2 comments about The Other Matchbox Toys: 1947-2004, Identification & Value.

1. I have many Matchbox reference books. This is the one I would use least of all because it is incomplete, poorly set out, poorly referenced, and overall gives the appearance of something which has been tossed together because it was MB material surplus to Vol 1. In other words, a total waste of buyer's money. So be cautioned people - don't go there.



2. this book was in great shape and just what he said it was.

No comments about Traditional Folk Costumes of Europe Paper Dolls in Full Color (Traditional Fashions).

5 comments about Ancient Coin Collecting II: Numismatic Art of the Greek World.

1. I agree with other reviewers that this book is an excellent introduction to ancient Greek coins collecting.
   
   What I also liked about this book is:
   
   1)The list of major issuing cities with brief but interesting comments regarding the cities' history (e.g. the dramatic events such as the destruction of Messana by Carthaginians)
   
   2) The list of the rulers of major Hellenistic dynasties (reading about these people's lives and seeing their faces on coins is really impressive)
   
   3) Masterpieces of Greek Art section featuring 25 beautiful coins which are among the author's favourites (I personally liked about 20 of those).
   
   One of the things you learn from this book is that you don't actually have to OWN these beautiful coins to ENJOY them. All it takes is willingness to spend your time and energy to explore these treasures from the past.



2. Having collected ancient coins for decades, I must confess to a real fondness for the Sayles books, and for this one in particular. It is beautifuly illustrated, as well as informative, and makes the reader truly want to own the coins which Sayles discusses. One thing which makes this better for new collectors than some other books, is that Sayles isn't touting ancient coins as an investment. They are NOT a sound investment for the average collector, who can expect a 30% or higher LOSS when reselling the coins which most average collectors can afford to buy -- beautiful as they are, the typical coins which the average collector can afford are NOT going to shoot through the roof in value, even if they are extremely rare or unique. The market strength and bullish demand isn't present to allow the average collector to profit from most of his or her coins. What makes the Sayles book appealing is its inspiration for readers to COLLECT these coins and treasure them, as they have been treasured for thousands of years, and YES, it is thrilling indeed to buy a coin of which only two or three other specimens are known in the world, and -- YES! -- it is possible to own coins which are absolutely unique. Thanks to generations of dedicated collectors, it is even possible to buy -- for small sums -- coins which have established provenances dating back a century or more. My own collection includes coins once owned by President John Quincy Adams and by J. P. Morgan, but they each cost less than some best-selling potboiler novels which will be forgotten by next season. Read Sayles and begin to dream!!!



3. Sayles' prose has a way of bringing alive some great coins. It is a great way for a beginner to become both more interested in the hobby as well as developing the principle of purchasing books in field of study rather than buying every forgery and fake on the market. The biggest drawback is that you really need Volume I as an introduction to the series and collecting, then pick up the other volumes as your interests expand. It took me about two years to get all six volumes. They're worth it at a reasonable price, but no substitute for other standard reference works. You can also loan them out to friends to get them interested.



4. In roughly 200 pages that are divided into 6 chapters and 4 appendixes with copious illustrations and brief bibliographies throughout - this book is beautifully jammed with coins and information. Following the example of the first volume, this book is in plain language and is easy on the eyes in it's print, format, tables and charts.

   The bulk of this book deals with differing coin types from differing geographical areas and and the artistry of the larger series. This really does a new collector a big favor because the new collector gets to purview a plethora of coin types from throughout that series and it may go a long wat to help them decide what they would like to collect. What is really important about this book is the focus on the coiner or "celator" and what he did and the role he played as artist and the chapter on "Masterpieces of Greek Art" is a beautiful read by itself with large B&W illustrations of some of the most aesthetically pleasing coins in the series.

   The great strength of this book is that it is equally beautiful and useful and the author obviously loves what he is writing about rather than giving a very dry, scholarly and perfunctory survey. I highly recommend this book.




5. If you are as fascinated with ancients as I am, you MUST have this book. You will love how easy it is to read and you will constantly refer back to it.

