Antiques Collectibles Books

I first read The Fifth Chinese Daughter in about 1963 when I was 13 and living 30 miles south of San Francisco. Visiting Chinatown was my first exposure to a foreign culture. It was mysterious and exotic, and I wondered what went on behind the building fronts lining the narrow bustling streets. This book gave me my first glimpse into this other world; very heady stuff for a 13 year old girl. Fast forward 45 years, and I'm looking for a book to recommend to my book club. I had never forgotten The Fifth Chinese Daughter but assumed it was out of print. Imagine my surprise when I found two copies on the shelf of our local bookstore. I snapped up both copies and jumped in. The Fifth Chinese Daughter was just as captivating and poignant to me at age 57. I can now appreciate it from a new perspective, viewing this work as a precursor to the wonderful Chinese American literature that followed. I could go on....but suffice to say, read this book.

I became interested in buying this book after reading the author's fascinating story in the L.A. Times last year. Since reading Fifth Chinese Daughter a few months ago, I have given it as a gift to three friends who also found this young woman's story as heartwarming and courageous as I did. Side benefit: I learned a great deal about Chinese-American culture and about American history, circa 1930s - 1950s.

It's also a great book for teen girls. Reading about Jade Snow's sometimes difficult youth and teen years and how she met her goals will be very inspirational to that age group.

"You must have confidence that I shall remain true to the spirit of your teachings. I shall bring back to you the knowledge of whatever I learn." Fifth Chinese Daughter is an inspiring autobiography that traces the life of Jade Snow Wong from childhood to adulthood in San Francisco's Chinatown. In her book, Jade Snow describes the numerous hardships and rewards that shaped her life. Through her vivid descriptions, the reader is immersed in the Asian culture of early twentieth-century America. Looking through Jade Snow's eyes, the reader is able to experience the conflicting cultural experiences of the middle daughter of a large family of Chinese immigrants.
Conforming to Chinese tradition, Jade Snow felt that her worth as an individual was dictated by her family. Although Jade Snow's father took pride in educating his daughters in both Chinese and American customs, he valued the future potential of his sons over that of his daughters. Jade Snow's childhood is tainted by unjust punishment and suppressed emotion. Such experiences led her to pursue independence and acknowledgment in a country that offered numerous opportunities for well-educated young woman. However, from her difficult childhood, Jade Snow learned discipline and respect, qualities that allowed her to succeed and gain respect from her family. It is fascinating to witness her transformation from a submissive child to a woman of integrity and perseverance.
As Jade Snow tirelessly worked her way through college, she came to understand the injustices of Chinese tradition. Ironically, at this time, she also developed a greater appreciation for her Chinese heritage and through it discovered her life's passions. Despite the heavy skepticism and criticism of her family, Jade Snow pursued her dreams with optimistic determination, suffering many hardships along the way. In each of her life's stories she proves to us that great rewards come from hard work and unfailing belief in one's self. If you ever feel hopeless or just want to be inspired, Jade Snow's story will lift you out of your darkness.

I usually don't write negative reviews, but I really was surprised by all the glowing reviews here. I truly think this is a terrible book and here is why.

1). The characters are only skin deep. We never really get to know them beyond their attitudes toward Jade Snow. And Jade Snow herself is very opaque as well, we don't get to know more of her except that she is filial, hard-working and eager to please people. The insides of these characters are not alive and they resemble dull automatons carrying out the actions of a pre-determined script.

2). The prose is very flat, so the end result reads like a very long summary of the plot rather than the book itself. The author crammed in many minutae of her life into the writing, with a emphasis on the details of food preparation. but most of the details are not evocative and fails to enrich the world she is trying to portray.

3). A streak of very patronizing attitude to Asians Americans run through out the book. It culminate with a cringe-inducing climax of self-hate at the very end of the last chapter, in a scene meant to be the big emotional pay-off for the whole book. Jade Snow's father tearfully confess that he had done wrong by raising her under the backward Chinese culture, and that he should have raised her in the superior, freedom-loving Christian way.

