1 comments about Dante Marioni: Blown Glass.

1. Showcasing Dante Marioni's glassblowing with 139 colorplates and four black/white photographs, Tina Oldknow (Curator of Modern Glass at the Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, New York); Joseph Marioni (twice artist-in-residence at the Pilchuck Glass School); and Edward R. Quick (Curator, Presidential Materials Staff, National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C.) offer an informative text and commentary that enhances our understanding of this truly gifted man and his work. Very highly recommended for all serious personal, academic, professional, and community library collections, Dante Marioni: Blown Glass provides a "reader friendly" step-by-step depiction of the process used in the making of a blown-glass vase, a list of public collections, solo and group exhibitions, bibliography, biography, and index.

1 comments about A New Light on Tiffany: Clara Driscoll and the Tiffany Girls.

1. Looking into how the highly-valued Tiffany lamps and other fine objects came to be, the three authors disclose the critical, unique part Clara Driscoll had in this. Driscoll served as a major creative force for many Tiffany lamps by her own artistic sense and as director of a staff of other talented women. Recently found correspondence of Driscoll's--an Ohio native who lived from 1861 to 1944--verifies that she was mostly responsible for the classic Tiffany designs of the Wisteria, Dragonfly, and Peony.
   
   The authors do not aim to devalue Louis Comfort Tiffany's (1848-1933) role and reputation in giving Driscoll her due. They seek mainly to lay out a broader, more informed understanding of the creation of the timeless Tiffany works. Parts of the book go beyond Driscoll's place in the company to see her as representative of sprightly, adventuresome, and bright young American woman coming into the American workforce and into large cities in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Besides Driscoll, there were a number of other similarly-talented and -natured women who contributed to the inimitable design and outstanding status of the Tiffany lamps and other objects. Collectively known as the "Tiffany Girls," many are pictured in available period photographs; and all known are given biographical notes.

1 comments about The Art of Glass: The Toledo Museum of Art.

1. The Toledo Museum of Art was founded in 1901 by Edward Drummond Libbey shortly after he moved his thriving glassmaking business to the Ohio city from Boston. Along with the Old Master paintings, Egyptian antiquities, and other types of more or less conventional art and relics sought by most museums in this period, the Toledo Museum also concertedly engaged in collecting many pieces of art in glass in accordance with Libbey's interests and wishes. About two years ago, a Glass Pavilion for the storage and exhibition of the sizable and growing glass collection was added to the original Museum. As the numerous skillful color photographs demonstrate, the Museum's Pavilion has many choice, exquisite pieces from all eras and places around the world ranging from the utilitarian to the sheerly aesthetic. This art book tied in with the opening of the new Pavilion arranges much of the collection chronologically from the ancient Mediterannean cultures through the Renaissance and Baroque to the early 20th century with the insertion of one chapter on glass in the Islamic world. A last chapter displays art glass works by artists of the past few decades. Many readers will be struck by how some of the artists, especially from more modern and contemporary times, use glass as a medium for sculpture with dramatic shapes and colors.

No comments about Elegant Glassware (Elegant Glassware of the Depression Era).

5 comments about Oil Lamps: The Kerosene Era in North America.

1. A great study of Oil Lamps and will be looking forward to other publications and updates from Catherine Thuro. A wonderful display of illustrations and photos.



2. This is an updated printing of the original book. I have the older one and it was nice to review the new updated information. This is a great book for any oil lamp collector, and it has a very reasonable discounted price. Betty Lonsdale, Florida



3. One book can't possibly cover every manufacturer, even the big names. However Thuro has provided history, research and extraordinary detail to offer well over 300 pages of pictures, descriptions, old advertising and assorted information that educates the individual on oil and kerosene lamps from North America.
   
   Of particular interest the author delves into specific new patents such as adding handles or modest change in designs to demonstrate how improvements were made over the years. Thuro covers railroad lighting, ships lamps, whale oil lamps and provides an excellent chronological history of lighting as it progessed through the years.
   
