3 comments about Warman's Star Wars Field Guide: Values And Identification.

1. This is perhaps Mr. Wells' best Star Wars book yet. It's cleverly modeled after a the type of field guide used by bird watchers. It's very small (five inches tall, four inches wide, and a little over one inch thick), and contains a great SAMPLE of full-color images on high-quality semi-gloss paper. For example, there is at least one sample images -- and usually even more -- of each card type from the original Star Wars action figure line (Star Wars, Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, Power of the Force, Droids, and Ewoks). There are also sample images of most of the new carded figures from the 1990s all the way up to 2004. And that's not all... There are sample images for dozens of other items, too! Vintage examples include loose figures, 12" figures, Topps trading cards, comic books, vehicles, playsets, lunchboxes, glasses, etc.. Newer items include Lego, Hallmark ornaments, and newer trading cards, comic books, etc..
   
   That said, this book is NOT, nor was it designed to be, even close to 100% comprehensive with regard to images (it just gives you a sample image or two of each type of item so you will be able to identify something when you come across it). But, it DOES include fairly comprehensive lists of most items in most genres (both vintage and new), and a pretty reasonable price guide for each item it lists (I'm not a big fan of price guides, but the prices in this book are at least as good as any other I've seen).
   
   It is not the best or most comprehensive Star Wars collectable book out there (if that's what you want, I recommend John Kellerman's Star Wars Vintage Action Figures: A Guide for Collectors). But, that book costs a lot more and you can't and wouldn't want to carry it around with you. This Star Wars Field Guide contains tons of photos and valuable information in a small, high-quality package.



2. this is a great book i love it and its very interesting! Great information and pricing !



3. This book is not as complete as "Tomart's Price Guide to Worldwide Star Wars Collectibles", but it is far more useful as a pure pricing guide than Beckett's "Official Price Guide to Star Wars Memorabilia". It's small (about 4" x 5") but contains over 500 pages, including 250 color photos.
   
   The items are arranged clearly and logically into 20 categories, with brief but useful introductory paragraphs alerting you to important background about each category. A very handy pocket reference tool to carry with you when attending a trading convention, flea market, or anywhere else you're looking to buy or sell Star Wars memorabilia.

5 comments about The Address Directory of Celebrities in Entertainment, Sports, Business & Politics, Second Edition.

1. I e-mailed the publisher to ask for an update of a celebrity address. He was fast with an answer. He also mentioned he has started a new service to autograph collectors. He will answer any question on the subject of autoghaph collecting for FREE!
   I will use the e-mail address for finding out autograph prices, how and where to buy and sell autographs plus anything else I can think of. A great offer!



2. I have known David Moore for many years and he is the only author of celebrity directories that uses and updates his address list on daily basis. For me, here is a list of celebrities who I have contacted and received autographs through the mail. They are: Sarah Jessica Parker, Bill Gates, Roy Clark, Gillian Anderson, Nicholas Cage, Bill Cosby, James Garner, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Gary Trudeau, Olivia Newton-John, Brandi Chastain, James Watson, Sandra Day O'Connor, Harmon Killebrew, George Bush, Betty Ford, Jimmy Carter, Leann Rhimes, Muhammad Ali, Angela Landsbury, Reba McEntire, Jay Leno, Faith Hill, Tommy John, Tom Hanks, Michael Eisner, Nolan Ryan, Tony Bennet, Colin Powell, Robert Duvall, John Mellencamp, Whoopi Goldberg and many others. If you want excellent results and great customer service, I highly recommend David Moore's book.



3. After I purchased this book I contacted the author, Mr. Moore to ask him about collecting autographs by index cards or by photographs. He was prompt and very informative with his reply. If you want questions answered about auotgraph collecting, get in touch with him, you will be happy you did.



4. The reader and reviewer who wrote this book is the ULTIMATE has it right. This book is everything an autograph collector needs. Besides the thousands of celebrity addresses, this book backs up the names with celebrity facts. If you want a complete history of actors it is there under the website named in the book, if you want other facts to write to the celebrity about it is there. (the book has celebrity hobbies, celebrity charities, celebrity birthdays, celebrity hangouts and a lot of useful facts about celebrities)This is the only celebrity directory I will ever need. The price of this book is well worth it!!



5. I am an autograph collector and I was happy to see how complete this book is. I collect astronauts who have walked on the moon, hi-tech business people such as Bill Gates, movie actors like Tom Hanks and baseball sluggers like Sammy Sousa and Mark McGuire. They are in this books with thousands more. It is well organized and I liked the extra features of sample letters and questions & answers about autograph collecting. It is a very good reference for autograph collectors.