In the book Fifth Chinese Daughter by Jade Snow Wong, the author tells readers about her childhood as a Chinese girl living in San Francisco. Ms. Wong gives readers a chance to see what life was like growing up during the early 1900�s as a Chinese girl. Throughout the book, you learn many things Chinese-Americans do which are different from American customs. Readers are given an idea of how Chinese-American�s raised their families during that time. The author shows in vivid detail what happened to her and what she had to work for in her childhood.
Jade Snow was brought up in a household that made sure their children knew their native culture as well as the culture around them. Since an early age, Jade was given Chinese lessons by her father until she was old enough to attend Chinese school everyday after her American classes were over. The book chronicles Jade�s life from her early childhood to when she becomes a young woman living on her own. Throughout the book, you see Jade learn to do the shopping for the family, cope with problems in school like discrimination, get into college on her own, and find jobs for herself.
There were many things I liked about this book. Even though, this book isn�t like the books I normally read, it was very hard to put down. The author writes her story in
graphic details, which pulled me into the book. I loved how she talked about her father in many ways, how some days he believed in her and others, he had no confidence in her. Also, I believe that Jade was a strong girl throughout her childhood. This is because she had to live with such strict rules in her household like respecting her elders, and how if she or her siblings did anything wrong, they would get punished by getting whipped.
If I were to compare this novel with others I have read, I would have to say that this novel is in my top 50 books I have ever read. I found that every page I turned in this book, I was wondering what would happen next. This novel was very fun to read because I liked learning about what life was like for a young Chinese-American Women growing up during the early 1900�s.
I would most likely recommend this novel to another, unless the person did not like autobiographies. I would recommend this book to people who like reading about people of different cultures. Jade Snow�s book is geared more to people who like to read about people�s cultures, but I think many would find this book very interesting.

Cute. That would be the best word to describe this short, particularly sweet memoir. Going into it, I was waiting for vast accounts of the inner workings of one of the most fantastic stores ever to exist. The tome is more character driven than tell-all, which I would assume stems from the era the author comes from (that is, polite and loyal). I could have done without the dozens of "Ohmygosh!"s that were sprinkled quite liberally throughout the narrative - it was distracting, irritating, and took away credibility from the writer. The naive charm still held me captive, though: I received a glimpse of a time where girls still wore gloves and hats, were polite and charming, and treated everyday as if it were a glamorous event. The backdrop of World War Two gave the book more depth, thankfully, for without it the story would have drooped from saccharine sweetness. The descriptions of the now-antiquated stores and sweetshops were divine, and the cameos from celebrities like Marlene Dietrich and Judy Garland were quite nice, as well. (Watch out for the sub-plot with Yale...it felt like a forced dilemma for the main character and also quite unrealistic). All in all, I loved seeing New York as it never will be again, especially after 9/11. A lovely look inside a rare moment of time, this book will most definitely cheer you up. That's all it's really there for, I guess. Charming.

Not to be confused with the infamous Holly Golightly caper, this charming tale takes us back to the turquoise corridors of Tiffany, where jewels twinkle and customers include Marlene Dietrich and Judy Garland. This time, the heroines are two Iowa-bred "long-limbed, blue eyed blondes" who are traveling to Manhattan to find summer work. The catch? The hordes of other hungry co-ed girls hellbent on the same glamorous goal.

Far from pretentious fare like Nichole Ritchie's "The Truth about Diamonds," this memoir of two college girls hoofing it into Manhattan in search of summer work is a career girl's tale at heart. From their initial dizzy hysteria of job hunting, to working the mysterious connections of a family friend, the story perfectly captures the plummeting feeling of job rejection, and the giddy glee of being hired for even the most menial tasks when set in glamorous Manhattan. With this mindset, Marjorie and her best friend Marty become the first-ever female store pages for Tiffany, delivering packages to the shipping and receiving department. The irony that they work among glittering diamonds and pearls on a salary of $20 is not lost on them, even in 1945 when the book is set.

Indeed, this is period literature, but only in the most lightly pleasing way. From dancing the Charleston to Frank Sinatra's "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" to scrambling on her hands and knees to recover the precious pearls that have spilled all over the elevator floor on her way to the Tiffany Diamond and Pearl room (yes, it's real), Hart is a charming heroine whose adventures equal an endearing coming-of-age tale, wrought with Tiffany glamour and winsome World War II overtones.

The overall result is a book that is special, light-hearted without being shallow, and perfectly satisfying as a summer beach read. If you want summer reading but need a break from stilettos and cosmopolitans, this little blue jewel of a book will transport you in no time.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, fun to hear about life during the 40's and what New York City was like back then. Fun book to read!

