No comments about Greetings from Houston, Texas.

2 comments about Greetings from Ocean Grove, New Jersey.

1. Ocean Grove is a mixture of traditions and enjoyment. "Greetings..." provides significant glimpses of the Grove's past, and essentially binds them with today's Ocean Grove experience. The third graphic book about Ocean Grove, this is the best. Unfortunately, a number of images had been incorporated into previous volumns...causing me to think some images were withheld that could otherwise have made it to the pages of "Greetings..." Well known fire apparatus photographer and historian Wm.N.Schwartz's work is represented herein, but no credit given his photos. This is a must for all who care about Ocean Grove and its history, but certainly lends itself to all seeking the nostalgia of time gone by.



2. Wonderful book beautifully put together by Chris Flynn. For fans of Ocean Grove, NJ, you will love it. I spent my childhood there, and it was just great looking at all the postcard and photo memories. Highly recommend it for Ocean Grove "fanatics".

1 comments about Black Postcard Price Guide (2nd Edition).

1. Mashburn creates some of the best reference books on postcards there are, no question about it. And this book is a powerful addition to any deltiologist's library, especially if they have an interest in postcards that depict African Americans.

   As always, Mashburn goes out of his way to provide value. This book contains over 380 pages of information, thousands of black and white photographs, a wonderful index, and price guides. The guide includes information on the following topics: Artist Signed; Unsigned Artists; Advertising; Real Life; Real Photos; Sports; Entertainers; Topicals; Social History; and Lynchings.

   All in all this book is a must-have for any serious postcard collector or dealer. It's full of useful information, and wonderful just to sit and look through at the many fabulous cards shown. Don't hesitate to buy this book!

5 comments about Vintage Postcards for the Holidays: Identification & Value Guide.

1. I guess being more a fan than a collector of postcards I have a different opinion than some of the reviewers who rated this book so low. Regarding prices, the fact is that on any collectible prices vary widely depending on your location and method of selling. As a long-time collector of toys and comic books, I can attest to that. Thus the criticism about pricing is completely invalid as this is merely a "guide" as any pricing guide is. I also would dispute the claim that many of the cards are in poor condition. Some are but the vast majority are not. We are talking about items that are in the neighborhood of one hundred years old so they are not all going to be in mint condition. I think the editors did a fantastic job of giving readers a very broad cross-section of types and styles of cards, regardless of condition.
   
   Anyway, the book is organized by Holiday beginning with New Years Day. Each section has an introduction and history of cards for that particular holiday which I found to be very informative. For example we learn that Valentine's Day cards were actually the first holiday cards to be widely distributed beginning in the 17th century. And we also learn that the Easter Bunny dates back to 1700's Germany. The book cruises the calendar year hitting every holiday including Arbor Day, April Fool's Day, Memorial Day, etc...
   
   The highlight for most collectors will be the Halloween and Christmas portions. Halloween cards are easily the most valuable and sought after for collectors and I do agree that the Halloween section is way too skimpy at twelve pages (not eight as another reviewer mentioned). Still even twelve pages is slight compared to Thanksgiving which gets some 40 pages. The Christmas section is broken up into Santa and non-Santa parts and again most collectors will be interested in the Santa cards as they bring far more value than the others.
   
   While Postcards for the Holidays isn't a perfect book, it does it's job very well. The photography and post card reproductions are very clear and colorful and the book is produced on heavy, coated stock paper.
   
   Reviewed by Tim Janson



2. Robert and Claudette Reed's Postcards For The Holidays, 2nd Edition arrived too late for more timely Christmas mention, but since holiday collecting is really a year-round occupation, it's not too late to mention the ongoing reference value of Postcards For The Holidays Identification & Value Guide, which appears in its 2nd updated edition. Pages come packed with color photos of seasonal cards organized by holiday along with current prices. The chapters each introduce with a history of manufacturers and approaches to further the educational teachings.



3. I am really disapointed in the second edition because it is basically a repeat of the first edition. Although there are more pages in the second edition, this books shows the same postcards as the first edition. Also, the text is the same. It's like buying the same book only there are a few new postcards added. The authors did remove pictures of beat up postcards and replaced them with new cards they must have added to their collection, but they never changed the prices of what the cards are worth. Granted, the first book was published in 2002, and the second edition has a copyright of 2006, but every postcard collector wants to see their collection has increased in value-especially the Halloween cards. The values were not even increased by a dollar!The Easter section and Santa Claus sections are lengthier and the cover is attractive, but this is not my idea of what a second edition should be. The publishers and editors should have been more critical. There is not one Winsch or Schmucker card shown in any of the holidays and any collector knows, these are the cream of the crop, especially with Halloween cards. As much as I like the format and appreciate the book being in color, I was really upset not to see more new postcards and a change in postcard values. This shows lack of research and I feel like the book was hastily thrown together. Don't buy it if you own the first edition and hesitate about the second edition. I didn't think it was worth the price being charged.



4. 
   I first came across this book for sale at an Antique Show where a dealer was selling reference books and price guides. I was appalled at the condition of the postcards pictured in the book! I would not recommend this book to anyone with an interest in learning about postcards other than "don't collect cards in the condition they are pictured in the book" as you would be throwing your money away. I would agree with the other reviews here - the cover is great but the inside is a joke.



5. I could not agree more with the 2 "negative" reviews I saw. I would not have 90% of these cards in my album if I had gotten them for FREE! "Personal taste" aside, to show cards in such poor condition is mind-blowing, especially in a book whose cover promises much more. I'm a very recent collector of Holiday postcards, so I've been buying every reference book I could find. "POSTMARKED YESTERYEAR" by Pamela Apkarian-Russell is a wonderful book. Joe Hohmann, Madia, PA

No comments about Greetings from San Francisco.

2 comments about Southington (CT) (Postcards of America).

1. This is yet another wonderful book in the "Images of America" series. My only regret is that this book (and others in the series) is not twice the size. I was looking for memories, nostalgia...and I got much more than that. Scenes forgotten, buildings and views I've been talking about for years and wanting to share with people who never saw them; page after page of mood and memory. Very special for me were childhood pictures of people I knew as adults, when I myself was a small child. And, best of all, I had always heard about the woman for whom my grandmother worked as a domestic when she came to Southington from Germany as a young girl. It's part of the family story that this woman helped my grandmother make her wedding dress. In the book, there is a lovely portrait of the woman herself; a piece of our family history which we had never before seen. This book, like others of the series which I've seen, is beautifully and thoughtfully done, though it did leave me feeling somewhat frustrated that there wasn't more.



2. This book is great. We live in Southington and we love seeing the old pictures of the streets and town as it was before all this development.

1 comments about One Hundred Great Chinese Posters.

1. this collection of poster art from china is amazing and filled with a mix of the old and new of China.One poster of a little boy getting his firt hair cut holding a rifle to the old still learning,filled with power and craft this book is well worth a look for anyone who likes poster art. The detail descriptions of each poster from its original print dates to original price make this book filled with interesting details. I love the art and ponder the meanings behind the messages.

1 comments about Posta Verdura (Postcard Book).

1. I came across Helen Buttfield's postcard books for the first time when visiting the Melbourne Museum shop a few years ago. I bought the Posta Insecta collection to use as thank you cards and recently when I ran out, was happy find her other postcard collections are available from Amazon. Besides the beautiful artwork (which recipients often comment on) out of Posta Vedura's 30 cards, each picture is only repeated once, so great value for money.

No comments about Christmas Postcards: A Collector's Guide.

No comments about Greetings from Portland.