Antiques Collectibles Books

Lillian Baker's "100 Years of Collectible Jewelry" might help you to find your way, but only barely. The small opening section, with a brief history of jewelry, may be helpful to the novice...but is by no means complete or even truly interesting to the seasoned collector. It will give you an overview of jewelry styles and some of the historic events that prompted them, but will leave you wanting more. (Much more.) The photographs in the book are clear, but very small; not wildly exciting nor representative of all periods and jewelry styles. However Ms. Baker does go into areas not generally covered...hair combs, hat pins and beaded purse are investigated although in a flash in the pan sort of way. Possibly the major advantage of the book is the Glossary of Terms. If you are brand spanking new to collecting jewelry, this may be the most helpful and informative portion of the book. Overall I would recommend the book for it's reasonable price and easy to chew small bites of information, but if you are interested in a compelling, in-depth view of the history of jewelry, this book is not for you.

It has some designers sketches !
More than I expected ! Great deal !!

This is such a wonderful, fun, plasticfantastic book! It has great essays from leading toymakers/collectors, amazing pictures and if you're nok hooked on designer toys after this book, I don't know if you ever will be hooked!

There also comes a little keychain with this book... I can't use it though. I don't want to "break the book", but it sure will be nice for someone else!

for those of us into urban vinyl, art toys, designer toys or whatever you'd like to call them - this is an excellent book. with it's coverage of dozens of artists with color photographs and biographies, it makes for a great read to the zealous collector, and that is exactly where the catch lies. for those of you looking for a bit of critticism or some braoder cultural context, i, for one, felt that this book treated the designers with over enthusiasm (not to say out-right FANaticism), and the two or three articles relating to urban vinyl as a phenomena semed more like a gesture then a genuine wish to explore the origins and implications of all these small weird toys.

This book covers costume by detailing each decade of the nineteenth century. You'll see examples of dresses, hats, fichus, mantles (jackets), trimmings, and undergarments. If you need very specific detailing of undergarments or sewing techniques, this book is general in nature and doesn't always give examples of every part of a woman's attire for each decade. Some decades emphasize particular parts of a woman's dress. But, in each decade, you'll see examples of the silhouette and popular dress styles. You can also find the contemporary price of yardage or accessories like stockings or gloves.

In short, this is a handy reference, particularly when you have a quick question or if you want to see the difference in style from the 1840's versus the 1860's. It's great for me as a historical romance writer because I can quickly get a sense of the costume and layers of the garments. My only issue is that there is not enough detail about the intricacies of women's undergarments in the nineteenth century. There are illustrations of bustles and crinolines and corsets, but during the Victorian period, there were so many layers to women's underclothes that it can be confusing as a writer to remember all of the details.

So, I would say that this book is a terrific place to start historical research because it explains each type of garment rather than just shows pictures or illustrations as some historical costume books do. But, if you need to research a particular undergarment or accessory, you may wish to supplement this book with other resources to get the finer details.

This is an excellent book to give an accurate picture of clothing worn in the 19th century for a variety of occasions. Also very useful is the information on fabrics used, hat styles, hairstyles, etc. Easy to find the information for different decades. This is an excellent book for individuals trying to create authentic reproduction Victorian fashions.

While this book was originally published in the 1930's, it has stood the test of time to become a definitive reference on the subject of 19th-century women's fashion, from the beginning of the Napoleonic/Regency era right into the early years of the Edwardian period. The text is exhaustive, delving into the smallest details (which can sometimes be the most important) of every feature of feminine costume from year to year, and features extensive sidebars on such things as underclothes and headgear. Since I run a website devoted to glove fashion and history, I particularly appreciated the attention given to gloves (which were so much a key - indeed, mandatory - accessory of women's clothing throughout the century that women would often even go to bed wearing gloves!). The hundreds of illustrations are a mix of first-class original work and authentic period illustrations. Since this is a reprint, there are no color illustrations (which are mentioned in the text), but this is a minor flaw. Anyone who has any interest at all in 19th-century women's clothing needs to make this book a basic part of their reference library.

I bought this book a few years ago and I found it very helpful. The information is presented in an interesting way.

The photographs are period black and white photographs. Color photography did not exist at the time the photos were taken.

The black and white drawings are detailed and beautiful.

I am not a costumer. I am simply a person who is interested in 19th century British history. This book is a fabulous reference and definitely worth the $20 I paid for it.

I was disappointed at the lack of color. The photographs (recent ones only, of course) and fashion plates were in black and white.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone interested in women's 19th century British fashion.

I just love Hull pottery so I was excited to receive my book. I couldn't wait to look up some pieces I had when it came. I received the book in a few days as promised. Excellent service!!!

Great addition to my resource library for Hull Pottery. Must have if you are thinking about collection Hull Pottery and a must have if you will be sell Hull Pottery.

Being a Long Island resident all of my life and loving Jones Beach both during the summer and winter, this was a great book to read. As a young adult I spent many happy hours at Jones Beach with my friends and family. It was great to read how the beach and associated park got it's name and from whom and to also read about other local places that Mr.Jones was involved with or lived at. As a matter of fact when I was a kid the Jones Estate was in my town, Massapequa, now Marjorie Post Park. The photographs in the book provide a visual history of their own in addition to the written history. You can see how things have changed over the years. All in all this is a great read especially if you're from Long Island or have visited the beach and want to know more about it.

My dad worked as a lifeguard when Jones Beach opened in the early thirties and my two brothers, Bob and Don, and I were second generation guards. Having worked at Field 6 with George Marth and Jay Lieberfarb, I can attest that this book is a great piece of nostalgia. The writer, John Hanc, captures the soul of an earlier, simpler America when mom and dad took the kids to the beach for the day and we made sand castles which were then washed away with the incoming tide.