This memoir of working as one of the first women on the sales floor at Tiffany & Co. was informative and sweet, but a bit dull. It's an easy read and definitely suitable for a young adult reader. If you like stories about New York and "career girl" narratives you might enjoy it. I'd hoped for a bit more.

The summer of '45 was full of discoveries for the author: New York City, the elegance of Tiffany's, the euphoric end to WWII, happenings with friends, and meeting a beau. Well-written picture of the times. A really fun read - highly recommended.

I know Martha Stewart has had bad press lately but her ideas are still pretty cool (plus this book was from a few years ago). I'm having a blast with this book because I love to go antiquing and looking for stuff to make things with. Granted, you may not find the extact items she uses but you can certainly find the same general items (e.g. egg cups, button covers, vintage fabrics). I really like how the book is laid out in terms of glass, textiles, etc. Also, she has tips for caring and cleaning different types of items which is great since you generally need to clean things that you find at flea markets etc. The ideas are all really neat and really they are easy to do. Five stars all around from me. The ideas I've gotten from this book have really spawned my creativity to make other sorts of things too. Lots of fun!

I have never seen some of those things available when I've done some scrounging, but the ideas to use them are pretty interesting. My favorite is the linen cabinet made from the shutter doors; you'd have to see it to understand what I mean. Having met a man who is into collecting, I thought we could use it, but so far, not. Thumb through it, see if it's for you.

Try Second-Hand Style: Finding and Renewing Antique Treasures or Decorating With Flea Market Finds or Flea Market Decorating (Better Homes and Gardens Books). I love these three books.

This book is basically an ancyclopedia of costume designers, their films and the dates.
The author did a magnificent research being this probably the first book written on the subject but it's definitely not a book "to read" (only the preface and introduction have some very interesting and "readable" data) as the book in itself is just a succession of names, dates and movie tittles.
It's a reference book.
The pictures though are really good.

One of my favorite things about watching classic films is seeing all the amazing fashions! This book is a great collection of photos of classic stars wearing classic costumes. Lots of stars are in here including Bette Davis, Norma Shearer, Carole Landis, Lana Turner, Joan Crawford, and Irene Dunne. You will learn who designed each outfit and there is a little biographical information about the designers too.

Excellent reference book with biographies of the most famous designers at the different studios. Nominations and Academy Awards are also referenced. There is an index that makes it easy to look up a film and find out who designed the costumes. I use it frequently. In some cases more than one designer worked on the same film. There are photographs of the designers and also their designs, however, I would like to see even more photographs...especially for the period 1930 through 1970. I would rate this book 4.5. It is also a good value for the price.

Good book! Lots of black-n-white photos of famous movie stars wearing wonderful designer fashions!

This book was originally written in 1988,thus,the 157 famous Hollywood Fashion Designers listed in this book are all here --- from the very beginning of Hollywood's Fashion movie Era , and then all the way up to 1988.

(NOTE: The reason the copyright on this book is 1991, is because the author added an information page in 1991. However, this book was really written in the 1980's).

Anyhow, this book lists all the Academy Award Fashion winners and also all British Award Fashion winners (in regards to Hollywood FASHIONS), from the late 1800's up until 1988!

I love fashion & many great designs were done by the designers for the old movie studios. It was interesting reading about how designers came up with ideas of an outfit to cover flaws or accent a movie star (i.e. Barbara Stanwycks low butt, Crawfords shoulder pads).

Book has some nice pictures and descriptions. Novice collectors will enjoy it.

This was the first book I purchased on the topic of ancient coins, and it provides a first-rate introduction to the hobby. It's a good general overview of what is available, and is written in a style that is welcoming to the greenest of beginners.

This book would be a very good "first book" on the subject, and it would also make a great gift for someone who is just getting started on an ancient coin collection, especially for the price!

I read only the part of this book dedicated to Greek coins (my area of interest) and learned much. There are many (black & white) pictures of coins as well as text dedicated to the inscriptions and people/gods found on the coins. However, the amount of information contained barely scratches the surface of the subject matter. I would buy the book again, but will continue to look for another title with more in-depth information.

