Some of those elaborate decorations were Jacobean, others were what might be called Jacobethan. I am only now learning that plenty were Jacobogus. John Harris is an architectural historian who let me in on this sordid secret (and the new word), in _Moving Rooms: The Trade in Architectural Salvages_ (Yale University Press), a documentation of a part of the antique and interior decorating worlds that does not otherwise get much attention. It's a story of centuries, money, and more than a little chicanery, and Harris has covered one room and one desecration after another. It is obvious that he has done copious research, and some of the text is mere listing of owners, rooms, and prices, as if he wanted to make sure that all the data got in. The patterns of the trade, and of deception within it, are fascinating, and the large-format, glossy book has hundreds of photographs well aligned with the text.
   
   Much of Harris's book concentrates on the movements of rooms and room parts over the later nineteenth and twentieth centuries, but the trade had gone on long before that. Paneling was easily removed, easily reinstalled, and easily shuffled to fit into rooms of various sizes. Interior wooden paneling over walls had the same job as tapestries, to help insulate the room and keep drafts out. There were fashions in carving paneling, with some of the oldest being carved to look as if it had folds of linen on it. Thereafter, more fanciful decoration took over in the Renaissance. The French versions, called _boiseries_, were flat, broad panels with raised floral or geometric decoration around the edges, often gilt. Fashions change, and when paneling was taken off, it might be used again for a servant's room or an attic, or it might be put in storage. It could then be pulled out decades or centuries later for the express purpose of giving a room an antiquarian look. Paneling and other wooden parts were often installed in American museums, and some such rooms are careful and get Harris's praise, but other museums seemed to go gaga over rooms without a sense of curatorial judgement. Some museums joined in a spending spree for entire rooms, thereupon finding them too entire to install in entirety, or install at all. Many of them stayed crated up, and some simply became lost (there are many rooms here that no one knows where they are).
   
   The presence who enters these pages more than any single individual is William Randolph Hearst. "So prolific was he as a magpie accumulator of salvages that it is difficult to evaluate his discrimination when the vast scale of his acquisition is considered. `Collecting' implies acquisition with a collection in mind, but so mind-blowing was the scale of his purchases, so diverse and unequal the quality, so grotesque the utter lack of self-discipline, that his motivation, beyond the lust of acquisition, is baffling." A compulsive buyer, he was lucky to have the services of his architect Julia Morgan, who incorporated much of it happily in San Simeon. Hearst gathered much more than he could ever use, or even ever unpack, and in 1941 it was catalogued for sale. Harris reproduces the nine pages having to do with "buildings and parts", and if you needed twelfth century Romanesque portals or a fifteenth century Venetian door knocker, you should have been at that sale. Harris's chapter on "The Great Accumulator" winds up this comprehensive tour of a specialized and peculiar topic. His lists of accumulations become entertaining as they are coupled with tales of lucre, deception, pride, and the folly of the rich.

5 comments about The 50 States Quarter Folder.

1. This product didn't come out as expected. I saw the same product of this at Barnes and Noble that has a better design. The book that was delivered to me just can't hold the quarters in place. They would always pop out and fall. This won't hold my quarters in place. I have to put the whole thing in a ziplock bag just to make sure I don't lose anything. I got what Barnes and Noble has, and it solved the problem. Don't get this. It's a waste of money.



2. I ordered more than one 50 States Quarter Folders and thought they would hold the quarters collected. When they were finally delivered to me, I found the dented holder could hold nothing and threw them away.



3. Ditto what others have said. My son has this folder and the quarters will not stay in the plastic slots. As a result most of his collection has disappeared. There are other folders available that are much better. The best seem to be ones where you just press the coin tightly into a cardboard cutout.



4. I like the folder very much as I am collecting the statehood quarters for my grandchildren. The booklet inside gives them lots of information on our United States. The only drawback I have seen is sometimes the quarters pop out. Other than that, it is easier to use than the traditional folders for coins.



5. The folder itself is nice with a booklet that gives information about all states but inserting the quarters just doesn't work. They don't just "press in" - they pop right out and you have to glue them in if you want them to stay in. We even tried hammering them in. I bought it for my grandson but there was no way he was getting the quarters to stay in.

3 comments about Handguns 2007 (Handguns).

1. Handgus 2007
   Edited by Ken Ramage
   
   
   Gun Digest 2007
   Edited by Ken Ramage
   
   What can I say?
   They don't make them like they used to.
   This is not your father's gun digest.
   