No comments about The Mode in Hats and Headdress: A Historical Survey with 198 Plates.

2 comments about Halloween in America: A Collector's Guide With Prices (A Schiffer Book for Collectors).

1. Stuart L. Schneider's dynamic Halloween In America: A Collector's Guide With Prices spectacularly captures the spirit of the classic years of the American Halloween tradition: the period from the turn of the century through the end of the nineteen-fifties. Though the book includes more recent material, Schneider wisely focuses on what he recognizes to be the holiday's glory days in this country, when its spirit hadn't moved too far from its agricultural roots and American culture was predominantly positive, forward-looking, and uncynical--and its Halloween decorations charming and vividly imaginative.

   The book opens with three short, loosely-composed essays, "A Brief History Of Halloween," "The Colors And Images Of Halloween," and "Halloween In America." Schneider, who provides no source material, is often broadly correct but specifically wrong. He suggests, for instance, that the Druids may have built Stonehenge when it has been long established that they did not, and that 'Dryad' is another word for 'Druid.' The author also writes a paragraph about witches and "witch conventions" during the Celtic reign of the British Isles as if this were an established historical fact, embellishing his account with images of witches stirring cauldrons, speaking in tongues, dancing around bon fires, and sacrificing animals; if Schneider knows this to be historically factual, then he has access to information the rest of the world doesn't. He also discusses 'Samhain' as a god of the Celtic people who "controlled the dead or non-growing season," when whether or not 'Samhain' was a Celtic deity or even an entity, rather than a season or holiday, is something currently hotly debated among historians, scholars, and Wiccans.

   Schneider is to be commended for his honesty in addressing some of the more unpleasant aspects of the holiday and its associations head-on, as well as for the wonderful historical scope he provides in placing Halloween origins in a wide, multi-cultural context. Readers will find a rich phantasmagoria of topics discussed in the essays, including the custom of sin eating, All Saints' and All Souls' Days, the belief in the 'veil between worlds' and the return of the dead to their families one the night of the harvest feast, the story of 'Jack of the Lantern,' Snap-Apple and Crack-Nut Nights, apple bobbing, fortune-telling, the Scottish influence on American Halloween traditions, Cabbage and Mischief Nights, the various theories surrounding the origin of trick-or-treating, the meaning of the literal 'scapegoat' and its influence of the appearance of the Christian Devil, the Mexican Day of the Dead, and even mention of the elves, gnomes, boogies, and goblins with which agrarian societies peopled the forests and fields.

   The gorgeous main portion of the book is dedicated to collectible items and includes sections on Postcards, Decorations, Lanterns, Costumes, Hats and Masks, Noisemakers, Invitations, Games and Toys, Trick Or Treat Bags, and Vegetable People, Figurines and Candy Containers.

   Halloween In America is by far the best of the books on Halloween collectibles available, and also the best of the Schiffer books on the subject. Many readers will remember these items from their childhood homes, classroom bulletin boards, Five & Dime store shelves and windows, and neighborhood parties. Readers will also be astonished at how the painters, artisans, and creators of these crepe paper, cardboard, composition, glass, and celluloid items were able to envision and capture what we remember and still think of as the very essence of holiday, and in a wide variety of forms: lonely, barren, orange-skied landscapes with setting suns ablaze or yellow rising moons, black cats and owls lurking in pumpkin patches with an anthropomorphic moon overhead, witches flying on broomsticks in formation over dark, isolated houses, skeletons parading in graveyards, etc.

   Folklorists, sociologists, academics, and artists may have special appreciation for the visionary and sometimes surreal paintings, illustrations, and three-dimensional designs revealed here. One 1908 German postcard portrays a witch, a black cat and a vegetable spirit riding in a car made of a partially hollowed-out watermelon with squash-slice tires; another portrays a red-caped witch riding a immense cob of husked corn like a phallus-conquering Amazon through the stratosphere, with an astonished moon and planet Jupiter looking on; and a third, from 1911, shows children happily bobbing for apples in their warm, cozy home, while a tall, red-skirted, stone-faced witch, accompanied by an owl and a black cat, looks in at the window like the ultimate outsider and a disenfranchised, but still proud and powerful, loner. An entire page is devoted to 1910 postcards of anthropomorphic vegetables riding cars, dancing with or chasing fairies, and joyfully imitating human family practices. Others display Rockwell-like scenes of boys and girls carving pumpkins or trick-or-treating, or elderly women in dimly-lit Victorian mansions being frightened by children's pranks and high jinks.

