1 comments about Encyclopedia of Porcelain Enamel Advertising: With Price Guide (Schiffer Book for Collectors).

1. This is a very good book for folks starting out in collecting porcelain signs. There are hundreds of photos and it gives you a good idea of the variety of what exists and what to collect. Prices listed are now out of date.

1 comments about Cartoon Toys & Collectibles Identification and Value Guide: Identification and Value Guide.

1. This beautiful 224 page book features over 800 full color, large, sharp photos and estimated values. Major categories include: Disney, Warner Brothers, Hanna-Barbera, Cartoon Character Hall of Fame and resources. There is a complete history of each major category where you'll find interesting and useful information. A welcome addition to your library.

1 comments about Encyclopedia of Petroliana: Identification and Price Guide.

1. This up-to-date guide was compiled and written by the true oil and gas memorabilia expert. 1,000 large, sharp, full color pictures are included for all types of Petroliana, along with current values. Products are listed alphabetically by company, ranging from Ace and Aero to Polarine and Pure Oil to White Rose and Wolf's Head. It includes globes, cans, thermometers, hats, and signs, promotional give-a-ways, and hundreds of other items. If you collect, or are just a fan of these products, you'll find it a joy to add this book to your collection.

1 comments about Pen, Ink, & Evidence: A Study of Writing and Writing Materials for the Penman, Collector, and Document Detective.

1. PEN, INK, & EVIDENCE is a good companion volume to Nickell's DETECTING FORGERY: FORENSIC INVESTIGATION OF DOCUMENTS. Like that work, it is apparently targeted towards the beginner (me) and NOT the practicing professional. For example, when an analysis technique is mentioned (and not all techniques are covered) Nickell tends not to go into elaborate detail on the actual practices. The chapter notes serve as a bibliography and are valuable leaping off points for more indepth research and understanding.

   This book is divided into five major sections: (I) Writing Instruments, (II) Ink, (III) Paper, (IV) Writing, and (V) Examining Documents. There are three appendices covering (1) Eighteenth Century Scripts, (2) Chronology of Writing and Writing Materials, and (3) Laboratory Identification of Pens, Inks, & Papers.

   Nickell has access to a huge array of relevant materials which are profusely included in black and white photographs throughout the book. The photographs are of fair quality and I assume that higher quality photos would result in higher price (duh).

   Overall, I found it interesting, useful, and satisfyingly broad in subject coverage. Nickell's writing style is accessible and clear. The ubiquitous use of anecdotes is essential and entertaining. E.g., "Of course, one approach to duplicating security watermarks -- like those placed in prescription blanks for alchohol during Prohibition ... -- was simply to dupe a legitimate paper company intor producing paper bearing watermarks." -pg 85. I want to know more about alcohol prescriptions during Prohibition!

No comments about B. J. Summers' Pocket Guide to Coca-Cola: Identifications Current Values (B J Ummer's Pocket Guide to Coca-Cola).

1 comments about M&M's (R) Around the World: An Unauthorized Collector's Guide.

1. You'd be amazed at the M&M items in the world. This book gives a very good dispaly of what M&M collecters have. Not just the M&M dispensers there is so much more out there.

1 comments about Barbie Exclusives Identification & Values (Barbie Exclusives).

1. If you have any love of the English language, and are able to tell good photographs from bad ones, you will truly dislike all of the books by this woman that I have read, including Barbie Exclusives volumes 1, 2 and 3. The text is virtually unreadable, almost completely devoid of any real information, and is generally a painful experience. The photographs are almost equally bad, ranging from grainy yellowish shots, to lovely ones in which box-front glare almost obliterates any details of the doll inside. Truly, you can do much better than this series! Try the Collector's Encyclopedia of Barbie Doll Exclusives and More by J. Michael Augustyniak.

5 comments about The Book of Beanie Babies: A System for Cataloging and Collecting Beanie Babies.

1. I blew every last penny of my life-savings on this godforsaken fad. To add insult upon injury, I bought this book hoping it would rescue me from my lonely world of debt and failed marriages. Boy, was I wrong. Had I known that the Beanie Babies were destined to travel the same road as the Pet Rock and Crystal Pepsi, perhaps I would have reconsidered these careless financial decisions.
   
   And I couldn't agree more with my fellow reviewer's ("A reader from danville ill") opinion of this book.



2. This ia a great idea and I view it as a different product entirely from BBs, which are stuffed toys. If Ty is suing, I wish he would back off.



3. where can i find new pages



4. I bought "The Book" so I could keep track of what I have, the cost of each item, along with all the other info. Need supplements for new beanies! Was going to buy Teenie Beanies supplement, but why bother if I cannot get the others also.



5. I invested alot of money in all your books and supplements, but us Beanie Collectors need to know when you will have supplements so we can bring our books up to date??

1 comments about 20th Century Rock & Roll-Women in Rock (20th Century Rock and Roll).

1. I'm a freelance music journalist who does a lot of writing about women in rock. This book scores very highly with me based on range, subject, and knowledge of the individuals covered.

   The author divides the book into a section devoted to the 50 women who have defined rock and roll, with a short essay on each, and a recommended discography. I like the selection much better than some books (including the truly disappointing Rolling Stone Book of Women in Rock). He doesn't include ALL the artists I consider essential, but that's a personal matter. I think he did a very good job, with a range from the obvious choices like Joan Jett and Tina Turner to more obscure but important artists like Lita Ford and Suzi Quatro.

   He includes several appendixes with info on all-girl bands, all-girl groups (singers as opposed to instrumentalists) and spotlights on frontwomen of renown, ranging from superstars like Stevie Nicks to the cult heroines like Christina Amphlett and Doro Pesch.

   This is a book to give people who don't know much about the subject, or to throw at people who say "women can't rock."

   It's not a historical survey (though the author recommends several books, including the one I think of as the definitive volume, Gillian G. Gaar's "She's a Rebel"), but it's a very good basic reference volume.

   KW

1 comments about Wartime Scrapbook: From Blitz to Victory 1939--1945.

1. The reason I loved the wartime scrapbook, just one of Robert Opie's beautiful books, is that it is is simply glorious to pour over. I can't imagine anyone ever tiring of the colors, the products and momentos from such a crazy yet unflashy era. The war years provided little but shortage in every way, but this book shows just how attentive product design and everyday life reflected what people sorely needed. The pages are filled with beautiful handwritten notes by Opie (I assume). And the glossy pages are strong and turnable. Very coffe table-ish and probably bathroomy as well.