Antiques Collectibles Books

Good photos & description of vintage products. I bought this as a gift to a friend and he is really into Vintage watches.

I found this book to be excellent reading. It includes hundreds of beautiful photos and a brief but fascinating historical summary for several well-known foreign and American watch manufacturers. Even a person who knows nothing about watches would enjoy browsing through this book. Highly recommended.

The book has thousands of pictures of watches, mostly pocket ones. However, it does not cover the history of such watches It's just a picture timetable of watch development.

Disappointing. Little if any information about European and English watches. Misleading title should be call American watches and a few others.

Unless you are into American watches - a waste of time and money

This is a great reference however it has very limited information and only a fraction of collectible Watches are listed.I will admit the photography is excellent!

This book is fantastic. It already saved me hundreds of dollars and much time. For example: The sideplate on my python came loose while shooting, the pawl got dislocated, and everything locked up. This was a sad day. Fortunately, this book had arrived in the afternoon. I was able to use it to completely strip all parts from the python, fix it, completely clean the action and reassemble, despite the common wisdom that the python's "swiss watch" action makes it impossible for mortals to touch and not destroy.

I've bought a lot of books I liked on amazon, this is the first that was so helpful I felt like I had to write a review.

There were a couple of things I'd like to see improved: (1) clearer pictures, (2) the book skipped one step that you had to interpolate by staring at pictures (in which details were hard to see), and (3) the author's bio is disconcertingly egomaniacal.


A more detailed, excellent book I'd also highly recommend: THE COLT DOUBLE ACTION REVOLVERS: A SHOP MANUAL, VOL. I.
by Kuhnhausen, Jerry.

this book supplyed us with all the information we needed. the works of the police positive colt pistol

I would rank this book just behind Victorian Fashions and Costumes from Harper's Bazar, 1867-1898 (Dover Pictorial Archives) by Stella Blum and Full-Color Victorian Fashions : 1870-1893 by JoAnne Olian. If you have to be selected go with the first two before this one, but I still highly recommend this to round out the collection. More than 900 very detailed crisp drawing from the marvelous people at Dover Publishing again. They bring you inexpensive books that are a wealth of information, writers of period romance just cannot live without.

Every student of 19th-century fashion needs to have six books from Dover Publications in his or her library:

- Victorian Fashions and Costumes from 'Harper's Bazar', Stella Blum;
- Victorian and Edwardian Fashions from La Mode Illustree, Joanne Olian;
- Wedding Fashions 1860-1912, Joanne Olian;
- Victorian and Edwardian Fashion: A Photographic Survey, Alison Gernsheim;
- English Women's Clothing in the Nineteenth Century, C. Willett Cunnington;
- and this book.

Carol Grafton's book is really more of an assemblage of pictures for illustrators than anything else, but what pictures! Over 900 B&W drawings lovingly display every little detail of the elaborate costumes of the Victorian and early Edwardian eras from the mid-1850's to 1903. This book doesn't have much in the way of text so it's not as comprehensive a research resource as some of the others that I've mentioned, but as an auxiliary resource to the other books on the above list, it's perfect.

If you love to learn about historical clothing than this is the book for you.

This is a good history of both mens and womens undergarments. It is solidly written, with more focus on fact and logical history. Not a lot of wit and humor, more writing than pictures or sketches. But a wealth of knowledge spanning medieval times to the 1920's. The author does a good job of illustrating what the purpose of various undergarments were in their time. What effect they were meant to achieve, and the illustrations and photos are plentiful enough to visually support the written material. Though none of it is in color. This would be a good book for research purposes.

In agreement with some other posters, I found this book disappointing. One obvious omission is covering the Middle Ages to 1939 and not mentioning "codpiece". It would have been more useful as well separated by men's/women's over each time period.

I am a costume designer and have had this book for over 10 years.
I recently purchased a copy for one of my student workers who is now
studying costume design at Evansville, IN. I have found it to be
a wonderful source for accurate information on period undergarments.
It has consise information including many photos and illustrations.

I think this book could have been more in-depth and would have benefitted from more illustrations, but it's a good startng source for reenactors, fashion historians, and people writing about various historical periods. Amazing and interesting overview of what's under there and down there through the ages.

Just what the doctor ordered - I was interested in Berlin stamps - the Germany section does indeed include all Berlin stamps.

This is one of the best price guide books for American records. Due to its detailed information and clearly organized listings, it surpasses all previous publications in its scope and usefulness. It adds artists not previously mentioned in past price guides but does omit artists on a somewhat arbitrary basis. Why Getz and not Gillespie etc.? For the artists it does include, much hard work is reflected in the thorough discographies which list reissue information and pressing chronology with great accuracy. Obscure artists with limited product are, as is common with books of this type, omitted. For the money, this is the best book. Only Osborne's Rockin Records covers more ground, but in less essential detail.

