No comments about Masterpieces in Miniature: Teddy Bears.

2 comments about Yo-Yo Tricks: From Beginner to Spinner.

1. This really is one of the best yo-yo books out there. Each trick is described in step by step photographic detail as well as textual. There is also a real logic to the layout. Too many yo-yo books go straight from easy tricks like walk the dog to intermediate tricks like the three-leaf clover to advanced tricks like split the atom in less than three or four pages. I don't know about yo-yoers out there but I had to get a whole lot more practice and tricks under my belt before I could move from a walk the dog to a split the atom. The sections on yo-yo history are just fun to read and the tips on care and maintanance are helpful. Also the last section on competitions from the tricks you need to know to the general information on them is a major plus. I've seen a lot of other books and honestly the only other I have seen that matches up is The Yonomicon by Mark Mcbride, but that really for just advanced level play. This book is just a great all around book for all levels. Also there is a whole section on two-handed play, a real rarity in yo-yo books



2. I work with the kids who are pictured in this book and personally know two of the writers. The photo's are great and it is very explainitory. I would reccomend this book to anyone wanting to learn yo-yo tricks.

2 comments about Handbook for Hard Plastic Dolls.

1. This is a wonderful little pocket guide for all of us who have ever scrambled to try to identify a doll at a show or flea market! Great tips and resources for the beginning collector and a handy reference guide for the veteran doll lover.



2. This book was rather disappointing compared to the Judd's previous books about hard plastic dolls. It might be a good book for the beginner to carry to doll shows or antique stores, but it has nothing new for the established collector. Hard Plastic Dolls I and II are better buys.

5 comments about Vintage Slot Cars.

1. This book is a must have for any baby boomer, or for that matter anyone who wants to relive the fabulous golden era of slot racing.Philippe de Lespinay is the premiere authority on vintage slot cars and proves it with this beautiful collection of well photographed and rare items.What is even more interesting is the collection of cars pictured here with the original art work packaging!This is usually the first thing to be thrown away and as such,rarer than most of the cars. I went nuts just looking at the beautiful photos of Cox, Russkit, Classic,BZ, AMT, Revell, Model Products Corp. and many other lesser known companies like Internatonal and Industro-Motive.There is even a section on brands and types of motors.While the book is 96 pages of great slot car memories, it still wasn't enough for me. I can't wait until his next book comes out!



2. Philippe has not written the slot car version of the Gutenberg Bible I'll grant you, and you won't need a fork lift to unload the book when it arrives, as it's simply not as weighty a tome as apparently one or two reviewers would have liked. Me, I loved this compendium of the slot car phenomenon -- focused on the manufacturing luminaries of the craze in the 1960s heyday, many of whom were from Los Angeles. Several years ago I made a point to visit the buildings that once housed the various manufacturers in the Los Angeles basin just for fun... It was amusing to walk into these places and ask if I could root around the attic cos it used to be a place that made slot cars -- the answer was always no...and "by the way what the hell is a slot car?"
   I once met Philippe at his place of business where he helped me determine that a car I had purchased online was in fact a poorly renditioned recreation, allowing me to subsequently get my money back from the Ebay seller. I found him self effacing, eager to discuss the hobby, massively knowledgeable and... the reason I would later purchase this book.
   Vintage Slot Cars earns it's place proudly on the shelf of the slot car aficionado in my opinion. It sits beside my Robert Schleicher and Roger Gillham books and on par as far as I am concerned.
   Commercial slot car tracks and most of the hobby died a coronary very rapidly ~ I wasn't there, since like De lespinay I was an immigrant to America (82)from England. I have to wonder was this wonderful pastime partially stomped into the ground by self appointed slot car credential police determined to make the scene as exclusively constipated and anti social as possible? There's a fairly vibrant 1/32 scene now, and in many ways it is a return to the roots of the hobby that De Lespinay's book touches upon. The evolution of the hobby may mean an eventual revival of the commercial track concept (I live mere blocks away from one of the original survivors in Buena Park)...and who knows... perhaps this time when we do it, it will be minus the self righteous posturing.



3. You probably had to have been there to have enjoyed this trip back to my junior and senior high school days.

   As I read the book my mind flashed back to the slot car magazines I read at the time. There is much historical information I didn't know or had long since forgotten. I didn't and still don't remember the author as such a major player in the industry. Constantly he interjects himself into the book, to the overall detriment of the subject.

   Having chapters for each manufacturer was one of the strong points of the book. Looking for models I owned, raced, or dreamed of owning and racing was one of the highlights of the book.

   If you were a slot car racer in the 60's or a collector today this book is a worthwhile quick read. Otherwise there's nothing here for you.

   On the other hand, if like me, you have the magazines from that era stashed away in the attic somewhere and you want to enter the hobby of collecting now; your best investment of time would probably be routing through the attic.