Great book! I've been going to Jones Beach for 50 years and I did not know this stuff! The pictures were great also. A must read for those who have beach memories

It's a fascinating history of a place I've enjoyed for more than sixty years. I recommend it to anyone who's had this wonderful beach as a special destination...either now or in years gone past.

I gave the book to my husband for Father's Day. We both grew up on Long Island and Jones Beach is a part of our past. The book is the greatest, complete with history, old photos of the past. I recommend it to anyone who wants to bring a piece of their past, into the present.

We love this book! We sell a lot of tools where I work - we get a lot of antique tools and it has been fun to learn about them and identify them. It is amazing what is out there.

i bought this book as a gift for my father in law. when i recieved it my husband who is also into old tools read it first and said that he wanted it too! i guess that means the book lives up to its standards. i liked the pictures that went along with it so you could actually see the tool they were talking about. overall, good book!

hay i collect antique tool and enjoy my new book i would like to have another just like it for a friend.

I am very well please with this book.Highly recommend it to any tool collector.

All I expected. Alot of information for the tools it advertised

I have read everything that has been published about the British Royal Family, past and present, for years. I have read a load of Diana books but this is my favorite. It is almost like talking to someone who was there.

After having read at least 8 Diana books, which were starting to get repetitious with the same information, this one was refreshing with new information and more information on topics I read previously. After Diana......and what transpired was very interesting. I personally can't see how anyone would be disappointed in its details.

This is a gift which has not been given to the person yet. It would be premature to rate it until it has been viewed.

I found this book to offer an interesting perspective less on the death of Princess Diana and more on the way that this death has changed the Monarchy and the way the media has reported on it. The book also reports in some detail on the lives of the two princess and offers insights into how their behavior may have been different, or not, had the Princess not died so young.

Still the work is weak because it relies on too many third party news article sources as well as unnamed parties. This in turn makes this work one of the weaker ones as the London tabloids are well known for being exploited by palace intrigue to bash one member of the Royal family for benefit of another. Not a bad read but basically fluff and not even close to a good biography or journalism.

I am offended by the new term "Diana fanatics" to describe people around the world who believe Diana was treated poorly by her royal husband and royal in-laws as well as courtiers. We merely suppport her and feel she was abused by a cold unfeeling royal system. Naturally any woman who exposed her husband as a cheat would be described as "mean or a trouble-maker" by her husband, her in-laws and the other woman.
In this book I sensed the author is padding the truth so as not to offend the royal family. Like many authors, the writer of this book went to great links to recognize that Diana, Princess of Wales was no longer a member of the royal family and that the Spencers were her next of kin.
Yet I am puzzled why no author to date has explained why Diana's ex-mother-in-law and ex-husband were the first to be notified!
Diana was not a member of the royal family any more so any excuse that protocol demanded the Queen to notified first does not wash.
If it was because of the boys, the decision was to let them sleep. And they were minors and had no say in the decisions concerning Diana body or anything else.
The proper adults to notify would have been Diana's brother, sisters or mother.
After all this, the Windors decided Diana being a commoner again was the Spencers' responsibilty and she did not deserve a public funeral.
There has always been too many inconsistancies surrounding Diana. She gets a bad rap for being inconsistant with her life but she cannot hold a candle to the media or the royal family.

THE BEST BOOK TO OWN. INEXPENSIVE AND PRACTICAL ADVISE ON HOW TO CLEAN AND REPAIR FRAMES,SILVER, BRASS (THE ONLY PLACE I'VE SEEN BRASS CLEANING THAT WORKS) TRUNKS, POTTERY, AND LAMPS. YOU DON'T NEED A WORKSHOP OR ART SUPPLIES TO USE MR. MCKENZIES' RECEIPES FOR REFURBISHMENT OR REPAIR. NO COLORED PICTURES, JUST DRAWINGS, IT'S THE TEXT THATS WORTH THE PRICE OF THE BOOK. IF YOU CAN READ, THINK, AND FOLLOW VERY SIMPLE DIRECTIONS, THEN USE THE PRETTY COFFEE TABLE BOOKS FOR INSPIRATION AND THIS BOOK FOR REALIZATION. I USE IT OVER AND OVER AND OVER.

I bought an antique camel-back trunk that needed lots of restoring and didn't know how to start. My friend recommended this book, and I am so glad I bought it. Not only did it give step by step on restoring a trunk but it also had a refrence page on suppliers for trunk parts. I highly recommended this book to anyone who needs to repair trunks, lamps, pottery and frames. The furniture repair section was sort of brief; I would have like to see more on this topic.

This is a great book. Informative, practical, concise and easy to follow directions for restoring all types of items. I wish I'd had it years ago.

This is the most helpful book I've read that in very succinct style tells how to buy, fix up, and possibly resell antiques and other second hand stuff. If you love "shabby chic", but can't afford the prices, this book will make it easier to achieve that look. This book is not for people who worry about getting their hands dirty.

Don't let the title fool you - this is NOT just for antique dealers. As someone who is interested in antiques, but who doesn't have a lot of money, this has been a great primer on how to pick items and how to clean, fix and generally improve the the things purchased. Instructions on marbelizing, sponge painting, rebuilding lamps and stripping and refinishing furniture are all easy to understand.

magnifying glass! thats what you will need to use this worthless book. no insert listings , micro print adds up to garbage. i tossed it as soon as i checked it ouy.

This book offers housing for all half dollars from the year 1964 - 1985. Overall, a good holder for the average collector, but does not offer protection from dust and elements in the air.