1 comments about Children's Pleasures.

1. 
   This is NOT a childrens' activities book -- the deceptive title explains the continued availability of this SLEEPER of a coffee table book/collector's reference/DYNAMITE picture trove.
   
   Produced by the Victoria and Albert Museum, it has over 350 finely printed pix, mostly in delicious color on heavy matte stock, selected from the world's largest display of toys and a mojumbo kiddie library.
   
   This is a must-have for collectors, or for those who teach and/or love children or are interested in the history of these delightful objects, or just of childhood. Seven topically organized sections plus back matter; every page is a delight. Grab one used and cheap, before too many people read this review!

2 comments about Toys & Prices 2007 (Toys and Prices).

1. What is has is good, I thought it would cover more toys, specifically LEGO, especially it seems like such a relevant and important toy product. This did not have anything on LEGO, I was quite disappointed. I also thought that the hot wheels, matchbox (toy cars) in general could have had better coverage.



2. I picked this book up in a hurry...didn't have time to look around and only could hope that it would help guide me in my vintage toy search.
   
   No only has the guide provided accurate information, it is a guide that is acutally EASY to understand and quickly find what you are looking for. Other guides, not limited to toys, have been difficult to find the exact item you are looking for...but not this one...even my husband can do it...hee hee!
   
   Excellent and Highly recommend!

1 comments about Dolls: A Collector's Guide.

1. 176 PAGES FULL OF RICHLY ILLUSTRATED DOLLS FROM DIFFERENT CULTURES,ERAS,DEPICTING THE STYLES THEY REPRESENT IN TERMS OF MATERIALS USED, CLOTHING ETC. ALSO VERY USEFUL IS THE FACT THAT EACH DOLL HAS THE SUGGESTED VALUE ATTACHED TO IT. TRULY INSPIRING AND INFORMATIVE.

3 comments about Hot Wheels the Ultimate Redline Guide Identification and Values 1968-1977: Identification and Values (Hot Wheels the Ultimate Redline Guide).

1. I have read through many Hot Wheel Guides which speculate values. I have left most books on the shelf, but I had to buy this one. This book doesn't focus on the recent peg hangers and doesn't suggest values that no one in their right mind would pay.

   Instead this book focuses on the Redlines (1968 - 1977 models with the red strip on the tires). There are many beautiful photos of each of the vehicles, documentation on the variations and colors the vehicles, and realistic values for each of the variations.

   I thought about assembling a Hot Wheels reference book for myself as I could not find a book which was detailed, with realistic values, and good photos. I dont have to now as this is exactly what I was looking for.

   So for those of you who get sucked in to thinking about by buying a values guide for the current peg hangers, ask yourself "Is someone really going to pay rediculous prices for something at the local store for under a buck?" Maybe within the first couple months of the release the prices will be high, but then the values go kerplop. Maybe in 15 years the values will climb for these current peg hangers.

   The redlines are the way to go, and this book is all you need.




2. Collector Books has finally gotten their wish. After many years of looking, they've finally found an author to assemble a Hot Wheels price guide for them. (...Well, actually two authors.)
   Jack Clark and Robert P. Wicker have assembled The Ultimate Redline Guide, a 352-page full-color extravaganza of which Collector Books thought so highly as to make it a hardbound edition. (Edition listed on Amazon.com is in paperback.)

   Add this book to the six other Hot Wheels price guides currently on the market. Is there room for a seventh? In this case, yes, without a doubt. The Ultimate Redline Guide focuses on Hot Wheels from that era before Hot Wheels were considered collectible, and are now therefore the most highly prized.

   Redline, for those of you just returning from a pre-Seventies alien abduction, refers to the red stripe on early Hot Wheels tires that distinguishes them from later models.

   This book offers year-by-year color-coded pages of those important first ten years of Hot Wheels production, in large, definitive photos and sumptuous supporting text. Each page is devoted to a single model and its variations. This book is the definitive guide to the earliest and most valuable Hot Wheels.




