Antiques Collectibles Books

This was a wonderfully informative book with information that dozens of other books on this subject do not cover. Also suggested is the sequel, Costume Jewelry 202.

I am so tickled and honored to have jewelry from my private collection featured in Julia's books. This new Second Edition of the "Collecting Costume Jewelry 101" book features a bright new cover with colorful layouts and 200+ new photographs and additional designers. Julia and I have been jewelry friends for many years and her incredible knowledge in this field has helped me form an extensive collection. So jewelry lovers, it is time to set aside the original edition that is dog-eared & note filled, and add this new second edition which features many new photographs and designers that are not in the first edition! As her other books, it is a great learning tool that will teach you so much about forming a fabulous costume jewelry collection of your own! She is so thorough in her research which you will see with all the updated information and new values. We can only hope there will be a 303 version in the future!

I wish to express my gratitude to so many generous people who helped with this Second Edition of "Collecting Costume Jewelry 101:the basics of starting, building & upgrading".

First, I want to thank my readers. I am warmed by the wonderful feedback I have received from beginning collectors on the first edition of this book. Based on this feedback, I was careful when working on the second edition to leave in place the easy-to-use format. Thank you readers!

A warm thank you must always be reserved for my husband who once again offered me his support and his excellent camera skills. Thank you sweetheart!

Next I want to thank my friends (especially Debi Reece and Dave Mayer) who shared their knowledge and collections with me so I could add over 200 new photographs to this new edition. Thank you dear friends!

Finally, I want to thank the staff at Collector Books for giving me the opportunity to write a Second Edition. With their help this second edition has many beautiful enhancements. For example:

- Collector Books created a hot new cover and vibrant new interior color scheme. I adore the bright colors and I hope you do too. While maintaining the easy-to-use alphabetical arrangement of makers, the interior design is also updated.
- Over 200 new photographs have been added providing additional examples of jewelry designs from many makers.
- The historical information and information about marks is updated.
- eBay selling changes frequently so Chapter 6 - "Upgrading Your Collection" is fully updated.
- A new chapter is added featuring 13 makers not shown in the first edition.
- The popular "Marked by Style" chapter, showing unmarked jewelry attributed by the style to specific makers, is revamped and expanded.
- Of course the values have been updated.
Thank you Collector Books!

I love jewelry, I love collecting, and I love this new edition. I hope you do too. Warm regards, Julia C. Carroll

"Collecting Costume Jewellery 101" is essentially a beginners' guide to the main makers of (American) designer costume jewellery. Other information is also given, such as how to repair and clean costume jewellery and what to do with unwanted jewellery, all of which would be useful to a person starting a costume jewellery collection. However, the vast majority of this book are devoted to summaries of the main jewellery making companies.

For most designers, the summary given is brief, comprising the dates of operation of the company; a brief history of the company; the signature look of the product; and buying recommendations. Nevertheless, this is more than enough for a beginning collector. Greater detail is given about Coro, Kramer, Trifari and Weiss, however, four designers whom Carroll recommends for beginning collectors. Numerous color photographs are also provided for each designer, with values given for each piece of jewellery.

For people seeking a more detailed discussion of designer costume jewellery, I recommend the sequel to this book, "Collecting Costume Jewellery 202", although both books are well worth investing in.

Hang on to your hats, jewelry lovers!!!! This is a book you MUSTN'T MISS!!! Julia C Carroll never disappoints collectors at any level of expertise. Once again, in this visually stunning new book she grabs us with beautiful pages in a logical and practical teaching layout that keeps us turning those pages!! The pictures are generous in volume and so well done you can examine the details in each piece. This new upgrade is a MUST HAVE-beautiful, bright, full of the great educational info of the original "101", but with so many more pictures and facts!! I find other authors' guides nice to thumb through, but you really learn to identify and nail down pieces out in the real world by studying Julia's "101" and "202". My collection is now full of incredible pieces I learned to look for only because of her great books. If you want the pride of knowing what to buy, and how to not overpay, buy and study this wonderfully updated book...even if you have the original "101", ADD THIS TO YOUR LIBRARY!!! Then sign on to buy her "202". Thanks, Julia C!! How about a "303"??????!!!!

While it has a few errors and can't go into as much depth as one would like on any given rifle, this is still the most complete overview of military Mausers available, and a must have for any collector's library. No one book can do it all, but for general info and quick identification, this one is hard to beat.

I enjoy the information this book gives. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is I wish some of the info was a little more detailed. All in all a great reference book.

This, the Fourth Edition, is the best yet. All-colour, with additional features such as tables of production runs by manufacturers within countries enhances the value of this book to the student of system Mauser.

The photographs are in the main of high quality and the crests and markings have been enhanced by skilful techniques which show off the (sometimes) faint markings.

A worthy reference to supplement the works by Olson and Smith.

