3 comments about Heart of the Home Postcard Collection.

1. If you are a fan of Susan Branch, these postcards won't disappoint. Worth the value for her wonderful artwork. These make a great gift.



2. I love Susan Branch, but this postcard collection is not her best work. The cards are very boring and not very cute.



3. Diehard fans of Susan Branch are likely to scoop her works up two at a time (one for me, one for Mom/sis/girlfriend ...) -- what's extra lovely about this volume of postcards is that there's two of each design! So one set to keep for yourself, another to send out to all your dearest friends and fellow-Branch fans. Or one set to keep, another for framing and decorating ... The cards are nicely perforated for easy removal. A must for any Branch afficianado,

1 comments about Rockaways, The, NY (Postcard History).

1. Emil is a true historian. The lifetime of work he's put into charting the Rockaways' early years, brought to life from the pages of the contemporary newspapers of the ages come alive in this work.
   
   If not for the thousands of images saved during the postcard craze of the last century, this first generation of development would be lost to memory today.
   
   A great book from a fellow historian!
   
   - Ed G.

3 comments about Antique Advertising Postcards in Full Color: 24 Ready-to-Mail Postcards from the Bella C. Landauer Collection (Card Books).

1. If you like Victorian ephemera, this is the book of postcards you should buy. A very high quality product like most of the offerings from Dover. The postcards are beautiful and interesting.



2. These reproductions of very old postcards from the Landauer Collection are great fun and might have gone UNdiscovered by me were it not for several family members who have become fascinated in A.T.C.s: 2 1/2" X 3 1/2/" Artist Trading Cards. The images are perfect to "remodel" and use for concocting your own cards /OR/ collages.
   
   PLUS, you don't have to sacrifice the actual card but can copy on lighter weight Kodak paper to cut into small images. The postcards can then be used as intended for correspondence with lucky individuals who perhaps share your taste in the unusual & colorful objects used in turn-of-the-century advertising. You may find some you can't resist for your own amusement - to decorate a window sill, for example - OR - ?
   
   The books of 24 cards (each) make interesting gifts - and even better, you can "pair" with "The Antique Advertising Paper Dolls" (isbn: # 0486240452). The cover of that collection would be a wonderful decoration for your own ALBUM of A.T.C.s. You can see how serendipitous this hobby becomes >> from postcards to trading cards to paper dolls. Reviewer mcHAIKU is pleased that each of these has an appeal even for today's teens who try to appear sophisticated/COOL yet want for themselves a slice of someone else's nostalgia!



3. It's funny how much and yet how little advertising has changed. These postcards will make you smile, and then make you think...

1 comments about Spring Lake, Revisited: A Portrait of the Victorian Era at the Jersey Shore.

1. a very pleasant and informative pictorial of spring lake. a bit short on history, but worthwhile nonetheless. Interesting usage of post cards as reference.

1 comments about Postcards of the Night: Views of American Cities.

1. You might think that the humble postcard is just a piece of printed cardboard but just read John Jakle's fascinating book and discover there is a lot more behind these colorful images. The eighty-two cards in the book, dated from 1900 to 1977, show a selective view of cities at night, as Jakle explains (in a very comprehensive introduction) the card publishers, at least in the early years of the last century, were quite happy to add a row of street lights if none existed and city fathers frequently felt pressure to then put them up.
   
   Before the introduction of fast film most night-time postcards were day-time photographs and illustrations with a black sky added or maybe a moon with a cloudy sky painted in and street lights made to glow, some of these do look rather crude though. New film and cameras in the thirties allowed postcard photographers to be more creative, with strobe effects for instance and the old favorite, the time-lapse.
   
   Though most cards from the thirties onwards are photographs many were still heavily retouched to give even more sparkle to the image, page 107 shows a looking down view of San Francisco with searchlights in the background and streets of the city just dazzling with light, it was taken in 1940. A slightly different view is of Capitol Street, Jackson, Mississippi in 1955 (page 67) here the street lights are strangely dim but the sidewalks are aglow with light from shop windows and plenty of neon, a positive reflection of the city as modern and progressive or as the author says 'Postcard views were expected to celebrate cities and do so in ways that would preserve, if not strengthen, the social status quo'.
   
   The production and design of the book is first-class, landscape in format, to compliment the typical postcard shape, each card has a page to itself with a long caption. The back of the book has an appendix about collecting these interesting postcards and a bibliography.
   
   Another book (also beautifully produced) of city postcards that I have enjoyed is 'American Architecture: a vintage postcard collection' by Luc Van Malderen (ISBN 1864700785) which has 625 mainly illustrative images and includes several night-time views. Both books will interest anyone who wants to learn more about how cities were presented to the public.
   
   ***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.

5 comments about The Postcard Century.

1. Excellant book in every way. Great pictures, and descriptions. Do not buy this book if you are looking for a price guide, as it is not set up for that purpose. A great book for the postcard historian. Divided into years, it can be a great asset to a collector who is trying to date cards in his or her collection.



2. I was disapointed in this book because I was looking for one that included more detailed information about postcards. The problem of buying online I guess.



3. This is my third pass through this lengthy and thoroughly engaging book. While I'm not a normal fan of postcards, reading this book makes me want to rush out to the nearest flea market and see what I can find.
   