   It has been a long time since I bought a Gun Digest but I am about to retire and I want to revive my interest in shooting spoorts. My primary interest is target shooting with handguns.
   
   I expected to catch up on all the new stuff and read dozens of interesting articles and seel all the new models and perhaps some fondly remembered old ones.
   
   Well, they don't make them like they used to.
   I was severely disappointed. Only 17 articles total. Many of them historical. The ones that are not historical tend to have long, boring, historical introductions.
   
   The Photography is absolutely beautiful. If you are interested in beautiful pictures of beautiful guns, buy the Gun Digest. If you are looking for information about guns, shooting, or hunting, stick to your regular magaziine subscriptions.
   
   If you are interested in handguns, Handguns 2007 is worth the money but just barely. It does not have the slick paper photography but it does have 21 articles. Still a lot of boring historical stuff about how one company morphed into another 75 years ago but a decent amount of real information.
   
   The catalog portion is a disappointment, it is neither organized or comlete. There are photos of guns with no descriptions and descriptions of guns with no photos. There are manufacturers who are not represented at all.
   
   
   Summary:
   If you are interested in handguns, buy Handguns 2007 only.
   
   If you are interested in beautiful pictures of guns, buy the Gun Digest 2007.
   
   If you haven't seen one on quite a while be prepared for a disapointment.
   
   
   
   
   



2. This is an incomplete list of available guns in 2001. It also has guns listed that are no longer available. The pictures do not match up to the descriptions. There is a lot of useless information ie. air guns, lists of books about guns etc. I was disapointed with this book. I expected to see more information and reviews on available models. Did not even list Khar's 9MM, Guns and Ammo's Magazine Handgun of the Year winner in the book anywhere.



3. It plays second fiddle to the Ken Ramage's other more comprehensive book on all guns- Gun Digest 2001. It basically features a broad selection of popular handguns... specs, data, pictures, etc. I'd recommend getting the full Gun Digest 2001 instead unless your love for firearms is reserved exclusively for handguns.

3 comments about The Collector's Guide to Hull Pottery: The Dinnerware Lines : Identification & Values.

1. Excellent book, everything we could have wanted. Great use of color photos and very detailed in price and description. Wish all books about this topic could resemble this one.



2. I have been collecting the dinnerware since 1990. My mother had it back in the 60's and 70's. This book is excellent and very helpful. My daughter wrote the publisher and the publisher gave my number to the author and also sent pictures of my collection to Barbara and Barbara called my daughter. What a surprise that was to her. They spoke of the pieces we have and the pieces she would like to have. Since then we have almost doubled my collection. She inspired us and we went to Crooksville, Ohio and toured the Museum in 1997 and shopped in the town north of Crooksville where we bought several pieces of the dinnerware that I did not have. I now have over 700 pieces of the Mirrored Brown House and Garden Dinnerware. I am real proud of my collection and this book is a great way to see the pieces that are out there somewhere. Good Luck in finding the pieces you need too! They are getting harder and harder to find. If you would like to talk to me about my collection you may e-mail me. I will welcome your questions. Thank you Barbara for the terriffic book. Diana Best - Columbus, Ga.



3. My book is a must for collectors of Hull Pottery dinnerware; as well as the antique dealers who need to keep up-to-date on antique values. I attempted to provide a comprehensive overview of the dinnerware lines known as 'House n' Garden'. All the various colors and molds are shown in color photos along with the dates of manufacture. Some inside information: My photograph of choice for the cover of the book was rejected by the publisher as too much like the 'House n' Garden's' magazine covers...but if you look on inside next to 'About the Author' the lovely picture of my favorite piece, the duck casserole, is displayed in a dinnerware setting on a red-checkered tablecloth! The photo was taken in my kitchen! This dinnerware was as common as American Apple Pie until the mid 1980's. Now it has become very difficult to find and more expensive than even I would have imagined a few years ago! I'm not entirely happy with the layout at the end of the book and would have done it differently had I the op

No comments about Josef Originals: Charming Figurines (Schiffer Book for Collectors).

1 comments about Marketing With Newsletters: How to Boost Sales, Add Members & Raise Funds With a Print, Fax, E-Mail, Web Site or Postcard Newsletter.

1. I was looking for a book on developing content, and this one happened to be laying around the house... it does cover quite a bit about focusing the newsletter around what type of target market you're going for but it does spend a bit of time talking about subscription newsletters and setting that up rather than content development.

5 comments about Allied Aircraft Piston Engines of World War II: History and Development of Frontline Aircraft Piston Engines Produced by Great Britain and the united (Reference).

