5 comments about American Air Rifles.

1. The information in this book is now 5-6 years old and, in this age of product volatility, a lot of the mentioned rifles are no longer available. There's more here than you probably want to know when it comes to ballistics--I just skip the technical parts. As a casual airgun shooter, I'm really not too interested in the finer points involving physics. What House did in this book was to investigate a subject that is mostly ignored. He reviewed relatively inexpensive American multi-pump air rifles in the context of how they perform in relation to the more sophisticated, expensive--and decidedly less shooter-friendly--European rifles. His conclusion is somewhat astonishing in finding that the American rifles offer a lot of accuracy and utility for a reasonable price.
   
   After reading this book, I felt obliged to dust off my old Daisy and give it a try at 10 meters. Unfortunately, it's been abused and neglected for well over 10 years and the whole barrel assembly was too loose to even attempt to use it again. I again consulted House and went out and picked up a Benjamin 392 that has proven to be a real joy. Every pellet I've tried gives substantially less than .5" groups at 10 meters even in my fairly unsteady hands and with my aging eyes.
   
   The Crosmans, Daisies, Benjamins and Sheridans will never have the following or accolades of the finely crafted spring-piston European models but this book goes a long way in giving them the respect they deserve.



2. This book is an excellent introduction to air rifles, pellets and the ballistics of air rifles. It would serve as a good guide to someone interested in purchasing an air rifle for hunting or plinking. The cover indicates that it covers target shooting, small-game hunting, complete ballistics and pellet selection. The latter three items are covered. However, there is essentially no information on target shooting or rifles designed for target shooting. I realize that the book is limited to American air rifles, but at least the Daisy Avanti models could have been included. There was also a lack of discussion of triggers, a critical rifle component for accurate shooting. I would have rated the book at least 4 stars, if it had not given the impression on the front cover that it included target shooting and target rifles, which was the reason that I bought it.



3. I purchased this book for my husband who loves airguns(all guns), hence the title. He would not put that book down until he read the whole thing! Especially about the Benjamin 392, which is his personal favorite(if you could pin him down to choose a favorite). In his own words,"It is the best book written on American made pneumatic "pump-up" Air rifles that he has read to date. It has plenty of statistics on fps and fpe and pellet accuracy just to name a few. Also great info on small game hunting using "magnum" powered airguns". I am very pleased with my husband's pleasure with this book and I would imagine any airgun buff/collector would not be complete with a copy for his/her library.
   Sincerely,
   S.Morales-SAN JOSE,CA



4. Mr. House's book on air rifles is a good informational book for the masses. It may fall short of Mr. Lumley's expectations but it is fine for the rest of us.

   Mr. Lumley stoops to attacking the author and supposing his motives for writing the book. I don't think Mr. Lumley's comments are constructive nor will they scare off a thinking person.

   The book has good information on air rifles and their performance.




5. This is by far the best book for beginners and intermediate users of air rifles that I have seen so far. Lots of practical information on the selection and use of pellets and rifles. The author has a way of explaining some difficult topics in ballistics that makes the material useful to the non expert. I was also suprised to find out how accurate and powerful American air rifles are. The only additions I would have liked to have seen in the book are, 1) A chapter on shooting technique (target and hunting. and 2) A chapter on maintenance and lubrication. I would highly recommend this book.

4 comments about All-American Ads 30s (Midi).

1. An awesome collection of ads from this decade. Hundreds of pages w/ ads of all categories. Very enjoyable. I'm an advertising major & this is a fun book to own!!!



2. Once again, Taschen has put forth a wonderfully illustrated and highly enjoyable publication. The ads are superb. The reader can truly immerse themselves in popular culture and daily life in the United States during the 1930s. What I most appreciate is the fact that Taschen presents the materials as is; they let the ads speak for themselves. I consider it one of the best resources of popular culture from the era.



3. You expect a book like this to be fun, and it is! The hard sell approach, the inflated claims, and the infamous phrase, "It isn't brand X if it doesn't say Y!" (as if your brain is scrambled) ... it's all hilarious now. And even when these techniques get tedious, the drawings and paintings are colorful and well-designed by themselves.

   The ads don't mention the Depression, but you can see it in the phrases "stretch your dollars" and "these days..." That's a technique auto makers adopted after Sept. 11th, as in "we're getting America moving again with 0% financing." In that sense, ad makers fashioned a social history that belongs alongside stories of travelling Okies and bread lines. These ads showed what people hoped for, what they wanted to become. And that's just as important as where they were. So while post-Sept. 11th ads wanted to get the family back to the dinner table, so Depression-era folks wanted to get their friends back for champagne and elegant dinner parties.

   Still, there is enough variety here to reflect many points of view and design style. Some ads were clearly ahead of their time. Some were still mired in Victorian imagery. A few are really shocking, like the public service ad with a drawing of a sinking Lusitania with the headline, "The Lusitania Sank. So What of It?" (It was an ad for World Peaceways.)

