5 comments about Effective Handgun Defense: A Comprehensive Guide to Concealed Carry.

1. Whoever decided to title this book "Effective Handgun Defense" must have been reading a different book.
   
   While an interesting read, it is less about what I was looking for (information on Handgun Defense... go figure) and more about things I already knew (differences in calibers), found somewhat interesting if irrelevant (history of gunfighting), or the completely bizarre (rules for being a gunfighter???).
   
   So yeah, 1 part useful information that would fall under the category of the books title and 9 parts ramblings of someone who may have a little too much lead in his blood.
   
   If you're looking for information about what you should know/learn/do prior to getting a conceal carry permit, or a guide to how to better increase your competency with a defensive handgun then this is not the book for you.
   
   So far 'The Concealed Handgun Manual: How to choose, carry, and shoot in self defense' has been the closest to what I'm looking for.



2. I almost missed out on purchasing this excellent book. While considering it, I was leaning towards not purchasing the book based on some of the reviews I had read. Oddly enough, As I attemped to save the book into my wish list for later consideration, I accidently hit the "One Click Purchase Button" and "WaLa", the book was on its way. I fully had planned on returning it without opening the box. But, I thought I would give it a chance. And as it turned out, I'm glad I did.
   
   This book is very informative, and covers many areas of defensive handgun usage. It is very readable, easy to understand and at times a little funny, because of the author's wit, and honest opinions. Once I started reading it, I found if difficult to put down. So if you're just getting started; an intermediate shooter, or advance handgunner, the information is applicable for all levels. I highly reccommend this book. It will be a good addition to my gun library, and hopefully in yours.



3. I buy non-fiction books because I want another's opinion on some subject. I'm experienced with firearms, but I don't know everything about guns. My recomendation that "Effective Handgun Defense: A Comprehensive Guide to Concealed Carry" is for gun nuts only is that Frank James addressed the serious gunman. Most people who want a gun for self defense want a simple guideline. Frank James covers gunfighting history--which most would think a waste of time. I liked the history. I gave this book only four stars because I found some of James's prose convulted and confusing. I make grammar and spelling errors, too, but I hope that my editor gets me to clean up my act so that my writing is easy to understand. I thought this book was a good value for me because it is like getting a series of gun magazine articles without all of the advertising fluff periodicals stuff between their pages.
   
   The chapter titled "Carry and Concealment--a brief look at fashion and holsters" alone was worth the cost. Warning--this is not for people who just want to have an expert select the holster system for them. Frank James states his preferences and why he prefers them. He lists most of the alternatives.
   
   Chapters Two and Ten cover the all-important aspects of mind set. Page 32 has a monologue titled "the spirtual side of armed self-defense." I'm biased: I believe that I have to make up my mind before I get into a do-or-die situation as to when and why I'll shoot another human being. I don't think I'll have time to discuss the issue with my assailants, because if I had the time, I wouldn't have to shoot them. Frank James makes the reader think about this question: shoot or no shoot?
   
   Other chapters cover equipment and training and tactics. Frank James preferes revolvers because not all self-defense problems walk about on two legs and revolvers can be chambered for more powerful cartridges than automatic pistols. The author freely admits that all of his defensive encounters were with the four-footed wild, feral, and domestic creatures, and he's glad that he never had to shoot another human. James demands that training be as realistic as possible. "Effective Handgun Defense" is filled with photographs of guns, holsters, and people from the gun world--in essence, a permanent gun magazine.
   
   However, this is not a stand-alone training manual on self-defense with a firearm. The book does address the issues involved with legal concealed firearms carry, but again this is directed at the knowledgable who will get additional information and training from elsewhere. I found "Effective Handgun Defense" a valuable addition to my gun book library, but if I were developing a training program for another, I'd want other guidebooks. There is no index, but there is a bibliography and a list of equipment vendors and schools that will be useful to anyone who will take the time and make the effort to legally carry concealed firearms.



4. As many reviewers have said before, this book is not about handgun defense. Rather, there is some interesting information about the technical and historical aspects of handgunning. This is very odd, given the title of the book and the notion that the author makes in the book stating that tactics are more important than tools. Still, he concentrates almost exclusively on hardware.
   
   The book is well written and interesting to read, but if you are looking for a book about effective handgun defense, don't buy Effective Handgun Defense.



5. This book is more of a history lesson with regards to the weapons used for personal defense. It then extrapolates from that to make its comments regarding what is appropriate for today.
   
   I give it high marks for having a focus on the revolver for personal defense, and often overlooked weapon nowadays. It also has a pretty good review of true pocket guns in .32 and .25 which do have a place in CCW for those with no other choice. He embraces rounds such as the .41 magnum and 10mm, both rounds that I believe are highly effective when properly employed but given second class treatment by many out there.
   
