5 comments about Anchor Hocking's Fire-King & More.

1. Author/Photographer Gene Florence has produced a fan-tastic book for the Fire-King novice or afficianado. Just a warning, though: This is a 1998 book. The gain in collectibilia and accessibilty wrought by the Internet, along with standard inflation, has rendered the pricing rather dicey to rely on.

   If you are a Boomer, this is most likely the stuff of fond memories of your Momma's kitchen. Just looking at the picture of the Jane Ray Jade-ite platter (who knew that that was our hamburger cook-out platter's formal name?) makes my mouth water! On page 7, there is a reproduction of an old Anchor-Hocking ad: "Not a single item on this page costs more than 69 cents." Those were the days! It's come a long way! Reviewed by TundraVision, Amazon Reviewer.




2. This book has more than paid for itself in helping me recognize fire king and genuine old glass.

   Until I purchased Gene Florence's book, I used black & white reference books. Those are useless to me.

   This wonderful book has helped me determine if shaker lid and fireking flour piece went together (did not-flour shaker originally had a flat shaker lid the color of the writing on side not silver aluminum); if the "yellow" plate in a fire king design was old (was not (did not come in yellow) - but that yellow piece was made from fire king mold - one step up from out and out reproduction); and whether or not my 10 pieces of bakeware (some with lids) and marked Fire King were rare or reproductions. On the 10 piece baking set, I ended up e-mailing Gene Florence, and he responded that my piece was not rare - or did it even appear anywhere. The pieces are selling Very slowly - so they must not be very special.

   The book is difficult to understand how to match pricing & pictures at first, but well worth the effort. I am comfortable with the process now.
   
   If you collect or sell fire king - you need this book!




3. For the most part this book is an excellent resource for identifing Fire-King glassware and I would recommend it highly along with all of the author's other books. I own them all! As a specialist collector of the Anchor Hocking Early American Prescut pattern (10000pcs), I must say that I feel that some of the Prescut items listed are somewhat rarer than the book would suggest. There are also quite a few more items available in this particular pattern than are listed. I view the book's section on Prescut as another of this well known author's courageous attempts to chart previously uncharted waters and I'm sure that subsequent editions of this book will include course corrections.



4. Another winner for Gene Florence. Wouldn't be without his books. Beautiful, color pictures on nearly every page. I have read this book and all of his others over and over again.



5. This is my first purchase of reference material for my new hobby of depression-glass collecting. I found the pictures to be exellent, and the price guides informative, although a bit awkward to use at times. His comparisons of similar items are helpful, and the book is worth purchase for the pictures alone. Hope to compare it with the Kilgo book someday.

1 comments about Needlework Tools and Accessories: A Dutch Tradition--Made in Holland.

1. Well researched and beautifully illustrated with colour plates.
   Recommended for all sewing enthusiasts who will enjoy learning more about the history of their hobby.

3 comments about The Glass Candlestick Book, Vol. 3.

1. I now have all three volumes of this great Candlestick ID Book. I have gotten rid of the 5 others I had, as it is all in these 3 volumes! Candlesticks are listed by company names, but in the back of each book is a pictorial index that is fast to look through. There is also a quite complete index by name of pattern and maker. I cannot praise the 3 Glass Candlestick Books by Tom Felt and the Stoers enough! If you are interested in American Glass and don't have these, you need them!



2. Complete. One of the best balances of good photos and research that I have seen.
   Highly recommend all 3 volumes.



3. I thought this book was great. It is an excellent resource guide if you are trying to identify candlesticks. It is very comprehensive: 1) provides a history of the manufacturing company, 2) explains the difference between candlesticks that could look identical but aren't, 3)provides a ballpark dollar value, 4) beautiful pictures, and 5) if they aren't 100 percent sure of the manufacturer, they aren't afraid to say so. In addition to all of that, it gives a "thumbnail" view in the back of all the candlesticks in the book so if you just time to quickly look for an identification, you aren't having to read a lot and flip a lot of pages. Great addition to my collection, and finishes the series. Excellent value for the price. Volumes 1 and 2 are also worth the money and time.

2 comments about Guide to Fake & Forged Marks.

1. This is a good book for the serious antiques dealer or collector. This book contains clear pictures of the real and fake marks side by side (mostly in black and white) with some dates, and is split into categories according to type of antique.



2. A very interesting book for introducing beginning appraisers to fake and forged marks. The illustrations are very helpful. Information is plentiful. I would have preferred it to be all in color, though.

1 comments about The Official Gun Digest Book of Guns & Prices.

1. I'm very disappointed in this book. The information is old... not updated as it claims and it has no photos.

No comments about Antique Lace: Identifying Types and Techniques (Schiffer Book for Collectors).

2 comments about Roycroft Furniture & Collectibles: Identification & Value Guide (Identification and Value Guide).

1. Excellent book. Very informative. Use the "Look inside this book" link for this book and view the gorgeous color pictures. Would recommend highly.



2. This is one of the best books to ever be published on RoycroftFurniture. it not only lists furniture but hundreds of other items produced by roycroft and sold for top dollar on the auction block. and lists the auction houses that sold the items, this book deserves more than five stars, great book , and excellent author, worth much more than its retail price,,

2 comments about Warman's Pattern Glass: A Value and Identification Guide (Warman's Pattern Glass).

1. This book is the worst. The drawings are so POORLY detailed you cant make out the pattern. Dont waste your money, get either McCain's or Metz's glass books. This is a really, really poorly done book, I would rate this a negative 10 stars!



2. This 2nd edition (2001) has been completely revised to help you enjoy pattern glass collecting. There are 224 pages with 39 full color photos and nearly 500 clear black and white diagrams to assist in identifying pattern glass. Sufficient interesting text is provided, covering history, manufacturers, reproductions, state of the market, abbreviations, and more. Useful text is included for each category of the collectible. Values are shown along with the descriptions. The volume is well indexed to facilitate finding items. A very useful volume for pattern glass collectors.

No comments about Nippon Dolls & Playthings: Identification and Values.

4 comments about The Case Cutlery Dynasty: Tested XX.

1. I haven't even finished the book yet, and I can tell you that it is one of the most captivating accounts I have ever read. The author takes you square into the world of the Case's and their relatives, and pulls no punches about their strengths and shortcomings. Each character has his own chronological tale, so there is a lot of going over the same time period from different viewpoints. The reader can almost feel the way that it was to have to compete in that time period, and new respect is earned for those who went through it and made it work. The book itself is also well made, and worthy of a place in your collection.



2. Was very interesting to find out how many family ties Case had to other companies. Gives a great insight to how foreign imports have affected U.S. manufacturing over the years.



3. I must warn you that this review may be prejudiced; I am a direct decendant of Jean Case, the son of the last Case decendant still manufacturing knives and a high school acquaintance of the author. Still, I would like to share an objective view of this text from a historical point of view. My undergrad degree is in American Civilization and I am currently completing my Masters in 20th Century American History. I found Brad's book thoroughly engaging and though provoking from this perspective. Following the Case family is a microcosm of westward expansion, the industrial age, the progressive era, the Great Depression through the catastrophic effects of free trade and foreign importation. Historians, sociologists, anthropologists and economists could all benefit from reading this compelling text. I am going to recommend that members of our faculty use it in 19th or 20th cen. Am. Hist. classes.



4. I'm a huge fan of author Brad Lockwood, having read all of his novels ("Wink" rules and "Sellout" will be a great film) but I was a bit confused when I saw he had a non-fiction book coming out. Now, I don't know anything about knives, only from using them in my kitchen, but this book is truly amazing. I knew Brad could write, but I never realized how far he could take the story of his family - almost 2 centuries of knife makers - and make a very "testosterone heavy" industry so interesting. Wow! Buy this book - It isn't just about forging steel, it's about the women who put up with their husbands being away for months on end, and somehow kept the family together. A great, fast, truly informative historical read. It took me 3 days. Rereading it took 4.