Antiques Collectibles Books

Covers basic information on detecting fakes. If the pictures were in colour it would help a lot more as some fakes have different colours. Overall an alright book for beginners. There are a lot more higher quality fakes out there that this book doesnt cover.

Great tool for collectors. After the book I found out I had at least one fake. Great help when look for other pieces for the collection. Pictures and diagrams and explations what to look for is a must.

Since there is no other book on the market which provides such essential basics to becoming a knowledgeable collector I rate this book very high. If you intend on getting into the fun of collecting Nazi era memorabilia this is the first book you should get your hands on. Don't buy anything until you read this book. Chances are if you take this book with you when your looking for Third Reich Militaria you will at least end up with an original and not a fake. Without this book it's buyer beware.

This book is a very helpful guide for helping to separate the fake items from the real ones out there. The hundreds of pictures included in the book wonderfully illustrate the points made in the text. The "Miscellaneous Regalia" section could have been larger and more inclusive but what is included gives good examples of how far people will go to forge items, especially written documents. The book should be very helpful to anyone who purchases it and will be indespensible for the beginning collector.

If you are going to collect 3rd Reich militaria this book is a must. The biggest drawback is the lack of short glossary explaining some of the terms and how to determine certain kinds of metal. For example: if an item is made out of "tombak" how do I differentiate that from zinc or aluminium. All photos in B&W, color would have been nice. All this aside this book seems to be the best book on the market on the subject.

Coro is one of the most widely available costume jewelers in the U.S. If you like their jewelry, then this book is indispensible for dating and verifying the validity of your piece.

I buy and sell vintage jewelry mostly on e-Bay at Kaospf. I know how much Coro jewelry is out there so I was very disappointed that this book only has 3 pictures per page. I like to have as many books as I can afford so I can learn and price my pieces corectly.The pictures are scattered and they have a value for that piece but nothing in depth to take up the whole page. They should have loaded up the pages with the pictures of the more comon pieces available on the market.The pictures in the book are more high ticket items.It is nice to see items you don't see often so don't get me wrong. This is why I was not thrilled with the book,too much wasted space and lack of history on the pages. There is history at the front of the book,but it should be on the pages or the area your looking at.Bottom line is if I had looked at the book I wouldn't have bought it.I hope the next book will be better.

Hope to see the best, the most interesting, the most curious of CORO ? avoid this book ! poor choice, bad pictures, ridiculous pink background .... big disappointment !!! and when you know that CORO did so gorgeous jewelry !!! ......

If you're more interested in the company's history than the jewelry they produced, then you will not be disappointed in this book. However, if you're wanting to see the best of Coro and find a way to determine the value of a Coro piece (or what you should pay for it), this book fails to satisfy that criteria.

First of all, the book is poorly assembled. Corocraft ends up near the back of the book after Francois and Vendome. The selection is poor; 9 pages of $10 - $20 earrings, 40 pgs. of Vendome and only 13 pages of Corocraft and Coro Sterling each. The key Collectible Coro pieces are hard to find in this book and when you find them, the photos are poor, the prices not consistent with the marketplace (some high some low) and some of the best aren't in the book (yet easily found on the internet). You never know which section of Coro you are viewing as every page in the book has the same header. The descriptions don't define which designer produced which piece and with Coro, the designer affects the value.

Ms. Brown needs a lesson in photography or someone should buy her a new camera. The colors are washed out, there are far too numerous blurry images and most importantly, the jewelry just does not show well.

As the other reviewer said....take a pass on this one

I was trying to find out more information about Majolica. This book was a good start. The pictures are great and offers a lot of information. I really enjoyed this book.

As the title suggests this is the complete book of the first three sword books. If you are a fantasy fan it is a must read. From the opening epilogue of Vulcan forging the 12 swords, Saberhagen will captivate you to finish the first book and the remaining two. It starts out describing the smith god with somewhat human characteristics and very descriptive action scenes, that take the human condition and forge them into the 12 swords. It starts off as a game of the gods but later turns out to be the architecture of their demise. The development of the key characters is second to none. Saberhagen conveys a deep connection with Mark and Ben even Marks father Jord. I would only say that the laps between the books does leave the read in wonder a little, there is a little of a time lapse, where I think the author could supply us with some more details, but this does not take anything away from the substance of the stories. This compilation sets the stage rather nicely for the books to follow which tell of the exploits of the remaining swords. So sit back and enjoy this carefree read!!

If you like a good fast read, that leaves you wanting more, then this book is for you. Luckily, there are stories that follow that are equally fun.