   The writing is more inline with what you see coming from the "old hands" of the gun magazines. It is mostly based on personal experience with animals, his daily carry methods, and guns he has owned and is attached to.
   
   The final chapter finally delves into the psychological aspects of personal defense. I think this is important in any work on handgun defense as the citizen must have decided long before any incident on when he would feel morally justified in using deadly force as well as preparing himself mentally so as to be ready to do so if needed. That is not well covered though. Basically his statement seems to be you have to have been an outdoorsman who worked with large animals to really have the proper attitude about personal defense and our pampered lives today inhibit this character growth. I think that the liberal teachings of society in the last 40 years, more so than the move from agriculture to urban lifestyles, have caused this. The last chapter left me feeling the author wouldn't take me serious as truly committed to the defense of myself and family because I have an office position.
   
   Overall I can recommend this as a filler book for your gun bookshelf. It has an excellent review of the development of personal defense weapons and no advice that I would consider wrong, just somewhat dated.

5 comments about Dali : Catalogue Raisonne of Prints II Lithographs.

1. A MUST for any seriuos collector and honest dealer. Dali's lithos are among the most forged works of art in the world: you can find forgeries at auctions, for often auctioneers have no idea and/or sell just for cash (the same all over the world, also in China, where I live, and where I have seen both fakes tout court and original with forged signatures in Beijing and Shanghai). The best money you can invest for your Dali collection!



2. The Catalogue is better organized and easier to read than Albert Fields' Graphic Works of Salvador Dali. Unfortunately, most pictures are in black and white.



3. This book was a rather daring undertaking. As you probably know many years and many lines of print were spent decrying the plethora of Dali forgeries and photomechanical reproductions of his works printed on pre-signed paper. It was a scandal, it was scandalous, to be sure. So, for instance, when I was involved with the sale of prints by Dali, an editorical choice was made to never ever sell a Dali Lithograph for the simple reason that there was just too much stink surrounding them. In fact, I was under the impression that virtually all of his alleged work product of lithographs was phony partially because of his self-professed disdain for the medium. This book disabused me of this notion because it is full of very early and often, I hate to say it, visually exciting and beautiful works by the man that really causes one to wish to own some. This book does discuss the scandal surrounding Dali briefly, very briefly, and notes that the editors got far less cooperation from various galleries in the course of their research than they did for the first volume of the catalogue which dealt with the etcthings, etc. No mention was made of the multi-million dollar judgment against Center Art Galleries in Hawaii, for instance, that was apparently responsible for a whole boat load of the inauthentic stuff. Anyway, the book is broken up into three parts. The introductory discussion, roughly 75 pages of well-done full color reproductions and roughly 100 pps. of cataloguing data recording edition size, printer, medium, etc. I don't believe that any of the photomechanical reproductions produced by Center are included but I do notice a Center Art Gallery commissioned series or two. In that vein, the page dedicated to known forgeries and unauthorized edtions is only about, well one half page. This seems far too short, and the editors admit to the herculean task it would be to get more extensive and accurate information in print. Suffice it to say that a lot of swamp land ground was not covered. I'd recommend sticking strictly to the, ahem, book in your search for Dali Lithographs and let the sands of time sort out the sordid bits in another, different book. This comes with my highest recommendation especially for print collectors.



4. The two books I have are great but in Vol II I'm missing pages 130 through 150. I only discovered this when i was looking for a work referenced on 148. Is anybody elses copy missing pages?



5. I own 11 different books on Dali, and the two books published by Prestell are the best in my collection, much better and fewer mistakes than the "Fields" book!!

No comments about Buttons (Shire Library).

5 comments about The Comprehensive Guide to Soviet Orders and Medals.

1. If you have any interest in collecting Soviet orders and medals, this is the only book you'll need. Every other reference on this subject I've read isn't even close to this one in detail, information, history and variants. From the earliest days of the revolution to the fall of the USSR, this book has detailed info for them all.
   
   My only complaint is that it's a bit outdated when describing known fakes. For example, for the Order of Nevsky (probably the one medal who's value is increasing the fastest) the author lists no known fakes of sufficient quality to consider. That may have been true then, but not today. I've seen fake Nevsky's that are completely indistinguishable from the real thing, even when compared side-by-side. If it's worth enough money, someone will fake it.



