Antiques Collectibles Books

I have been very happy to discover this book. It gives lots of ideas and the models can be used as base for new creations ! A little girl's dream becomes reality...Many thanks.

Robert and Claudette Reed's Postcards For The Holidays, 2nd Edition arrived too late for more timely Christmas mention, but since holiday collecting is really a year-round occupation, it's not too late to mention the ongoing reference value of Postcards For The Holidays Identification & Value Guide, which appears in its 2nd updated edition. Pages come packed with color photos of seasonal cards organized by holiday along with current prices. The chapters each introduce with a history of manufacturers and approaches to further the educational teachings.

I could not agree more with the 2 "negative" reviews I saw. I would not have 90% of these cards in my album if I had gotten them for FREE! "Personal taste" aside, to show cards in such poor condition is mind-blowing, especially in a book whose cover promises much more. I'm a very recent collector of Holiday postcards, so I've been buying every reference book I could find. "POSTMARKED YESTERYEAR" by Pamela Apkarian-Russell is a wonderful book. Joe Hohmann, Madia, PA

I guess being more a fan than a collector of postcards I have a different opinion than some of the reviewers who rated this book so low. Regarding prices, the fact is that on any collectible prices vary widely depending on your location and method of selling. As a long-time collector of toys and comic books, I can attest to that. Thus the criticism about pricing is completely invalid as this is merely a "guide" as any pricing guide is. I also would dispute the claim that many of the cards are in poor condition. Some are but the vast majority are not. We are talking about items that are in the neighborhood of one hundred years old so they are not all going to be in mint condition. I think the editors did a fantastic job of giving readers a very broad cross-section of types and styles of cards, regardless of condition.

Anyway, the book is organized by Holiday beginning with New Years Day. Each section has an introduction and history of cards for that particular holiday which I found to be very informative. For example we learn that Valentine's Day cards were actually the first holiday cards to be widely distributed beginning in the 17th century. And we also learn that the Easter Bunny dates back to 1700's Germany. The book cruises the calendar year hitting every holiday including Arbor Day, April Fool's Day, Memorial Day, etc...

The highlight for most collectors will be the Halloween and Christmas portions. Halloween cards are easily the most valuable and sought after for collectors and I do agree that the Halloween section is way too skimpy at twelve pages (not eight as another reviewer mentioned). Still even twelve pages is slight compared to Thanksgiving which gets some 40 pages. The Christmas section is broken up into Santa and non-Santa parts and again most collectors will be interested in the Santa cards as they bring far more value than the others.

While Postcards for the Holidays isn't a perfect book, it does it's job very well. The photography and post card reproductions are very clear and colorful and the book is produced on heavy, coated stock paper.

Reviewed by Tim Janson

I am really disapointed in the second edition because it is basically a repeat of the first edition. Although there are more pages in the second edition, this books shows the same postcards as the first edition. Also, the text is the same. It's like buying the same book only there are a few new postcards added. The authors did remove pictures of beat up postcards and replaced them with new cards they must have added to their collection, but they never changed the prices of what the cards are worth. Granted, the first book was published in 2002, and the second edition has a copyright of 2006, but every postcard collector wants to see their collection has increased in value-especially the Halloween cards. The values were not even increased by a dollar!The Easter section and Santa Claus sections are lengthier and the cover is attractive, but this is not my idea of what a second edition should be. The publishers and editors should have been more critical. There is not one Winsch or Schmucker card shown in any of the holidays and any collector knows, these are the cream of the crop, especially with Halloween cards. As much as I like the format and appreciate the book being in color, I was really upset not to see more new postcards and a change in postcard values. This shows lack of research and I feel like the book was hastily thrown together. Don't buy it if you own the first edition and hesitate about the second edition. I didn't think it was worth the price being charged.

I first came across this book for sale at an Antique Show where a dealer was selling reference books and price guides. I was appalled at the condition of the postcards pictured in the book! I would not recommend this book to anyone with an interest in learning about postcards other than "don't collect cards in the condition they are pictured in the book" as you would be throwing your money away. I would agree with the other reviews here - the cover is great but the inside is a joke.