   I am no historian or designer or advertiser ... but I found this book mind-blowingly fun.




4. Taschen's fourth volume of the All-American Ads series provides a big look back to the day before yesterday. Steven Heller provides a short overview of the decade and explains that despite the Depression magazines, in which most of these ads appeared, had very high circulations. For a few cents readers could escape the reality of everyday life and be entertained by the features and the colourful advertisements. Naturally there is no real mention of the Depression though some of the ads sport the little NRA symbol and the words `We do our part'

   The format of this book is the same as the others, nine sections (Alcohol and tobacco, Automobiles, Consumer products, Entertainment, Fashion and beauty, Food and beverages, Industry, Interiors and finally Travel) provide whole, two or four ads to a page and fortunately none of them are angled or overlap. The digital reproduction of the 1500+ ads is excellent, it is always a problem to reproduce anything that is already printed because it can create screen clash but these are reproduced with clean colors and sharp lines (thanks to 175 dpi).

   Most of these ads are copy and picture heavy, stylish use of white space and clever typography was years away, though three ads for Pierce Arrow autos on pages 176-177 stand out because they do seem very modern. Illustrations rather than photography were the main visual elements with headlines and copy used to fill any space that was left.

   This as a super book if you are interested in social history or want to see how copywriters created product desire more than sixty years ago or you are just curious about things your grandparents reminisce about. Maybe they remember the 1932 ads for the Pitcairn autogiro, after all no home should be without one!

No comments about Ethnic Jewellery.

5 comments about Heisey Glass: The Early Years : 1896-1924.

1. In this book author Shirley Dunbar shares with the reader her research on glassware produced by the A.H. Heisey Company, from 1896-1924.
   
   This book contains page after page of large, full color pictures of the different pieces. This is always joy to have as it makes identifying your piece so much easier. You can also find the market value of each piece which is another great plus.
   We are given a history of the Heisey Company and its founder and helpful tips for buying and caring for glassware.
   A well researched book that every collector would want in their library.
   Shirley Johnson



2. For publication: November , 2001

   More news about the book Heisey Glassware: The Early Years 1896-1924 ---

   At the Mid-Administration Congress of the National League of American Pen Women on October 20th, 2001, in St. Augustine, Florida, a variety of literary competitions were held and Heisey Glassware: The Early Years 1896-1924 won FIRST PLACE in the non-fiction category.

   At the same time, The Florida State Association of the National League of
   American Pen Women awarded the book, again, in literary competition, FIRST PLACE for a Published Nonfiction Adult Book.

   According to reports, this book has become a "classic" for beginning collectors of Heisey Glassware because of its original photographic presentations of the early patterns




3. As reported in the Fort Pierce, Florida Tribune: This book recently won FIRST place in a National Competition: Non-Fiction category given by the Mid-Administration Congress of the National League of American Pen Women (Spring, 2001) Washington, D.C. and, FIRST place in a competition for a Published Non-Fiction Adult Book, State of Florida, awarded by The National League of American Pen Women (Spring, 2001) in Jacksonville, Florida. The author's bibliography appears in the 2002-2003, 23rd. Ed., of Who's Who of American Women. The book and author were featured on the TV series Collectible Treasures (H&G Network), October 26th, 2001.



4. This super 176 page, softbound volume is loaded with more than 300 large, full color photos and 50 black and white photos. All of the items are identified by number, including mold dates,pattern origins, and up-to-date, year 2000 market values. There is a wealth of interesting and useful information to meet the needs of the novice and experienced collector. Every pattern is so clearly shown in amazing detail, even hard to photograph clear glassware. You'll learn who A. H. Heisey was, the classes of glass, buying glass, care of glass, as well as Victorian Patterns, Bands, Grooves and Panels, Evolution of Style, Novelties and Rarities. There's a glossary of terms and much more. Heisey Glass collectors will really enjoy and refer to this book often.



5. this book is the first book on Heisey glassware to completely cover the early period from 1896-1924. It offers a complete history of the company and includes original color photographs of over 50 patterns along with explanations and dates of origin. It is NOT copies of sales catalogues, but rather an encylcopedia of photos of actual glass pieces. It is highly recommended for collectors of pattern glass, elegant glassware and fine glassware of this time period.

2 comments about Goldmine Standard Catalog of American Records 1950-1975.

1. What a letdown! While this book purports to cover the period 1950-1975, I was sadly disappointed to find that it completely omits one of the most important musical influences of that period, DON COSTA, who was a noted arranger-conductor, master of the 12-string guitar, a performer in his own right, and a man who influenced the careers of many well-known performers like Frank Sinatra, Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gorme, Johnny Mathis, Ferrante & Teicher, Paul Anka, and the list goes on. Don Costa's fabulous arrangements have appeared on labels such as ABC-Paramount, Columbia, Mercury, United-Artists, and his own label, DCP-International. Don Costa was a true musical genius and as such, he was hired to be the musical director of a major Boston, MA radio station when he was only 15 years old!... One can only wonder what other important performers or facts were left-out of this book, and such omissions only serve to cast doubt on the seriousness of the data that did manage to find a place between the covers of this publication!