This is the book to begin with if you think you may have an interest in ancient Western coins. This covers Greek coins from 680 B.C. to Roman Coins up to 476 A.D. The scope of this book is basically European coinage for roughly 1,000 years. What this book does NOT cover: Byzantine, Persian and Far East ancient coins.

About 60% of the book (the first half of the book) is devoted to Greek coins, and the other 40% to Roman (mostly imperial) coins. There are lots of black and white pictures of real coin examples in both sections of the book. I will be focusing mostly on the Roman section.

THE GREEK COIN SECTION:
This begins with a description of how ancient coins were made.

Greek 101 is not a prerequisite! The book teaches you how to read Greek characters on the coin inscriptions.

It also goes through a pictorial history of Greek coinage: The Period of Archaic Art (680-480 B.C.), The Period of Transitional Art (480-415 B.C.), The Period of Finest Art (415-336 B.C.), The Period of Later Fine Art (336-280 B.C.)The Period of the Decline of the Art (280-146 B.C.), The Period of Continued Decline in Art (146-27 B.C.), and finally The Imperial Period (27 B.C. - 268 A.D.). There are lots and lots of pictures.

THE ROMAN COIN SECTION:
This was what I primarily bought this book for. There is a brief history of early Roman coins (how they were cast instead of struck), but there isn't much in the way of text or pictorial examples in regard to Roman Republican Coinage...this is nearly all Imperial (From Caesar Augustus (29 B.C.) to Romulus Augustus (476 A.D.).

It goes through the denominations of Roman coins. It gives relative Roman values of: Aureus to Denarius to Sesterius to Dupondius to As to Quadrans. What it does NOT give much hint about ancient values is of later denominations like Antoninianus, Follis, Siliqua, and Solidus.

There is a big picture section on Reverse Types of Roman coins, going through all the gods and goddesses that appear on the backs.

There is an excellent section on how to read Obverse inscriptions. This is probably the most helpful section for the beginner. Included also is an extensive list of Emperor's names as they most commonly appear on the coins.

Finally, there is an Emperor-by-Emperor coin-by-coin history of Rome, with very brief comments about each ruler. Only one coin per ruler is listed, so don't expect to find a lot of examples of each Emperor.

CONCLUSION:
What this book will NOT do is give you the present-day values of coins, the relative rarity of a coin, and it speaks nothing about grading coins. If you have poor-quality late Roman coins that you are trying to attribute, this book will be of minimal help. The best book I have found on the Subject of Roman Coins is David Van Meter's Handbook of Roman Imperial Coins: A Complete Guide to the History, Types, Symbols and Artistry of Roman Imperial Coinage. It is much more in-depth, but of course, it is a lot more expensive as well.

This Handbook of Ancient Greek & Roman Coins serves as a fine introduction to these two subjects. Without breaking the bank, the huge amount of information contained in this 288-page Volume will give you a good idea if you want to pursue this subject further. For the range of coverage and the price, you can't go wrong.

This well illustrated book is quick and easy to read and provides some basic information to for those intending to collect ancient Greek and Roman coins. It will help you recognize many common coins. It will allow you to interpret the inscriptions and in many cases the imagery on these coins. It is inexpensive.

Some things will not be found in it, however. Republican Roman coins (a fascinating area) are strangely not covered at all. There is no information regarding assessing the quality of coins, cleaning them, recognizing fakes, determining price or caring for your collection. For this type of information you should look at Wayne Sayles' more extensive series. For coin valuation David Sear is invaluable. This book is a cheap and simple way to form an impression about ancient Greek and Roman coin collecting. Eventually, recognizing that the price of almost any coin described in the book is far greater than that of the book itself, serious collectors will want to invest in more extensive reference sources. One must start somewhere however, and this is a good place to do so.

While reading this extraordinary and unique book it is obvious that Edwards put the time and effort into this project and Buchanan packaged it. Yet Buchanan seems to want all the credit. She alone is listed as the author, but what did she actually do? She wrote a distant and dry essay - well written no doubt, but what exactly is her relationship to this fascinating object called the Vietnam Zippo?

Judging from the lively discussion below on this page, Buchanan was, in fact, the publisher with the power to manipulate the crediting. It appears that Edwards' role was greatly diminished and he was relegated to the person who just provided the collection. Apparently another sad example of an artist being taken advantage of - there must be a back story here and it probably isn't pretty. What a shame this situation is considering what a finely crafted book it is.

