No comments about Warman's Dolls Field Guide: Values And Identification (Warman's Dolls).

No comments about Hot Wheels: Warman's Companion.

3 comments about The Jigsaw Puzzle: Piecing Together a History.

1. If you like jigsaw puzzles as I do, you must read this book. If you really love wooden jigsaw puzzles, buy the book today.



2. Just when I least expected it, a new book on Jigsaw Puzzles appears.I already had a good book on the subject,"The One,The Only,The Original Jigsaw Puzzle Book" by Francene and Louis Sabin,1977.It was and still is a very good book.While obviously,some of the same things are covered,there is still enough that ie different to make it worthwhile as a companion to this new jigsaw book.(see my review ).In just about every aspect, this book gives a lot more.There are 16 color pages showing about 50 collectible jigsaws;no way could black and white do them justice.History of jigsaws is covered from their inception in the mid-1700's and particulaly during the puzzle crazes of the 1920's.Also covered is how inovations took place over the years .There are details on construction and manufacture as well as complete instructions on various ways to make your own puzzles.We are also told of some of the famous people who indulge in puzzles;Bill Gates,Albert Einstein,Bing Crosby,Jean Harlow,George W. Bush,Stephen King,several US Presidents and even J.P.Morgan.Hard to believe all these people have something in common.We are also told of speed competitions to assemble puzzles as well as record size and complexity of puzzles.
   I also found out about a puzzle I've had for some time and never got around to working on. Namely, one put out by Christopher Mockton,in 1998 called Eternity.He was the son of a Vicount and advisor to Prime Minister Thatcher.The puzzle consisted of 209 geometrically shaped pieces which had to be placed in a frame.Somewhat like a 209 piece Tangram.The buyer had 4 years to complete it for a Million Pound prize.To great astonishment, 2 Cambridge students spent 6 months on a computer program and successfully solved it.Mockton had to sell his ancestral home in Scotland to pay off the prize.It is a great collector's item,and I found in a 'Thrift Store'for a dollar,but somehow I doubt I'll ever solve it.
   It kind of reminds me of Loyd's "Cyclopedia of Puzzles"This huge volume was hastily assembled by his son and privately published in 1914 and offered a large prize to the first person who submitted correct solutions to all the puzzles.Well,there were all kinds of errors,multiple solutions,impossible solutions and whatnot ,so that nobody won the prize.Dover Publishing and Martin Gardner put out a selection of these puzzles in 1959.
   Sorry for the digression.The Jigsaw book gives us some names for various shaped pieces,such as, ,turtles,loops,sockets,knobs,holes,tabs,slots,keys, locks and suggests you find some of your own names.I like tongues,mouths,lefties,righties,uppers,downers,straights,curves, to name a few more.
   Then to top it off, Williams gives hundreds of references,all the way from web sites,books,manufacturers,sellers,organizations and many,many references to articles in all sorts of publications.
   It's hard to imagine this being anything but the definitive book on Jigsaw Puzzles for a long time.Then again;maybe another new dog will appear on the block;but it'll have to be good to top this one.



3. "On the face of it, a jigsaw puzzle is a ridiculous exercise in make-work and wasted time." This is the analysis of Anne D. Williams, and she ought to know. After all, she is in the opinion of puzzle-master Will Shortz "the world's foremost expert on jigsaw puzzles." She has built an academic career on jigsaws, and has one of the world's largest collections (around 8,000), and so can be counted to look at them as something more than ridiculous exercises. In _The Jigsaw Puzzle: Piecing Together a History_ (Berkley Books), she has assembled (ahem - the puns about puzzles, frequent in this work, are surprisingly numerous) an appealing collection of what must have been a pastime in almost everyone's life. The appeal of the subject is therefore universal, and its aspects are here told with humor and genuine delight. Though all of us have worked on jigsaws, much of the book has to do with those who work on manufacturing the puzzles and those obsessed with putting the puzzles together, or collecting them.
   
