Antiques Collectibles Books

What an excellent resource. We had three generations reading every page about their favorite Barbies and we all learned so much.

Excellent Reference Book for Modern Barbie Doll Collectors.

The Collector's Encyclopedia Of Barbie Doll Exclusives is a great reference to the value of different types of Barbies. I was a little dissapointed that the Holiday Barbies and Bob Mackie Barbies are not listed in the book but I was pleased, otherwise. I would recommend this book.

Having read the other collector's encyclopedia's written by this author, this one is also a beautiful collection of the Barbie doll's one may want to know about and/or collect. The pictures are well done and the descriptions very clear and understandable. At a book store, before even my first purchase of these books, I skimmed other books stating they had what I was looking for, but none compared to Michael J. Augustyniak's. Through his books, I have been able to purchase Barbies at what I know is a fair and good price for my own collection. Very good resource book. Highly recommended.

I liked this book because it showed many different styles of dress for women and children in the victorian age. I make victorian costumes and it now refer to it for ideas on how to make all my costumes a little different from each other. Also shows coats and many childrens clothes which are also helpful. Most of the dresses have leg of mutton sleeves but each is a variation.

Great book. Thank you!

I've been looking for a book with some illustrations of how women dressed in the 1800's. This book give its reader a number of illustrations and patterns where a crafty person, or a person with some seamstress knowledge, could create an outfit by enlarging the patterns and selecting materials that might have been used during those days. Takes a little doing, but can be done. Lots of puffy sleeved dresses and some beautiful coat patterns.

It only covers a few years of fashion, but if what you're looking for are patterns for women's and girl's fashions from 1890-1896, this may help you. But do note, it doesn't actually have any patterns later than 1896.

As the book's name suggests, it has patterns from the "turn of the century". More specifically, from 1890 to 1896.

The first three pages run over how to graph out a pattern, take your measurements, and adjust the pattern to fit. Basic knowledge of sewing, and a familiarity with patterns is a must. Or at the very least, you need to be a daring new sewer that isn't intimidated by challenges. The instructions are informative but brief.

Each pattern has a fashion etching in black and white to illustrate the design it's based on. The etching shows trims and accessories. There is a diagram for each style that lays out all the pattern pieces needed to create it. All the measurements are listed in inches. They are clear and easy to read.

There are 31 womens patterns : included are numerous sleeve layouts like two part coat, leg-o-mutton, 2 part leg-o-mutton, different fullnesses of sleeve. Several styles of skirt, one draped like the previous bustle decade, mostly three or five gore skirts, umbrella skirt. There are different collar styles, bodices cut in both princess and darted. A cape and coat pattern, etc. There is one nightgown pattern.

There are 21 misses and girls costumes. They cover the same span of years. There are dresses appropriate to very small children up to teens. There is one evening dress pattern for a girl of about 5-9. There is also one pattern for drawers and one for a chemise.

There are two patterns for boys. Mainly young boys. One is a pants suit, so i assume that would be for post diaper age. The other is a kilt costume.

There are three mens patterns. One nightshirt, dressing gown and coat. There is no picture of the coat.

My count brings me to 57 patterns, I must have missed a couple somewhere. But hopefully this will give you a good idea of the book contents. I have made some of the dresses from this book. The patterns work out well, however to create a truly period looking garment you need more information than what this book gives you. The construction techniques and trimming methods are quite different from how most basic sewing is done today. It would help the beginner to have some hands on exposure to actual period garments. Mostly to see how they are lined, interlined, stiffened, boned, etc. In my experience, it is the linings and foundations that give the finished product it's form. The outer image of the costume is merely floating on that foundation. This book does not cover foundations sewing techniques at all. But with some hands on antique garment experience, you could easily create an authentic looking dress from this book.

As a professional Antique Persian Rug Dealer I have used this wonderful book in many aspects of my work. This books value in educating someone through the beautifully presented pictures and wide variety of ages and styles of rugs can't be overstated.
Beautifully done, simple to understand and a pure pleasure to browse through. Highly recommended to beginners and old hands alike!