   Throughout the book, visionary landscapes and distant horizons beckon; curly-toed elves spring from hollow trees and slide gleefully down rooftops; lone witches warm their hands at their cauldrons under brilliant, star-filled skies; beautiful young ladies sleep fitfully on ruffled pillows while fairies circle their heads; peaked-hat shadows stretch in threateningly at midnight doorways; black cats screech to their own banjo, accordion, violin, and horn playing; and scarecrows extend their arms heavenwards to frighten off their circling opponents.

   Readers will run for their magnifying and/or reading glasses so that none of the often minute detail will escape their gaze and inspection. Halloween In America is a huge treat, will make collectors and seekers out of most, and hopefully inspire generations to come to celebrate and pass on the traditions recorded here. Highly recommended to holiday lovers, educators, folklorists, Scout leaders, and all lovers of Americana.




2. This is much more than a book for collectors of Halloween.This is the best book on the subject. I've read all the others and this is the bible of Halloween. If you have only one book on Halloween, this has to be the one. It brings back childhood. This book is really a look at what Halloween means. Ghosts and goblins, fall colors, adventure and childhood fears. I've read mine over and over and over again.

2 comments about Classic Muscle Car Advertising: The Art of Selling Horsepower.

1. I have Mitch Frumkin's first two books, and I must admit this one is better, picture wise. His first two contained just b&w photos and not much text. This book is wall to wall color, which really brings the ads to life; some ads are even reproduced in their original size. Very cool - A+ on that account. However, this book contains much more text, which should have been a nice compliment to the ads, but unfortunately, there are a number of errors. Yes, I realize that one person cannot possibly know every little detail, and we are constantly finding out new facts about muscle cars, but if you have the ads in front of you, and hopefully the magazines they came out of, you should know the correct years of the cars and the dates the ads ran. In other words, model year 1971 cars were not advertised in late 1969.
   
   Also, I feel a number of historic ads were left out in this publication that should have been included. For example, there were several ads that were pulled by the manufacturers almost immediately after they ran, because they were considered too contraversial. None of these are here. Maybe Mitch wanted to offer the public some fresh material. The problem here is, his first two books are out of print. Quality used copies are going for good money and are becoming hard to find.
   
   Aside from those two nick-picky points, overall, it is a cool book. Would make a great gift. Buy a really nice used copy, you won't be disappointed.



2. I was impressed by Muscle Car Mania and Son of Muscle Car Mania but Mitch came up trumps this time as we benefit from colour print - the best way to see the psycadelic Plymouth ads of the 60's. If you like muscle cars buy this book.

5 comments about Colored Gemstones, 2nd Edition: The Antoinette Matlins Buying Guide: How to Select, Buy, Care for & Enjoy Sapphires, Emeralds, Rubies and Other Colored Gemstones.

1. I FOUND THIS BOOK TO BE VERY EDUCATIONAL, SINCE I AM STARTING TO PURCHASE JEWELRY ITEMS FROM JTV.COM WHICH OFFERS AN ARRAY OF THINGS THAT I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF, AND THIS BOOK IS A GREAT TOOL TO SMARTER GEM SHOPPING. I RECOMMEND PEOPLE READ THIS BEFORE MAKING A BIG JEWELRY PURCHASE.



2. There is a lot of good information in this book. However, it is not for someone new to the trade. Not many pictures to use while reading. makes it hard to follow certain parts of the text.