What a letdown! While this book purports to cover the period 1950-1975, I was sadly disappointed to find that it completely omits one of the most important musical influences of that period, DON COSTA, who was a noted arranger-conductor, master of the 12-string guitar, a performer in his own right, and a man who influenced the careers of many well-known performers like Frank Sinatra, Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gorme, Johnny Mathis, Ferrante & Teicher, Paul Anka, and the list goes on. Don Costa's fabulous arrangements have appeared on labels such as ABC-Paramount, Columbia, Mercury, United-Artists, and his own label, DCP-International. Don Costa was a true musical genius and as such, he was hired to be the musical director of a major Boston, MA radio station when he was only 15 years old!... One can only wonder what other important performers or facts were left-out of this book, and such omissions only serve to cast doubt on the seriousness of the data that did manage to find a place between the covers of this publication!

This is an awesome book for those with interest in early sewing machines. The photographs are first rate and the history is comprehensive and fascinating. The rating system puts all of the machines in perspective. I find myself referring to this book frequently.

I was looking forward to buying and reading this book because I purchased the first two editions and thoroughly enjoyed them. Even my wife, who does not totally share my interest in sewing machines, enjoyed this book. I really liked the more detailed photographs of these early sewing machines and the abundance of color photographs were right on. Everything about this carefully researched book is first class and a great deal for the money. I would have enjoyed seeing more photographs of early trade literature, but I am not complaining. So, to Mr. Bays I say, "CONGRADULATIONS for writing another informative, collectable book about antique sewing machines." James W. Slaten

The best part(s) of this book are the stitching techniques demonstrated right along with the sample quilt(s). You're able to see how the stitching will look as the quilt comes together. Beautifully done with excellent diagrams and photos. The historical information is also very good. A great book to have for your quilting repetoire.

Just received this book and it exceeds my expectations. Made my selection due to the reviews of this book and thanks to all for the comments because this is a great choice. I wanted a book that gives basic instruction on making crazy quilts plus some of the more frequently used stitches,and thats just what I got. Author gives 20 pages to show different stitches and their various possiblities on a project. Inspiring photos, and suggestions for applications of crazy quilt method. This has been a find for me, doubt anyone will be disappointed with this books and all it has to offer. enjoy.

I prefe the books by Judith Montano. This was well written and illustrated. It was for the beginner, ideas were limited.

In my opinion this is the BEST book out on making Crazy Quilts. I have four others but this is my favorite. You'll love it.

Good comprehensive book on crazy quilting -- from basic construction of crazy quilt blocks to stitch diagrams and materials suggestions. Also includes drawings of how stitches would be used in crazy quilt blocks.

My husband (a scientist) loves books on exploration and discovery. When he finished this book - surprisingly quickly - he said "you'll love this." Sure, I'll read anything once so I gave it a try. The author has such a knack with prose that this book basically read itself! Time flew when I picked it up and I was done in no time. What a fantastic surprise! When I finished it, I mailed it to my brother who read it & sent it to a friend; it;s that good....

A short but well written book that sheds light on an almost forgotten man who changed the world. Interesting and fun to read, worth checking out.

John Harrison completes his first pendulum clock in 1713 before the age of 20. He made the gears for this out of wood which was radical for such a use, but as a carpenter, perhaps not to him---which is a mark of genius, I'd say; to reach beyond accepted norms in this manner. This he did after borrowing a book on math and the laws of motion; which he copied word for word, making his own copy. He incorporated different varieties of wood into his clock for strength and later invented a bi-metal pendulum to counteract the expansion and compression of various individual metals. He also employed friction-free movements so as to do away with problematic lubricants. When intrigued by the puzzle of time at sea and the issue of longitude he contemplated substituting something not prone to gravity, as a pendulum of course is, to track times passing. In 1737 he creates a cantilevered clock 4 foot square. This the longitude board (which had offered a cash bonus to anyone who could devise a method in which time at sea could be kept) admired. Four years later he returns with an improved model; then starts on a 3rd model, like the previous two, also a fairly large sized clock.But there exists a problem within this book: An artisan freemason by the name of John Jefferys at the Worshipful Company of clockmakers befriends Harrison and then later presents to him a pocket watch in 1753. Then in 1755, while still working on his 3rd model, Harrison says this to the Longitude board: I have..."good reason to think" on the basis of a watch "already executed that such small machines[he's referring to pocket watches] may be of great service with respect to longitude." He then completes version 3 in 1759. His fourth version appears just a year later, however, and is a 5 inch wide pocket watch! The obvious inference made by the author is that after he received the pocket watch from Jeffreys he seemingly put his version #3 on the back burner and soon started on the pocket watch 4th version. The author does not claim Harrison copied anything from the Jeffreys model, but she certainly phrases this section so as to lend one to believe that this may have been the case; that Jefferys had a hand in the masterstroke invention Harrison eventually produced in version #4. This is not true. Harrison commissioned the watch he received from Jeffreys and was based on Harrison's specifications. It seems that Harrison simply asked Jeffreys to test an idea which he himself hadn't the time to attack just then; as he was still working on his 3rd version of a table-top prototype clock. Hence Harrison's above statement to the board in 1755 whence his ideas were validated by Jeffreys. In addition, the author plays up the part of the Astronomer Royal's part in attempting to impede Harrison from convincing the longitude board of the efficacy of a time-piece solution to this problem over a celestial answer to this conundrum. The author also jazzes up the issue of whether Harrison received the prize the board promised to pay for a successful solution herein; even though the board supported him for upwards of 20 years as he pursued this quest. It's as if the author intentionally omitted some facts (that the Jefferys was a Harrison commission), and pumped up others (of a rival/foil on the board trying to impede Harrison and the compensation issue; implying that Harrison was jipped) just to make the story more compelling. John Harrison's story, however, is extremely compelling as it is and didn't need this extra spice served up by the author.Do read this (very short) book on how this Mr. Harrison solved the problem of knowing where one is when at sea; and if you're in London, visit the Old Royal Observatory and the Clockmakers museum (in the Guildhall) where you can see Harrison's wonderful creations in person. Enjoy!