   In addition to dozens of color and black/white photographs, the author provides drawings and old advertisements to give the reader detailed information on dates and lamp design. Values are updated to 2004 but with the changing markets these become fluid rapidly. For education, collecting and identification this book will serve most collectors and dealers well.



4. This book was a big disappointment. I have several Bradley & Hubbard kerosene lamps, and there is not one word about them in this book. Bradley & Hubbard were one of the largest manufacturers of kerosene lamps during the 19th century, and are very popular with collectors today. The Smithsonian has a collection, with a curator and a web site, of B & H lamps and other items made by them. Strangely, there is one brief mention (with a photo) of a Rayo lamp, and the author fails to mention Rayo lamps were made by Bradley & Hubbard for the Standard Oil Co. I was considering buying Oil Lamps II by the same author, but I'm afraid it would be a disappointment also.



5. Oil Lamps I has become the standard reference book on kerosene lamps. It is by far the most comprehensive and definitive book to cover the kerosene era. More than 1,000 kerosene lamps and accessories are shown in over 900 studio photographs. For the historian, student and collector, there awaits a carefully researched and organized visual record. First published in 1979, this newly released 1998 reprint is complete with an updated price guide. Often the first reference I choose.

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.

5 comments about The Collector's Encyclopedia of American Art Glass: Identification And Values (American Art Glass Identification and Values).

1. Definitely some great pieces of glass in this book. However, I found the printing of the images rather dark and sometimes lacking clarity....the pictures are a little fuzzy or out of focus on some pages. Some pages were much better than others for photo detail. In addition, there was a large section devoted to pictures of stained glass catalogs and glass factory postcards that I didn't find particularly useful...I guess I'm a little disappointed in the book overall, despite it still being a good reference for American art glass.



2. This is an excellent piece of work. It will be of much interest to any serious collector of American glass. The photographs are very good, the historical perspective is to be commended, and the pricing of pieces seems to be well researched. Of course, the focus is on high end items and categories of glass so that it is not a stand alone reference for all "art glass" produced in the United States. Nor should it be. It is a fine book to be part of a collector's resources on the subject.



3. The second updated edition of Collector's Encyclopedia of American Art Glass is a winner: it packs in full pages of color photos on each and every page, pairs these with written descriptions, and includes the latest updated values. Pieces come from a range of collections, so they aren't limited by collection or ownership, and glass examples were chosen with readers' interests in mind. From glassmaking tools and their history to logos and design insights, this is an outstanding survey and a 'must' for any serious collector.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch



4. This book displays an illustrative and educational summary on may forms of American art glass. Beautifully done with colorful photographs and a large variety of glass. Improvement could be done in value and time periods, however and excellent book.



5. This hardcover book shows colored examples with prices and an informative text on each type of antique American Art Glass. Logos used by a variety of companies on their glass and quadruple plate holders are also shown. Numerous other sections provide information on the following: tools, chemical formulas, and early catalogue/newspaper ads. A book worth owning and enjoying!

1 comments about Florence's Ovenware From The 1920s To The Present.

1. Not as fabulous as expected. There were few pictures and many values were not given. Values given are outdated and undervalued. This was a disapointment.

3 comments about Blenko: Cool 50s & 60s Glass (Schiffer Book for Collectors).

1. I easily found all my Blenko items. Price section is a plus!! Photos are excellent. All around great book for serious collector of Blenko!!



2. The revised edition of this book is not much of a revision. Except for the cover photo, a half page list of Blenko colors by years, several photos added, mostly from one particular collector, and an updated price list (arbitrary and useless in many respects, because collectors don't really pay much attention it) the book remains the same. If you have the first edition, my advise is not to waste your money on this one.
   
   I was disappointed when I realized the publishing house just used the same document of the first edition, and just replaced several photos. The writer and editors should have used better photos and a more modern page design, and also include photos from several collectors, not just one. A complete revision would have been a worthy endeavor. Unfortunately, the editors chose the easy way out, and the results are clearly mediocre.



3. A nice but not extensive revision of the earlier work. If you already have the first edition then the main reason for buying the second is the updated price guide. If you don't have the first edition and you are interested in Blenko, this book is a must have.

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.