2 comments about Standard Encyclopedia of Carnival Glass.

1. This is a great book but if you know nothing about the glass, how do you look up the items you have.



2. This is just as good as all the previous books. I like the format and the price guide.

4 comments about Masterpieces of Art Nouveau Stained Glass Design: 91 Motifs in Full Color (Dover Pictorial Archive Series).

1. If you can't find a design you can use for inspiration, you're just not looking hard enough. Not for beginners since the designs are incredibly intricate, but your creativity will wake up and take notice.



2. Originally, this was a pair of portfolios of designs in the Art Nouveau period. Art Nouveau was not just twisty flowers, though some people like to stereotype it into those narrow parameters. This is not a how-to book with cutting patterns. It has only the paintings with suggested scale. On a few pages, motifs overlap each other, so you can't just scan and go: you have to build up your idea of the covered areas. One pictorial arched piece is missing the right third, again a challenge to finish it yourself.

   The designs range from splendidly romantic conceptions of floral forms to windows a-scamper with squirrels or lizards to some that are distinctly eerie. Bats fly across the moon amidst dead trees. A woman combs her hair before a volcano flowing lava. An octopus and a sea-weed maiden struggle underwater--in combat? in love? Several have fishes and there are even cat designs.

   You don't have to see these only as windows. I've converted two to rug designs by taking out the excess black lines of supports or piecing necessary to glass work. You may want to take only one area out of an entire design to render in wood, or do a mosaic version of the whole thing. This is a starting point for the competent craftsman who loves the Art Nouveau energy, not an end product.




3. Though some of the designs are nice, most are way too busy for my taste, and I wouldn't really call them Art Nouveau. Quite a few of them look more like Renaissance style stained glass, and some of them look modern (like the sailboat patterns?). It is in color, though, which is nice. Very complicated - definately not for beginning stained glass crafters.



4. Nice plates with dimensions. Good for projects and for idea's. I highly reccomend it.

1 comments about Fenton Art Glass Hobnail Patterns: Identification & Value Guide (Fenton Art Glass).

1. This is a well organized book by the Whitmyers. This time they are right on the money. Excellent historical information on production and itemized inventory of pieces by shape and size. Looking for a vase? Look under vase - how novel. Very well done; photos are good. Book Values seem about right. Well worth the money.

No comments about Venetian Art Glass: American Collection 1840-1970.

No comments about Glass Tumblers: 1860S to 1920s Identification and Value Guide.

2 comments about Warman's Pattern Glass: A Value and Identification Guide (Warman's Pattern Glass).

1. This book is the worst. The drawings are so POORLY detailed you cant make out the pattern. Dont waste your money, get either McCain's or Metz's glass books. This is a really, really poorly done book, I would rate this a negative 10 stars!



2. This 2nd edition (2001) has been completely revised to help you enjoy pattern glass collecting. There are 224 pages with 39 full color photos and nearly 500 clear black and white diagrams to assist in identifying pattern glass. Sufficient interesting text is provided, covering history, manufacturers, reproductions, state of the market, abbreviations, and more. Useful text is included for each category of the collectible. Values are shown along with the descriptions. The volume is well indexed to facilitate finding items. A very useful volume for pattern glass collectors.

2 comments about The World of Wade Figurines And Miniatures (Schiffer Book for Collectors).

1. I'm not a Wade collector but needed to research a 1950's figurine given to me by my aunt. I couldn't find anything like it on eBay, so I ordered this book. Within minutes of opening it I had found my piece and enough information about it to list it successfully for sale. As with any reference book on antiques and collectibles, the values must be treated with skepticism since prices change with shifts in collectors' interests. But for basic background information, including illustrations and dating of backstamps, it is excellent.



2. I love the Wade Whimsey figurines, but I was flying blind until I got this book. I am now a much more informed collector. I highly recommend this book to any collector.

2 comments about Elegant Glassware of the Depression Era: Identification and Value Guide Tenth Edition.

1. This book is a little large to be carrying around, however I still do carry it to places that I already know will have the pattern I am looking for.
   
   The forward describes "Elegant" glassware as handmade and acid etched glassware that was sold by department and jewelry stores during the Depression era through the 1950's, differentiating it from the dime store and giveaway glass that has become known as Depression glass. The word "Elegant" has become "official" nomenclature among today's dealers for designating handmade glass.
   
   It is well organized with the glass patterns in alphabetical order and the prices in columns by color of glass. Most of the pictures are color and have good enough definition to identify what you are looking at. There is a contents by pattern and a contents by company.



2. This is a beautiful book. Mr. Florence out-did himself with this one! It is so easy to read, is laid out so beautifully, the information is complete and the photography is outstanding. I respect Gene Florence's expertise and would make this my "Bible" for information on Elegant Glassware.

3 comments about The Collector's Guide to Inkwells: Identification & Values.

1. THE BOOK DOES NOT HELP COLLECTORS OF CZECH BOHEMIAN IRIDESCENT INKWELLS. FIRST, THERE ARE ONLY 8 EXAMPLES IN THE BOOK. THE PHOTOGRAPHS ARE TOO DARK AND DO NOT CAPTURE THE BEAUTY OR TEXTURE OF THE GLASS. BUT WORSE, THE INFORMATION IS WRONG. INKWELLS CLEARLY MARKED WITH THE GERMAN PATENT MARK, D.R.G.M. ARE LABELED 'AMERICAN." IN ONE INSTANCE, TWO INKWELLS MADE OF THE SAME GLASS ARE CALLED RESPECTIVELY 'AMERICAN" AND "EUROPEAN." THE AUSTRIAN MARK OE.P COMES OUT "DEP." AT LEAST THEY ARE CALLED "LOETZ-TYPE," WHICH IS ACCURATE, SINCE NONE OF WAS MADE BY LOETZ. A GOOD BARGAIN BOOK TO LOOK AT PICTURES, BUT DEFINITELY NOT FOR THE ESPECIALIST.



2. This is Badders' second volume of magnificent color plates of inkwells. This one contains 757 photos, some of which are alternate views of the same inkwell. Those who have Volume one are probably not even bothering to read this review. They ordered this companion book immediately and are at this moment drooling over the beautiful inkstands, looking for those that are similar to the ones in their collection.



3. Badders' book is a pure delight for the collector of inkstands and ink bottles. It has 502 colored plates which will have the collector/reader drooling and upon discovering a match for one in his collection feeling that superb sense of satisfaction only a true inkwell lover can understand.

   Badders has included inkwells of many varied compositions, and unlike the very few other books on the subject, has included the range of value of each item.

1 comments about Picture Book of Vaseline Glass Edition (Schiffer Book for Collectors).

1. This book is great for all the people who have Vaseline glass and are not sure the value. The pictures are the best quality I've ever seen. Very good book for people who are thinking of collecting this type of glassware.