Antiques Collectibles Books

A light but enlightening journey through the evolution of cover designs, as impacted by world events, technology and taste. Particularly interesting for those in the industry.

Among the first books I ever stole (being poor) were Penguins, because they were the most interesting, the best designed, and -- oh I don't know -- the most "bookish"? I wanted to be (would become) a writer. I was stupid-young, self-absorbed, pliably amoral -- and broke.

Now here's the company's entire story told through covers. Pictorial. Visceral. Brilliant. More love per exhibit than a non-bibliophile can imagine.

Now that I have an income I buy hundreds of book I don't especially need in flagrant pay-back mode. Thank you, Penguin. My first love.

I picked this up because of the book's physical beauty, but I've just read it in one sitting, couldn't put it down--a fascinating window into 20th-century British cultural history as well as book design.

What a loving tribute to Allen Lane, the visionary who founded Penguin Books in 1935. Few publishers have consistently put their best `face' forward year after year over thousands of titles and I find it surprising that this Penguin cover history hasn't been written before 2005.

Admittedly most of their covers until the Fifties, though distinctive in the three-tier horizontal design, were not that creative but things slowly changed no doubt because of market pressure from other paperback publishers. I thought Penguin covers really took of in 1962 with the use of Romek Marber's simple cover grid. Pages 104-5 in the book show eighteen brilliant covers using simple graphics with black, green and red inks. The grid cover style ran into the seventies with the non-fiction Pelicans and nicely still using everybody's favorite type: Helvetica.

Author Phil Baines has done a lot of research for the book though it is basically visual with excellent short text pieces for the various title genres. A nice touch is spread of forty-eight Penguin logos from 1935 to 2005 at the back of the book and it is this kind of editorial thoughtfulness that makes the book so interesting.

***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.

Hi from Barcelona.
First of all, sorry for my really bad english.
I really recomend the purchase in Amazon.
No problem whit anything, all is perfect.
I think that the book of Phil Baines (Penguin by Design) is one of the obligated purchases for any graphic designer. Perfect design and perfect information.
Thanks Phil!!!

Marc

This book may be the best one I have purchased in over a year, on any subject.I am so happy to have it in my collection. Photography is excellent,and if you are an artist/dollmaker, the inspirational element is fantastic. Historically, the book is loaded with info that is fascinating.I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in dollmaking as I am,and who finds Asian artifacts refreshingly different on an artistic basis.What a great book! If you love dolls,this is a must have,You will not be dissappointed!

Alan Pate's second book on Japanese dolls gives the occidental reader a real understanding of the Japanese doll within the context of Japanese culture. The work would be cheap at 2X the price. The photographs are stunning and worth the price of admission. For the collector serious or casual this (and his earlier work, Ningyo) are all one needs.
Most highly recommended.

I just finished this book and I found the stories wonderful. This book is obviously aimed it the beginning book collector. It details the adventures of the authors as they began to dip their feet into the world of rare books and collecting. The stories detail the adventures of the authors as they haphazardly jump into collecting books. As a somewhat novice book collector I found the stories both humorous and reassuring. I could see myself in many of the stories. There is a pull to collecting that sometimes overrides good judgment. I highly recommend this book.

This is very well done and enjoyable. It is a light treatment of the subject prompted by my journey through the Bookman Series by Dunning.

Though I found the opening chapters of URTBW greatly annoying (had the two professional-novelist authors of this book really never been to a used bookstore before they moved to the Berkshires? Did they really have no idea what pleasure used/antiquarian/rare books might hold for booklovers?), and the stereotyped description of book-dealers throughout tiresome (nearly every one an eccentric, an ego-maniac, or both; even if true, no need to make the point over and over), in the end I found URTBW pleasurable enough. Sure, it's the lightest of fair. But what booklover and die-hard-haunter-of-used-bookstores wouldn't relate to the authors' exciting adventures? URTBW is neither learned nor particularly well-crafted. But once one gets past the first couple of chapters, it's a good bit of fun. I'm happy to count the Goldstones among my fellow travelers in Booklandia.

I really enjoy this series and following the authors on their journey collecting books. The travels and booklore that they share are interesting and enjoyable to read.

I discovered this book quite by accident years ago. I was in a used bookstore for a long time, and eventually I shyly inquired about a Limited Editions Club book. It would have been my first purchase of a used book that was nicer - and more expensive - than a new book. The shop owner helped me, and then suggested that I might get a kick of this book. Much like another reviewer, I devoured it in less than 24 hours.