This is one of the few carpet books available that isn't a decade old. The picture quality and pricing information is great. Indian carpets make up 50% of the new carpet section with the rest being from Turkey, Pakistan, China, and other regions. What is missing in this section is any mention or pictures of contemporary carpets from Iran. The antique carpet section has a broad selection of carpets from all appropriate regions--including Iran. There is also around 10 pages of information on rug care and cleaning, knot count, new maching made carpets, buying carpets overseas, and judging antique carpet condition. Overall, great book!

the information is broad, and the information excellent in terms of what to look for in rugs,hand made vs machine and the consumer base was detailed.

little or no technical explanation of each carpet, just page after page of blurry, low-color pictures, and no grouping of any kind. junk.

Of the half dozen books on oriental carpets I have, this is far and away the best. While most books on the subject are often somewhat snobbish in their approach, this book is refreshingly realistic and inclusive. And this is comment is from someone who enjoys buying and selling oriental carpets and rugs.
Jim B., Florida

I have found this book to be very helpful in my study of toys. I am a novice and have learned what to look for in buying a modern or antique toy. This book has saved me from buying reproductions and how to guage a price for the real thing. I also just like looking thourgh it, takes me back to my childhood and revist Christmas past. Nice reference or just fun reading. Recommend.

I am a lover and collector of vintage dolls from the 60's and 70's. This book is an incredibly valuable resource!! It shows pictures from hundreds of dolls - from baby dolls, collector dolls and fashion dolls. It really does have everything!! It also shows an estimated market value. I would highly recommend this book - it is GREAT!!!

I really could not live without this book! Not only has it taught me more about what I do collect, but it has opened up a whole new world to dolls that I never new exisited. The vibrant color photos are amazing and the descriptions are fun to read. Thank you for the countless hours it must have took to compile such a thorough history of dolls from my era!

As if her first book didn't do enough damage to my bank account, Ms. Sabulis had to follow up with a sequel, providing me even more opportunities to indulge my doll-collecting habit (addiction).

Just like her Collector's Guide Vol I, Volume II is page after page of beautiful photographs and informative descriptions of dolls I had or wanted as a child, and also contains many dolls I never knew existed (but now of course must obtain). There's so much there, I find something new each time I peruse it afresh.

Warning: The cost of this book is very reasonable. But unless (unlike me) you have a lot of self-discipline, it will ultimately cost you far more than the initial purchase price!

As a vintage doll collector I would be lost without this authors books for dolls of the 1960 and 1970's. I have had such fun finding dolls that I had long forgotten about or never even knew existed. The photos and information in this book are very valuable to the vintage doll collector. I would highly recommend this book. Even if you are not a collector the book is very fun to have around. People come over and open the book and say I had this doll or I remember my friend had this one.

Volume 2 of Cindy Sabulis' great doll directory of the Sixties and Seventies has more obscure dolls than anyone has ever seen. There are the popular favorites like Tressy, but did you ever see the bizarre Peteena,a glamorous woman with the head of a poodle? Betsy Wetsy rubs elbows with the John Travolta doll, but then there's the strange Ginny Bones, all head with a stick body.
But don't worry: you'll still see Twiggy, Flatsies, Liddle Kiddles, Heidi and the Rock Flowers. But then there's the obscure guys like Mr. & Mrs. Mouse House, Herby Hippy, and Lil' Souls. Just when you think you've seen it all Cindy will surprise you.

An in-depth family bio on the Bengel family of jewelers through the Art Deco period. Includes lots of family photos, original art piece drawings, and beautifully photographed actual pictures of Bengel pieces. It is a nice slice of life in pictoral form for anyone who wants to see close up, the types of jewelry that was being worn during that era. A beautiful book for the art lover or the vintage lover, for reference or coffee table.

