Antiques Collectibles Books

This was a good book, explained many aspects well. Sometimes a little hard to follow. Written for the experienced buyer.

Love it so much. A lot of information. This book will teach you how to setup a lab and making identificaiton of the gemstone without attending the gemology school - with very very reasonable price.

"Gem Identification Made Easy" opens up the world of gem identification to the jeweler, hobbyist and the curious. I didn't come away with the impression that gem identification is easy, but that some kinds of identification are easy, inexpensive and FUN! Antoinette Matlins makes it clear that the bar to entry into gemology is low. Practice, diligence, and three small instruments that cost less than $200 will enable you to identify 80% of colored gemstones and their look-alikes as well as diamonds and most of their imitations. Since there are at least 3 different gemstones on the market in every color and no shortage of synthetics and enhancement treatments, the skills within the pages of "Gem Identification Made Easy" are invaluable to anyone shopping for gemstones. If gems fascinate you, this book will help you discover if you would like to pursue gemology as a career or serious hobby.

The bulk of "Gem Identification Made Easy" are descriptions of the instruments involved in gem identification, detailed instructions on how to use each, and what they can show you, including many charts which will help you identify stones. The 3 essential instruments that everyone will need are: loupe, Chelsea filter, and dichroscope. The loupe magnifies the stones, revealing inclusions, blemishes, and fillers. The Chelsea filter differentiates between some gems and synthetics. The dichroscope distinguishes single-refracting stones from double-refracting and allows identification of stones by the colors they exhibit. In addition, Ms. Matlins provides instructions for additional tools that one would need to set up a lab: UV lamp, refractometer, microscope. Less essential: spectroscope, polariscope, and immersion cell. For diamonds: SSEF diamond-type spotter and electronic diamond tester. These could cost nearly $3000, but shopping on eBay will bring the price tag down.

The author also dedicates a chapter to "Antique and Estate Jewelry", in which she discusses imitation and alteration techniques frequently found in antique and period jewelry. She advises on how to detect them and includes tables of synthetics and imitations, when they appeared on the market, and characteristics that will help identify them. This is followed by many useful Appendices: a list of gems and look-alikes by color, gem hardness, specific gravities, refractive index tables, tables of dispersion and birefringence, glossary of terms, list of organizations offering gemology workshops or training, equipment suppliers. These are in addition to the many tables and lists in the instrument chapters. Color photos are limited to a center insert, where there are photos of gemstone inclusions and a few other identifying features. "Gem Identification Made Easy" is an easy to understand, practical entry to the fascinating world of gemstones.

This was just the book I was looking for. I just recently started to get into collecting colored gemstones and this book was full of great information on what tools I would need and how to use them. That was so important to me.

The book was good for a primer on gem tools and iidentification but lacked the detail I was seeking. It is an very good book for the beginner for it covers a lot of subjects about gem and the various tools used to identify them. I was seeking more exact detail and this book did not have it.

If you want to FORGE a knife this is the book for you....If you want to BUILD a knife===>There are others more suited for that

Wayne's first version of this book was the first knifemaking book i purchased. Wayne has guided me and been my mentor and friend from the first (approx 4 yrs ). This latest version is one of the best books a beginner could get. All the fotos and diagrams are in color which greatly helps in understanding the lessons. It has new fotos and diagrams all in color. Although this book has approx same number of pages as the original, it seems to contain 50% more info in it. I would reccommend this book to all knifemakers...beginner and experienced. Definitely a 5 star book.

I own both editions of this book. Wayne is a personal friend, and my mentor in knifemaking. It can be intimidating to read some publications and see all the high-tech machinery that some makers use. This book shows that people can develope their passion for making knives without spending a fortune. It is clear and concise, and takes alot of the guesswork out of being a beginner. Wayne learned knifemaking by trial and error, before there were books, magazines and videos on the subject. This book is a must have in the library of any knifemaker. I read mine constantly for reference and inspiration.

Craig "MADKAT"

Just like the Whitman coin folders from when I was a child, good quality, fair price. Excellent option to hold a modest collection in the building stage, until you're ready to move your collection to a better quality folder such as Dansco.

I found this book to be very informative & an important book for any collecter/history buff.

This book provides comprehensive and useful information. The valuations cover different seals, mints, signatures, and star notes. The book also includes some information about the history of each note. It is easy to find information and lookup valuations. The only negative is the black & white photos make it a little harder to distinguish between different seal colors when looking up info.

It's been many years since I've had this book. All of my expectations were satisfied. This book has been the "Bible" for US Paper money as long as I can remember. If you want to understand grading, pricing, or just want to learn about an important piece of American history, its worth the money.

This is good book about our money and is very educational.
Well worth the price.

This book has been so helpful in my collecting quests. I spent about an hour in Borders trying to find a book that gives values of modern as well as old currency for ranges up to Unc-63. It provides all the necessary information (such as signatures, series, quantity printed) for almost all bills and has a nice informative section as well. It gives price points that help you place a bid on valuable bills. This helps all collectors, experienced or not. I highly recommend this book.

