4 comments about The Bowie Knife: Unsheathing an American Legend.

1. Excellent Pictures and stories. I would like to see more information about the knife makers and markings applicable to each maker.



2. Many knife collectors will welcome this edition to their bookshelves. The high numbers of high quality knifemakers and eager customers in recent years has created a natural interest in the early beginnings of the uniquely American Bowie knife that needs to be satisfied. Mr.Flayderman has heard the calling and has delivered in abundance. There is something for everybody in this book. The quality of documentary evidence is commendable and I even liked the pictures but don't think of this as a coffee table book. There is more here than can be covered in this humble review. The owner of this edition will return to it again and again and will glean yet another glimpse of our American history when the country was young and wild. If knives are of interest to you this book will serve.



3. I purchased this book as a gift for my uncle. It is well worth the money! It is a coffee table-type book with thick heavy pages and LOTS of beautifully detailed photos. His only negative comment when I gave it to him was, "That is a dagger on the cover!" and He knows his knives!! I guess the publisher doesn't know what a bowie knife looks like. If you like bowie knives or know someone who does, this is a perfect book.



4. Excellent book. I was a little leary of spending $80 bucks on a book but than remembered the last time, and did't purchase the "Antique Bowie Knife Book" Glad I did purchase this book I think it is everthing the Antique Bowie Book is and more. Wonderful pictures of Bowie knives as well as alot litature on them also. Nice addition is the actual pitures of people and the knives they carried.. If you area Bowie collector and don't own "The Antique Bowie Knife Book" you will be please with this If you do own it you may not think its woth it since alot of thwe same knives are covered

5 comments about Spiffy Kitchen Collectibles.

1. What a delightful slice of Americana. I'm interested in mid-century America especially suburban living and this book captures a little bit of this so well. Look through the pages and it's clear that the author (and publisher) have taken some editorial effort to produce an interesting book. I was particularly pleased to see that this is not the usual dull looking, badly designed collectors book, full of amateur snaps of objects sitting on a table with several presented on the page as square photos.
   
   The thirty-eight chapters probably include every popular kitchen gadget available at the time (all nicely presented as cutouts though missing light grey shadow effect that really would have completed each image) but nicely there are included period magazine covers, ads, pages from manufactures brochures and other graphics. Another thing I liked about the book is the addition of the packaging the utensils came in showing the design and typography, predictably lacking in any graphic design but showing vibrant colors and in fact anything to catch the housewife's eye while on the store shelf.
   
   An ideal book for collectors and because of the way it has been editorially produced it will have instant nostalgia appeal and interest anyone who wants to know how folks lived a few decades ago.
   
   ***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.



2. What a great book. Loads of pix of the way things used to be. How many of these items do you remember in your grandma's kitchen? It was just what I wanted as far as seeing what is collectible these days. Values included in the book seem to be realistic. Will look for more like this from the author.



3. I have enjoyed this book very much. It is very informative. I own lots of kitchen collectibles, but was not sure of their use. Now I know. This book has covered a wide range of items and every page is bright and colourful. I'm sure others will enjoy this book as much as I do. It sure takes you back to the "Good Old Days". A great book to browse through and add to your collection.



4. This book is great. There are so many kitchen items featured that it is amazing. It has been really helpful for me.



5. I just recieved Spiffy Kitchen Collectibles and was quite disappointed to find out that it is exactly the same graphics and photographs as contained in the Warmans Kitschy Kitchen Collectibles Field Guide, just in larger format. I saw they were by the same author, but didn't think they'd be exactly the same inside!

1 comments about 5000 Open Salts: A Collector's Guide.

1. This is a must have book for what you are collecting. If you have collected salts in the past or present, this book has the best and the largest variety of salt(s), in picures! Love it!

2 comments about Pyrex by Corning: A Collector's Guide.

1. I was pleased with the book but was not pleased to find it did not have the price guide with it. I was sent a piece of paper stating I could purchase the price guide for an additional $8.95. This was not stated on the description of the book even in the additional information.



2. Although not all-inclusive, this book is an excellent guide for pyrex collectors. Because pyrex is so varied and has been produced for a long time, it is a wide category. This book does a great job of grouping, pricing and identifying what is out there in pyrex.

5 comments about Collector's Encyclopedia Of American Dinnerware: Identification and Values (Collector's Encyclopedia of American Dinnerware).

1. I really love this book. I've used it many times to find the names of patterns I have from years of estate sales to sell on e-Bay. Great work.



2. A wonderful beautifully done book.This is a great book for looking up patterns. There are plenty of color photos which show great detail. I plan on buying the previous and subsequent volumns of this book.