   American children almost all have put together maps of the United States, with each state being a separate piece (well, the little ones in the northeast often blended). In doing so, they participate in the earliest form of the jigsaw. The "dissected map" was the original jigsaw, and mapmakers were the original jigsaw manufacturers. The precise date of origin or identity of the inventor are not known, but there were jigsaw maps by 1760, and the children of King George III played with them, and maybe learned some geography. They were expensive, and so are the handmade wooden ones that are still made, maybe at $6 a piece. Such puzzles often have pieces that look like letters our silhouettes of bird, clowns, or infinite others; this was an innovation of Parker Brothers in 1908, the time of the first puzzle fad. A further fad occurred around the depression, when puzzles were taken up again by a new generation who could no longer afford the theater, who had time on their hands, and who might get some small mental lift by being able to succeed in completing a puzzle. Luxury puzzles best exemplified currently by Stave Puzzles, now patronized by the likes of Queen Elizabeth, Barbara Bush, and Bill Gates. The owner, Steve Richardson, is known as the "Chief Tormentor," and takes seriously his role in making harder puzzles, like the one of only 150 pieces that could fit together a million wrong ways and one right way. He admits he went too far in an April Fool's Day puzzle for 1989 called "5 Easy Pieces". It had only five pieces, and it was easy to put four together; the last one always proved too big to fit in. Thirty buyers took the puzzle on, at $89, and he sent refunds to them all: the puzzle wasn't too hard, it was impossible.
   
   There are computer programs now that take a photo and change it into pieces that can be shown on your monitor. You use the mouse to move and turn the pieces into the solution. Williams obviously values the older puzzles more, but admits that with a computer puzzle, one never risks losing a piece. There are computer programs used to solve puzzles, as the designer of the fiendish "Eternity" puzzle learned after he offered a prize of a million pounds to anyone who solved it within four years. Six months of full-time computing by two Cambridge mathematicians lost him his money and the ancestral mansion he had to sell. It is only one of the amazing stories here, in a well illustrated and funny book about a happy aspect of human ingenuity.

4 comments about Antique and Collectible Marbles.

1. This is an excellent referance book for early hand made German and American marbles. It is well illistrated and easy to follow. It is not meant for marbles manufactured after the late 1920's. A must have for marble collectors.



2. I was disappointed not only in the size of this price and identification guide for marbles, but also in the marbles that were covered. I was looking for a guide that would help me identify older, but more common marbles, not so many pages on sulphides with characters encased and rare marbles.



3. This book has beautiful pictures and is a nice introduction into marble collecting. However, it is not very helpful in identifying your marbles. There are pictures of different manufacture's marbles but enough information to teach you how to tell them apart yourself.



4. This book IS marble collecting made easy. It's easy to understand with very clear pictures and text. The pictures are fantastic. I had picked up some old marbles in an auction boxlot and this book really made it possible for me to identify the valuable ones. It has to be the LEAST dry and boring antique reference book I've ever found. I highly recommend it!

No comments about Judy Garland Paper Dolls.

5 comments about So Crazy Japanese Toys!.

1. A beautiful book filled with beautiful pictures of beautiful (and bizzare) Japanese toys. What more could one ask for? Well, how about a book that stays in one piece for more than 30 minutes. After less than half an hour of gentle reading the wraparound cover became unglued from the rest of the book. I'll glue the cover back on and cross my fingers nothing more comes loose, but this is a hassle, and not the first time such a thing has happened with a Chronicle Book: my copy of Eric Kohler's "In the Groove" found itself In the Trash soon after both cover and pages came loose from the el-cheapo glue binding. Message to Chronicle Books: it's the 21st Century, and high time books be bound to last more than a day. Either have your current printer improve his binding, or get a new printer. And yes, I'd be willing to pay a little more for better binding. My rating: content = 5 stars, presentation = 1 star.