Good starter book for collectors and cabinet makers. Helps provide context for the how and why for 18th century American furniture.

This is a great book at an extraordinary price. I would prefer that more of the pictures were in color but that would have increased the price of the book, maybe, beyond what I was willing to spend. If you want to learn about 18th century furniture making, this is the best there is. Greene has a writing style that is very clear and a pleasure to read. I cant say enough about this book.

This book has an excellent selection of photographs of fine furniture of the 18th Century. The most notable thing about the book is that the author has exhibited fairly good taste in his selection of specimens to include, and has largely ignored the more shabby pieces of the era. This is in contrast with Nutting's "Furniture Treasury", which has truly extensive selections of photographs of all furniture of the era (good, bad, or indifferent). Greene's book also contains good historical information on the furniture trade of that era, and has an excellent bibliography of furniture books written in the 18th Century (some of which remain available).

The author is a former mechanical engineer, who now hand crafts replica 18th Century furniture for a living.

This is a simply fabulous book. Its split into two sections; a furniture history section and a "how-to" section, describing basic techniques. These two sections make the book a great, informative read. BUT what makes this a "must buy" are the appendices. Greene shows exploded views of virtually all the basic furniture types. While these pictures aren't project plans, they provide invaluable information about the guts of antique furniture. The other appendix I like is the one showing 18th century recipes for finishes. I tried a few and they work great.

Greene's book does a good job of providing a woodworker (or others interested in period pieces) with solid information on many selected pieces from the era of the title. He does a good job of selecting pieces of good taste, and gives a lot of information on various details with just the right amount of how-to. There is also a lot of historical background info for those who like to know about the history of a piece or style before they build it. The pictures and exploded drawings (showing joinery) are excellent. Though not a comprehensive encyclopedia (it's not intended to be one) it is a good read from start to finish or a good reference book. Well worth the money.

Very interesting, good history,and enjoyable reading. I reccomend for ages 9 on. One will want to travel to the beach and begin a hobby in shell collecting just to build a Sailors' Valentine.

A cleaverly package book. Nice pictures of old Valentines, however using one with a questionable picture spoils the entire book.

A very beautiful, high-quality book. I first saw it at a kaleidoscope show and after a look at a few of the pictures, you will understand why. The photos are exquisite and it all comes in a unique presentation box. Well worth the price.

This is a beautiful and different book. But, be warned if you are giving it as a gift to someone. The book comes wrapped in plastic and I did not flip through the book before giving it. There is a VERY inappropriate picture of "naked people up to something" in it. Fortunately the gift recipient thought it funny as opposed to being offended.

I just gave this as a gift to my sister, who's thinking about designing and making a sailor's valentine. She's THRILLED! What a wonderful book for the collector, crafter, or antique fancier. Beautifully done. Fondas identifies many of the shells used in these examples. A breathtaking volume that's sure to become a collector's item in its own right.

I have 8 prints that don't appear in the book from 1865-1870. Want to find more info about my prints to include their value (at least an estimate). Pictures in the book are beautiful and pretty true to the actual work...except the real ones have a little "browner" paper. The history in the beginning is also very well done, and helpful in knowing the art. Thanks JoAnne.

While it would be rare to find a Godey's book with every fashion print in it, this book gives you an excellent variety of the best dresses from Godey's. The descriptions give an idea of color mixes, fabric and decoration. This book is a great reference tool for the Lady Civil War or Mid-Victorian Reenactor or Costume Designer.

The photography in this book is minimal, black and white and grainy. Extensive and interesting background information, though (126 pages worth). VERY extensive coverage of maker's marks for all countries. Some marks are so small as to need a magnifying glass, however. (Hence the four stars)

The book was in or above the condition described and is the product I was looking for. I was glad that it was readily available through Amazon.