4 comments about 60 Great Sci-Fi Movie Posters (Illustrated History of Movies Through Posters, Volume 20).

1. War of the worlds, This Island Earth and Star Wars! Every big name movie or B-movie poster you could think of. And a few I've never heard of. Only one point away because some of the posters look like they were unfolded after being left in somebody's basement for a dozen years. Surly they could have found better copies or used computers to take out the flaws. But still, its cheap and holds a lot of poster images, so I really should not complain. Can't help but love the half naked women. Many of which were not in any of the films. Just there to hook the people.



2. With the exception of the more recent movie posters, I thought it was a fairly good collection of 54 classic science fiction posters.



3. All of Bruce Henderon's books are worth a dozen times what he sells them for; flawless, stunning reproductions of great movie posters. Buy them ALL! this is my favorite, though.



4. This is a TERRIFIC book, at a terrific price, filled with - you guessed it - terrific, clean, sharp, colorful images of some of the best science fiction and fantasy movie posters ever created. In that respect, it meets and exceeds a five-star rating.
   
   Alas... I'm still disappointed by it. Here's why. I already have a lot of the Bruce Hershenson books, as well as a number of other movie poster books. This book is Volume 20 in Hershenson's series, yet to those who have earlier volumes, it's a bit misleading to call it that. For earlier volumes, Hershenson took care to try not to duplicate images that had already appeared in the volumes that preceded it. There were occasional duplications, but even those were sometimes welcome to get the images in various sizes (for earlier volumes, the reproduction size would vary from 1 poster on a page to as many as 9 posters on a page). One of the great advantages of this volume is that ALL the posters are presented at full page size, 1 per page. There's even a wide margin at the spine side of the page so you don't have to force the book open wider to see the inside edge of the poster art. (Two thumbs up for that design feature!) My complaint is that the selection in this book - 60 posters - is almost entirely duplicated from earlier Hershenson volumes, AND are generally the same posters for the same movies that all the other poster books have printed ad nauseum over the years.
   
   In that respect, the "60 Great" movie poster books are really "Best Of" collections, which is why I think they should not have been numbered as part of the continuing series. Like a "Greatest Hits" collection from a band, these are spectacular collections, just don't be expecting anything other than the most familiar titles.
   
   Bottom line - it's unquestionably well worth having, but if you're an old hand at movie poster books, don't expect anything out of the ordinary.

5 comments about Petretti's Coca-Cola Collectibles Price Guide.

1. I like the fact that the book shows so many color pictures. That is great! Unfortunately, as, with many of these types of books, it doesn't list many of the collectible coca cola items. The book could also be organised better. There are several different places to find clocks for example. If you go by the table of contents you might miss what you are looking for. When you go by the index you have to sift through different sections of the book looking for it. However, the back of the book was very helpful with the section on slogans for different years. It is a good book, but I wish it listed more of the collectibles or at least mentioned them. Still, I recently ordered a few other books on coke collectibles and this one seems to have more info than they did.



2. I have owned most editions of this book, and as a resource for researching Coca Cola memorabilia, I would have to say it is unsurpassed. I haven't seen any other guides come close in the number of items shown.

   I do question the pricing of these items, however. I don't see how everything can continually increase in price from one edition to another, especially when you consider internet sales activity (a very large part of Coca Cola memorabilia sales nowadays). As a collector, I never pay at price-levels shown in this edition, and I certainly do not obtain these prices when I occasionally sell an item off on an internet auction site. I just feel that the prices are a bit inflated. No one could keep track of the huge amounts of Coca Cola memorabilia sales in all venues around the country. I tend to take pricing in guidebooks with a grain of salt, especially, as in this case, when the author is also a major collector. Just a little too much potential for conflict of interest.




3. Right off the bat: I agree that the omission of blotters and assorted other collectibles from this guide is a gaping omission as big as a barn. I hardly use this guide anymore for several reasons:

   1) The back index is as bad as they come. Totally incomplete.

   2) You want to find a certain tray? Be prepared to bounce from one end of the book to the other looking for what you need. There is no apparent logic to the way this guide is arranged. I'm sure the author felt it was completely logical, but his logic escapes me.

   3) The front index is just painful to figure out. There is a usability book out there called "Don't Make Me Think". The author of this Coke guide should study it.

   4) Too much rhetoric and opinion about "fantasy" items. I find this section of the guide painful to sift through. Just the facts, please. And then there's the illogical order of everything .