Sometimes, I felt the authors were making me more comfortable in a world new to me. At other times, I felt I was being made fun of, for loving old books, and my willingness to consider paying a lot of money for them. To disagree with another review, I don't think it was mean spirited, but rather the authors candidly reveal their emotions as they evolved during the narrative. Sometimes they felt truly excited, and sometimes they felt a little embarrassed and obsessed. Even scared - as when they first bid in an auction. All book lovers have friends that don't understand the appeal. I love the book because I often feel alone in alternating between those same emotions. Even when the authors came on a little strong, and I wanted to come to the defense of some of the characters, I kept reading. The book pulls you in, even when you might disagree.

I have collected the Knives annual books since 2003, after attending my first "Custom knife show" in Denver Co. I went home and started to make and buy equipment to forge my own knives. Now 5 years have passed, I'm making knives, I know personally some of the very people who display their knives in the pages of these books, and especially for the 2008 edition, I have one of MY knives in the book! Page 121! I totally agree with D. Haines, a custom forged knife will out perform any store-bought, factory stamped out knife. There are lots of books and magazines that show all the "factory made" "cookie-cutter" mas-produced knives available,, but where do you find the "one of a kind", custom hand made knives, and in COLOR?? Knives annual, thats where! ---Jon

We get this book every year and it has never been a bad choice! Full of information and photos

This continues to keep the custom knifemaker or enthusiast up to date on what other makers are producing. It is also the only (and very good) catalog of makers. I have all editions since 1980 when it was first published, and find it invaluable as a reference.

I loved this as I do all the other knives editions. I make knives as a hobby and always have one of these books close at hand for ideas. I must say i disagree with the last reviewer giving it two stars, if you wanted everyday work knives there are numerous companies out there that would be willing to send you a catalogue, if that is what you are into. I feel this edition may be superior to previous editions. In the past some photo's were simply pasted in from professional photographers, now most of the knives have a plain white background, some with multiple views. If you want to know what the professional knifemakers have been up to in the last year or two, this is a great resorce. Enjoy.

Great as always! I make custom carry knives as a hobby as well and this annual series of books has always been a great inspiration to me. In reference to the review written by Charlie, I would take him with a grain of salt, just look at his other reviews. A typical self proclaimed know it all but most likely just full of hot air. Any hand made knife loving built following the old time trusted ways of knife making will out perform any "off the shelve" knife hands down. Don't believe me just put Charlie's K-bar in a vice and bend it past 90 degrees watching it snap like a twig, which by the way is the one of the first test of a knife maker. The greatest compliment I ever received was from a man who received one of my Damascus knives as a gift and later told me he had "skun" 25 hogs without having to re-sharpen the knife. Yes many of the knives in this book would be too beautiful to carry, but many of them are just plain high performance steel that I would be proud to carry on my side. To sum it up, I own well over 50 knife making books and videos and would rate my Knives Annuals some of most important I own. In my humble opinion I think that any knife lover would love this book as well.

This is a great coloring book! The gowns/dresses are fun to color, detailed and varied. The only caution I have is that not all of the 1st Ladies are pictured in gowns. Some are pictured in streetwear. But it is still a fantastic book and great fun. Dates and details are listed about each 1st Lady and her gown. It is great fun and very accurate. Snap this one up!

I bought this for my granddaughter for her 8th birthday, along with three other Tom Tierney paper doll books. She was thoroughly enchanted. The other mothers at the birthday party 'oohed' and 'aahed' over the books. They all noted how difficult it is to find paper dolls anymore and couldn't believe the beautiful quality. It may seem quaintly old fashioned but it was nice to sit and visit with my granddaughter as we cut out the pretty outfits. Soon the older sister joined in, as well as my daughter-in-law and her mother as well! We actually spent three hours with no arguments! That has to be a first in our family! ;^)

This is by far the best of the best drawn by Tom. Every page was a gasp from my mouth, as each gown appeared, and I love this book for the color and designs of its time! If you love the designers of the Old World, Paquin, Worth, Channel, Schiparelli, Poiret, Lanvin etc., they are all here to enjoy and admire. This was for sure one of my all-time favorite Tom Tierney paper doll books, and I have been collecting his work for almost 15 years!

I will enjoy looking through this book endlessly, but I actually prefer sketches to actual photos because the detailing is much clearer. I good book added to my library.

This book is chock full of photos and information...I was a bit disappointed in the quality of the images though. I understand that the original photos are old, but I think the print quality in the reproduction on the publishing end might have been better. Fine if info only is what you are looking for, but if you are making copies to include in a project...don't expect too much.

I liked this book because, although it is mostly studio portriats of Victorians, they are often in everyday dress. If you like old photographs, you like this book, and if your looking for some 'design' elements for historic costumes then you'll love this book.