I was hoping for a little more technical stuff with this book. It talks
about old buildings, privies, new construction sites, and etc. to look for
things. I wanted techniques in the handling of the detector. Not so much as
where to go. To me, it's a book about common sense. Overall, I would
recommend it. It is helpful in a few areas.

I am just beginning my hobby with a metal detector. I purchased several books on treasure hunting and this is by far the best. It has a broad range of extremely useful information. By all means start with this book if you too are a beginner. Most of the other books I bought had a lot of fluff. This book has a ton of useful information and guidance.

No matter what your treasure, be it coins, bottles, or somethisg else, this book has great tips on where and how to find it. I originally bought a copy for my son and was so impressed that I bought another copy for myself.

This book has a lot of information about treasures all over the country. Tells you where to look, how to go about hunting and what equipment you need and what to do when you find your treasures.

This book is an invaluable resource for the beginner and even the intermediate detectorist. It has filled me with new ideas of where and how to search for lost valuables and coins. The tidbits on history and archeology were most interesting.

If you like books about royal jewels like me then this book is for you. The pictures are beautiful and the book is full of great information.

Very beautiful and well written. Lots of information on Russia's history and beautiful pictures of the families and jewels. If you are interested in Russian history and gem stones, this is a very good book.

This is an excellent look at the jewels and other fine objects of the Tsars and their families. The quality of the paper and the feel of the book is rich too. A pleasure to read and enjoy.

While the subject of the Imperial Crown Jewels has not yet been exhausted, and this book assembles for the first time a large portion of the former collections, Prince Michael of Greece is not an Historian, gemologist, or specialist in decorative arts.

While this book, like his others, has a romantic and lyric chronology enhanced by the ruthless dropping in of uncorroborated family lore, these personal titbits are less interesting that the pieces themselves who have been done a disservice by inadequate research and fact-checking.

Page after page of this book are riddled with errors, inconsistencies and projections. Aigrettes are called brooches, diadems called chokers, the immense value of colored diamonds emphasized, which the actual stones shown are foiled to impart color. Members of the family are misidentified, the structure of the Diamond Fund misstated, and recreations misrepresented.

Do buy this books for the marvelous photographs, many taken orginially for inclusion in the "Jewels of the Romanovs" Show catalogue at the Corcoran Gallery, but which was never published in full.

I have not seen the book but wanted to comment on the editorial comments.
Prince Michael's Grandmother was Queen Olga of Greece, born a Grand Duchess of Russia but she was not a sister of Nicholas II. Olga's father and Nicholas II's grandfather were brothers. Thus Olga was a cousin to Nicholas II's father, Alexander III and therefore Olga and Nicholas II were second cousins. Prince Michael is a Prince of Greece and Denmark as his grandfather, King George I of Greece (Olga's husband) was born in Denmark as the second son of King Christian IX of Denmark and was elected King of Greece in March of 1863, thus becoming the King of Greece as a 17 year old prior to his father becoming King of Denmark in November of the same year, 1863. The Great Powers of Europe were looking for a new King for Greece when Vilhelm (his Danish name) was noticed at the March 1863 wedding of his older sister, Alexandra, when she married the Prince of Wales, son of Queen Victoria, and later King Edward VII. King George also had a sister (born Dagmar in Denmark) who married Alexander III of Russia, and were the parents of Nicholas II. This Michael's father Christopher was a first cousin to King George as well, making Michael a second cousin to Tsar Nicholas II through his father. Obviously one needs a "score card" to keep track of European Royalty as most of them are related to each other one way or another as in the past royalty was only allowed to marry royalty. Fortunately that has changed over the last several generations and it would appear that ALL of the heirs to the crowns of Europe have indeed married for love, and almost all of them have married commoners.

I purchased this book thinking it was inclusive of ALL Hot Wheels, only to find it only covered 2006, 2007 and some of 2008. The entries that were covered were very good, but I was expecting cobverage from the begining of Hot Wheels in 1968.
I returned the book. Beckett Price Guide to Hot Wheels, 1st Edition

I just wanted to know the new models of first editions of 2008 but there are not in the guide, there are the last 2007 models, but I really liked the guide because there are pictures of our club cars in mexico. Thanks.

It's good if you started collect in the last few years, If you have older cars I would recommend Lee's Toy Review. Lee's put's out Toy price guide every month.

I purchased this book thinking that it was a collection of all the hot wheels from the beginning. The fine print of 2006-2008 was difficult to see on the cover.For those who are only interested in those years the book was filled with great pictures and information,but for the vintage collector, this is not helpful!

Excellent detailed information on how to do an honest business online. Includes many links for other helpful information for packaging, mailing etc. Highly recommend this for anyone looking to sell books, or who are already in the businss.