   The best that can be said about this guide is that it's big. It is poorly organized and has way too many omissions to be my primary guide. If a 12th edition ever comes out, I'm going to check it out before buying, to see if these problems have been fixed.

   I much prefer Wilsons' guide over this one.




4. A lot of pictures. Prices that reflect nothing on reality. Not one Cleveland Electric Neon Clock. Not one American Time Clock. I have 3 originals hanging in front of me. Missing some of the major buttons. Typical collectors book. Pictures of everything that's out there, except the rare items you buy these books to find out about. Total dissapointment. I have stacks of collector books that have proven useless. There all written by the "authority" on the subject on hand. I think this explains the ... in collecting and the stacks of used books available. If you're going to make a "Know It All" book, than you better know at least %90. Monster let down.



5. I'm very dissapointed in this book! After waiting 3 months beyond the original publish date, I find there are no blotter pages. I understand there will be no more blotters in future books, also. As I've been buying and selling blotters based on the Petretti's prices, I feel I cannot give this book a good rating. Also, why do we now have to jump all over the place to find the trays? They used to be simplified in one area.

2 comments about All Things Alice: The Wit, Wisdom,and Wonderland of Lewis Carroll.

1. I have been collecting Alice in Wonderland items for nearly 30 years and I am happy to add this book to my collection. The information is presented in a format that is accessible to the general public and not just the Alice afficianado. The book production is also wery pleasing. The wonder of Alice is how she shows up all over the globe in so many ways 140 years after her conception. I think the title of the book understates to what extent Alice lives in our modern popular culture.



2. I love this book. I received it yesterday at my office and read what I could on my lunch hour. I couldn't wait to get home. I bought this because I wanted to eventually introduce my 1 year old granddaughter to "Alice In Wonderland." Imagine my surprise to find that I can start reading to her now. There are extended nursery rhymes, funny sayings and a fascinating dialogue through the whole book. The illustrations are superb! I can start my granddaughter on the "white rabbit, calico cat, the queen" as well as "Alice" just from these wonderful illustrations. I can highly recommend this book for children and also adults who enjoy Lewis Carroll's wit. I cannot write enough good things about it.

5 comments about Official Price Guide to Star Wars Memorabilia.

1. I'd like to begin by noting that this isn't a bad book for the price. It contains some interesting and worthwhile information, and parts of it were fun/interesting to read. I particularly liked the chapter that dealt with reproduction weapons and other fake items (though it would have been nice if it included a few example photos). There were also solid chapters dealing with the history of Star Wars collectables, as well as vintage and new figures, trading cards, comics, etc..
   
   My two main concerns about this book were the quality of the rating system and the price guide (both seemed somewhat misleading). For example, on page 25 he shows a picture of a vintage R2-D2 figure that is in TERRIBLE condition, but gives it a C6 rating. However, I think most collectors would give it a much lower rating (and many would probably just throw it away it's in such bad shape!). Further, if anything, the price estimates provided in this book seem too low! For example, the price guide says a mint/complete loose blue Snaggletooth sells for $55 (but, I've never seen one go for that little anywhere). So, if the author is selling his mint/complete blue Snaggletooth at that price, I'll take it!
   
   Other minor concerns include a price guide that is more confusing than most, and calling the book an "official" price guide when there doesn't seem to be any formal connection at all (I didn't see it stated anywhere, but it seems this is just a name the publisher uses for all their collectable books).
   
   In sum, most of the information provided in this book is not new and is also available elsewhere (by far the best option being John Kellerman's Star Wars Vintage Action Figures: A Guide for Collectors). Though you'll probably pay more for many of these other books, most will contain a lot more photos, be in full color, and be printed on high quality semi-gloss paper. By contrast, this book contains only a modest number of photos, is 98% black and white, and is printed on newsprint. For all of these reasons, I give this book 3.5 stars (rounded up to 4 stars because even an average book on Star Wars collectables is still pretty good).



2. its was okay not as good as the field guide but it had info that the field guide didn't have .



3. This book is a fantastic way to learn how to price items. Since markets fluctuate, and price guides become outdated very quickly, it was a great read that informed me of what to look for when both buying and selling. With the information in this book, you can compare your item with those on the market and it will help you adequately critique and value you're collectible. If you are in a market to get quick numbers for pricing items...this is not the book for you. But if you want to learn what makes items valuable, and how to preserve those that are, this is definitely the book to get.