4. Chock-full of DeLespinay's "small fish in a small pond" ego and little else, this book is a waste of time and money. While he'd like everyone to *think* he was "Present at the Creation," DeLespinay was a mid-70's emigrant from France, and thus a VERY latecomer to the US slot scene. Even THAT dying scene isn't remotely well-covered here -- there's NO technical content, NO valuation guides (you *could* go to DeLespinay's ludicrous website and automatically divide his prices by 5, I guess..); in fact, unless you enjoy nonsensical, name-dropping anecdotes about how Phi-Phi invented everything from fire to the Gurney flap (no kidding), and minimalist murky photos of such asinine slot-flops as the Asp and similar Thingies, simply give this steaming pile a wide miss. Instead, for REAL information from a guy who really WAS present at the creation, get the new Robert Schliecher book "Racing and Collecting Slot Cars" and any of his older books if you can find them.



5. Vintage slot cars, was not what I had expected at all. Maybe thats why I chose a single star rating. The book covers primarily large scale (1/24, 1/25 and 1/32)slot car racing. Very little is mentioned about the H.O. slot cars that dominated the slot car industry during the sixty's and seventy's. This was not apparent from the review I read at the local library while researching for H.O. Scale slot car books. Consequently after mail ordering the book, I was extremly dissapointed that the book barely acknowledged the H.O. scale slot cars. What photography the book has is very good, but I honestly expect a book of this size and type to have considerably more pictures than was present. The text, while interesting, is almost entirely devoted to regurgitating the same info about manufacturer after manufacturer without really outlining concisely the offering each manufacturer produced. The title should have been "Large scale" Vintage Slot Cars, at least I would not have thought the book to be something it was not. But I was still disappointed in the text and number of pictures.

2 comments about Today's Hottest Die-Cast Vehicles.

1. First of all, I HATE the BIG UGLY picture of American Car Racer...do not know his name, on the cover of the book. Second, I hate NASCAR and Cheap political HOT WHEEL junk I do not even care for looking at. The book should focus on HIGH QUALITY COLLECTIBLE BRANDS ONLY. What a waste of paper~!!!



2. A brand new, year 2000 304 page book devoted to the the popular collectible Die-Cast vehicles. There are more than 500 large, sharp black and white photos and a super 32 page color section with large, sharp photos. Values are year 2000. If you're into Hot Wheels, this book provides the most comprehensive Hot Wheels list I've seen. Included is a brief introduction to the collectible, and of each category. Major topics range from Corgi, Dinky, Hot Wheels and Johnny Ligtning to Matchbox, Racing Champions and Tootsietoy. Each toy description is complete and numbered, and includes Good, Excellent, and Mint condition pricing. A really great reference and pricing guide that's a must have for collectors of these toys. There are over 5,000 listings with more than 12,000 prices. Very useful.

5 comments about From Worn to Wonderful: A Step-By-Step Guide to Fashion Doll Restoration.

1. THIS BOOK IS VERY BASIC. IT DOES NOT GO INTO ANY OF THE INTERMEDIATE OR ADVANCED TECHNIQUES. THERE IS NOT A LOT OF INDEPTH DETAIL. FOR THE BEGINNER, THIS IS A GREAT BOOK.



2. I found this book to be a total waste of time. A good portion of it is pictures of her dolls, which are not by any means noteworthy examples. The instructions she gives are so rudimentary as to be worthless. There are no good "how-to" photos accompanying the text. But what disturbs me the most is that the instructions she gives for removing green ear can severely damage the face paint on vintage Barbies. All in all, a total waste of time and money.



3. This is a very helpful little guide for getting started with restoring your old childhood favorites. Since my old dolls and toys have been stuffed into cardboard boxes for almost 20 years, this informative book showed me where to begin. It's easy to follow with both practical and creative ideas. A wonderful hobby for those who are children at heart!



4. This book was excellent for fixing up old dolls found in attics
   and at flea markerts. It was not too complicated for basic beginners but the easy to follow steps really made a difference
   in the dolls appearance and value. It is not meant to take the
   place of a professional doll restoration which takes years of
   practice and special materials. It is for using products in every
   home that everyone has. GREAT READ FOR EVERYONE !!!!!



5. I have found "From Worn to Wonderful" an excellent source of restoration information. I had no clue on what to do before I read this book. This book provided helpful hints for the beginner.

1 comments about Cat Made Me Buy It!.

1. Lots of color reproductions of cats on labels and in
   advertising from the nineteenth and early twentieth
   century, with discussions of what happened to the
   companies behind each image.
   
   This book would be a delight for any cat-enthused
   graphical-arts type person.
   
   What's it doing out of print?

No comments about The Story of German Doll Making, 1530-2000.

No comments about Greenberg's Guide to Ives Trains (1901-1932) ,Volume I: 1 and Wide Gauges and Accessories.

No comments about Ufo & Alien Collectibles Price Guide: Price Guide.