1 comments about United States Army Scrapbook (Military Scrapbook Series).

1. Excellent book. Can be used for a scrapbook or a photo album.

5 comments about One Red Paperclip: Or How an Ordinary Man Achieved His Dream with the Help of a Simple Office Supply.

1. A modern day fairy tale where a brave youn man magically turns one red paperclip into a cottage for his fair young maiden. Loved the story from start to finish. What a crazy unpredictable journey. . . and Kyle never forgets that its all about the journey.



2. This is truly one of the best, inspirational books I've ever read. It helped me to finally complete my first book, after several years. I LOVED the author's passion and determination, his sense of adventure and trust was outstanding. His book is written as if I was sitting down with a great friend at dinner and learning about this amazing experience. The pictures are perfect too, although, everyone that I tell about the book, I mention to make sure not to look at the pictures ahead of time.
   
   Janet Spurr, Marblehead, MABeach Chair Diaries



3. I read this in one day, sneaking off from all the other things I was supposed to be doing (sort like Kyle running out to trade a red paperclip when he's supposed to be working on his resume) It's just a lot of fun! A real exercise in see-where-life-takes-you. I love that although Kyle sort of wanted to trade up to a house what was always most important was the next trade and picking the right person by what felt right. A real delight! Way to go Kyle! Can't wait to see what the house trades for!



4. I can't believe I bought this book! It's a great book if you're an 8th grader. Too bad there's not a NO star catagory.



5. Kyle MacDonald is a rock star if you ask me. His savvy and sense of humour make him instantly endearing and this book is aspirational for anyone looking for "a great big adventure". Love the writing style, love the content, love it's simplicity.
   
   Kirsty Dunphey, Author Retired at 27, If I can do it anyone can

4 comments about Shoes, Hats and Fashion Accessories: A Pictorial Archive, 1850-1940 (Dover Pictorial Archive Series).

1. This book is great. It is just what I was looking for in doing some period research. The illustrations could only be better if they were in color. Anyone interested in fashion accessories of this period will not be disappointed.



2. This book is exactly what it claims to be - a pictorial archive. For descriptions or details, Dover has a wide selection of books that will be of immense help with materials, construction, and history. For those who already have a working knowledge of the century in fashion, this book is a candy store of visual tidbits.

   Just a note: very few fashion illustrations of the nineteenth century were colored; hand-coloring was a labor-intensive process reserved for high-end publications with limited runs. Check my Listmania list for some books with color illustrations.




3. This book has lovely pictures, although the author admits she has taken the liberty to decide which should be included for each year. It would be an even better book if the articles were named, better yet a small description, sometimes I wondered if a shoe were a man or woman's.

   I think the book is good but stops short of being great but it is interesting and I would like to a sequel with the other drawings that were left out of this edition.




4. This review is from the viewpoint of a home sewer and crafter who adores vintage clothing, not a fashion historian, designer or illustrator.

   Never having purchased any of the Pictorial Archives series before, I was surprised and initially disappointed by the black and white illustrations and the complete lack of text.

   While it is fascinating to see how fashion accessories evolved over the decades there is no indication of whether an item was casual and day wear, or dressier for afternoon or evening. An index naming the style of each piece and/or notes explaining popular colors of the day would be helpful.

   The black and white illustrations do render the detail of the accessories beautifully. With over 2,000 copyright free illustrations of wide variety of styles for men, women and children included I look forward to years of inspiration for fashion embellishment.

2 comments about Professional Cars: Ambulances, Hearses and Flower Cars.

1. Professional cars is an outstanding book; it gives a complete history of motorized ambulances, hearses and flower cars. This book has a wide variety of coach builders. This book is worth the money!!!!!!!



2. This book offers a very complete overview of a part of automotive history that is not often seen in print.

1 comments about Scott 2008 Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue: Countries of the World: C - F (Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue Vol 2 Countries C-F) (Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue Vol 2 Countries C-F).

1. ".....THE MARKET HAS BEEN QUITE ACTIVE for early Canada stamps in very fine or better grades over the past year.
   There have been startline auction realizations for extremely fine and rare stamps, but prices for stamps in the grade of very fine (as valued in the Scott catalogues) have also been impressive....."
   [from the book by James E. Klowtzel/Catalogue Editor]

4 comments about 100 Greatest American Currency Notes: The Stories Behind The Most Colonial, Confederate, Federal, Obsolete, and Private American Notes.

