1 comments about Fantasy Postcards With Price Guide: A Comprehensive Reference.

1. Mashburn writes great books, no question about it. This particular postcard guide focuses on fantasy postcards, which are a particular favorite of mine. He coveres all the basics: fairies, nursery rhymes, dressed animals, mermaids, teddy bears, Santas, Krampus, nudes, death fantasies, Halloween, Hold-To-Light, and a whole host of other types of weird and wonderful subjects.

   As well, Mashburn gives us a comprehensive history of postcards and collecting, covering the seven eras of postcards. He discusses the various types, how to date them, grade them, and value them. Since the book was written in '96, his prices do not always reflect current online auction prices, but that's understandable. My only real quibble with this book is that after reading through it and looking at the many black and white illustrations I only wanted to go out and buy more cards! A wonderful book, don't hesitate.

2 comments about Postcards from World War II: Sights & Sentiments from the Last Century (Postcards from).

1. This is a wonderful, entertaining book! The graphics of actual World War II Postcards are fabulous!!! You will enjoy it from the minute you pick it up till you turn the very last page. The Clairday's give us a bird's eye view of the impact on the soldiers and their families during World War II. In a colorful real way, you are transported back in time while reading the notes to family, friends and loved ones. The images on those cards also speak to the history of the time. Anyone of any age can appreciate this "fun to read" book. It is a "must have" and a "great gift" for the holidays.



2. As one who grew up in the UK during World War II, "Postcards from World War II" provides an unexpected insight into what conditions were like in America. It never occurred to me that anyone outside Europe had price controls, food rationing and other restrictions. The text is not just a chronicle of events, it complements the numerous evocative postcards to give the reader a unique experience. Many are difficult-to-read scribbles, but are transcribed at the back so their all-important words can be read with ease. The publishers have provided high quality reproductions with unexpected clarity. This is a fine book.

1 comments about Wish You Were Here: An Album of Vintage Mackinac Postcards.

1. Compiled and with commentary by Steven C. Brisson, "Wish Your Were Here: An Album Of Vintage Mackinac Postcards" is a superbly organized and presented collection of historic postcard color and duo-tone postcards of Mackinac Island. The images range from steamships, docks and harbor views; to main street vistas, churches and cottages, to island hotels, and so much more. Enhanced with a bibliography, a list of acknowledgments, an index, and an appendix (Publisher Information and Dates of the Cards), "Wish You Were Here" is a very highly entertaining, as well as informative and nostalgic post card collection that is especially recommended to Mackinac Island enthusiasts and amateur historians as a perfect memorial tribute to a colorful island's past grandeur.

No comments about Greetings from Grand Central N.Y (Vintage Postcard).

No comments about Greetings from Charleston: A Pictorial Postcard History of Charleston, South Carolina.

No comments about The Golden Age of Postcards: Early 1900s Identification & Values (Identification & Values (Collector Books)).

4 comments about World War II Homefront Collectibles: Price & Identification Guide.

1. Jacobs must be given credit for producing the very first priceguide on homefront collecting. And Jacobs has assembled photographs of some fairly uncommon items from his pool of experienced contributors. But thats where the kudos end. It is mostly all B&W with just a few color. The organization makes it almost impossible to identify an item that does not have a picture. He lists two different prices for the same item on different pages. His coverage of the homefront area is poor. He wastes several pages on listing gum cards while completely failing in the areas like anti-axis where covers, cinderellas and postcards are just about all that is listed missing ceramics, toys etc in that subcategory. He has a slug of jewelry photos that someone obviously spent a great deal of time shooting but they are all in B&W completely subduing that contribution. And his prices are plain and simply not credible especially when compared to his V For Victory book which has many of the same items but radically different prices without explanation. Overall I'd say buy it just for the pics but throw out the price guide part. Its a woefully error ridden text. An obvious rush job. I give it two stars for being the first.