C Forsyth

This is the most comprehensive work on Mauser style rifles I have seen.
It covers rifles made from all over the world. If you are into Mauser Rifle history, this is the book for you.

I had hesitation to buy this book reading other reviews; but I am positively surprised when I received the book 4 days ago, and just be really happy with it. It is NOT a book to cover the technical details of mauser rifle design; that one should refer to the book by Olson. Robert Ball did a wonderful job to cover so many mauser rifle versions and its derivatives across the world, and cross-referenced as much as he could. Of course, if any one focuse on the mauser rifles in a particular country, he would probably find this book lacking the depth. With so many countries/models, it is no surprise that the situation can be very confusing; and Ball did a damn good job sorting through; and every single page is for color pictures!

This book is full of useful information and tips for owners of an AR-15. The photographs are also helpful for identification of parts and accessories. This book is a valuable reference and worth the purchase price, if only for checking yourself when breaking down your rifle.

Ok reference, but a little model-specific for my tastes. Is outdated quickly in this day of ever-increasing selections.

The primary value of this effort is the evaluation of manufacturers which have changed in the two years between volumes. Otherwise this is a disorganized mess, with some of the poorest proofing I have seen in years. Typos appaar on almost every page. All of the real meat on the AR-15 is in the first volume and that is the one to buy. Leave this one in the bargain bin.

I found Vol 1 well written and very informative. However, this volume reads like it was rushed to capitalize on the success of Vol. 1. I would try other AR-15 books first. Try Volume 1. If you really need something new buy it, but do not expect it to be as well written as volume one.

Sweeney gives a lot of information, most of it interesting and valuable. The comparative benefits of the AR, the AK and various calibers are well analyzed.

Unfortunately, Sweeney also knows where his bread is buttered (hint - it is not by the readers who bought his book). Sweeney admits that he got a lot of free goodies from the gun manufacturers (presumably in the expectation that he would write favorable reviews) and he delivers. The readers bought the book in the expectation that Sweeney would write the whole truth about what he learned testing guns; unfortunately, the writer short changes us there. All reviews are either favorable (very) or bland. We can infer that the bland reviews mean that there wasn't much good that he could find to say about those products, but I don't pay $20+ dollars for a book to read between the lines.

On a couple occasions, Sweeney discusses interesting topics, but stops short with the explanation that the public does not need to know that kind of sensitive information. Once again, I don't pay a writer to tell me that I am not entitled to know what he knows; I pay him to tell me what he knows. If he keeps the information to himself while being paid for the book, he is not delivering on the bargain.

Buy this book on the remainder shelf for $5, or better yet, get it from the Amazon used book department where I am selling my copy. You don't need this book on your permanent shelf.

Presented in this book is practically the very definition of BAD TASTE! But, two stars given because if you happen to be into the silly skateboard scene, you'll probably LOVE this one.

I bought this book based on the two other reviews on Amazon but when I received it i was a little disappointed. It wasn't exactly what I expected. I wasn't very familiar with Jim Phillips' art before this book. I own other skateboard art books, but this kind of art is too busy for me. If you're a fan of Jim Phillips' art then I guess this book is for you, but it wasn't exactly my taste.

I think there is a big difference between this book and the Skateboard and rock poster book. This book comes with full blown pages of closeups of all of or most of Jim's artwork. I'm a hobby artist myself so I'm really jazzed up about this book. Another book to get that is rather intresting is Disposable which covers different skateboard companies and riders but you will be happy with this book here.

Jim Phillips is finally stepping out from the obscurity of his drawing board to take a bow for the countless skating design innovations for which he is solely responsible. The skateboarding, surfing and rock & roll art of the last 30 years was trailblazed by this softspoken and humble artuer and the rest if the world has been playing catch-up ever since. Any skater who grew up riding in the 70s, 80s and 90s had these designs plastered on every wall of their bedroom as well as the decks of their boards. The ripples started in Santa Cruz, CA but have radiated out to impact the art worlds of Europe, Japan and Canada. Check out Jim's other 2 books on Rock Art and Surf/Skate art, too! AWESOME!

Thoughtful and clearly written, Appelbaum's book is an essential read for both students and practitioners of conservation. Her work is particularly useful during the planning stages of treatments.

If you don't want to have troubles with Brandi, Jukileto or Muñoz Viñas, and just want to identify the practical utility of conservation decisión and judgement process including all related with means and symbolism, this will be a totally usefull and delighful book. Highly recommended for teachers and students of conservation.

Truly, enjoyable reading if you're interested in the field of conservation. If you can see a cartoon pop-up of conservator's head, well, Barbara Appelbaum explained all. Many good stories, and some technical stuff actually add real flavors. Good stuff, indeed!!

I am delighted to have this book. Barbara Appelbaum has thought through and presented many ideas I have met over the last 30 years as a conservator, but that no one before has put into this kind of focus. She demonstrates the kind of thinking that is critical to responsible care and treatment planning. Thanks you, Barbara, for giving us the benefits of what you have been doing and teaching all these years. This is an enormous contribution to the conservation field. The content is insightful and practical. The book should be read, owned and used as reference by everyone who owns or takes care of art objects.