The book was very good reading material if you just want a story. The characters in the book are a little under-developed but the book still had meaning. If you cast aside the difference of the Roman and Greek names of the gods its a good book. I think the worst part of the book was the ending but i still would recommend it to anyone who just wants to sit down and read a good book without spending an hour analyzing it.

... but I did read the entire Book of Swords and the entire follow up The Book of Lost swords.
This review is more in response to a few of the other reviews. The Book of Swords is a fast paced fantasy that plays out a game started by "the gods" for their amusement. There are magicians everywhere good and evil, guilds, kingdoms, battles, and at least one character growing into himself. What more could you want... Oh yes you could want to go around in circles and get a whole lot more in depth so each book would take a couple of weeks instead of a couple of days.
Saberhagen did not need to go anymore in depth for a book at this reading level!
If that isn't enough for you than you probably don't want this series. If you wander what your getting yourself into when you start a series of books than...
This is an excelent choice for someone who is not used to reading very long books but does not like a (good) story to end. This is one story that is broken up into smaller self sufficient stories. If you usually just read one book and your done you will be pleased with this book and may even expand your horizons. You can keep going if you want to but you don't have to if you want to be finished. However, if you are looking for your reading for the next year you would be sourly disappointed. It goes comparativly quickly for a series.
I don't believe this series was ever intended for a college level reader, except perhaps in discusing symolizm (in fact it is full of it my english 102 professor would have a field day).
This is a great book for some one who might be intimidated by a large book with large words. Someone on the 6th or 8th grade level should get through it but anyone who enjoys magic would be able to enjoy as well. I read strictly sci. fi. before I read this series but now I love the longer fantasy stuff. I haven't gone back to short Sci. fi. novels.

The book was very good reading material if you just want a story. The characters in the book are a little under-developed but the book still had meaning. If you cast aside the difference of the Roman and Greek names of the gods its a good book. I think the worst part of the book was the ending but i still would recommend it to anyone who just wants to sit down and read a good book without spending an hour analyzing it.

Great book for finding out what they really wore for dressy occasions during the Civil War Era and just prior. Afterwards they did not have the money or the material to do this, but it is lovely to see what they did before the war. Reenacter's who do not wish to spend a lot of money on a gown from the wrong era need to see what is correct before some dressmaker puts them into whatever pattern that SHE likes to make! RESEARCH is the key.

A delightful book to page through. Lots of black & white line drawings and several color plates. This must have been where Scarlett O'Hara got her inspirations!

This is an excellent reference guide for Lady Civil War Reenactors who want to create beautiful day dresses and ball gowns. The book has detailed descriptions of each dress. A true Godey's dress was for the lady of wealth, however many women of average means subscribed to Godey's to get ideas for the dresses they wore. Each page will give you an idea of colors, styles and types of fabrics used. This book is a must along with "Who Wore What" for a true insight into women's fashions of the 1860's

This book is beautiful. It is a very helpful reference and it is just fun to look at. It was also great to have the description of each of the outfits. This book is much more detailed than the "80 Godey's Full-Color Fashion Plates (1838-1880)" by JoAnne Olian, but then I liked all the full -colored as well.

What would designers and collectors ever do without Dover Publications? This book is a little gem for costumers because it consists of "repro" fashion plates that are very rich in visual information. The plates are of Edwardian gentlemen modelling all the appropriate clothing for conducting business, strolling, motoring, and even cycling. Also included are overcoats and formal dress. Best of all, because the illustrations were originally intended as an aid to tailors, they clearly show such details of construction as pocket placement, lapel styles, pleats, and darts. Furthermore, the outfits are accessorized impeccably with ties, gloves, hats, collars and even canes. Although it covers a rather brief period in men's fashion (1900-1910) and depicts only the most affluent men of the time, this book could be a great resource for a costume designer, costume shop, or fashion enthusiast. And since in my estimation books on menswear are rather scarce, it is all the more valuable. Don't pass it up.

Anyone who does costuming knows that there are plenty of pictorial resources for women, primarily drawn form Harper's Bazaar. What has been lacking is a comparable resource for men. This book fills that need nicely.

Since these are period illustrations, they show not only the main articles of clothing, but also good detail of accessories, such as shoes, stickpins, collars and cuffs, hats and canes. The style is fairly realistic, with a wide variety of clothing types, from formal to casual. Since the poses are intended to be natural, they are more useful that period photos, which are frequently only of formal wear, and always stifly posed.

The only thing that keeps this from being a perfect resource is that these are drawings, and may not exactly reflect actual colors and clothing details (showing construction and finish). They do an admirable job of showing fabric patterns and finishes, however, and is the most useful refernce work for this subject that I've found.