2. This is one of the best price guide books for American records. Due to its detailed information and clearly organized listings, it surpasses all previous publications in its scope and usefulness. It adds artists not previously mentioned in past price guides but does omit artists on a somewhat arbitrary basis. Why Getz and not Gillespie etc.? For the artists it does include, much hard work is reflected in the thorough discographies which list reissue information and pressing chronology with great accuracy. Obscure artists with limited product are, as is common with books of this type, omitted. For the money, this is the best book. Only Osborne's Rockin Records covers more ground, but in less essential detail.

1 comments about The Collector's Encyclopedia of Majolica.

1. I am new to the wonderful world of Majolica. I was looking for some reference books to help me purchase quality pieces of Majolica on ebay without paying more than I should. I found The Collector's Encyclopedia of Majolica a good reference because of the approx. 180 pages of colorful pictures illustrating the various types of Majolica pottery available. This book includes a value guide for the pieces pictured in it with a few pages of general information. I gave it 3 stars because it is helpful in pricing certain items but does not give you alot of details about the history of the many companies that produced Majolica.

5 comments about Blue Book of Electric Guitars.

1. If you're a total guitar nut like me, this is a must have book. The 10th edition is the best yet. It's a tremendous resource for brand information, model specs, history, and pricing. While I found some errors and disagree with a few price listings, it is still one of the best books of its kind. It's a toss-up of which I like better between this and the Vintage Guitar Guide book. The Blue Book of Electric Guitars 10th edition has more brands and is a bigger book, but the Vintage Guitar Price Guide 2008 has more accurate information and better research. For example, the Blue Book only has a few USA Kramers included, while the VG book has more vintage models listed and a better written history. But the VG book doesn't include a great company/luither like Wollerman, while the Blue Book has a nice section for that brand. The Blue Book has a better section on ESP, and the VG has a better section on Charvel. Both books cover Gibson and Fender well. I say a serious guitargeek needs both books. Neither is overly impressive with accurate pricing, but the Blue Book provides more ranges which is nice. They both do give you a ball-park figure and lots of fun info. I read both of them cover-to-cover, yearly.



2. This book is great not just prices but a ton of knowledge that is extremely helpful... What to watch for and how to verify it... There are always those that try to get a little more than they deserve in any business... After reading this books hints and tips it is like you have twenty years experience in buying selling trading guitars... Many of my long time guitar experience friends are amazed when I come up with things that even they didn't know... Like serial codes that indentify what country their guitars were made... One of the biggest bang for the buck books I have bought in a long time...



3. I use this book as a reference in pricing. I have found it to be a very valuable tool for a starting point on pricing. Also, I have found it to be a very handy reference to locate model information without having to go to several sources. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in collecting or buying vintage guitars.



4. THE BLUE BOOK OF ELECTRIC GUITARS is a great book featuring information about different guitars, both old and new. Some information here needs to be taken like the humor in comedy films featuring Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Alyson Hannigan, Sarah Michelle Gellar, and/or Melissa Joan Hart, because instruments that are still in production are listed as discontinued, but it's still a wonderful book.



5. Had to return this stinker fast. Very incomplete book for guitars alone, never mind their value (Which most are valued too low in here). Inexperienced author (not the guy on the cover), some kid. I could not believe how bad it was. Format is terrible, it's painful looking up a particular guitar. A Good book for this type of info is Vintage Guitar Price Guide. It is a four star book (still incomplete) - I've yet to see a five star on this subject.......??

1 comments about Red Wing Collectibles.

1. This reference book is a must have for any Red Wing collector, novice to advanced. The photography is superb throught the book and the associated pricing has been diligently researched.

   The guide to markings assists in making accurate identifaction of any piece of Red Wing Stoneware.

   A GREAT REFERENCE!

2 comments about The Official Red Book: A Guide Book of Washington and State Quarters Dollars (Official Red Books).

1. This book isn't nearly as detailed as Bowers book on Morgan dollars.
   
   It has little detail compared to the Morgan dollars book



2. A Guide Book of Washington And State Quarters: Complete Source for History, Grading, and Prices provides a very specific, detailed resource for quarter collectors which pairs a history of quarter issues with tips on assessing coins, buying wisely, and valuing quarters from 1932 to date. Illustrations in full color throughout make identification easy - along with a grading guide and the latest values. Any coin collector specializing in quarters must have this.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch

No comments about Matchbox Toys 1947-2008: Identification & Value Guide (Matchbox Toys).