1. A must also for automotive and racing engineers. The roots of actual racing engines and technology... 60 years ago.



2. This book has been highly touted, but does not live up to its hype. Any number of books are as interesting, and much cheaper. "A History of Aircraft Piston Engines" (Smith) comes to mind, as well as many of the books by Bill Gunston. Don't buy this book without seeing it first. For the same money you can get two or three other books that will together contain much more information. However, it is a very good one-volume source on the subject.



3. While there are hundreds if not thousands of books devoted to World War II military aviation, only a handful cover with any detail the critically important aspect of aero engine development. This is one of the few books available on this topic and Graham White generally does a good job covering in detail the principal (as well as obscure) British and American aircraft engines. White begins his book by describing some of the challenges faced by aircraft piston engine designers before diving headlong into the specific histories and technical aspects of key British and American engines. His descriptions of each engine are highly technical and he displays his talents as an engineer and mechanic in terms of his detailed description of engine parts and systems. White also brings us back to the bigger picture with vivid descriptions of the personalities who played a role in the design and manufacture of each engine as well as descriptions of the aircraft that used them.
   
   White admits that by only covering British and American (as opposed to Axis) engines he is only telling "half" of the aircraft engine story, and one hopes that White chooses to take up the challenge of telling this other half in a future second book. In the meantime, some areas where White's book falls short include a much-needed glossary explaining the terminology he uses for those aviation buffs and historians not steeped in the field of engineering or engine mechanics. Furthermore in some cases White's descriptions of World War II aircraft can be found in sources elsewhere or are simply inaccurate-he should have stuck with what he knows well by focusing on the technical aspects of how each engine related to a particular aircraft rather than waste space discussing each aircraft's development and operational histories. Finally White's conclusion-a tirade against 21st century corporate capitalism-is too opinionated and frankly out of place in a work of this nature.
   
   Despite these small flaws White's book remains one of the few available authoritative sources on the topic of aircraft piston engines, and is an important acquisition for anyone interested in World War II military aviation.



4. They don't come much better than this. Along with his volume on the R-2800 Mr White provides fans of aircraft engines with a very good read.



5. This books treatment of the technical aspects of WWII aircraft engines is nothing short of fantastic! Mr. White appears to be very knowledgeable (right down to the nuts & bolts level) in the development of these engines and their service histories. His use of contemporary references adds great authority to the work.

   My only criticisms are that Mr. White puts emphasis on some of the relatively obscure engines of British manufacture while neglecting some of the more important subjects.
   Also (in my opinion), he unfairly downgrades the performance of the Allison V-1710. He seems to attribute its' lackluster performance in such craft as the P-39 Airacobra to a shortcoming of the engine itself, while virtually ignoring the fact that some blockhead in the military saw fit to eliminate its' supercharger. And there is little emphasis placed on the spectacular performance of the same engine (with supercharger) in the P-38 Lightning.

   Having said that; except for these shortcomings, I would rank this book amongst the 2 or 3 best books ever written on the subject! You cannot be well informed on this subject until you read "Allied Aircraft Piston Engines of WW II"!

5 comments about Crafting Your Own Heritage Album.

1. I was more than disappointed with this book. I was looking for creativity and new layout ideas and this book did not have it. The layouts in this book were extremly plain, unattractive, and does not attract the eye. If you are an experienced genealogist or scrapbooker, you will be disappointed. Lame info is given: 'include personal stories' and 'pictures of family members with names and relations to you' and 'album should have a sturdy binding'. Well, duh. Then this book doesn't even give creative ideas. If I could give this book less than one star, I would. If you like plain layouts and want an unattractive album, this is for you I guess.



2. I'm creating a Heritage album (a long and loving process) and bought several books and mags including this one. BKB provides much sound info re: researching familyinfo and buying basic supplies, but her lay-outs are soooooo boring and depressing - just uninspired! Neither do I like the oddly popular "10,000 themes" lay-outs!! -- too many embellishments and the photo and story get lost, but BKB's examples would never make you want to review her album a second time. She also doesn't deal w/the challenges posed by being a 1st or 2nd generation American and not being able to easily access foregin family records, and how to lay-out pages when you don't have photos (note - do more creative journaling).
   
   Instead I would recommend special issues of Memory Makers (e.g., Sept 2003 "Heritage scrapbook ideas," Memory Makers "Creating Heritage Scrapbooks," and some issues (read before you buy!) of Legacy magazine.