3. I knew the moment I held this book it was the only one I would need for Hotwheel Redline information. This book blows the other guides to shame. It's a hardback and will withstand the constant page flipping it will get. The years and series are set in logical order. There are pictures of every redline made and well shot. Detailed history about the cars, and pictures showing the variations are only half of what makes this book THE Redline guide. If you are a collector of Redlines, or any Hotwheels, this is a MUST have! I can only hope that these authors will release other titles soon.

2 comments about Modern Toys from Japan, 1940s-1980s (Schiffer Book for Collectors).

1. I think this is a great book. A good selection of photos for the expert collector as well as for the beginner. Good to see reference material on items that you actually have a chance to find at a reasonable price.



2. As a long-time collector of Japanese tin toys, I'm always eager to acquire new reference works, especially where most of the illustrations are in color. This book is ok, taking into consideration that Modern Toys Company is more or less the Budweiser of the Japanese tin toy industry. The pictures are small but quite high quality. My main reservations lie with the overwhelming number of toys from the 1970s that are pictured. As far as I am concerned, this was the nadir of their industry and most Jap tin toys made in that period are at best mediocre. They incorporate inordinate amounts of plastic, pretty crude shapes and in general are reminiscent of modern Chinese tin.
   
   I expect I'll keep the book mainly because I maintain an extensive reference library. But if you're expecting anything at all close to the superb Kitahara titles, be warned. There are a number of quality toys pictured, but not enough.
   
   Why it was necessary (given the long history of Masudaya) to provide no fewer than 20 illustrations of the 1970s Overland Express or Hill Climber trains, which came in numerous slightly different shapes and colors, I cannot imagine. This toy and its versions may excite the totally clueless dealer who finds one and puts it on Ebay as "probably 50s", but it has zero appeal to collectors. Indeed, when one is searching for "Japan Trains" on Ebay one spends most of one's time skipping over the endless examples of the Overland/Hill Climber offered for sale; which incidentally hardly ever get any bids.
   
   A large proportion of the toys in the book don't deserve coverage, I'm afraid to say. The Japanese made very few charmless toys up through the 60s, but they made up for lost time in the 70s.

No comments about Greenberg's Guide to Lionel Trains: 1901 - 1942, Volume 2: O and OO Gauge.

5 comments about Fisher Price Toys: A Pictorial Price Guide to the More Popular Toys.

1. This book is terrific! Tons of color, detailed pictures. I am a collector, and use this book to help identify which tiny accessories I need to find or identify. Invaluable! The focus is on toys from 1964-1990 ONLY, so if you collect from other periods this isn't the book you need. If you collect Little People (pre-1988), you need this book! I hope the authors will update it, with the "new" Little People included in a future edition.



2. I love this book. IT is a MUST for any new and seasoned Fisher Price Collector, especially those who collect Little People. The Pictures are great and the descriptions are excellent. I love this book, and my kids enjoy looking through it as well. It brought back so many memories from toys in my past, and ensures I know what I am getting myself into if I decide to make a purchase as a collector.



3. THIS BOOK HAS MANY COLORFUL PICTURES AND ACCUARTE DESCRIPTION OF EACH. I TOO HAVE JUST STARTED COLLECTING FISHER PRICE TOYS AND I FIND THIS MAKES MY SEARCHING MORE ENJOYABLE. THIS IS A MUST HAVE FOR THE OVERALL TOY COLLECTOR AND THE FISHER PICE COLLECTOR.



4. this book is a real treasure. I've just begun collecting Fisher Price toys the pictures and info are of great help. Friends/family who look thru this book also get a lot of pleasure from it and will reflect back over what toys they had as kids etc...I'm real happy I made the purchase.



5. This is a wonderful book! I loved the vivid pictures and descriptions of the playsets. If you love and collect Fisher Price, this book is for you!!

No comments about Free Stuff for Doll Lovers on the Internet.

No comments about Alice Faye Paper Dolls.

1 comments about Furnished Dollhouses: 1880s - 1980s (Schiffer Book for Collectors).

1. Another terrific Schiffer book. Enough different dollhouses from previous books to make it interesting and educational. Wonderful photos.