This must be one of the most extraordinary publications on men's dress history available even if it only covers the Edwardian period in American. The sheer imaginative depth displayed in the subtle details is quite stunning. The illustrations were intended for use by customers to show to his tailor to draught a pattern off them. As a result, details of construction are shown, usually from front and back.

Sack Suits: Differing from the British lounge suits by the lack of a dart in the coat, they were starting to gain widespread acceptance as business wear in this period. The rather conservative illustrators takes pains to show them being worn only at the seaside and country resort. Striking variations in the cut are shown, often much more daring and tastefully imaginative than anything seen today.

Cutaway Coats: Every conceivable variation of them is shown as a more stylish town wear, although it was still being worn as a more informal alternative to frock coats which were the standard form of daytime 'full dress' for the period.

Full Dress: in the form of evening dress coats as well as frock coats for daytime wear are all displayed. Fascinating variations such as casual frock coats with check/plaid fabrics are on display along with tail coats with shawl lapels - fascinating if you know anything about men's dress.

Overcoats: Some of the cuts shown are truly stunning to behold for sporty day wear, day time full dress and evening full dress. The most fascinating thing is the profusion of overcoats cut with a waist seam including overfrocks, as well as variations on the Ulster overcoat and Inverness cape.

Footwear: even this is shown in some detail. Button boots are ubiquitous as are the occasional pair of Oxford boot, and riding boots in the country equestrian scenes.

Accessories: cravat, ties, cravat pins, hats, riding accessories, as well as walking sticks are all shown - each example a shining example of how a well presented Edwardian dandy would dress.

This is a treasure trove for anyone with an interest in dress history or Edwardian/ late Victorian period costume, but it is more than that for the dashing cuts of many coats make the cuts of modern menswear seem dreadfully uninspired and mass-produced by comparison. Any tailor will tell you that the level of skill required to realise some of the more difficult styles is extremely high.

I happened to run across the book Samurai: The Weapons and Spirit of the Japanese Warrior by Clive Sinclaire at the library, and it caught my eye. I've long been fascinated by Japanese culture, and I thought this would be an interesting read related to the true essence of a samurai's existence. It's not the most riveting material I've ever read, but it's definitely comprehensive and valuable if you are deeply interested in Japanese weaponry for historical or collection purposes.

Contents:
What is a Samurai?; The Samurai's Armour; A Brief history of Japanese Swords; The Sword of the Samurai (Nihon-to); Polearms (Yari, Naginata, and Nagamaki); Archery (Yumi and Ya); Guns of the Samurai (Tanegashima); Glossary; Bibliography; Index

The vast amount of the material here deals with the sword, the most common and important part of a samurai's arsenal. Sinclaire goes into quite a bit of detail related to the history of swordsmithing over the years, as well as the different styles of swords that evolved over time. I hadn't ever given much thought as to how evolving forms of armed combat caused the sword to shift from stabbing to slicing instruments. Sinclaire also includes a large number of illustrations and photos to document much of his information. Seeing sword blades stripped of all their ornaments gave me a greater appreciation for what care and craftsmanship went into them. If I were ever to start collecting Japanese weaponry, this would be a book that would reside on my shelf. But from the perspective of a relatively uninformed reader, the material was a bit hard to follow with all the detailed historical references. I'm guessing it was due to the unfamiliar Japanese names, and the difficulty that a Western reader would have in keeping them straight when presented with hundreds of years of history in a relatively short number of pages.

If this is an area of interest for you, it'd be hard to go wrong by reading this book. If you're only mildly interested in the subject, you'll probably end up skimming by the end and studying the detailed photographs.

I gave this as a gift. It covers all different parts of samurai history and costume. It does spend a lot of time on weapons whereas I bought it mainly for the costume part of it.

Very informative book with lots of color photos. The author goes into the history and psychology of the Samurai as well. If you collect weapons this is a good book to identify era and type of Katana etc.

I really am glad i purchased this book and it was so accurate that my fiancee was so happy for his b-day to receive this book because he loves everything about this culture and their past and especially the weapons! he has a couple samurai swords he keeps at his house and since he's part asian he feels like this book really explained his cultures past. i will buy from this author again. thanks!

Although it mainly generalizes aspects of Japanese military history, this volume contains a large quantity of excellent color photos of the very finest of traditional weapons. Swords, polearms, and archery specimens are displayed within. For the student of Japanese martial-culture, here is a brilliant coffee-table tome, thoroughly illustrated.

The Montgomery Ward catalog is just what I needed. I'm writing a historical romance set in the 1890s and the catalog has been so helpful as a visual aid with the clothing, furniture, and even kitchen utensils available to people at that time.