2. I, too, am disappointed by the negative reviews of this book. Collectors (which, sadly, I am not) will recognize that this book is not intended to be a catalog, but a showcase of some of the strange and beautiful Japanese toys.
   I loved the photography, and the serious time and effort that must have went into each shot. There is at least one (and probably more) fanatic behind this book, that's for sure.
   I found this book in a thrift store (who would give such a treasure away?), and knew that I must own it. The characters are so bizarre, yet sometimes, strangely, familiar. Only later did I discover that this is the work of Jimbo Matison, whose "Space Is Dum" webtoon was already deeply imbedded in my psyche (check it out, if you can find it).
   This book also spawned a great game in my house. My wife opens the book to a random page, and we both make up a name for the character depicted (as I said, I am not a collector, and know few of their names). We are, sadly, never close, but we try.
   I look forward to more twisted stuff from Jimbo in the future.



3. Beautiful photos and nice book on vinyl japanese toys.
   I apprecciated



4. I can't believe the 2 kill-joys on this page. These are the guys I try to block from my ebay auctions when I can : picky, shrill & NO HUMOR (or soul for that matter).

   I've bought sold & collected tons of robots & space toys over the past 20 years or so, yet many of these characters I haven't seen at all except in the tiny little fliers accompanying some of the boxes. This is a MAGNIFICENT SELECTION! Posed, composed & shot with loving perfection! Every turn of the page is a delightful surprise.

   The only drawback is that it makes me want to start all over & fill my shelves with these guys. Argggh...oh no, not again. Gasp - all that dusting....




5. This book is a must have for Japanese vinyl doll collectors or for those who appreciate awesome pictures. The book could have featured more vinyls, but I'm not complaining.

5 comments about Toys to Knit: Dozens of Patterns for Heirloom Dolls, Animals, Doll Clothes, and Accessories.

1. I was looking for a book with some doll clothes patterns for a Waldorf-style doll I was making for my daughter. I picked this up at the library. One irritating thing is it doesn't tell you the size of the doll in the book, so I wasn't sure if the patterns would work for the doll I was making. But I set forth and made the wrap sweater and it was very easy and fit my doll very nicely. Which was a 13" Waldorf doll. I also knit up the skirt and the undies. The undie pattern needs a little adjusting to fit better but the rest work out just fine. My kids love looking at all the fun stuff to knit and telling me what to make. After keeping it too long at the library and then wishing I still had it, I think I'll go ahead and buy it.



2. Most of the toys and accessories in this book are really cute, but there's just not much else going for this book. The instructions look deceptively simple, but as it turns out only a really experienced knitter can make much sense of them. Many of the toys have multiple errors in the instructions, such as the bear, which is missing several rows of stitches. In addition to being deceptively simplistic, the instructions are also way too vague, without any detailed explanations, either for the trickier steps or the more basic parts. The only "explanatory" material for troubleshooting are sections in the back about abbreviations and the conversions of needle sizes and weights and lengths of yarn. And someone who's just a novice knitter might not even realise that it's just asking for disaster and frustration when there isn't even any gauge or yardage given for any of the yarns specified.
   
   A lot of the colors don't even match in the various pictures and accompanying instructions, such as the teddybear sweater that is off-green in the picture yet described as light blue in the instructions. Many times the reader is instructed to assemble the various parts "according to illustration," yet there are no such accompanying illustrations. It also doesn't make sense to have to separately knit all of these little pieces and then seam them together when there is another way. I've made some stuffed animals and dolls in the past, and my sewing instructor didn't tell us to make and stuff each part separately before sewing them all together! If you wouldn't make a sewn toy that way, you wouldn't make a knit toy that way either. Beyond all of the cute pictures of things like various dolls, the teddybear, finger puppets, mouse, kangaroo and joey, and monkey, this book won't be worth much to even an experienced knitter. Someone with a lot more experience probably could figure out the many error-ridden instructions, but why go through so much headache when one could make toys from a better book like 'World of Knit Toys'?