3. "Colored Gemstones" is a beginners' guide to gemstones that aims to help consumers understand what types of gems are available, what to look for in determining value, and how to go about doing that. This book does not oversimplify the subject as some guides for beginners do. Author and gemologist Antoinette Matlins gives readers some preliminary guidance on how to familiarize yourself with a gemstone using a loupe and how to determine if it is well-cut. Then it is on to Part 2, which constitutes the bulk of the book and is a fount of essential and fascinating information.
   
   First, the "4 C's" of color, clarity, cut, and carat, with particular emphasis on color and cut and how they relate to one another. Sample laboratory reports on gems are provided, so we see what a lab report can tell the consumer. The chapter on synthetic gems and enhancement treatments is particularly informative. The author describes common treatments and provides a very useful chart of treatments by gemstone. The chart lists treatments for 34 gem groups and indicates which treatments are typically used, seldom used, whether they are stable, and whether the treated gemstones require any special care, including which should avoid ultrasonic cleaners. Information on color enhancement spans several chapters.
   
   A chapter on fraud and misrepresentation lists which gemstone treatments are acceptable practice and which are dishonest, with descriptions of the treatments, and a list of deceptive names often used to mislead customers. So we will know what our options are, the author lists gems by color, provides a list of gems not routinely enhanced for those who prefer natural stones, and a table of how much treated vs a natural stones differ in price. There is a detailed price guide for 21 groups of (faceted) gems, indicating what you may expect to pay for good to extra fine quality stones, wearability, and availability. Opal and synthetic price guides are separate. One chapter is dedicated to descriptions of about 40 gems, with data on hardness, chemical composition, wearability, and brilliance for each. Ms. Matlins concludes with specific advice on what to ask and look for when buying stones, what facts to make sure appear on your receipt, and tips for cleaning and caring for gems.
   
   Having read Renee Newman's Gemstone Buying Guide, I find that Ms. Matlins' "Colored Gemstones" is more complete. This is primarily because the coverage of enhancements, synthetics, and price are more extensive in this book. Its discussions of how cut affects color are also better. That said, the "Gemstone Buying Guide" treats star and cat's eye stones more thoroughly and has a slight advantage in coverage of opal and jade. It provides more vital statistics, including refractive index, cleavage, and specific gravity. "Colored Gemstones" biggest shortcoming is the scarcity of photographs. There is a 16-page insert of color photos, but most of the gems discussed are not pictured. The "Gemstone Buying Guide" has far more photos, but if you have to choose one book, I think you'll be happier with "Colored Gemstones" unless your interest is in cat's eye or star gems.



4. If you buy Jewellery and gem buying guide from the same author, you find it is a lot of repetition. However, to me this book is giving more information than the other one as the discussion of more focus on gemstone.



5. Quite enlightening. Particularly liked the guide for prices of gemstones as well as the uses of stones. Had I purchased this book before, I would have made more informed choices when buying gemstones. Would recommend to anyone buying any type of gemstone.

5 comments about The Hazel-atlas Glass Identification And Value Guide (Hazel Atlas Glass).

1. There is so much glassware out there I need to identify and this book really helps - and not only on Hazel Atlas glassware



2. Excellent book - Perfect for the beginner or long-time collector. Great photos and each page is well explained.



3. This is a fantastic reference book for anyone who is a fan of Hazel-Atlas glassware. The pictures are crisp and clear - the colors are vivid - and every page is full of photos. Not all of the Hazel-Atlas glassware is marked and this book is a valuable guide to authenticate those items, as well as being an interesting look into the many pieces of glassware that they produced. Very nice to have by the computer when you are surfing ebay.



4. The identification and value guide are very easily read. The pictures are of great help in identifying the various styles of Hazel-Atlas glass. There is a brief history of the glass from 1885 until the factory was sold to the Continental Can Company in 1956. All in all, well worth the purchase.



5. I was really impressed with this book. It filled in many of the little identification gaps that I had missing as a glass collector. There are so many items listed here that were not in his other books. It was enjoyable.......I read it in one day.......informative.....I was able to id many pieces.....and beautifully illustrated. I like the outline key too!

5 comments about Historic Costume in Pictures (Dover Pictorial Archives).