What do Galileo and John Harrison have in common? They both had run-ins with bureaucracies that impeded the acceptance of their breakthrough ideas. And they are both subjects of books by Dava Sobel. Longitude is second book by her that I have read, the other being Galileo's Daughter. As with the latter book, Sobel combines the science of the times with a lot of background on the politics and religion of the age. She weaves these together into a coherent story that is entertaining and informative. I had never even considered that there was a ever a problem in determining longitude, so this book opened my eyes. The book I had purchased contained color illustrations that helped bring the devices that are the subject of this book to life (more can be found at http://www.portcities.org.uk/london/server/show/ConNarrative.132/chapterId/2685/Greenwich-and-the-story-of-time.html). These devices were one inventor's way of solving the problem of determining longitude at sea. Sobel covers her topic with a great deal of sympathy. Indeed, the blatant way in which the establishment hampered Harrison was very frustrating, meaning that the writing was very compelling. Interestingly it speaks to Kuhn's The Structure of Scientific revolutions, which pointed out the great steps forward in science can be accomplished by those newer to the field and that science doesn't really change until the older generation passes. I recommend this book to anyone interested in boating or science or anyone who uses a GPS device to have an appreciation for how difficult travel used to be.

One of the most pressing issues for early sailors was the problem of longitude. Because it was impossible to determine longitude, many ships and sailors died. Also, captains used the same routes as pirates or enemies of the state, which made it easy to lie in wait for your next victim. In 1714, English Parliament passed the Longitude Act which created an award for the first person to accurately determine longitude. Longitude, by Dava Sobel, explores the work of John Harrison, the man credited with accurately determining longitude for ships at sea.

Contents:
Acknowledgements
Foreword, Neil Armstrong
Chapter 1: Imaginary Lines
Chapter 2: The Sea Before Time
Chapter 3: Adrift in a Clockwork Universe
Chapter 4: Time in a Bottle
Chapter 5: Powder of Sympathy
Chapter 6: The Prize
Chapter 7: Cogmaker's Journal
Chapter 8: The Grasshopper Goes to Sea
Chapter 9: Hands on Heaven's Clock
Chapter 10: The Diamond Timekeeper
Chapter 11: Trial by Fire and Water
Chapter 12: A Tale of Two Portraits
Chapter 13: The Second Voyage of John Cook
Chapter 14: The Mass Production of Genius
Chapter 15: In the Meridian Courtyard
Sources
Index

Today, ships have GPS to tell them where they are on the seas. But before John Harrison created his first sea worthy clock, sailors were pretty much lost at sea as soon as they lost sight of land. Watches were not accurate and clocks worked on a pendulum, which didn't help on a rolling sea. Sobel weaves an interesting tale of John Harrison, a carpenter turned clockmaker, who created an extremely accurate clock for determining longitude. But this story isn't solely about Harrison. There are others that are attempting to do the impossible as well, using the heavens to find longitude. Harrison must battle prejudice, and himself, to get his timekeeper judged for the prize (£20,000 is the award). In the end, Harrison developed several chronometers, extremely accurate and able to withstand the seas and weather, that by the 1780's all log books had an entry for longitude readings by timekeeper.

This is a topic that many may not find interesting. But Sobel hasn't written an academic dissertation on the subject, she has created a highly engaging study of a man dedicated to solving one of the greatest issues facing the world at the time. Her writing style makes this an easy book to read, as there are few technical details. However, for those that need more information, she provides a rather detailed source listing. I found the book to be a fascinating look at early sailing and the answer to a problem that plagued those sailors. Also, the background on Harrison adds to the story. While he worked as a carpenter, his knowledge of wood aided him in his quest for an accurate timekeeper. His chronometer was accurate to less than a second, in the 1700's, when other, more learned clockmakers could only be accurate to 15 minutes a day (plus or minus).

This is a very good, enjoyable book on a fascinating subject.