No comments about Identifying German Chinas, 1840s-1930s.

3 comments about A. Glenn Mandeville's Alexander Dolls 3rd Collector's Price Guide (A. Glenn Mandeville's Madame Alexander Dolls).

1. I am just getting back into collecting Madame Alexander dolls. I have been collecting Barbie for the last 10 years and had a MA collection which I sold about 2 years ago. I think this is a great book with an extensive list of dolls. The only thing keeping it from getting 5 Stars is that there are not that many style numbers. For instance, there are so many Spain & Mexico dolls, I can't really tell which I have, by looking at this book. Maybe the next book, he'll list style numbers. Otherwise, I think it's great.



2. As this author of this book, I am thrilled to present the reader with up to the minute pricing and identification. For over seventy years, the Alexander Doll Company has spelled magic to children and adults alike. This edition is unique in that it lists individual dolls that collectors desire. Store specials and one-of-a-kind dolls are also highlighted. I hope you enjoy reading this book with the same enthusiam that I had writing it! A. Glenn Mandeville



3. If you're interested in Madame Alexander Dolls then this book is a MUST HAVE. It's organized and easy to read. It's a book for the beginner or the long time collector it's that good. I would highly recommend this book.

1 comments about Japanese Toys: Amusing Playthings from the Past (Schiffer Book for Collectors).

1. One of the best books ever written on Post war toys from Japan. Beautiful color photos of toys and their boxes, along with production dates and quantities, dimensions, description of actions, scarcity ratings and values. Patent drawings and illustrations are included for many toys. This book contains the most extensive listing of Japanese toy trademarks I have ever seen. I have been collecting Japanese tin toys for 35 years and this listing alone makes this book invaluable.

1 comments about 12 INCH FALSHIRMJAGER: In Action Figures (Action Figures & Toys).

1. This book is more a history of the Axis airborne forces then a how to guide for 1/6 action figures. The text describes airborne operations not the figures, the figures are described in the photo captions. They don't give much info on how the figures were made or what parts were used. The figures are well done and include Italian and Japanese paras.It's well worth the modest price for the figures alone.

1 comments about Africa on the Move: Toys from West Africa.

1. 
   Arnoldsche, a leading German art publisher put this book out in 2004 and I wonder how long it will be before these scrap toys are considered folk art? They come from Ghana, Togo, Benin but mostly Burkina Faso, all dirt poor countries in West Africa. Re-cycled waste is probably made into toys in other parts of Africa and Asia but I wonder if they are as ingenious or colorful as the models in the book. Forty-two of them were made by Robert Compaore of Burkina Faso and he reveals in a short interview that some of the raw materials are actually bought from scrap markets.
   
   All the photos feature vehicles of some kind: bicycles, scooters, tractors, cars, tanks, trucks, jets, helicopters, space ships and boats. Many of the vehicles have wheels made from the cut-off tops of aerosols which will give you an idea of their size. Some are really quite simple: a spark plug as the body of a motorbike with some bent wiring as the forks, handlebars, chassis and wheels made of blue painted wood.
   
   I thought the best models were ones that used cut up metal packaging so that the logos, text and bar-codes were mixed together. On page 118-119 there is a stunning fifty-five inch long cargo ship from Ghana which is hard to consider as a toy. The models that don't feature commercial packaging do seem to look like potential art forms.
   
   The almost square book is nicely produced (in 175dpi) with all the model photos as cutouts with an added drop shadow. Strangely the contents page is the last in the book and preceding that are some short text pieces (in three languages) and a sixteen page photo section of the toymakers. Overall I thought it was an intriguing book about the clever and creative uses of waste to produce some simple but fascinating toys.
   
   ***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.

No comments about Dolls Puppedolls and Teddy Bears.

5 comments about Tomart's Price Guide to Johnny Lightning Vehicles.

1. This is a great resource for JL's up to 2001. Good history of the company from the original topper era to the Playing Mantis era. A must have resource for anyone collecting Johnny Lightnings.



2. This wasn't for me, I gave it to my husband for his birthday. He loves it. Likes the pictures and likes how you can see the value of the cars as well as the Johnny Lightening Whites. He also uses it as a check list to mark off which ones he has already collected.



3. i'll give my review after i received the item .
   many thanks
   
   
   ari



4. This is a slick and attractive book, and I suppose great if you're into collecting the modern Playing Mantis Johnny Lightning cars, but there's precious little here on the original vintage JL cars: only two pages of photographs. At least you get a picture of each of the original cars.
   
   So, my three star rating probably reflects my disappointment both in the descriptions I read here as well as the book it self. It's almost useless to me as a vintage JL collector.



5. This book is everything I expected and more. Being a true J/L fan I appreciate the descriptions and color photos. One thing I noticed is it needs to be updated some what. But its an excellent resource if you are into selling,buying,or trading!!!!

3 comments about 1000 Tin Toys.

1. While the quality of the book is fine, the printed title on the cover is deceptive ("1000 Robots, Spaceships, & Tin Toys"). Robots and spaceships are only a very small fraction of the "1000" pictures.
   Apparently, the book was formerly titled, "1000 Tin Toys" which is much more accurate.



2. More than a tin soldier. 1000 Tin Toys by Teruhisa Kitahara, photographed by Yuko Shimizu. Call this book the mother of all collecting books. It is a vast compendium of photographs of 1,000 tin toys collected by obsessive Japanese master collector Teruhisa Kitahara. A visual feast of full-color photos that gives one pause to consider Kitahara's life work of collecting. Truth be told, an inspiration for artists, designers, photographers, tin toy collectors, and children of any age. Why would anyone want to own this book? For the same reason that anyone would collect over 1000 tin toys- the sheer delight of it.



3. 1000 Tin Toys by Teruhisa Kitahara, photographed by Yuko Shimizu. Call this book the mother of all collecting books. It is a vast compendium of photographs of 1,000 tin toys collected by obsessive Japanese master collector Teruhisa Kitahara. A visual feast of full-color photos that gives one pause to consider Kitahara's life work of collecting. Truth be told, an inspiration for artists, designers, photographers, tin toy collectors, and children of any age. Why would anyone want to own this book? For the same reason that anyone would collect over 1000 tin toys- the sheer delight of it.

4 comments about Muffy Vanderbear Identification and Price Guide (Muffy Vanderbear Identification & Price Guide).

1. I would have liked more color photos. Several of the color photos had poor lighting and made it difficult to fully appreciate the pictures.



2. Beautiful photos illustrate Muffy's lifestory... The price guide in back is invaluable to the vanderbear collector. A MUST HAVE book if you collect Muffy!



3. This book, is great and informative if you like Muffy Vanderbear. It includes just about all the outfits, except the newest ones. You gotta get this book if you love Muffy Vanderbear, family, and friends!



4. If you love Muffy this book is a must have! Included are photos of the past and present members of the Vanderbear family (and friends too!). This is a great source for clear photos of Vanderbears which cannot be seen well in the Muffy Club photo album (also of course a must have.) In addition there is a great deal of valuable information on variations in Muffy over the years as well as interesting historical facts about the Vanderbears. Definitely a must for Muffy collectors!

No comments about The Story of the Steiff Teddy Bear: An Illustrated History from 1902.