The Vietnam War had many facets for those who served in that theatre of military combat from 1965 to 1973. One of the unique memorabilia associated with the conflict were the Zippo brand cigarette lighters that were ubiquitous among the American troops. Drawing from the collection of Bradford Edwards, Sherry Buchanan (an independent scholar, author, and expert on both Asian and Vietnamese contemporary art, history and culture) has created "Vietnam Zippos", a volume of images of Zippo brand lighters used and personalized by members of the American armed forces. Zippos lighters were visible associated with the burning of grass huts as part of search-and-destroy missions, they were used as engraved symbols of social protest, and often became a kind of talisman for American GIs during their hazardous tours of duty in that increasingly unpopular conflict. Beginning with a Timeline that begins in 1965 and ends in 1990 (when Vietnam Zippos were sold to tourists at Saigon Street Stalls), "Vietnam Zippos" is a fascinating and specialized military cultural history that is a unique and recommended contribution to the growing library of Vietnam War histories, biographies, and scholarly studies.

A touching compilation of soldiers who served in Vietnam and the history of Zippos in the Army. Full of color pictures: numerous Zippos dipictaing pictures, unit slogans, witty banter, and more. A must read for anyone who wants to connect with history.

It is a shame and a pity that such an impressive book should reflect such a travesty in crediting. What does Ms. Buchanan have to do with the Vietnam Zippo? There is ample evidnce that it was the focus of Mr. Edwards' attention for many years. Yet he is relegated to a minor participant in the book itself! Anyone who closely examines the book can see the truth - it is self-evident. Apparently, Ms. Buchanan's massive ego overshadowed her sense of justice - she, as the publisher in fact, decided to not even share the authorship with Mr. Edwards. Othewise, it a near perfect book - striking graphic design - highest quality photographs - excellent essays and thorough research. Life can be unfair.

My hippie Dad loved it! He is a history buff and had not heard of this practice!

This is a book we repeatedly buy, since we give this to our house guests as a keepsake of their trip to the Bay area. Since it also mentions the town we live in - Half Moon Bay - it is especially meaningful. Wonderful pictures!

What an excellently written book. If a picture is worth a thousand words, the authors words are worth a thousand (mental) pictures. But there are very nice photo's as well. Covers nature, towns, and cities with the type of information a tourist or native would appreciate. And if you can't actually do such a trip, you definitely can from your armchair while reading this book. A real pleasure.

I bought this booking thinking it would be a good guide to the hidden gems on the West Coast but found that it was more a coffee table book or souvenir book. If you are looking for something with detailed information on the coastal drive, e.g., highlights, directions, tips, etc. this isn't it. If you want a nice momento of the California Coast, then it's a beautiful book.

Stunning photographs!! A beautiful book! Text is most interesting & informative too. Well written. You wish you could jump into the page & pictures themselves. I once lived in California - wish I had this book - years ago! SM Pierrot Olney, MD

One of my favorite things to do is to travel down sections of the California coast. I do this whenever I can, and usually have an opportunity to revisit a favorite site at least once a year. One of the high points of being a teenager in California was taking a driving trip with my mother and sister where we covered almost the entire coast.

I was very impressed by this book. If you think you are interested in taking a trip to the California coast, I think this book is essential!

First, I couldn't find any sight that I have enjoyed visiting that was not included. For example, I have spent a lot of time near Laguna in Southern California in recent years. I found every activity that I enjoy doing in Laguna captured in the book, down the art galleries and museum I like to visit there.

Second, most books of photography cause you to have great envy for the skill of the photographer, with no idea how to take your own images. I was delighted when the book opened with a brief photographic note that explained what equipment was used for the photographs. It's all equipment that I can access and manage, which is also nice. The images of sunsets over the ocean are the best!

Third, the book brings in the environmental issues of defending the coastline from California's enormous population and heavy tourism industry. You will read about how development and wildlife are both being protected and brought together in complementary ways. Ms. Misuraca's text makes no bones about the smog and congestion near Los Angeles, and the photographs make those problems visually appalling.