2. This is the best book on medal collecting out there. Period. Combining detailed, color pictures, specific award criteria and a comprehensive thoroughness it easily outdistances any other medal collectors guide in *any* field (Third Reich, British, American, Imperial German (would that there was one even half as good as this)). Only Previtera's "The Iron Time" can match it in quality and "The Iron Time" is limited to investigating one award (The Prussian Iron Cross) so it has a very narrow focus despite it being a five star book in it's own right. Schmitt & McDaniel's book has set a very high bar that any "comprehensive" medal collector's book issued in the future will have a struggle to match. Not only that the publication of this book helps legitamize the collecting of the "evil empire's" awards unlike any other publication from the past. Well worth it's price.



3. Being a relative newcomer to collecting Soviet Militaria, but collecting German Militaria for years, I found the book to be the best all around book on medals that I have ever read. This book details in very clear color photographs the intricacies of the medals of the Soviet Union. I would recommend this book strongly for anyone who is interested in Soviet Militaria or even Militaria in general as it is an excellent resource book.



4. The Comprehensive Guide to Soviet Orders and Medals is the bestbook on the market so far, and if you are a collector in this field, I strongly recommend you buy it. It's good - very good actually - but it's not comprehensive. McDaniel and Schmitt try to list all known different types and variations, and this is of course, almost impossible. But it's a start. And it's needed. Furthermore they illustrate their descriptions with very detailed pictures - that's excellent! The only problem with this kind of book is lack of information, but I'm sure they are working on it. Especially their information on fakes needs an update. In all case this is a book to buy...



5. An excellent reference guide, but NOT comprehensive. The pictures are beautiful, detailed, in colour and comes in plenty - this is necessary for the serious collector. Their grading system (both concerning rarity and different variations) is usefull but NOT comprehensive. If you have travelled in Eastern Europe as a collector, you know much more about rarity and variations than they do. Furthermore, their variation-system is only really usefull if your counterpart has read the book. Say, does The Order of the Red Banner Variation 3, Type 2 means anything to you? Their rarity-system may be helpfull as a guideline - not as a fact. I'm not saying their information is incorrect, it's just that there is a difference between living in Europe and in the US. It's probably a matter of distance and therefore price and rarity. What is really good about this book is the information about the fakes. It's very usefull (and unfortunately VERY brief) but of course outdated the moment you get it. But again, use it as a guide - don't trust everything you read. Remember that your common sense is your most important tool. Conclusion: You will not find a lot of books on this subject in english so I recommend you buy it, while it's still in stock. At present it's the best buy on the market. If you consider buying it, remember to check their Newsletter with the latest updates (and it's allways about 2-3 months delayed) at Historicalresearch.com

2 comments about Warman's Bean Plush Field Guide: Values and Identification (Warman's Bean Plush Field Guide).

1. While this book doesn't include every beanie ever made, it does have 1,200+, with a clear color photo for every one listed. About 70% of them are Ty, which makes sense because that's by far the most popular maker. And the photos are big enough to easily identify the beanies. It's got the best photos of beans and Ty tags that I've seen in a beanie book. It's not an exhaustive manual, but it does have a lot for its size. After all, it's a pocket field guide, not an encyclopedia.
   Also, it has a lot of information and tips on how to buy and sell beanies on eBay. While the prices are lower than secondary store prices, they're right on for eBay. Overall, I'm really pleased with it and I definitely think it's worth the price.



2. I bought this book today because I'm an avid Ty collector. There are so many Beanies not listed, and hardly any of the various other types of Ty products. Also only a few pages of each of the other brands of plush when I know there are so many products. This is just not a very complete book. If you want a much better, although still not perfect Ty collector guide, go to Bangzoom Press and buy the Beanie Babies Value Tracker from them.

No comments about On Collecting: An Investigation into Collecting in the European Tradition (Collecting Cultures).

No comments about Spinning Wheels & Accessories (Schiffer Book for Collectors).

No comments about Men's Clothing & Fabrics in the 1890s: Price Guide (Schiffer Book for Collectors).

1 comments about Tinplate Toy Cars: of the 1950s & 1960s from Japan.

1. An excellent trip down memory lane for anyone who remembers the tin toy cars one had as a child. The Japanese evidently were fascinated by 1950s American automobiles, and they did a good job in producing these toy models. No plastic here !!

1 comments about Modern Guns: Identification & Values (Modern Guns).

1. The sixteenth updated edition of MODERN GUNS is a 'must' reference for any serious gun collector, whether it be of pistols, rifles, or shotguns. Such an audience will find the format hasn't changed, but has been redesigned for quicker reference, with each gun receiving in-depth details, the latest values, and pricings in categories ranging from good to very good condition. Add the black and white photos throughout and you have a reference collectors can't be without.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch