No comments about Warman's Toys Field Guide: Values and Identification (Warman's Field Guides).

No comments about Betty Grable Paper Dolls.

1 comments about Doll Furniture: 1950s-1980s Identification & Price Guide.

1. This is a great book for anyone looking to purchase doll house furniture from the 1950s-1980s. The chapters are by Doll Furniture Maker.

   Many photographs are in color, and include approximate dates they were made/sold. The book includes an index with price guides (but remember the prices are from 1997).

   Also has a nice chapter on the tin kitchen playsets.

   The only flaw in the book is that it does not deal in the plastic furniture (that came with the tin lithographed doll houses) -- I had to use Tomart's Guide to learn about those.

2 comments about Yesterday's Toys: 750 Tin and Celluloid Amusements from Days Gone By.

1. As an introduction to Teruhisa Kitahara's magnificent toy collection, this book is lavish and enchanting. The large-sized, hardback coffee table book edition consists almost entirely of gorgeous, color photographs of toys from the past, which are visually interesting and require little comment. What comment there is, however, is sometimes wrong. That's not a big downside, because toy hobbyists don't read Kitahara so much to learn about their hobby, as to gaze at the wonderful treasures in his collection.

   This book is compiled from three previous Kitahara books covering, respectively, "dolls, clowns and animals"; "planes, trains, boats and cars";" and "robots, spaceships and monsters." Someone interested in one of those categories isn't necessarily interested in all three. I, for one, find myself mostly drawn to the third category of robots and spaceships.

   Other visually lavish and not-too expensive books in that category include "Vintage Toys: Robots and Space Toys" by Bunte, Hallman and Mueller. "Marx Toys: Robots, Space, Comic, Disney and TV Characters" by Maxine Pinksy includes lots of old robots because many of them were imported through Marx or its subsidiaries. "Baby Boomer Toys and Collectibles" by Carol Turpen is also fascinating in this regard. One recent book I very much like is "Space Toys of the '60s," by James Gillam, which concentrates exclusively on three toy lines: Zeroid robots from Ideal, Mattel's Major Matt Mason, and Colorforms' Outer Space Men. Along with many color and black and white photos, this inexpensive oversize paperback provides a fascinating history and personal discussion of these toy lines.

   "Toys of the 'Sixties" by Bill Bruegman is slighty harder to find, but this large paperback by the editor of "Toy Scouts" is filled with fascinating behind-the-scenes stories from the history of toys, and chock-full of black and white drawings and pictures. Finally, "Boy's Toys of the Fifties and Sixties" and its companion volume, "Girl's Toys..." is a fascinating collection of actual pages from the Sears Christmas Wishbooks from 1950-1969 (something everyone wishes they had kept). Those enchanted by the visual feast of Kitahara's book might want to peruse further in some of these other inexpensive volumes.




2. This a wonderful book if you love to look at the history of toys. the photos are wonderful and colorful. I am a graphic design student and my class bought this for our teacher who is always looking for photo of toys resource book. It has it all and its fun to look at.

5 comments about Peanuts Collectibles: Identification & Value Guide.

1. Wonderful and warm. Shows the heart and soul of Peanuts collecting. It's not just a price guide, it's a friend.



2. This book was an big disappointment, and not as advertised.It only contains an small amount of information on Peanuts Collectibles. I would not recommend it.



3. If you are looking for a single book that displays a wide variety of Peanuts Memorabilia, this is the one for you. I was surprised to see almost every item I've collected over the years presented in this book. The only downside that I found was the lack of space given for plush items, and toys. Nonetheless, you will not be disappointed.



4. A wonderful 296 page book loaded with 2,700 great photos in full color. Packed with information on the characters, copyright data, selling your collection, Peanuts Collector Club. Covers all areas, including banks, books, cosmetics, display accessories, dolls, figurines, housewares, music boxes, seasonal, stationery, toys, and more. Contains year 2000 values. Plenty of text, in addition to the listings. A real treasure you'll enjoy reading and using often.



5. Ten times better than the first, Andrea has put her true expertise into this perfect handbook for all the crazed fans of our favorite Beagle. So many beautiful pictures of Snoopy-Stuff. GOOD GRIEF I LOVED IT. Two enthusiastic paws up.

5 comments about Tomart's Price Guide to Hot Wheels Collectibles.

1. As others have said before me....the guide is a rehash of previously error filled versions. I have collected since 1994 and would only use this book to identify what the car looked like and possibly the year it was manufactured. Strauss promotes his own limited editions with high prices over more valuable limited editions. Accuracy is not one of the attributes of this book.



2. This book is loaded with valuable information. Lots of pictures & needed specs, but as in previous editions, the incomplete index leaves much to be desired, and the pricing is out of this world. However, that said, it is a great addition to a collectors library.



3. I have an interest in older Hot Wheels, and was looking for values and prices. This is the only book that differentiates between the various colors of the early cars, and those colors make all the difference in value. As a result this book is almost indispensable. The color guide itself is only so-so, being particularly difficult to match up with some of the brighter colors. There were so many shades that sometimes the guide is only so-so too. But since this is the only book that even bothers to attempt to divide the cars by color, this is the one to get.



4. This book purports to be a guide to all of the hot wheels cars produced for the last thirty plus years. It's very up-to-date, and well written and thought out. It has lists of all of the cars, with the early ones priced by color so you can keep track of which ones are more or less expensive. The colors in the color guide don't look that good to me, and since there are so many shades, I didn't find it that valuable, but the price guides are very good. They aren't completely up to date in and of themselves (how could they be?) but they're as good as they can get, and you can use them to judge how much one color will cost as opposed to another.



5. Honestly the latest edition is just a tired rehash of the last one. No effort to clean up errors, just seemed to be rolling the same information over and smacking it with the lastest edition number on it. The pages fall out of every edition I have owned. If you are a Redline enthusiast, there's a new game in town. The Ultimate Redline guide by Jack Clark and Robert Wicker is it! It's a hardback, has really neat history of the cars. Beautiful pictures, and lists all variations.

   I like a little more substance than what the Strauss book has offered lately. Hopefully Clark and Wicker will release more books soon and put this guide out of it's misery!

No comments about Matchbox Cars.

5 comments about Gene (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. [ASIN:0875886051 Gene (3rd Edition) (Gene: Identification & Price Guide) 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 five years, 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.

No comments about Toys That Shoot: With Values (Schiffer Book for Collectors).

4 comments about Composition & Wood Dolls and Toys: A Collector's Reference Guide.

1. 
   I own both volumes of this book and both are great! You cannot go wrong with buying both volumes ,or just one. Together though, both volumes are so valuable!
   
   But if you must own just one of the volumes (in this series) then buy this volume first, & then see if you need the next volume. It could be that this volume fills your need, since this volume is packed with soooo much information! Also, the color photos are just great!



2. Of all my years of collecting dolls, I've never seen such a complete and informative book. Most impressive are the clear color pictures and the interesting discussion of the Cameo doll company. I.m very pleased with this purchase and recommend it to novice as well as experienced doll collectors.



3. An extremely resourceful book. Deep histories and information on composition & wood dolls, plus an extensive photo gallery of many rare dolls. A must have for any collector in their right mind!



4. Most books like this only show pictures with prices. Michele's book gives me more information, background and a true understanding about the dolls, there origins, and the true history. Besides, it's a fun book to read with great photos. I'm glad I found it.