Fourth, the writing is way above what I've come to expect for travel-related books. I thought that Jean-Michel Cousteau's Foreword was especially eloquent. "California is a fabled land . . . . From small, Hispanic-influenced farming towns to the cosmopolitan bustle of San Francisco and Los Angeles, it is host to a blend of cultures not seen since the days of ancient Rome."

Fifth, there's a balance in the subject matter that I found helpful. Many areas of California offer seasonal festivals related to fishing, harvesting or simply cultural history. Anyone who loves California enjoys visit those festivals. The book is quite complete in telling you about those activities. At the same time, you get ideas of where the architecture, hiking, photography, swimming, surfing, and nature observing are good.

This is probably the only book about California's coast that I have seen that both residents and potential visitors will treasure equally.

After you have finished enjoying this remarkable book, I hope you will plan to visit some of California's lesser known but remarkable locales. I particularly recommend the section of Route 1 that goes south from Carmel through Big Sur, the Lost Coast, Fort Ross, Muir Woods, Point Reyes, Drake's Bay, Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Preserve, Morro Bay, Catalina, and Torrey Pines.

I have used each edition of this book as my Breyer Bible. It keeps getting better with each edition and is very well formatted. Lots of great information on the molds / models as well as up to date values.
And the photos are incredible. I wouldn't be caught without it!

Describes everything I needed to find out about the Breyers. Sometimes it was a little difficult since I had the horses and had to search individual pages until found... no ID no. on horse, or some other method

There is a wealth of information on the various types of Breyers and great descriptions. However, many of the color photos are off, with a lot of orange tinting. You need to go by the written description rather than the actual photo. Also, I was extremely disappointed in the pricing. As an avid collector and owner of over 180 traditional Breyers, the prices are rather low. You could not use this book for insurance purposes or buying prices. I have seen many of the Breyers listed in the book go for much higher prices than what is quoted in this 5th edition. It is still a good reference book.

This goldmine of information is necessary for both the serious collector and for anyone with interest in the Breyer collectables. It's straightforward pictoral guide is easy to use and the fair market values are just that...fair. Don't shop for a Breyer without it!

Lots of great pictures, but values are off. I would not use this to determine the value of what I'm selling. The values are often less than what the going price is, and occasionally more than they're worth. Great pics and book to see what is out there nonetheless.

This is a great reference, as well as a fun book to read. There is a large range of eras, the pictures are beautiful, each item described well. I know prices are always relative, but it really does have a wide variety of items shown in each section, which can really "train your eye" if you are just starting out collecting. I will be able to use it to find some good descriptive terms, and I saw several items that we have in our collections pictured! For someone who is fairly new to seeing vintage clothing as collectible and fascinating, I can't wait to pick it up again! As a note, if you are looking for a verbose account of the history of fashion, or the impact of society, etc. this is not the book you are looking for. I love it for good examples of descriptions, and for the beautiful pictures and reference points.

This is a very very good book for any vinyl lover or collector, It's got so many examples shown. Only thing I would have liked better is more detail on many of the vinyls listed. This book is mostly pictures with only just a lil info on each. It would have been nice to have more info on many of them but still overall a wonderful book.

I was hoping this book would give me a little insight into the world of the designer toy. Instead, I got a pictorial, not a book...not a word of explanation, just pictures of the various toys. Too bad - it would have been more enlightening if the author included even bullet descriptions of the provenance of such toys: why are they called designer toys, when did this phenomenon start, where is it a craze, will it continue to be a craze and what makes one toy a hit and one not. This short review has more words than you'll ever read in the book.

one of the best toy art books around, lots of designs, this book is a must have

This is one of those books that simply has to be seen to be believed - who would have thought that toys (yes, toys) could become a new artistic medium? Within "I Am Plastic" you'll find a wild and wonderful selection of toys from creators from across the globe, everything from evil cartoon characters and superdeformed abstractions to fantastically detailed and realized robots, gorillas, and others. Browsing through this volume I was reminded of the art in the book "The Art of Modern Rock: The Poster Explosion" - the artists and their art in each of these books seem to have the same feel, the same vibe and life to them: definitely non-conformist, and definitely imaginative, as though pop culture was put in a blender and the results painted on canvas or molded into plastic toys. Anyone interested in modern art would do well to give this book a look.

This book has great images of toys from around the world. I bought it for a friend who is a graphic designer and she plans to use it as a visual reference for a childrens book she is illustrating.