   The best aspect of this book is that the author presents each postcard in terms of the publishing history, the story on the card, and the general scene on the card. The wonderfuly dry, British humor really makes me laugh out loud at time. His commentary on the postcards meant to woo a significant other are quite amusing.
   
   This book will truly engage you in ways you would never imagine. It also is a great way to learn odd facts from history that have largely passed from our collective memories. These postcards bring them back for our consideration.
   
   This is a fabulous book that you will find hard to put back down.



4. Tom Phillips has captured the quest for collecting postcards with an eclectic mix of cards from the last century. We may view old postcards as nostalgic (for a history that never was), but when printed the card often pictured the latest thing. Being English, there are many Winston Churchill cards (as early as 1908), Prince Charles, the Queen, and Margaret Thatcher. There are plenty of cards for Americans, and a 1960 Nixon card is a favorite, as well as the original Kentucky Fried Chicken in 1947. In each year, a card from Piccadilly Circus and the New York skyline are included, as well as 10-15 other subjects. The cards reflect the changes of the time but also constancy, and many of the old jokes and statuesque women are recycled in each decade.
   
   Tom Phillip's artist eye is really used. Phillips commentary of each card is informative, sometimes humorous, sometimes irreverent, but always interesting and range from comments on punk fashion to statement about Kierkegaard liking a joke on a cow card. His pairing of cards is also enlightening: e.g. the King's head dress in 1935 is printed next to a Fiji headhunter head dress. A person's cards selection may be a Rorschach test, and I don't know what the fascination with camels (4 cards) tells us about this author. No matter what your interest or home, there are certainly cards to delight you here. A 1996 card of spaceships over St. Louis was a personal favorite.
   
   This book goes a long way in making the case that this was the golden century of postcards. I can't imagine a book in 2099 with a similar collection, or a printing of emails. Phillips includes the writing on the cards also, and these also reflect the times and a certain concise but revealing formula. Those who enjoyed the messages of these cards would also enjoy Robert Butler's book " Had a Good Time: Stories from American Postcards



5. Thank goodness for Tom Phillips. This postcard-filled volume is packed with images and texts created by countless sets of hands and eyes. There are few artist/thinkers today who could create order out of this chaos, and Phillips has done so delightfully. Featuring a multitude of stories within its overarching theme, The Postcard Century reveals its numerous histories with insight and charm.

2 comments about Geisha: Women of Japan's Flower & Willow World.

1. I have a ton of Geisha related books in my personal library -- both antiquarian and new, including a lot of "must have" volumes from amazon. This is my favorite. It is a perfect combination of the best of late 19th century and early 20th century photographic images -- mostly from the ubiquitous real-photo and collotype postcards of the day -- combined with an enjoyable text that seamlessly brings together accurate historical descriptions and informal anecdotes. Enjoyable to read, pleasant to look at. The entire package is is further enhanced by high production values -- the art direction and layout can hardly get any better for a book such as this. While the Geisha in Japan today continue on in small numbers as a disconnected, living anachronism (or a cultural decoration adored by visiting photographers), this book faithfully takes you to the heart of the Meiji-era, when the Geisha really were an integral part of the social mechanisms of the country. I recommended this book to anyone wanting a huge gallery of beautiful and representational images, along with meaningful and accurate commentary skillfully culled from the best sources.



2. a prized book to add to my geisha book collection. HOwever it is filled with OLD black and white and coloured photos of geshia in the oldern times so if you dislike that type of giesha picture try other books.

4 comments about Postmarked Yesteryear: Art of the Holiday Postcard.

1. The art on the postcard is the focus and this book does a great job of picturing different views of the holidays. Starting with a brief history of the post card and publishers, she then presents some common symbolism. She moves through the year, covering each of the holidays. At New Year's are images of pigs pulling a coach. On Valentines days is the "Penny Dreadful", with ill wishes from someone you may have wronged. At Christmas are Louis Wain's cats, which can be rare (and the relative prices of the cards are indicated). She includes holidays not commonly celebrated in the states today, such as Guy Fawkes Day, the Mexican Day of the Dead, and Krampus. Because of her own collection, the images of Halloween are spectacular and a highlight of the book. My only minor complaint would be that on some of the light backgrounds her annotations are hard to read.



2. This is a very good book in terms of introducing the different holidays/postcard themes that can be found. It has really great pictures and I guess what I take away most is the general ideas on what is considered valuable/rare. I just collect ones I like and think are attractive, I don't really collect because of the collectability, so this book was helpful for me in getting ideas on what else I might like and should look for.



3. If you have any interest in vintage holiday postcards, or just an interest in "holiday history/graphic symbolism", this wonderful book is a "must-own". The examples shown, and the writing in general, could not have been better. It is NOT a book you put on the shelf and forget about. Joe Hohmann, Media, PA



4. These postcards are truly works of art. Compare these oldies to today's postcards and you will be greatly disappointed with the apparent lack of artistry and imagination that goes in to current postcard design. Each postcard is a wonderful reminder of a more intimate time, when getting a postcard was an event. Praise must go to the authors for compiling a wonderful collection and presenting it to the reader.

No comments about The Virginian Railway (VA) (Postcards of America).

No comments about More Hollywood Homes.