1. This book is a reproduction of the 1907 book "Costumes of All Nations" (3rd edition), which in turn was reproduced from a series of plates produced by Braun and Schneider in "Zur Geschichte der Kostume" between 1861 and 1890. Unfortunately, in the process, all of the text (both the German and English) was removed (as was the color). So we have no way of knowing what went along with these drawings.

   Furthermore, there are no references of any kind, so you can't go back to the "original" painting, or source to verify the information. It may be helpful for getting ideas, but not for any serious costume design.




2. If you are interested in the proper history of costume, this book is not for you. It was created in the 19th century, when costume history was at its beginning and it reflects all major faults of the researchers of that time. Many things, claimed to be true at that time, are now proven to be completely wrong. Personally, I have found some blunders in this book. So, if you want to do a thorough and accurate research for your costume, refer to the modern researchers, authentic paintings and manuscripts. Definitely not this book. It is like using 14th century manuscripts for studying modern English.
   But if you want to compare the work of modern and Victorian authors - go ahead, this is a wonderful example.
   This book can also be quite suitable for those, who are interested in theatrical costume, where looks come first and authenticity does not matter.



3. If you're a serious student of costume history, this book is not for you. But if you're a beginning re-enactor, or you work with them, it's an excellent source for getting the "feel" of a period. It is typically Victorian in line, as are many similar books still in print. BUT it's comprehensive through many time periods, shows accessories well (which a lot of similar books do not), and makes for a good beginning point.

   I've found it very useful in getting beginning costume students to pick a period for further research.




4. This is another book of Victorian redrawings of historical garments and outright inventions and fantasies where ancient clothing is concerned. While it might be useful to theatrical costumers, Victorian recreationists, or those interested in the history of costume illustration or interpretation, it is of no use to those doing historic costuming or interested in costume history.

   If you want accurate representations of historic clothing, get a book with reproductions of art from the time period of the clothes you're interested in.




5. As a costumer for the high school i find it difficult to find books that are comprehensive with pictures of enough time periods to find what i am looking for. This book shows enough examples to get the styles across, unfortunately it is in black and white but it is still detailed and wonderful.

5 comments about Warman's Barbie Doll Field Guide: Values and Identification (Warman's Field Guides).

1. Recently I purchased this book and am amazed at all of the information packed into it. I called a seasoned collector friend and looked up a doll she purchased and was able to quote the estimated price with ease. This book explains the history of the Barbie doll and shows wonderful pictures of each era. It has a whole chapter of Fun Facts and you can learn a lot in a short time about collecting and what to look for. Was a great buy and comes highly recommended!



2. My 8 year old daughter loves Barbies and she loves encyclopedias about everything that she loves...so this book has been well loved!
   Great pictures. Easy to read and easy to take with us in the car or on trips. Fun to share with friends.



3. According to my little friend who received this guide as a gift, It is easy to understand, teaches you some very interesting Barbie history, and show great photos of early Barbie, how they progress and their value. She highly reccommends it.



4. This books size makes it convenient to carry around to garage sales or toy shows. But the content could be better, some dolls are depicted with inaccurate prices and some vintage doll's aren't pictured in their proper outfits with proper accessories. So this can become confusing for the beginner collector. However there are "warnings" listed with some vintage outfits stating that Mattel has made a reproduction (these are worth far less) of it. This is a great feature if you are not a Barbie expert.

   A good book for the beginner, but I recommend using this guide along with a larger more detailed Barbie book.




5. What a wonderful book! The Warman's Barbie Doll Field Guide is packed with useful information and great color photographs. And all at a super affordable price. I'm impressed. The book is designed as a take-along pocket guide, yet it's amazingly complete and thorough. It covers six decades of Barbie dolls, provides several hundred color photographs, a history of Barbie, critical identification information, -- including how to identify Barbie No. 1 -- fashion sets, designer dolls and a price guide to more than 1,500 dolls. It's perfect for a gift or for yourself, or even as a gift for yourself. I have several Barbie books on my shelves, and that's where they stay. But this little dynamo is never going to leave my side.