A first-class survey of Art Deco Galalith jewelry which focuses on the output of the German watch-chain and jewelry manufacturer Bengel. The first ninety-seven pages look at thirties fashion, jewelry and the art movements that created such a vibrant look to pendants, bracelets, earrings and brooches. Clearly Christine Weber-Stober has done a lot of research into European Art Deco jewelry and the items made by Bengel from Galalith (from the Greek 'gala', milk and 'lithos', stone)

It was made from milk protein and formaldehyde and was one of the new synthetic products developed in the middle and latter part of the nineteenth century. The beauty of it was that it could be made cheaply, was heat resistant and easy to color, so makers of buttons, belt-buckles, knitting needles and similar small items were able to churn them out by the millions. It did have one drawback though: it couldn't be cast like later plastic but was made in slabs, tubes and rods then cut and worked into whatever simple shape was required.

The various new materials developed in the early years of the twentieth century were ideally suited to designers and creative folk influenced by the new 'isms' of the age: cubism, futurism, vorticism and especially modernism via the Bauhaus. The second part of the book has 253 photos of mass produced jewelry from the Bengel company. Their expertise in metalwork combined with the simple colorful shapes of Galalith makes all of these pieces look quite stunning. Strangely, despite the author's research, there seems to be no real explanation as to why this German metal working factory made such remarkable work. None of it was stamped with the company name, their Galalith jewelry output went to wholesalers who sold it on to retailers who added their brand names.

The book's production is as gorgeous as the jewelry. Printed on matt art paper with a 175 screen, the elegant layout throws up the excellent photography. The text is in German and English but the designers have avoided any potential reader confusion by splitting the text pages horizontally with German occupying the top section. In comparison the books for collectors from the main American publishers in this sector look bland and visually uninspiring (expensive, too).

Art Deco Jewelry is a beautiful celebration of past jewelry style that still looks fresh and lively today.

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

Probably the dawn of art deco fashion jewelry was the 16-28 May 1927 machine-age exposition in New York. This exposition showed how modern technology could be fused with the arts, bringing German bauhaus design to America's attention.

The prior year, 1926, saw the release of the silent film "Metropolis," Fritz Lang's anxious vision of a world demanding conformity in which "the masses" are controlled by machines and their owners. This film's art direction makes use of many art deco design elements which find their way into mainstream costume jewelry design. Geometric shapes and simplicity dominate costume jewelry in which new, inexpensive materials, such as bakelite and corolite could be incorporated, adding translucent and opaque color.

Fashion jewelry components in the 1930's were manufactured primarily in Bohemia so, when Jewish owners lost their factories in 1938, art deco costume jewelry also vanished from the fashion scene. This book gathers -- and preserves in photographs -- much of art deco jewelry's beauty within its pages.

This is the book to have if you are identifing US Commerative Stamps. It has a "lay flat" coil plastic spine, and large colorful pictures with full item details. I've had the other books with the glued spine, and this is the best improvement I've seen. Amazon has the right products for all your needs, and at great affordable prices.

This book is a necessity to the serious stamp collector. Its ease of use when trying to identify stamps makes identification quick. The colors are bright and images are clear. This is my third year purchasing this item. A certain must!

When I first started looking for The Postal Service Guide to U.S. Stamps.
I found that there were a lot of choices to choose from. However this is complete with all the information needed for a Stamp Collector.

Everything was fine. I was very pleased with the price and how soon the books were sent to me. Thank you!

...is a great source of many of McCoy pieces. Good photos with year made, brief description and appraised value as of I believe 2004 (which still seems to be the going prices in 2007.) Book is divided into specific chapters: Cookie Jars, Crocks, Dinnerware, Experiments, Flower Pots, Jardinieres and Pedestals, Jars, Kitchenware, Lamps, Loy-Nel-Art, Misc. Pet Feeders, Planters, Signs, Vases and Flower Holders, Wall Pockets and Catalog covers.

this book is a great book to have it tells you every little thing you need to know

This book is a must for anyone interested in becoming a savvy diamond buyer! A muat read....

This book provided all the information I needed to feel confident about making a major diamond purchase. Very informative and easy to understand. I'd highly recommend this book to anyone getting ready to buy a diamond.