3 comments about Tribal and Village Rugs: The Definitive Guide to Design, Pattern & Motif.

1. This book is not only attractive, but contains a wealth of knowledge about antique and modern rugs.
   
   Phyllis Pentecost



2. Absolutely stunning. Clear illustrations, clear text, beautiful layout. A stunning book that I am pleased to have added to my library.



3. Fantastic book---definitive info on all aspects of handmade rugs, including each part of the rug: border designs, major & minor motifs, origins of each of these with many attributed to multiple sources. I love to keep this book close at hand & use it frequently as a reference source for rugs & textiles from many of the countries in the Middle East, southwestern, northwestern, and central Asia, & many countries & regions that no longer exist in their original borders. This is one of the top 2-3 reference books that I use most frequently to identify the many elements in the rugs & textiles that I sell & also ones that I buy for my personal collection. It's absolutely fascinating--I just bought one of these for a friend who has a long-standing interest in the subjects covered in this book & she was THRILLED(!!!) with this book.

5 comments about Collecting Costume Jewelry 101: The Basics of Starting, Building & Upgrading (Collecting Costume Jewelry 101).

1. "Collecting Costume Jewellery 101" is essentially a beginners' guide to the main makers of (American) designer costume jewellery. Other information is also given, such as how to repair and clean costume jewellery and what to do with unwanted jewellery, all of which would be useful to a person starting a costume jewellery collection. However, the vast majority of this book are devoted to summaries of the main jewellery making companies.
   
   For most designers, the summary given is brief, comprising the dates of operation of the company; a brief history of the company; the signature look of the product; and buying recommendations. Nevertheless, this is more than enough for a beginning collector. Greater detail is given about Coro, Kramer, Trifari and Weiss, however, four designers whom Carroll recommends for beginning collectors. Numerous color photographs are also provided for each designer, with values given for each piece of jewellery.
   
   For people seeking a more detailed discussion of designer costume jewellery, I recommend the sequel to this book, "Collecting Costume Jewellery 202", although both books are well worth investing in.



2. This was a wonderfully informative book with information that dozens of other books on this subject do not cover. Also suggested is the sequel, Costume Jewelry 202.



3. I am so tickled and honored to have jewelry from my private collection featured in Julia's books. This new Second Edition of the "Collecting Costume Jewelry 101" book features a bright new cover with colorful layouts and 200+ new photographs and additional designers. Julia and I have been jewelry friends for many years and her incredible knowledge in this field has helped me form an extensive collection. So jewelry lovers, it is time to set aside the original edition that is dog-eared & note filled, and add this new second edition which features many new photographs and designers that are not in the first edition! As her other books, it is a great learning tool that will teach you so much about forming a fabulous costume jewelry collection of your own! She is so thorough in her research which you will see with all the updated information and new values. We can only hope there will be a 303 version in the future!



4. Hang on to your hats, jewelry lovers!!!! This is a book you MUSTN'T MISS!!! Julia C Carroll never disappoints collectors at any level of expertise. Once again, in this visually stunning new book she grabs us with beautiful pages in a logical and practical teaching layout that keeps us turning those pages!! The pictures are generous in volume and so well done you can examine the details in each piece. This new upgrade is a MUST HAVE-beautiful, bright, full of the great educational info of the original "101", but with so many more pictures and facts!! I find other authors' guides nice to thumb through, but you really learn to identify and nail down pieces out in the real world by studying Julia's "101" and "202". My collection is now full of incredible pieces I learned to look for only because of her great books. If you want the pride of knowing what to buy, and how to not overpay, buy and study this wonderfully updated book...even if you have the original "101", ADD THIS TO YOUR LIBRARY!!! Then sign on to buy her "202". Thanks, Julia C!! How about a "303"??????!!!!



5. I wish to express my gratitude to so many generous people who helped with this Second Edition of "Collecting Costume Jewelry 101:the basics of starting, building & upgrading".
   
   First, I want to thank my readers. I am warmed by the wonderful feedback I have received from beginning collectors on the first edition of this book. Based on this feedback, I was careful when working on the second edition to leave in place the easy-to-use format. Thank you readers!
   
   A warm thank you must always be reserved for my husband who once again offered me his support and his excellent camera skills. Thank you sweetheart!
   
   Next I want to thank my friends (especially Debi Reece and Dave Mayer) who shared their knowledge and collections with me so I could add over 200 new photographs to this new edition. Thank you dear friends!
   
   Finally, I want to thank the staff at Collector Books for giving me the opportunity to write a Second Edition. With their help this second edition has many beautiful enhancements. For example:
   
   - Collector Books created a hot new cover and vibrant new interior color scheme. I adore the bright colors and I hope you do too. While maintaining the easy-to-use alphabetical arrangement of makers, the interior design is also updated.
   - Over 200 new photographs have been added providing additional examples of jewelry designs from many makers.
   - The historical information and information about marks is updated.
   - eBay selling changes frequently so Chapter 6 - "Upgrading Your Collection" is fully updated.
   - A new chapter is added featuring 13 makers not shown in the first edition.
   - The popular "Marked by Style" chapter, showing unmarked jewelry attributed by the style to specific makers, is revamped and expanded.
   - Of course the values have been updated.
   Thank you Collector Books!
   
   I love jewelry, I love collecting, and I love this new edition. I hope you do too. Warm regards, Julia C. Carroll

5 comments about Schroeder's Antiques Price Guide.

1. If you are going to buy only one price guide on antiques, buy this one...and buy a new one every year. I use this constantly ~ it is well written, well documented and has numerous references. It covers a daunting array of items thoroughly and interestingly. The background information at the beginning of each heading is worth the price of admission alone.



2. While the book is huge and covers a vast number of items, I have yet to find an item in it that I need to identify/value. It's a good resource for a general feel of how to price items/what items should cost. I tend to rely on more specialized/collector's books instead of this one. In fact, I don't believe that I have opened this book in a year.



3. Good book but a lot left out, Mostly rare or hard to find items are covered and from not all makers. Still a good book for the more advanced collector.



4. We have used Schroeder's Antique Price guide for many years. We always look forward to the newest issue as we use it on a very frequent basis. It is written in concise and clear terms, well documented with many reference sites also listed in clear, easy directories. Amazon offered this guide at the best value we could locate online or offline. Thank you Amazon.
   
   Thank you,
   Mary & Les



5. This is a fabulous guide, especially for the beginner. I have found it to be one of the most helpful price guides which I have purchased and I have a lot of them.

5 comments about Vinyl Junkies: Adventures in Record Collecting.

1. This book made me break into a grin-and-nod combo more than once in recognition (frequently scaring other subway passengers). No matter. Reading about others chasing the elusive high of the vinyl dragon was comforting - and totally entertaining.
   
   I also liked the fact that this book that this book bemoaned the rarity of female collectors (Crumb's quote, "it never gets them hot," is hilarious). I'm one of those rarities myself (26 and trolling flea markets for records since I was 9 or 10), so it was interesting -if not really particularly surprising - to find out there's not a lot of us out there. "There's not many women who want to sit around and debate the best Elvis Costello album" line made me laugh, too - `cause I do!
   
   I'd recommend this for anyone who's ever collected anything - you're likely to find kindred spirits within these covers.



2. If you read and/or watched High Fidelity and thought, "That's me!", then this book is for you. Keep a pad of paper with you as you read, because you'll learn about some interesting collectibles you never knew existed. The segments where rock stars talk about their personal history/obsession with record collecting are particularly fun. Milano has an easy-going style that makes it feel like you're having a private conversation about a topic close to both your hearts. The best place to buy this book would be a used record store, but do get it.



3. Reads like a magazine article padded out to book length. Completely disposable. For record collectors like me, it says nothing new. For the rest it won't mean much. Don't bother, unless you see it in a bargain bin for $2 (which you probably will.)



4. The velvet underground & nico _ joe harvard
   
   Vinyl junkie _ brett milano
   
   If you consider yourself addicted to vinyl & those around you see your passion as something strange. This book is a treat, in it you will read stories about people who would need 2 or 3 life times to just hear the records they have accumulated or others that would fork out $4.000 for an odd 7 inch, not to mention one unbelievable story about a Hendrix collector who has in his prized record collection one that could contain Hendrix's dna.
   Yes, vinyl record collector you are not alone.



5. Vacuous, mediocre, trite, cliched, dull. Attempts and fails to be breezily hip and humorous. Skims the surface, never goes in-depth. A book for TV watchers, not readers.

No comments about Warman's Antiques & Collectibles 2009 Price Guide (Warman's Antiques and Collectibles Price Guide).

1 comments about Coin Collecting 101 What You Need to Know.

1. Great stuff for the beginner in this book - small histories of US denominations, coin categories to buy with caution, useful pictorial guide on grading, basics on coin shows, great tips on preservation. Probably not woth a buy for the experienced, but it is called coin collecting 101. Could have done without all the pages of state quarters. Seriously, it looks like the author was just filling pages. Overall all though, worth a buy for the novice.

No comments about Standard Catalog of World Coins: 17th Century - 1601-1700 (Standard Catalog of World Coins 17th Century Edition 1601-1700).

5 comments about Ancient Coin Collecting.

1. This book is an invaluable reference and great educational tool for collectors of ancient coins. It explains many aspects of the field in an academic but witty style. Very readable text, also contains lots of reference material indexed for additional study of specific areas of research. A "must have" for those new to this area of collecting.



2. This is a good introductory book to ancient coin collecting. Getting one's feet wet in this are of numismatics, is a touchy thing in this day of on line auctions...where forgeries are easily sold as authentic. Book covers most everything a numismatist new to this field could want, online help, types, forgeries, authentication, caveats, etc. Good read for the newbie in ancients.



3. This is a great single volume reference on Ancient Coin Collecting. I don't want to repeat what others have written, but I found it to be thorough, well-researched, engaging and well-organized. It will spark your imagination and add to your knowledge base without overwhelming you.



4. This is something of a potpourri of ancient coin information. It doesn't make a good reference work, per se; there are other books, etc. to purchase when you settle on your collecting theme. It is a great background resource, though, and helped me to clarify my own collecting themes.



5. As a collector over 30 years on Chinese and modern world coins, it's an adventoure for me to probe a totally different field of coin collecting - the western world ancient coins. What I need most is something to show me the way, to give me an outline, to guide me to the right direction, as well as to keep me interested at the unfamiliar new world.

   This book serves my needs exactly as it starts with very basic but substantial introduction to the ancient western cultures which are not familiarized by an oriental like me. Then there are good references provided, among them I appreciated most the last part of Chapter II, "Ancient Coins and the Internet", and also Chapter VI, "Numismatic Literature". Those information show a beginner to a broader view and an easier access in continuing his collection interest.

   I would say the most fancinating part of this book is surely Chapter VII, "Identifying Ancient Coins". It's systematically arranged thus I can get a clear picture of different categories of ancient coins, together with fundamental history background of the coin issuers. That is, indeed, far more interesting than just reading a coin catalogue.

   For anyone who intends to start ancient coin collecting, this is the book to start with.

5 comments about Unsigned Beauties of Costume Jewelry: Identification and Values.

1. An excelent reference book, however, sellers/buyers need to know a particular designer to find items. Not all items are referenced. Sellers/buyers need to do MUCH more research if they are looking for something special.



2. I was looking forward to receiving this book because as a collector I did not have a book on unsigned costume jewellery. However I was disappointed with the copy I received.
   My main complaint is the quality of the illustrations. For the most part the photos are dull, too dark and the colours are distorted. Some pages have a definate brownish tint and other pages are quite grey. In comparison to other books on the suject the photos lack colour and clarity but this may be due to the printing and perhaps I received a particularly bad copy.
   The book has 3 chapters that give insight into the birth of costume jewelry, the metals, stones, shapes and settings and also how to start a collection, date and restore pieces.
   For the price the book covers the subject well.



3. Marcia "Sparkles" Brown puts together the best books on costume jewelry there are. With all the pictures she includes it makes it so much easier to find something you may be wondering about and she has a lot to look at! I absolutely love her books!



4. I had read the book before when I started researching my mothers pins. I have now purchsed two of Marcie's books. They are well written, easy to follow, good pictures of pins and great advise.



5. I love this book!. It's chock full of excellent pictures and information for the vintage jewelry collector, whether a novice or one of long-standing. The book is well organized in its layout. I've discovered it's a 'collectible' book in its own right. Author, Marcia Sparkles Brown, has a video, which I also own and recommend.
   
   Although not a whole lot on each designer, some mention is better than none. To find references to Judy Lee, BSK, LaRoco, Park Lane, Avon, Capri, Art, JJ, Les Bernard, Capri, etc. was of interest to me when I first started collecting jewelry because of the scarcity of volumes on these names. Other designers, such as Lisner, Coventry, Napier, Monet, etc., also included in this book, were more easily found when doing searches for designers.
   
   The book has no index, so this may be a concern to others. But the designer names are presented in alphabetical order.
   
   Gail Gupton, Author: The 31-Day Diet of Spiritual Enlightenment and Seekers of Truth.

5 comments about Kitchen Glassware of the Depression Years: Identification & Values (Kitchen Glassware of the Depression Years).

1. I love this book. It's colorful and informative. It was much cheaper than the book store. It arrived in excellent condition.



2. This book goes everywhere with me! I've bought a lot of reference books, and it's definitely one of the best.



3. THIS BOOK IS NOT ONLY A NECESSITY TO USE TO KNOW THE VALUE OF ANTIQUE GLASSWARE, IT SO INTERESTING JUST TO BROWSE THROUGH WITH ALL THE COLORFUL GLASSWARE AND ITEMS YOU HAVEN'T SEEN IN YEARS AND SOME I'VE NEVER SEEN. I'VE REALLY ENJOYED LOOKING AT THIS BOOK OVER AND OVER AGAIN.



4. An excellent resource superior to their book on Oven Ware. I would highly recommend. Lots of pictures and values.



5. I have been using Florence's books for research and pricing. What a world of help and knowledge!!!I recommend this book for those, like me, who are new and need a helping hand and guidance as well as for those who have been in the business for years. My thanks!!!