There are so many books out there nowadays that talk about online book selling. The reason I picked this one to read is because I liked it's author's name - Windwalker. It was delight to find out that the author is in fact Native American. But besides that personal preference of mine, I found book to be very helpful. As most people, I started selling books online as a means of relinquishing non-essential inventory from my personal library. It is thru the interactions of my online customers that I learned to enjoy an activity previously considered a chore. Although I am not a professional bookseller, I am delighted to be a part of the bookselling community for the books I no longer wish to keep in my personal library that can still find a good home. This book manual has helped me understand some basic business rules on bookselling which I kind of pick up on intuitively. This is a comprehensive handbook that covers everything, from building a business plan, to making a proper book descriptions online. Without large inventory, I cannot see how people can make living off this. But as a hobby, this is a great way to deliver books to a reading community where readership has limited resources or time to find them in the regular brick and mortar book stores. I definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about online bookselling.

This is an EXELLENT book for the newbie or advanced bookseller. There is a little something for everyone in it. It was written in laymen language for the new comer to the business sauve. I found it informative, helpful, great for anyone in the book business. A MUST read book. Worth the purchase. I give it a 5!!!!

We published this book, so we won't review it ourselves, but we can refer you to the hard-copy edition of the book with over 40 5-star reviews:

Selling Used Books Online: The Complete Guide to Bookselling at Amazon's Marketplace and Other Online Sites

You may also be interested in the following articles by the book's author, Stephen Windwalker, who has turned his attention to the publishing, email, and wireless features of the Amazon Kindle after providing the inside scoop on the online bookselling business:

20 Effective Steps to Publishing a Kindle Edition of Your Book or Document: How to Connect Your Amazon Kindle Book with Readers (Publish and Market Your Book on Amazon Kindle)

How to Use the Amazon Kindle for Email & Other Cool Tricks: Read and Answer Email Anywhere, Anytime on the Amazing Amazon Kindle (The Amazing Amazon Kindle)

The Amazon Kindle Basic Web Wireless Service: Why It Is a Revolutionary Feature, and Why Amazon Should Keep It Free or Cheap

I have been selling my old books on line at ebay and half com for awile now and thought an online book store sounded like a good idea. I thought that I would seek some expert advice and in doing so purchased Selling Used Books Online by Stephen Windwalker. This book has proven to be an excellant choice. While some of the information is a bit dated, overall it is a very good book. It doesn't sugar coat the book selling business and make it seem like a wonderfull and easy way to make a living. Mr. Windwalker gives you the good with the bad and shows how selling used books requires a lot of work and and a lot of knoweledge. This book has helped me tremendously in my attempts at making money selling used books. Not only has it helped with my book selling but it has made me more aware of what to look for in my book buying. I highly reccomend this book to anyone who thinks they can just go online and get rich selling used mass market paperbacks.

The first two editions of this catalog received less than favorable reviews, so I waited until the third edition to buy one hoping that the bugs would be worked out. The listings for most countries are more current in that coins up into 2007 are included, which is reasonable for a 2009 edition that had to be printed in early 2008 or earlier. Older editions often were three to five years behind. On the down side, the catalog still includes major problems: LARGE numbers of coins for most countries are listed without pictures (80% or more for some smaller countries), some catalog numbers are different than those in earlier editions, some coin descriptions do not match the coins pictured (which is correct, the description or the picture???), some descriptions do not list the subject of the coin (especially a problems with some poor pictures), some coins are listed more than once with different catalog numbers (if all coins had pictures, this problem would be more obvious). The listed coin values are a mixed bag. Most of the values for newer commemoratives look like full retail as issued by the mints or their distributors. Values for coins from countries that are hot right now are a joke, but predicting market swings is beyond the scope of any catalog. Use the values as guides to approximate values and not the actual values.

With all the problems, this catalog (and the others in the series) remain the most comprehensive source of information available on world coins. The specialty collector can find better catalogs--usually at much higher prices. The more general collector or novice should use this catalog, if for no other reason than using the catalog numbers for record keeping and communicating with other collectors or dealers. The publisher could do a great service to the hobby by fixing the problems, especially adding pictures for ALL of the coins.

With every passing year the edition of a separate 21st century coin catalog becomes more justified. Any coin collector can easily list a number of countries which do their best to fill the volume with products of their mints and national banks. China and France alone add at least two to four pages yearly, Russia and Poland are not far behind. It does make sense to produce this catalog and yet there are doubts.
The 2009 edition brings another selection of new commemoratives plus a handful of fairly interesting regular coins but somehow I am still unconvinced that there were credible reasons for splitting the 1900+ volume into two - the 20th and the 21st century (apart from making more money on collectors ;) If you could remove "patterns etc." sections - most of which interest less than a hundred people all around the world - the 20th and the 21st century catalogs could still easily be produced as a single volume.
The volume seems to have become too big to handle for its editors. Several times the same coins are listed twice (Bangladesh 2 taka is the first to come to mind) with minute differences in descriptions as if there were differences between two coins. It seems nobody had the strength to edit the whole volume carefully...
In short - if you are seriously interested in commemorative world issues, this is your book. You simply must buy it as the only other choice is checking various internet sites. Yet if your interests are more moderate getting a new edition every two or three years should be enough.