1. This is an incredible book to have in your library if your a collector of U.S. Paper Currency or not. Stunning pictures of each of the notes this book goes into great detail in discussing. I have this book and the 100 Greatest U.S. Coins book sitting out in my livingroom for all to see and everyone who has stopped by can not help but pick up these books. Then the oh's and ah's start pouring out !!! Absolute incredible book to have in anyone's private library without a doubt.



2. CS:
   
   I received this book and believe it is as expected. Price is at FMV (Fair Market Value). I have not yet proof read it but what I have seen it makes a great reference for those who collect currency. However, it would have been helpful to include the Friedberg number in the Appendix along with the description. Yes, this number can be variable but you have included prices that are also variable and approximate. It may have been better to give a ratio(range)year column price divided by the face value of the currency.



3. This book was exactly what I expected. Good photos and stories behind 100 of the most famous notes in history. Great as a reference or as a coffe table book.



4. It is the rare numismatic book that is educational AND entertaining. This book is one of those rare books.
   I wrote a review of this book for the Bank Note Reporter, the newpaper for collectors of paper money. I have included an only slightly altered version of that review below.
   
   My best purchase at the Chicago Paper Money Exposition was a copy of the new book 100 Greatest American Currency Notes by two of my favorite numismatists--Q. David Bowers and David M. Sundman. Chet Krause and Cliff Mishler wrote a foreword for the book making that four of my favorites all in one book. No, that is not right. Tom Denly was something called valuations editor for the book so that makes five of my favorite--and greatest--numismatists all in one volume.
   In short, the book is beautiful to behold and a joy to read. That sums it up quite nicely, but I do have a lot more to say about it. I feel that I am particularly qualified to do this because I had started a book with exactly the same premise. I still have my notebook with my work. That means that they stole my idea! Of course that is easy to say after they have completed their work and I only have a notebook. It is also untrue. The original idea was Jeff Garrett and Ron Guth's popular 100 Greatest American Coins. Imitation is indeed the sincerest form of flattery. I must also say that Bowers and Sundman did a far better job than I would have done (not that I did not have a few enhancements).
   The basic premise of the book is to select and discuss the 100 greatest American notes. The authors have done this admirably. The basic methodology was to survey a wide group of dealers asking them to list what they considered to be the top notes. While the methodology was good and the results were great, my first complaint is that I would have liked to have learned more about the methodology. The authors tabulated the results then provided the discussion. As the creators of this project, they have a greater insight than anyone on the subject. I would at a minimum have liked to read more of their thoughts on the results, but these are small complaints.
   If you have not seen the book you can cast a silent vote right now for your top note or top ten. Now that you have done that, you will probably not be surprised that the clear favorite of the survey was the "Grand watermelon" ($1000 Series 1890 Silver Certificate). The authors expected it to be number one and I had it number one in the notes for my book. You have to figure that a note with a nickname like that would come in first or to look at it the other way that a note worthy of being first would have a nick name. Indeed, nine of the top ten have nicknames.
   Two pages are devoted to discussing the grand watermelon and each of the top ten notes. Thereafter it is one page per note. This is the meat of the book. Indeed, the book could just as easily have been something like 100 Great Paper Money Stories.
   The two Davids excelled in the preparation of the text to describe the notes. They supplemented the illustrations of the notes and their discussions with additional illustrations (some of these of coins (gasp)). Most ot these are excellent and some are great in both content and quality. They are a highlight of the book. This seems to be an appropriate place to mention the superb quality of book production. It is color throughout and truly excellent. My one complaint is that the book is in a large format 10 x 12 inches. Many people will consider this a feature. Authors (including me) like these large formats, but they are harder to read. They look great on the coffee table, but are difficult to handle curled up in a chair or in an airline torture seat.
   I did not know that the watermelon description of this note could be traced back to an 1891 newspaper story. Perhaps I had read this before, but if I had, I had forgotten it. The entire quotation from the paper is included. From the footnotes at the back of the book I learned this interesting tidbit. The quotation is "From an 1891 clipping, no day date, in a scrapbook compiled in 1891 and 1892 (now owned by Q. David Bowers)." I found many of the notes worth reading.
   Each entry includes a box with "historic Market Values" and "Commentary on Value." This is the work of the valuations editor. This book is not a catalog of values (I like that), but the inclusion of this information is interesting in its own right and is nice balances with the text and graphics. When I was working on my project, I had not thought of anything like this.
   Number two in the survey is the $500 national bank note. It is a good and obvious choice. It was also number two on my list.