This book is a must have if you collect antique English silver. If you only want one book on the subject this is it. If you collect American or European silver, this book would not be my first choice. You can't get more info on antique English silver including hallmarks, history, and the different pieces of flatware and holloware that were made with any other Silver book I have ever read.

I bought this one, along withe another (Sterling Flatware Identification & Value Guide) for my mom and she uses it a lot. I think she uses the other one more but she always has both on hand. It has a lot of good info on how to id a piece, great pictures of hallmarks etc.

Talk, talk, talk. So much information about city hallmarks and nothing about purity marks. No way to really identfy general items that a novice collector would have. Is it real or not? Talks about fakes and again nothing about standards of silver and what they are. High brow attitude toward the subject with little or no information on Continental European silver in detail. Too little to late!

This book and CD is another in the line of great royalty free works of images. This time, it's fashions from the great designers of women's wear 1950-2000, ranging from everyday wear to evening gowns.

These Dover book/CD ROMs are a graphic designers delight. It's so hard to find good quality graphics that are royalty free, and not end up spending a fortune. Dover has a good selection of royal free images that are presented in a book and are on CD ROM.

The images in the CD ROM is in full colour and so dazzling. 140 large images in TIFF format. Sharp images ready to use. Great for Paint Shop PRO. You don't have to scan, the images are there. You don't have to install some program. Just open them from you CR Rom Drive.

Great resources for writers looking for 50's, 60's and 70's fashions.

This is a good reference to the time period. This is not a "how to" book but rather a period catalog expertly reproduced. This book is good for someone who is interested in creating a home with elements from the late Victorian era.

This is apparently a reprint of one of the really great old catalogs of Victorian Millwork! It has fabulous designs for window ornamentation, verandas, brackets, gable ends, fireplace mantels and most especially doors. Black & White sketches show an impressive variety of ideas.

If you are a collector of paper dolls, you will adore Fashions of the Regency Period by Tom Tierney. The detail is exquisite, the fashions are historically accurate (thirty in all) and you may want to buy two sets --one to cut and one to frame.

Tom Tierney's work is always delightful!

I enjoyed this book, but it would have been really helpful for the author to have just given a couple of lines on each page to describe the outfits. For example "Silk ballgown, 1812" or "Muslin pelisse 1815," would have made this book more than just a child's cut out toy. Just a few words on the page would have made all the difference and given this book historical weight...and a fun learning experience. A real shame.

The dresses looked like they were hanging off the arms on some of the illustrations, the figures were drawn a little out of proportion. The dress details were lovely.

This book is full of excellent costumes to fit every ocasion, and use. Balls, walks in the park, traveling, court presentations; "George and Jane" are prepared for it all. The dolls have been great fun and very useful for everything from period dioramas to costume ideas. Even the undergarments on the dolls are apropriate for the period. Certainly my favorite of the Tierney's I own.

Being a sucker for everything of the Regency period, I bought Tom Tierney's FASHIONS OF THE REGENCY PERIOD PAPER DOLLS with the hope that it can acquaint me with the odd-named clothing items at the time. I was not disappointed.

In the book we are introduced to George, a young lord who is a fastidious dresser, and his intended, Jane, both of whom display a variety of dazzling outfits for different occasions. These paper dolls are not just for kids-they are wonderful for anyone who, like me, has a hard time visualizing what a Carrick coat or sleeves "edged with swansdown" actually look like.

Are you interested in knowing what Piccadils are? Or what is the proper attire for an audience at Regency court? Get a copy of this book and you'll find out!

Written by the coins and medals experts of the British Museum, this handsomely designed work succinctly but comprehensively explores the entire history of money, from its earliest beginnings to the electronic transactions of the 1990's.
The book features over 550 beautiful color and black-and-white illustrations, with essays covering ancient and modern coinage in global perspective, and relating the moral, political, religious, and social meanings inevitably associated with so powerful a force. Highly recommended as an excellent introduction to a complex subject, or just for enjoyable and informative browsing.

(The "score" rating is an ineradicable feature of the page. This reviewer does not "score" books.)