4. The title of this book is misleading. It should be called "Official COLLECTOR'S Guide to Star Wars Memorabilia". That's because it's really more of a guide for collectors who want to know the history behind many collectible items. It discusses aspects such as bootlegs, production errors, preserving and storing your collectibles, how and where to buy, and so on.
   
   What it DOESN'T do (at least not thoroughly enough for me) is list the going prices for all Star Wars memorabilia. I have a collection I'm looking to sell piecemeal, so I wanted a resource that would tell me what a fair asking price is for my items. This book has a surprising lack of depth when it comes to price listings, however.
   
   For instance, there is no listing of prices for common collectibles such as posters! I also could not find a price listing for the Burger King glassware sets, and various other items that I have in my collection. And even the items that this book does list often have "N/A" for the original retail price and the MISB (Mint In Sealed Box) price.
   
   What it DOES have that might be of interest to a collector is a reference number that you can use to look up the item on the web site database www.rebelscum.com/swdb. Even so, I perused that database, and while it has some great photos and details on Star Wars collectibles (it actually lists the text written on the back of those Burger King glasses!) it does not offer an online price guide, which is what I'm in need of.
   
   So for the serious Star Wars collector, I give this book 5 stars. But as a "price guide" -- which is what it bills itself as -- it falls far short so I have to take back 2 stars.



5. What makes this price guide worth the money is the 225 pages BEFORE the price guide.
   
   If you're new to collecting, this book has practically everything you need to become not merely COMPETENT at it, but SKILLED, even for non-Star Wars related items. It extensively covers terminology, grading, and even online auctions.
   
   If you're a veteran collector, it covers vintage Star Wars items, variations, prototypes, protecting your collection, and even trading cards and comic books.
   
   This is more than merely a list of items and prices. It's truly a "guide" to collecting.

4 comments about Inventing Christmas: How Our Holiday Came to Be.

1. Jock Elliott captures and relates all of the building blocks that went into making our Christmas holiday what it is--in terms of the way in which we celebrate.
   
   As an ad man, he's got a unique perspective.
   
   Fascinating reading.



2. Saw this book when it was listed with a book I wanted to buy about Christmas and the history of our American traditions. It is a beautiful book with lots of pictures- not alot of written information. Still find it interesting and informative.



3. Almost all Americans celebrate Christmas but so few of us really know its deep-rooted and ancient origins as well as the origins of so many of the traditions we hold so dear.
   
   In his wonderful book called, Jock Elliott has charted all of this story (and more) with care and good cheer. He reminds us of how recent the Christmas "tradition" is, and how ancient. He tells us, for example, that the Christmas tree is basically a product of the second half of the American 19th century, and can be traced to England. The British royal family - themselves imports from Germany - first pitched such trees in their palatial homes. But the trees, and the rituals of winter celebrations, could themselves be traced all the way back to pagan times and the celebrations of the winter solstice.
   
   We learn about the men who defined Santa claus Including Clement Moore who wrote the "Night Before Christmas", and Thomas nast. Nast was the greatest political cartoonist of the 19th century, perhaps of any American century. During the holiday season of 1862-63, Nast put visual flesh on the poetic bones provided by Moore. In the Jan. 3, 1863, issue of Harper's Weekly, he showed Santa Claus cheering up the battered Union troops. He's wearing striped pants and a shirt spangled with stars. Nast would do a year-end drawing of Santa Claus for each of the following 25 years.
   
   From giving gifts to misletoe, Elliots great book fills us in on the origins of Everything Christmas. Highly Recommended



4. This book is such an amazing find! It tells the whole celebration of the Christmas holiday, from it's pre-Christian pagan celebrations, through the 20th century. Particularly interesting is how it became a Christian Holiday a few hundred years after the birth of Christ. But the book also covers how Santa Claus came to be, the history of the Christmas Tree, carols, and a pretty extensive article on Charles Dickens 'A Christmas Carol.'
   The author, Jock Elliott, is probably the foremost collector of Christmas memorabelia, and through many color photos has shared some of his extensive collection with us. The man even has his letters to Santa from the 1920's! But, most impressive of all (to me!) is his 'A Christmas Carol' collection. He has a copy of the original first edition from 1843, as well as the original newspaper advertisement for the book from that same year! And, yes, Mr. Elliott shares this with us, too.
   I've compared his history of the holiday with other books I own and I feel I can safely say that Mr. Elliott has done his research. His writing style is very entertaining and easy to follow, so the younger set can enjoy this book, too.
   All in all, this is one of the most entertaining books I've read on the Christmas holiday. I guess if I had one complaint it would be for Mr. Elliott to maybe add a bit about the Reason for the Season - Jesus Christ.
   Very highly recommended.