   The third note in the survey is Massachusetts Bay Colony 5-shilling notes of December 10, 1690. It is the first government-issue American paper money (according to Eric Newman). Among other interesting (amazing) things that I learned in this entry is that in the 17th century the annual calendar ran from March 25 to March 24. I also learned that the unique example of this note resides in the Essex Institute, Salem, Massachusetts. That is certainly an appropriate city. I wonder if the note is on public display.
   The balance of the top ten are very interesting indeed. Instead of being great rarities they are dominated by relatively common notes and certainly are affordable in circulated grades to most collectors. The one exception is number eight, the "Spread Eagle Note" (Series of 1862 and 1863 $100 Legal Tender note).
   The others are respectively in positions four though ten (except eight): Lazy Deuce ($2 National Bank Note), $5 Educational note (Series of 1896 Silver Certificate), and Bison Note" (Series of 1891 $10 Legal Tender note), $1 "Educational Note (Series of 1896 Silver Certificate," $20 "Technicolor note" (Series of 1905 Gold Certificate, and the "Indian Chief" (Series of 1899 $5 Silver Certificate).
   The other ninety notes include a wide array of interesting and historical notes. The entry on every single one is worth studying, but to me the most interesting (especially for discussion here) are those that might not be obvious choices.
   United States fractional notes get two entries on the list. Interestingly, number 14, the fractional currency shield, is not a note at all, but a virtual collection of notes. Having said, that I think that it is a good choice.
   Four Confederate notes make the list with several of them having nicknames (the Indian Princess and Montgomery notes (two denominations making the list)).
   That vast, amorphous, and ill defined area known as obsolete notes are also included. Numbers 23 and 24 are Santa Clause notes and polar bear notes even though they are more categories than actual notes. Again, I think that they were good choices.
   I was pleased and even a little surprised to see both World War II issues (Hawaii and North Africa) make the top 100. They won their places because of their extraordinary historical reasons for issue.
   These various categories of notes included in the book are the apparent reason for the awkward book title. I offer this criticism with respect because I struggled with this problem in my unversion of this book. If you say United States notes you probably should not include Confederate notes. Colonial and Continental notes would not really fit. "Obsolete" notes would be in doubt too. Even American notes (as chosen) presents some problems. Does American include Canada? Mexico? I do not like the term currency notes, but I understand the problem. Bank notes does not fit because most of the notes selected were not issued by banks under any definition. Many people (unfortunately) would simply say currency but that is a very bad choice because currency is coins and paper money. In most constructions paper money does not work (100 Greatest American Paper Money). Even notes has some problems. Certainly, national bank notes are notes. but are silver and gold certificates notes? In the final analysis, having said that I do not like what we was used, but I do not have a better title.
   I love the book, but I disagree with some of the choices. That is one of the wonderful aspects of books of lists. They are certain to generate discussion if not controversy. I was surprised that no error or star notes made the list. I can understand that they can be excluded as being sort of varieties of other issues, but, still, I think that a token from either or both of these categories could have been included.
   You will probably not be surprised that I think that a military payment certificate should have been on the list. Having said that, I should be prepared to tell you which one. I gave that considerable thought in my work. I considered the unknown replacements and the unique replacements. Of course there is the Series 541 $5 with its attractive design and world record price history. I thought about the unique specimen booklets for Series 541 and 591. I really liked them because they have nicknames ("Comptroller Booklets"). Finally, I decided that the best choice would be the unique specimen and progressive proof set of Series 661. It does not have a widely recognized nickname, but it is still a good choice. I had a brief exchange with Tom Denly on this very subject after drafting this review. He said that he thought that if an MPC were to be included, it should be something like a Series 692 $10 or $20 because they would be very recognizable and would also be collectible. I like his thinking!
   There are other good features good features of the book that I have not mentioned. The formatter is all quite good. You can imagine my surprise at finding my name mentioned. Earning that honor as an old timer (my term) is a double edged honor. The selected bibliography and recap of the top 100 in an appendix are also useful.
   I expect that this will be a very successful book, just as the Garrett-Guth version on coins was. Can it generate more spinoffs like the 100 Greatest World Notes, or even the 100 Greatest National Bank Notes? I doubt it, but I would love to have both of those in my own library.
   If it is not obvious, I highly recommend 100 Greatest American Currency Notes by Q. David Bowers and David Sundman. It was published by Whitman Publishing and should be available wherever numismatic books are sold and even in many book stores at around $30.

3 comments about The Unpuzzling Your Past Workbook (Unpuzzling Your Past).

1. Makes available multiple worksheets for recording your research if you do not have copying machines readily available. Offers means of organizing findings. Good investment to further one's research and companion to the text book of the same name.