2. World War II Homefront Collectibles: Price & Identification Guide presents more than 2,000 items known in antique collector circles as "homefront collectibles" originally produced in the United States to bolster civilian moral during the years of World War II. Profusely illustrated with 600 photos (including a section of full-color photography), World War II Homefront Collectibles is a unique, invaluable aid and guide for both beginner and experienced collectors and dealers. From jewelry, postcards, movie posters, and matchbooks, to toys, games, trading cards, and anti-Axis memorabilia, this definitive, authoritative, reliable, highly recommended guide is an essential addition to any personal, professional, or community library antiques/collectibles reference book collection. Send for the free Krause Publications catalog for a complete listing of fine antique/collectible price guide titles.



3. Tom Brokav said it all in his best selling novel, The Greatest Generation: "The World War II Victory era from 1941-1945 will undoubtably be forever known as the 'Greatest Generation' in America history! My book is a visual journey into the most humerous, often outlandish, and fascinating World War II collectibles ever assembled.206 pages.Over 2000 listings, 600 wonderful detailed photos,chapter biographies,with a price and identification guide for each collectible. Chapters include: V for Victory, Remember Pearl Harbor, Patriotics, Civilian Defense, Anti-Axis, and Wartime Kids. Homefront hobbyists as well as collectors of Americana will treasure this book.



4. Great, new 208 page volume with over 600 black and white and more than 60 full color photos. Covers homefront items ranging from: arcade pin-up postcards, greeting cards, matchbooks and POW, to stationery, comics, gum cards and toys. Numerous paper items are shown. Each major chapter includes an interesting and informative introduction to the topic. Values are provided. An outstanding compilation of a variety of collectibles, providing insight into life in the U.S. during WWII that will be of interest to people of all ages.

1 comments about From Abbeville to Zebulon: Early Post Card Views of Georgia.

1. If you enjoy seeing Georgia in old photographs, you'll love this collection of postcard photos. Just about every place is represented here, from the big cities to the tiniest hamlets. Buy it, you'll find yourself looking at it again and again, especially after visiting some of the places depicted. -Marianna

4 comments about Ocean Liner Postcards.

1. I echo the opinions of the first reviewer`s comments if not his star rating.As a British collector of Liner postcards I probably am biased towards it`s "Britishness" but it is unquestionably the best [and admittedly the only]book on this subject available.Look,love Liners- like lots!



2. This book could have been written in 1925. It is a model of its kind: well-organized, quite literate, and with very valuable details, appendices, and a good index. There are lists of publishers, timelines, and most important, Artists -- and that list indexes the particular card(s) in the text. Further, in this little book there is a capsule history of passenger shipping from 1837 to 1950 --and it is a far better-written, more lucid and more informative narrative than most of what passes for history these days in larger size picture-books. If you read this book you will have taken a giant step toward being a serious collector.

   That said, there are drawbacks as well as virtues in this little book's Britishness. Most of all, it concentrates almost entirely on British shipping, with perfunctory nods to the Germans (lightly represented), the French (hardly represented at all), or the (completely ignored) Dutch, Swedish, Italians, and Americans. And despite the virtuosity of the artists represented there is a certain sameness about the examples.

   That really didn't bother me. This is a beautiful little book about a wonderful little subject. If it takes no note of the sleeker, more stylized Art Nouveau or Deco styles popular on "the Continent," it does give a very good exposition of the realistic yet painterly artists, many of whom (Wyllie, Dixon and Shoesmith for example) were superb draftsmen as well as painters --talents sorely needed, then and now.

   I only hope Mr. Wall will tackle the other countries in another volume -- and I will rush to buy it.