5 comments about Meet Mr. Product: The Art of the Advertising Character.

1. My wife and I had fun laughing at some of the characters in this book. Apparently there was NOTHING you couldn't make fun of back in the 1950s.
   
   Even if you're not interested in advertising this is still an enjoyable little book, fun to look at while sipping tea on a rainy afternoon. Well worth the money.



2. My brother is a commercial artist and his personal artistic style is kind of "retro". I got this book for him for his birthday because I though he might like to have it around for inspiration just in case he needed some someday. I was right! He loved it. I was surprised at the size of the book. It's kind of small, but it gets it's point across just fine. Being a fan of nostalgia, I wouldn't mind having it for myself.



3. The compilers have done a wonderful job; the layouts are absolutely marvelous, a real pleasure to flip through, great retro colors used, and should be an essential addition to the collection of anyone who enjoys 50s & 60s graphics.



4. Tons of product logos here, with the bulk of them from the 30s to the 70s. These are reproduced very well, and each of them is dated and carries a two-line description of their purpose and company origin. There are a few pages of introductory front matter that summarize the history of product logos, but the meat of the book is taken up by the graphics, with anywhere from one to four logos per page. I didn't know there were so many anthropomorphic logos, among them Mr. Coffee Nerves, Mr. Dee-Lish, Mr. TV Tube, Phillips Screw Man, Johnny-One-Note, Miss My-T-Fine, Miss Fluffy Rice and Mr. Weatherball. Many of them you'll recognize, and some of them you won't, but all of them will delight you.



5. A fascinating foray into the sometimes clever, sometimes idiotic, occasionally just plain bizarre (Mr. TV Tube? Dunkie Donut-Head? Phillips Screw Man??) world of advertising characters. Anybody obsessed with kitschy pop culture, especially that of the 50's and 60's, will want this one. You get all the cartoon mascots you've ever seen on "retro" t-shirts at your local Hot Topics, plus hundreds more of varying degrees of obscurity. Indeed there was a period when designers would simply draw a smiley face on a cog and call it "Mr. Cog," and you see a lot of that here, often in hilariously weird contexts - lawn spinkler heads, pistons, the state of Nevada, a sock, all grinning amiably at you as they pitch themselves. You've got your cartoon pigs voraciously devouring pork rinds, your cigarette boxes with showgirl legs, your anthropomorphic donuts, and robots robots robots. A book like this not only takes you through a wide range of illustration styles, it hints at what life was like in those days, those "simpler times" (though it's arguable how much we've really changed). What better window into American psychology in the 20th century than the commercial devices by which we've been beguiled into consuming? Aunt Jemima has stories to tell on you.

1 comments about Antique & Contemporary Advertising Memorabilia (Antique and Contemporary Advertising Memorabilia).

1. A brand new 2002, 416 page beautiful plastic laminated hardbound library book advertising memorabilia lovers will appreciate. There are more than 1,200 large, full color sharp photos included. Current values are shown. Listings are in alphabetical order throughout the book, making item location easy. Useful for beginners and advanced collectors, and everyone interested in ad memorabilia. Add it to your library. It's a beautiful book.

3 comments about Warman's Pez Field Guide (Warman's Field Guides).

1. This book is a must have for true pez seeking people, the colored illustrations and information is a useful tool, and continues to be at my side always, to look up and review pez's that I am interested in.



2. While I am not one to criticize any comment regarding my books, good or bad I do take isssue on the comment- "This does not have foreign pez in it" - much to the contrary. There are a large number of foreign Pez in this book. Everything that had been produced up to the publish date is included in this guide, domestic AND foreign release . This guide does not get into the mini Japanese dispensers, those are licensed by Pez for Bandai not an actual Pez produced item but a licensed item. There are LOTS of foreign Pez in this guide. -Shawn Peterson



3. Great book for the pez collector. It lists the American pez releases with some of the variations and a possible value. They are in alphabetical order. Shows some from private collections that you will never see or have...lol...
   Has an index for easy look up and a list of terms used in the pez world for the non-pezheads. It IS indeed small enough to put in your purse or backpack to take along on those trips to antique stores, swapmeets, or garage sales. No matter how many times i look at this book i still cannot remember the values so i have to look them up constantly.
   
   This does not have foreign pez in it, but is still an excellent guide. The best of its type on the market i believe.