Great book for Rolex collector. Slow on the shipping, but thats not the publishers fault.
Nice pictures, although all balck & white.

I bought this since I have been collecting Rolex watches, its very informative and has lots of historic model informations.

Worth every penny.

If you're looking for a general purpose collector book covering Rolex watches, this probably isn't the book you're looking for (try the Hess/Dowling book). However, that isn't its focus or purpose. The author, John Brozek, is one of the industry's leading experts on authentication techniques for Rolex watches and that is where this book shines. I would suggest that the author consider re-naming the book in future editions to make clear what it really is: THE BEST DAMN GUIDE AVAILABLE ANYWHERE FOR AUTHENTICATING ROLEX WATCHES.

The book starts out with a basic review of the Rolex company history and the evolution of many of their most popular models. From there, the text moves to an examination of the watch components and a look at many common replicas and fakes for comparison. The author also provides the reader with tables that will allow them to determine the correct movement/case combinations for most Rolex models.

If you collect vintage Rolexes, this book is a MUST HAVE on your bookshelf to help you discern fakes, frankenwatches and swap-jobs. No other book even comes close to providing the wealth of information for Rolex authentication contained in this text. On a critical note, the book hasn't been updated since its 4th edition in 2002. The replica market is in constant change and the author needs to add updates to aid in detection of the latest counterfeit models.

This book is not for casual reading. It is a book for people that want to learn and invest or purchase Rolex watches. It is a reference and teaching guide. Very informative. Well worth the price.

This book is an excellent introduction to Rolex.Full of useful infomation at a realistic price.EXCELLENT!

I don't need this book. I thought it was a book on saving things that don't matter, or that does matter. Files, odds and ends. I needed a organizer of house items Its primarlily antiques.

amazon delivered item on time as promised. Item was a Christmas gift which the recipient liked.

This book is excellent. It is easy to understand, cheap to implement, comprehensive, and effective. The book covers maintenance as well as storage. I wish my ancestors had been able to access to this book.

I absolutely loved this BRILLIANT book! I am a long time antiquer/yardsaler and I found the book extrodinarily useful! I have been able to preserve things i never thought possible, like my grilled cheese sandwich with the virgin mary on it! I also learned to never keep valuable coins in a jar where my daughter may be able to reach them and turn them into Coinstart (that silly hooligan). This is definately one of my top 3.14 books of all time! IT IS A MUST READ FOR THE AGES!

PS. YAY FOR SCHOOL AND BOO TO CRYSTAL METH!

"The most comprehensive book on preserving every type of collectible..." Don Williams, Senior Conservator of the Smithsonian Institution, has written a concise volume dealing with how to preserve everything from baseball cards to furniture. Easy to understand preservation practices. No hard to understand museum jargon. An excellent work for anyone who collects anything or the small museum.

Excellent book for the photos that show most of the guns listed. Price ranges given are good.

For at least the last five or six years I have purchased this guide. This and the Blue Book of Gun Values really work well together for me in making an educated reference point when out in the field and in the vault as well. I like this guide because of the pictures too and there's quite a bit of information and history in it too.
jim

This book is of little value to the serious gun buyer/seller and gives only a rough approximation of a small number of guns in the world. I strongly suggest you instead choose the 25th edition of the Blue Book of Gun Values or the 2004 edition of the Standard Catalog of Firearms. Both have much more detailed information than Gun Trader's Guide in terms of number of guns, conditions, variants, prices, and other useful reference info. The Standard Catalog also has a lot of photos, while the Blue Book has almost none. The Standard Catalog and the Blue Book are what the dealers use in pricing used guns. Either is far better than Modern Gun Values, in my opinion, and I have been a gun hobbyuist for 40+ years.

Bought this for my boyfriend (who is a sneakerhead) and he loves it. High quality print, bright pages, covers many of the classic brands and at an excellent price - best price I've seen for this book and I've looked for it elsewhere. Definetly recommended.

This is a great compilation of the shoes that make up the ever expanding sneaker culture. But it is by no means the COMPLETE guide. Lots of great shoes that didn't make it into the book and some that should have been left out. All in all, it should definitley be in your collection.

A great look at most of the shoes in each of the major companies respective ranges. While the descriptions and info on the shoes are pretty scant, the pictures more than make up for that. The best part of running through this book is getting hit with the nostalgia that comes with seeing so many products from the not-so-distant past. A nice modern coffee table (or ottoman, I suppose) book. Air Max 1s are the best shoes ever.

This book is great to look at even if you're not into sneakers. Beautifully presented design and layout, and great history details. A good oversight of all the significant brands and their best creations.

this book is awesome is very informative, and if you know anything about the hip hop era then this book should be added to a persons collections.