Costume resources from this period tend towards drawings from period magazines, and use highly stylized model forms. This great collection of pictures shows a wide range of people, in a fairly wide range of clothing types. The limitations of period phots are that the clothing is almost always the fanciest outfits the person owns, and does not reflect day to day wear. Other photos are clearly theatrical costume, but the author has clearly identified them as such, even where the oroginal information is missing.

As with any black and white source, colors are left to your imagination, but the details of finsh and construction that can be gleaned from the photos makes this a necessary tool in researching clothing of this era. Teamed with a Harper's Bazaar drawing reference, and an accessory reference, and you are ready to start making your own victorian clothing!

Kristina Harris won my applause in her introduction, where she says that knowledge of costume AND knowledge of photographic processes must be used together for maximum accuracy in dating pictures. Seems obvious, but the obvious is seldom stated. She is certainly well-schooled in both fashion and photography. However, neophytes will find it difficult if not impossible to recognize each photographic process even with the best of written descriptions. This skill is attained through experience.

Readers may also be in danger of inaccurate dating if they take the guidelines provided in this book too literally. For instance, the popularity of carte-de-visite photographs may have peaked in the 1860s in Philadelphia, but they do not even appear until 1869 in frontier areas and are certainly more typical of the 1870's in Ontario.

The chief strength of this book as a resource is in the captions to the illustrations, which include the name and location of the photographer, the photographic format, the name of the sitter(s) if available as well as a few comments to indicate significant aspects of the costume. We don't have to jump to endnotes: the information is right there. Bravo!

Harris also knows to use "circa" (c.) to indicate that the date is a best guess. --And therein lies a weakness. This is yet another work in which photographs have been chosen to illustrate a history, as opposed to basing history on dated photographs as documentary evidence.

The warning that dates written on backs of photographs are "frequently added long after the photograph was taken" disquieted me. Although Harris is absolutely correct to warn us never to make assumptions, I worry that beginners will devalue what might be critical evidence. The fact is that folks often wore out-of-date or very personal choices in dress and that 'questionable' date may turn out to be right.

I gave this book three stars out of five for the above reasons, and because it is neither indexed nor sourced. An index based on photographer/city/sitter would have been very useful, and there is no bibliography.

The story of John Moses Browning and his inventions.
It gives a clear look on his live, and on his arms.
Most of his inventions are still in use today.
A must have for the one who is interested in the development of the fire arms from the single shot breech loader up till the modern fire arms of the 2000 century

This book has some okay pictures and covers the major milestones of Browning, but there were inaccuracies which seem to make the remaining information suspect. For example, one old photograph in the "Shotguns" chapter directed the reader to notice a particular type of shotgun in the hands one of the hunters in the picture. Unfortunately, the individual in the picture is clearly in possesion of a Remington Model 81 rifle. I sent this one back and am still looking for a more reliable and authoritative guide to Mr. Brownings legacy.

Very interesting book about the greatest gun designer ever lived.
As engineer and owner of a 1911 I found this book very interesting. This is a kind of history lesson I like!

David Miller, the author of this excellent book, is a former British military officer and writer for Janes and other military publishers. His expertise, graceful style, and thorough research are attractively packaged in this beautifully illustrated book on John M. Browning and the firearms he designed.

The book itself has the slick eye-appeal of something designed for a coffee table and its photography is first-rate and full color. In fact, it's almost too pretty to take very seriously.

The narrative, however, is worth the price of the book. Miller has covered all his bases in his research, from the LDS archives in Salt Lake City, Utah, to the factory archives of FN in Herstal, Belgium.

Miller does an impressive job of combining a biography of John M. Browning with a description of the family of firearms he designed, including a couple (like the M-2 .50 caliber machine gun) which are still in use today by American soldiers their allies around the world today. Browning was a patriot and would doubtless be pleased to know the high regard in which some of his firearms are held by American soldiers, police officers and sportsmen.

I enjoyed this book and gave it five stars. If you're interested in firearms and their development, or in Browning's designs, you will like this book. The only thing it lacks is a good bibliography.

The Browning gun design firm was influential in the field of American firearms ever since it was founded in Utah in 1855. For the most part, the history of Browning Firearms is about the founder's son, John Browning (1855-1926), who came into the business in the latter 1800s and headed it for decades until his death. John sold designs for hundreds of firearms to companies which then manufactured them in quantity. Because of the popularity of the Browning firearms both in their design and performance, copies of them were produced by other manufacturers; but these were inferior to authentic Brownings. Beyond the pistols, rifles, and shotguns familiar to many, Browning designed machine guns and automatic rifles for the military since the 1890s, and also knives for outdoorsmen. A complete, mostly photographic, introduction to the history of the famed Browning Firearms and the variety of its products.