3. While the book was somewhat helpful with listing the various companies, it was very short in pattern names, examples and pricing.



4. Other than the photos, there isn't much here. It's very amateurish. Whole categories are missing -- there is barely a mention of "Fiesta" at all. Makes you think the publisher had an arrangement so as not to infringe on sales of their Fiesta books. There is no mention of Metlox. Also, while there is a price guide, it only lists the specific pieces that are shown in the photos, not all the pieces in the line. This is a major shortcoming. There should be some mention of pieces not shown. The book is also poorly organized, with ads from old magazines interspersed with original writing. It reminds me of an 8th grade book report. Spend your money elsewhere.



5. The title of this book implies that it is an all-encompassing American dinnerware reference work. However, it is sadly lacking in both breadth and depth. Any collector would be well advised to look elsewhere. This work is so superficial that it is virtually useless.

No comments about Antique Trader Teapots Price Guide.

1 comments about Warman's Carnival Glass: Identification and Price Guide (Warman's Carnival Glass: Identification & Price Guide).

1. Great Book. Studied it in the library and decided I just had to have a copy. Very informative.

No comments about The A-Z Guide to Collecting Trivets (Identification & Values (Collector Books)).

1 comments about Forks, Knives and Spoons.

1. This is a fabulous photo, caption, and appendix compendium for people interested in the many varieties of flatware designed for specific use. Of particular interest to me are the double-page spreads illustrating the different kinds of forks, spoons, and knives, so that one can get a sense of relative size and shape. The down side (yes, I know this would be an up side for some readers) is that the book is cluttered with recipes, making it hard to find information relating to the cutlery. I'd be much happier the food photos run with just captions, amidst appendix material used as body text, with an appendix of recipes, than the other way round. If I want to buy a cookbook, I'll buy a cookbook.

5 comments about The Book of Wagner & Griswold: Martin, Lodge, Vollrath, Excelsior.

1. This is the second book you should buy if you have any interest in collecting classic American cast iron goods. Collectors call this the "Red Book". The first book, "The Book of Griswold & Wagner", is called the "Blue Book", although it looks kind of turquoise to me, and is by the same authors. This edition, with a copyright of 2001, is getting a little out of date for catalog values, but still is a good indicator of relative value. It covers Wagner, Griswold, Martin, Lodge, Vollrath, and Excelsior. There is little duplication between the Red and Blue books, but together they are just a treasure chest of good clear photogrpahs and information that is not available anywhere else. The author is active in the major collecting societies and solicits information, including photographs and corrections, as each edition is prepared. (As an aside, it's hard to comprehend how someone could be critical of a book full of pictures and descriptions of collectable iron.)
   
   It is really unfair to be critical of the catalogs values in such a work. They are useful in determining relative value and rarity, but the current marketplace must looked at to get the best indicators of value.



2. Unlike steve (ca) review, this book is considered the second book that all cast iron collectors must have. While some discrepancy on some values in the book may be present, values on most items are completely accurate. It is unfortunate that the other review destroys the credibility of this fine book. The "RED" book is the most complete and accurate book on the market for Wagner Ware collectors. This book and the "BLUE" book should be in every serious cast iron collector's resource library.



3. Both this book and the "blue" book mislead readers by listing "price values" that are blatently low,-on the very uncommon items listed, even though the pricing errors were brought to both author's attention years ago. Many revisions later, they remain for the most part unchanged.
   Shame on them.



4. If you like collections of photos, this book is great ... Hollow.



5. This new book by the authors Smith and Wafford picks up where the old "blue" book stops. This book contains practically all new pictures and items which were not in the old book. Based on the title "The Book of Wagner & Griswold" the majority of the book contains information about Wagner. There is 124 pages which deal with Wagner Ware. The information contained is solid and not to be found anywhere else. Once again, this book becomes the Bible for collecting old cookware. The information on Griswold is not nearly as as long as Wagner. It is only 75 pages. There are many new items in this book which was not in the other books. There is quite a bit of information about aluminum Griswold items which is very helpful if you are collecting this type of cookware. Finally the sections on Martin Stove, Lodge, Axford, Vollrath and Excelsior(G.F.Filley) is great! For each manufacture it gives the history along with photo's/prices. Super information which I have not found anywhere else. I think this book is a "must have" for the cookware collector. It is a good companion book to "The Book of Griswold & Wagner." To be fully informed you really need both books. I have found these books by Smith and Wafford to be pretty close in the values of various items. Although variances do exist I have found these to be the closest out of all the cast iron collectable books available. I keep both of these books next to my computer and refer to them almost daily when shopping the internet for cast iron. A++++