2. I have to strongly disagree with the words "for all genealogists" in the book title. This is a great book if you are doing beginning or intermediate research in the United States. However, if the majority of your research is based anywhere else, it's not worth buying and it's definitely not "for all genealogists".

   My research is almost solely based in the UK and this book has been totally useless to me. The following are examples:

   Census forms: (years 1790-1920, 4-5 of each, totalling approximately 64 tear-out pages) are for the United States and do not bear any census dates or helpful information for the UK or any other county.

   Military Records Check Lists: also for the United States and do not have any other country's information on them nor is there any information on how to find military records in other countries.

   Deed index: ditto all the above.

   While there is SOME helpful information in this book and a few worth-while pointers, you'd be better off purchasing a book that deals with your country of research or searching the web for freebie sites that have the appropriate forms on them.




3. This book appears to be about 250 pages (un-numbered). It's complete with basic forms such as pedigree and family group sheets, but goes beyond with census extraction forms & check lists, Military Record checklists, research planning worksheets and contact logs. Croom's has included completed examples of these forms which make it easy to understand. Very helpful to new and intermediate users.

No comments about Coin World 2009 Guide to U.S. Coins: Prices & Value Trends (Coin World Guide to U S Coins, Prices, and Value Trends).

5 comments about Complete M1 Garand.

1. Very good book for Garand collectors.
   
   Good illustrations and pictorials as well as useful information.



2. If you collect or are interested in the Garand rifle, this is written for you. Easy to follow and packed with facts and pictures. I refer to my copy regularly. I would buy it again.



3. JUST THE THING FOR OLD GUYS TO USE WHEN TAKING APART A GARAND & PUTTING
   SAME BACK TOGETHER.



4. "Garanditus" is a dreadful malady, contracted by the unsuspecting interested in either shooting or World War II collecting. The consequences are terrible: drained financial resources, incessant internet searches for M1s, parts, and attendant paraphernalia. You find yourself attending meetings, standing, and reciting the familiar phrase, "Hello, my name is B--- and I am a Garandoholic."
   
   Along the way, to really appreciate this hobby (whether shooting or collecting), it is required that you build up a library and along side of Duff, Canfield, and the others are the books by Jim Thompson. None of the books written by *any* authors, by themselves, will provide a complete and total compendium of knowledge about Mr. J. C. Garand's wonderful rifle. All of them do provide essential information, making the practitioner more appreciative of the M1.
   
   Some of the other reviewers have objected to Mr. Thompson's rants about gang bangers, the criminal element, gun confiscation, Arizona local government, etc. are a bit tiresome. I do not share that view. On the contrary, I found Mr. Duff's books to be chocked full of facts and history, but a bit dry and too much a relation of the history of the Springfield armory. Consequently, Mr. Thompson's opinions provided interesting counterpoint. I value *both* the books that I have by Duff and Thompson as valuable components in a necessary reference library.
   
   To be sure, Mr. Thompson does provide a great deal of his personal knowledge to his works and does so in a very literate manner. I mean, a gun book whose author uses the words "calumny" and "denouement"?
   
   The only reason I gave it a 4 is because I wish it were longer.



5. From the introductory pages, through to the list of resources, "The Classic M1 Garand" held my complete interest. Beginning with Jim Thompson's moving dedication to his friend, this book is written straight from the heart.
   As a newcomer to the world of classic rifles and firearms,a female neophyte, I was happily surprised that the information within was compiled in an efficient way. The descriptions of various types of guns and their proper care and preservation, is explained in finite detail. Mr. Thompson leaves no stone unturned covering the past 60or so years in the life of this beautiful treasure. The accompanying photographs of the author field testing his rifles, and photos of various guns and accessories are well described and captioned.
   War (and Peace) stories are spun through tbe context of the book.I love Jim Thompson's personalized style of writing, I seemed to flow with him from one chapter to the next eager to learn more. Definately an excellent choice for the gun collector and the merely curious as well. I highly recommend it. Thank You.

1 comments about Roosevelt Dimes Folder Starting 2005 (Official Whitman Coin Folder).

1. The collector's book has holes the size of the coins cut out, with labels under every hole with the specific year, mint, and sometimes other information about the coin for the hole. I have found it very hard to keep a collection of circulating coins without whitman portfolios.
   
   I took off a star because of two flaws in its design. Most importantly, the backing is very thin, and clearly shows every coin you've pressed into the other side. Also, the coins stay in place by pressing the surrounding posterboard outwards. That means that the force used to put the coin into the book is far more than the force holding it in, and it cane sometimes be a struggle to get a coin to fit.