"Warman's Jewelry," 3rd edition, by Christie Romero, is subtitled "A Fully Illustrated Identification and Price Guide to 18th, 19th, & 20th Century Fine and Costume Jewelry." The book is full of fascinating and useful features, among them an extensive bibliography, glossary, index, and chronology. There are also a number of appendices, including a hallmark identification guide and a guide to the marks and names on Mexican silver jewelry and metalware.

The 272-page book is full of hundreds of clear, beautiful full color photos of jewelry. Each photo is accompanied by essential information on each piece depicted. The items shown represent a huge price span; in this book you'll see a $336,000.00 gem-encrusted platinum bracelet, a $10.00 brooch shaped like a poodle, and lots in between. Many types of jewelry are pictured: necklaces, cufflinks, earrings, lockets, scarf pins, etc. Included are pieces representing a broad variety of artistic approaches: whimsical, elegant, gaudy, graceful, fierce, futuristic.

Also fascinating is the broad range of materials covered: diamonds, emeralds, opals, turquoise, gold, coral, agate, wood, rhinestones, plastic, brass, porcelain, etc. The photography is accompanied by an interesting, well-written text. Jewelry production is placed in historical and cultural context. There are also special sections devoted to jewelry of particular cultures (Native American, Mexican, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, and Finnish). Interesting trends such as Victorian-era black jewelry and "eye miniatures" are also highlighted. Overall, this is an endlessly interesting and stunningly beautiful reference work.

A great book, with lots of valuble information, but the index, is not accurate.this makes it very frustrating to look things up....warmans should issue partial refunds to the dedicated customers who purchased the book...

AS AN OLDER PERSON, I HAVE 'LIVED THROUGH' MANY OF THE FADS WHICH JEWELRY MANUFACTURERS REFLECT. I STARTED COLLECTING JEWELRY, AND DECIDED TO WRITE A RESOURCE BOOK FOR THE NOVICE. WELL, WHEN I READ MS. ROMERO'S BOOK, I FOUND THAT IT WAS SO INCLUSIVE THAT IN ORDER TO FILL IN THE GAPS, AS IT WERE, MY WORK IS REALLY CUT OUT FOR ME. THIS BOOK IS A WONDERFUL ADDITION TO ANY JEWELRY COLLECTOR'S REFERENCE LIBRARY. THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME THE SPACE TO REVIEW IT.

Over the years, Warman's guides to antiques have established a reputation for reliability. This volume is the third (2002) edition of their jewelry guide. It's lavishly illustrated with examples from many styles, eras, and price ranges. It provides a feast for the eyes and a lot of useful information as well.

Romero divides the material according to time period and, when appropriate, according to style and material and country of origin. She gives concise summaries of the essentials of each and links jewelry fashions to world events and clothing styles. Sometimes her discussions are a little too concise for this curious reader ( to be fair, the book is a guide, not an in-depth treatment), but she provides a full bibliography at the end for those who want to dig deeper. There's also a glossary of jewelry-related terminology and a section on marks.

According to the introduction, this edition reflects the increasing globalization of the marketplace and the influence of internet buying. Romero has expanded coverage of Scandinavian jewelry and added discussions of Neo-Renaissance and Beaux-Arts jewelry. Every illustration is in color, and the captions are fully detailed. Several reviewers of earlier editions mentioned that there were problems with the index. These problems seem to have been corrected in this edition.

Any problems I have with this book are mostly quibbles. The author makes a point of linking changes in jewelry fashions to changes in clothing and in social conditions. I wish that she had put in a few period illustrations showing the fashions and the jewelry worn with them. This is probably a little out of the reach of an identification and value guide, but it would have been a nice touch. Nonetheless, this is a wonderful resource for jewelry collectors and, in fact for anyone who thinks they might like to become one.

As on online vintage jewelry dealer, Atlanta vintage jewelry dot com, Warman's book was one of the first in my reference library. Sure, it has some faults, but not to the degree to make the book 'useless'. I used to spend my evenings in bed reading through the pages, getting familiar with the vast array of information.

The book includes excellent pictures with clarity, and lots of them. It covers jewelry designs from various eras, beginning in the mid-1700's through present day.

Many people in the vintage jewelry circles may refer to Warman's as the 'bible' of vintage jewelry as it also covers both fine and costume.

In spite of its somewhat unreliable index referred to by others, this hefty book is well worth the purchase price. I'm glad for mine.

Gail Gupton, Author: The 31-Day Diet of Spiritual Enlightenment and Seekers of Truth.