3. Do not buy this book. Period. As others have said, the instructions for the teddy bear's head are so far off that only an expert knitter is going to be able to figure it out. I completed this after spending hours recalculating the stitch counts and figuring out which row (I think two are actually missing) needed to be added. The results are adorable, but the hassle isn't worth it.
   
   I contacted the publisher, and finally gave up. Those with whom I dealt were a bit on the dim side and couldn't understand what I was telling them regarding the problems with the pattern. The author is apparently British and shares the same name (Tracy Chapman) with a well-known singer, so reaching her is not possible.
   
   Again I stress, don't buy this book unless you are an expert knitter and are willing to rewrite the directions to make them accurate.



4. I picked up this book because the doll on the front cover looked just like my daughter and I thought it would be cute to make one for her. I am a fairly new knitter but thought the pattern appeared to be something I could tackle. I did find some errors in the instructions for the legs (very confusing for a new knitter). I also found it strange that there was not any type of gauge or swatch (I was taught to NEVER skip this step!), nor the finished size of the doll or any of the toys. Once I did finally get the doll made up, it did turn out to be very adorable in a retro sort of way (think the Island of Misfit Toys on Rudolph) and my daughter absolutely loves it.
   I am now trying to knit up the wrap sweater, and the instructions are disappointing. I was hoping to make a set of clothes for her doll, but if the rest of the instructions are as erroneous or incomplete as the ones for the sweater, I'm afraid I won't get them done.



5. I had a similar experience to a lot of the other reviewers. Bought this book because the projects looked cute, but the instructions are terrible. Vague and chock-full of mistakes (were there no testers for any of these patterns?). A lot of these pieces could have been knit in the round with a bit of shaping, instead you have to knit a gazillion tiny pieces and then seam together "according to illustrations". There are no illustrations. Only a few really bad photographs - I mean, they're cute and all, but totally useless. There's a pattern for a cute looking fish with a bunch of scales that are knit and then sewn on "according to illustration" but in the photo, the fish is peeking out from the folds of a blanket, you can barely see a couple of scales.
   
   In another pattern for an elephant, there are so many pieces to make individually that I've given up hope that I'll ever finish it. Even with many years' knitting and designing experience, it's more effort to fix these patterns than it is to just create one from scratch!
   
   It's deceiving in its perceived simplicity. A novice knitter might leaf through the book and see that they only need to know how to knit and purl and do a simple increase and decrase, but it is easier to learn a few more shaping stitches than to suffer through the dozens of seams required to assemble the final product, especially since the incorrect instructions often lead to pieces that dont fit together properly. Very frustrating and a huge waste of $16.

5 comments about Gene (3rd Edition) (Gene: Identification & Price Guide).

1. I've read these reviews only to realize that most are about the first and second editions of this book. The third edition is now out and is not only informative, but very stylish. It gives all the latest on Gene, Trent, and a sneak peek at Violet who I'm sure will get more coverage in the next revision. I encourage any Gene lover to update their library with this beautiful 3rd edition.



2. This is a great book! The pictures are stunning! As is the description and time line of most every outfit and doll. I hope they come out with this sort of book every year. Or at least do another one starting with where they left off!



3. (Please note that I'm referring to the first edition of this book.) I have to agree with other reviewers who have been horrified by the sloppy presentation of this book. Our girl Gene deserves much, much better. I can only hope the second edition has addressed the poor copy editing and color photography of the first. The information, however, is valuable and informative for the Gene collector. Therefore, I consider it a "MUST HAVE" item for my bookshelf.