3. The world of ocean liner postcards is a fascinating one, filled with exquisite exterior and interior views of long-gone ships. But this volume misses most of the best. Where are the gorgeous chromolithographed Hamburg-America cards, whose detail is astonishing and artistry is breathtaking. Has Wall never seen one? Wall has a single North German Lloyd card, out of hundreds of beautiful examples I've seen. Why? Where are the lovely Red Star cards, some so beautiful they've been turned into posters and reproduced and are for sale even now. Where are the delicate Japanese cards, so different from their European counterparts? Has Wall never seen them? Apparently not. The cards reproduced here are almost entirely British, as if only British steam ships mattered--and yet these are the most common cards available today and among the least distinguished. Furthermore, a fair number of Wall's examples are in such poor condition that no collector would have them in his or her collection. Worse yet, Wall's book is filled with small inaccuracies. Normandie cards, he says, are rare--and yet I have seen at least 200. For the person interested in ocean liner postcards--and there is good reason to be interested, both for artistic and historical reasons--this book is a shame. It could have been remarkable, but it was evidently put together by someone who has very little knowledge or experience of these miniature artworks. By the way, at one time I had 7500 different ocean liner postcards in my collection, so I think my opinion has considerable validity. I bought this book hoping to show my wife what the best ocean liner postcards were like, what my collection was like when I owned it. I wasted my money. Instead of buying this book, spend you money at a postcard show. If it's a good one, you'll find a number of cards better than any in this book.



4. August `99 OCEAN LINER POSTCARDS IN MARINE ART 1900-1945 is a very attractive, nicely produced little handbook (the first of its kind) aimed chiefly at ocean-liner buffs, for whom it will surely be a must-buy. The book may also be of interest to those who recall the age of ocean liners and perhaps even sailed on them. The reproductions of more than 200 color post cards of passenger ships are surprisingly good, as are many of the paintings themselves. For some reason, artists - even marine artists - often have difficulty in representing ships in a way that is anatomically accurate, as it were: the perspective may be off, the stacks too high, the hulls to large and looming. Not to worry: most of the paintings commissioned for post cards - which after all were marketing vehicles - are imbued with an irresistible romantic aura that overcomes all defects. Regrettably, the information about the ships depicted in this nifty book is quite sketchy and the text, which presents short histories of the lines involved, is rather dry.

5 comments about Boring Postcards USA.

1. I have owned this book for several years. Once in a while, I break it out if I yearn for something nostalgic or a break from the present-day pace. The sometimes placid and unassuming images cause the reader to consider a simpler time. It never fails to entertain. Yes, it has humorous images, some staged--yet others seem to be a snapshot of everyday life. The postcards depicting tacky motel room interiors are fun. Any reader could imagine a nice restful escape in these quarters. If anything, this book encapsulates a time gone by but not forgotten. Hardly boring as the title implies, these postcards are a comfort and a great page-turner for those that want to de-stress.



2. I bought this gift as a "funny" Christmas present. Most of the pictures don't even look like they were postcards (just pictures) ... nor can you tell when / where they are from... and most of them are just pictures of interstates... the commentary under each of the picture is sort of random too... just not what I thought it would be...



3. I read reviews before I purchased this book, and followed the advice of the positive ones. I actually sent this book back the day after I received it. Thank goodness for free return shipping. BORING BORING BORING
   Nothing fun about this book at all.



4. This is an awesome book, made up entirely of old postcards with pictures of highways, restaurants, airports, and other prosaic places.
   
   The postcards aren't like the ones you see today, photographs of beautiful places. They look like someone snapped a picture of the highway or restaurant, without even bothering to pick a scenic spot. Only, many of them have captions describing the pictures as 'beautiful' or 'scenic.' That only makes it funnier.
   
   On the one hand, I applaud the use of average, even somewhat ugly images in this book to convey a feeling of time and place. At the same time, I can't believe anyone thought these pictures would make good postcards -- even decades ago.
   
   The pictures are quirky and make me laugh. Best of all, they feel like a window into another time. I can look at these photographs and feel like I'm there... in that prosaic, rather ugly place, probably filled with real people with all their quirks and oddities. It's like a time machine!
   
   All in all, I'm very glad I acquired this book.



5. I have sent this as a gift several times. All recipients loved the book but all were sorry that postcards were not removable.