3. Most of us have those stashs of old report cards, faded photos, locks of hair tied with a ribbon, and yellowing marriage certificates from other generations. This book gives ideas for pulling those items together in a meaningful album.
   The author covers the needed supplies (choice of album, papers, decorative touches) and the pros and cons of each. Journaling is explained and the ways to present your information, documenting the sources and show off your family heritage.
   It's a lovely book to get you started or to give to your family genealogist. They will be thrilled with the ideas for preserving and presenting your family memorabilia along with this history.
   At the back are helpful forms for a family tree and to track your research. There you also find 3 pages of genealogy resources, 3 pages of scrapbooking resources, a list of websites, and a glossary to help with unfamiliar terms.



4. As someone who does both genealogy and scrapbooking this book is full of ideas. The ideas given in this book are both simple but yet elegant at times, something that I like.
   
   I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is into genealogy and wishes to preserve and show off their family photos, stories and heritage.



5. There are already two very good reviews of this book here at Amazon, but I wanted to stress to potential buyers that this is a COMPLETE heritage album resource. This is NOT the kind of book you usually find on this topic -- not only just a book of layouts.

   If you've been debating about starting scrapbooking as a hobby and are looking at taking it up to document all your old attic finds, this is the book you want to read. The author begins with a straight-forward introduction to scrapbooking, and shows you the plusses and minuses of various techniques.

   If you've toyed with the idea of starting to document your family history past what you already know, this is also a good beginner's resource. She goes on to explain the basics of genealogy and provides several helpful and necessary blank forms for starting your family search.

   Not to forget that the meat of this book is devoted to creating your own family history album, and all the special considerations this particular kind of scrapbooking raises. Just what to do with all those antique photos, certificates and clippings, anyway?

   This is a very detailed look at the heritage themed scrapbook; plenty of illustrated examples, a friendly DIY read, and I know it helped me figure out just what I wanted to do with all my own family treasures!

1 comments about Uniforms of the Waffen-SS Sports and Drill Uniforms 'Black Panzer Uniforms'.

1. This third book in the collection of the "Uniforms Of The Waffen-SS" deals with with the panzer uniforms (2/5 of the book), the camouflage uniforms (2/5) and the special uniforms (concentration camps, Sipo-SD, female auxiliaries). I think this one is almost as interesting as the first book and the famous "Camouflage Uniforms Of The Waffen-SS" (the "prologue" of the present "trilogy" about the uniforms of the Waffen-SS) : the whole camouflage chapter is an update to the next release :Camouflage Uniforms of the Waffen-Ss : A Photographic Reference. (Schiffer Military/Aviation History)
   Since the release of that book, a lot of collectors around the world contacted M. Beaver, to update the topic. Surviving examples, and war photographs are therefore added on that book.
   After the camouflage uniforms, three different and usually not studied topics : the "SS-Totenkopfverbände" - concentration camp personnel, the Sipo-SD troops (usually known as the "Gestapo" in most of the continental Europe), and the female auxiliaries.
   The variety of topics make that book a very important addition to the collection. Highly recommended !

3 comments about The First Great Ocean Liners in Photographs: 193 Views, 1897-1927.

1. Any thing by William Miller regarding nautical subjects is excellent. This and it's companion volume "The Great Luxry liners" are essential reading for anyone interested in this important era. I only wish someone with his talents would do a series on freighters and tankers of the 20th century.



2. This book will bring you back to a long time gone era. Just enough text with lots of beautiful pictures. It is a great reference document. Very well done.



3. Can I say enough about William H. Miller's expertice and knowledge? This book, along with the other three in this set, are amazing. With well thought-out linear notes on each ship, and wonderful interior and exterior pictures, this book is, needless to say, the most used in my collection! I particularly enjoy this book because it depicts the era I am most interested in, the turn of the century. It also nicely depicts my favorite ship 'Mauretania', and it gives her the respect and dignity she deserves, along with all of the other ships in this book. I also recommend Picture History of the French Line, Picture History of the Cunard Line, The Great Luxury Liners 1927-1954, Great Cruise Ships and Ocean Liners 1954-1986, Modern Cruise Ships 1965-1990, and last but not least, Pictorial Encyclopedia of Ocean Liners 1860-1994. But don't take my word for it, judge for yourself. But being an Ocean Liner historian, memorabilia collector, and avid reader, I can truthfully can say that William H. Millar can be placed on the high shelf of Ocean Liner Historians, along with Frank O. Braynard, and Robert Ballard.

   ENJOY!