4. The story of Gene is like a fantasy for the adult collector. I've now invested a lot into Gene and have seen the rewards of my purchases increase in value already! This book, which has my first and favorite Gene doll on the cover, "Red Venus," dramatically describe's designer Mel's journey as well as those of the many dress designers'. The photos are gorgeous, and the stories make a collector like myself glad doll designers are out there! I must admit, I first got into Gene because I am a Scarlett O'Hara doll fan, and "Red Venus" looks like Scarlett O'Hara. I quickly acquired other dolls as my knowledge increased. Collecting is truly better than any savings account I know, since the value increases rapidly! Of course, would we ever sell our beauties?



5. I had to write a review after reading the opinion of two (or is it one) New York reader(s) who apparently have more refined taste than most of us. Gene is a fabulous book with great text and photos. The author has obviously spent a lot of time talking with Mel Odom and the members of the Gene team, and gives us all a wonderful insight into the inner workings of a great doll. Bravo Carolyn Cook! The doll world is enchanted with your book.

4 comments about Barbie Doll Structure and Furniture (Barbie).

1. This is a great book for reliving long lost toys, and in the case of us people in Australia where many of these items didn't make it to our shores, what we missed out on as kids. For the collector, it is a good guide to what is still out there, probably waiting to be rediscovered in long lost closets or or ebay when they are given the opportunity for a new lease of life.



2. I am delighted to own this book, not only because it does a quite perfect job of listing every little piece which came with some of Barbie's early and Mod Era houses/cases/rooms, especially the rarer items, but because the photos are fantastic and fun - posing Barbie and her family/friends in these structures, in many of her wonderful period outfits, is simply genius! Demonstrating how to use some of these structures for displays of your collected Barbies, Marl creates a complete world in miniature. I was surprised to learn that the very old, cardboard furniture & structures designed for Barbie have withheld the ravages of time much better than many of the molded plastic furniture sets/houses from the late 60's/early 70's. An excellent book, and a must-have for the scene-designing Barbie collector!



3. WOW!
   This book helped me turn a trunk full of parts and pieces (That I thought was junk) into a dozen Sets . The excellent photos and parts listings are very helpful when you need to know what exactly came with any given set. This book covers Cardboard and plastic structures and sets for barbie and all her friends and family, an excellent book for any collector.



4. If you collect vintage barbie dolls, you will also need vintage houses and furnitures to display your collection.

1 comments about Beast Wars Transformers: The Unofficial Guide with Price Guide (A Schiffer Book for Collectors).

1. Transformers are back. Jobie Alvarez is back! This book is a Beast (no transformers pun intended)! The Quadrilogy is complete! It's this book story about these two Beast Transformers who fall in love with one another. They want to have a baby Transformer but can't conceive on earth do to The Dreadknocks. So they adopt this baby girl Transformer from the Planet Naboo but they are kind of pensive since the baby is missing a converter and can't change from a Chevy Malibo into robot form. So all the baby girls' friends think she's mentally challenged and is banished to the retarded transformer school with the rest of the challenged. Professor Xavier uses his mind meld to melt cheese and turn the Transformer family into cheese. But they stop him and enroll their adopted girl Transformer child into regular school where like Lindsay Lohan in Mean Girls finds that life as a teenager has it's ups and downs. And the girl Transformer is really hot and just needs a makeover to become Queen of the High School prom. So that's just what happens and she becomes Queen and gets a new Chevy Malibu as a graduation gift from her parents which is odd because essentially she's a Chevy Malibu forced to ride in a Chevy Malibu. Is Jobie Alvarez a good writer or what. He rocks and so does this book!
   
   Jobie Alvarez knows how to create a story in the Beast Transformers universe and again melts your pupils with exquisite words and adjectives. I highly recommend this book. I recommend all 4 of them. I stack all 4 up and put chairs on them. They make me feel taller. Sometimes I take chucks of the books and stuff them in my shoes. It's like a 3 for 1 offer when you buy this book. And if Jobie signs it for you one day you can sell it on Ebay for half it's value! It's hot. It's Transformers. It's now. It's Jobie. It's most Alvarezie!