Collectibles Books

Three of Marvel's most violent anti-heroes (Ghost Rider, Wolverine, and Punisher)unite to take on Blackheart, the son of the devil (Mephisto), in this well written, and severly underrated, Marvel graphic novel.

This story does a great job of discussing the role of good and evil in vigilantism; forcing the protagonists to question whether they've crossed that line with their actions.

A great read for any fan of these three heroes. It also introduces Blackheart as a credible and intriguing villain.

for those expecting a longer story for your money stay away
but if you want a quick read (...) by all means get this it really good and john romita jr is an awesome penciller but i suggest getting it cuz they have it for a dollar or go to you local comic shop they
might have it in a bargain bin or for under $3

Personally, I consider this graphic novel to be the best thing to come out of Marvel Comics in the modern era. It is a morality play- and a very good one.

The action takes place in Christ's Crown, a sleepy midwestern town. It is here that Blackheart, son of Mephisto, heir to the throne of hell is reborn on our plane. It is also here that he decides to both depose, and surpass, his father. His strategy is to tempt and corrupt the new breed of hero- those that walk the razor's edge between Light and Darkness in the service of justice.

To do this he summons Ghost Rider, Wolverine, and Punisher to town. He does this with notes that promise them secret information on what they desire most. Unfortunately, for him, he has misjudged the men that he has summoned. When they all automatically reject his offer of unlimited power in the service of Darkness, Blackheart then resorts to corrupting the entire town to use against them. Here he makes one fatal mistake when abducts the one innocent, uncorrupted soul in town- and spills her blood while doing so. The heroes fight their way into the heart of Hell itself to rescue the little girl....

As Ghost Rider states in the story: It doesn't matter if there is an edge, or if we occasinally cross it. As long as the innocent are protected, our cause is just.

The 1991 edition is printed on first class paper in brilliant color. There is an excellent four-panel folding dioramic cover.

Three of marvel's darkest heros are tempted by Mephisto's son. The deal: the power to win all of their battles and the answers to the secrets they obsess over if only they cross the line. Oh, and by the way they'll get the chance to kill Mephisto himself.

This is a FANTASTIC Reference on Candlesticks. It is informative, giving background information on the companies and their years of operation, showing highly detailed photographs of various candlesticks made by each company, and explaining the differences in lookalikes. There are over 230 pictures of Fostoria candlesticks and over 185 of Heisey, two of the most prolific of the 19 companies represented in the book. I especially like the PHOTO INDEX of all pictures in the book, making identification of unknown pieces a breeze. This 3-book reference series is well worth the money for any glass collector or dealer!

Well-photographed and highly informative, this book does a good job of covering the historical backgrounds and styles of these glass companies. There is a comprehensive sampling of each company's candlesticks, but the key word to remember is "sampling". One will not find every single candlestick design ever made by these companies, but one will find numerous examples. Pricing is fairly good (this is a 2003 book), and while the pages of company patterns at the back of the book are helpful, I would love to be able to have the examples organized by design, rather than company, when searching for the probable maker of a mystery candlestick.

These two volumes are wonderful reference works for candlestick collectors. They contain a short history of each glass company covered in the book and lots of pictures as well as info regarding when each candlestick was produced, approximate measurements, the colors it was made in, etching patterns used, and a price guide. The books also make note of who is currently in possession of the molds. In the back of the book are several pages with small pictures of each candlestick covered in that volume. When you find a match with the candlestick you are trying to identify you can then turn to the page where that particular candlestick is discussed.

A very handy reference work and sensibly organized as well. It has pictures of similar candlesticks side by side so you can compare the similarities and differences in identifying a candlestick. I am waiting impatiently for the third in this series to be released!

Very informative. Even shows fakes and how to tell if it is a fake.

This is by far the best reference guide for collecting Metal on vinyl. Although a record is really only worth what somebody will pay for it, this guide gives you a nice ballpark figure of what to spend on an LP. It also includes entries on early pre-fame recordings of bands whose members went on to become somebody (ie: ELF featuring Ronnie Dio, Black Sheep with Lou Gramm, etc)....Rookie Cards if you will.

All of Martin Popoff's books have been informative, funny and entertaining, however, I don't agree with his views on Triumph.

If you are into 80's Heavy metal and vinyl collecting you must get this books, which is mainly a catalog. It's very helpful on things as Band's LP's, EP's, release year, etc. If you have a missing LP from the 80's metal and don't know the label, year or even more, you want to complete your collection dig this.

Yes, this guide is a must have for all Metal record collectors. I would recommend it for CD collectors too, as it has a great discography of just about every metal band. But I was dissapointed to find out the author devalued many of the US record releases while raising the values of the UK releases. I know record collecting is more popular in the UK, but there are still many collectors here in the US too. This book makes it hard for the US collector to figure out what his collection is really worth. Case in point, GNR's banned robot cover sells for about five times what the guide lists by many dealers in the US. Anyway, I guees it is just a guide so don't take the values too seriously. Still, a great reference guide for the Metal Record collector.

This book is perfect for those who simply have an interest or the hard-core collector of rock and roll's wicked stepchild, Heavy metal. Loads of photos, bios, and assorted gems, this takes some of the guess work out of ammassing one's collection. The only complaint I could possibly offer is that there needs to be more concentration on the newer sub-genres of Heavy metal (black metal, death metal, etc) although they are addressed.

Awesome book! A must have for true KISS fans. The picks section alone was worth buying the book.

Goldmine Kiss Collectibles Price Guide includes details for over 2,000 listings and packs in 500 color photos of the rock group KISS's collectibles, including US and foreign recordings as well as licensed products of all types. Any fan or collector with a detailed interest in the rock music group's products will find this a treasure trove of facts.

This new guide for KISS merchandise is very nicely done. The pictures and commentary are very helpful. The price guide portion is at the end of the book. That is the only disappointing aspect. The prices should be next to each item displayed. Overall, this is a very pleasing and entertaining book.

Awesome book! A must have for true KISS fans. The picks section alone was worth buying the book.

Excellent, if expensive, volume. The first survey of collectors and collecting since the early 60's. Well illustrated. Mostly on art collecting.

Written by a senior staff member of Sotheby's, this book offers an interesting overlook on the collections and personalities of some of the most important art collectors of our time. The text itself is a collection of short pieces on each collector, describing the building and the highlights of their collection (which can be African art, Islamic art, modern paintings, rare books, old masters, contemporary art, etc). You will not find any real scoop here, since, but for a few exceptions, most of the people and collections described are already well-known , but it is still a book that is pleasant to read and full of good-quality illustrations of seldom reproduced works.

This is a truly magnificent book, very well written, very complete. The text is scholarly and straight forward, with many answered questions about this club of great collectors. While the events of theirs lifes are vividly told, the text also explains and illuminates each personality through interesting analyses. The author tends to be factual and does not speculate much. If you want to be as much entertained as educated on this great collectors buy this fantastic book. This is no ordinary art book. You will treasure it and be proud to show it to friends. Simply 5 stars!

Will be enjoyed by those interested in the most significant collectors of great art since the end of World War II and the role each played in preserving various treasures of the world's culture.

By its nature this is a quick survey work, with short articles on each collector, along with nice photographs of important pieces within their separate collections. Each individual survey spans the time from when and how the collector started; to the collection's ultimate breadth and setting; to how it was eventually dispersed (usually to a museum or two) at death or other final point--unless the collector is still alive and still in possession.

My favorite collector in the book: The Canadian embassy worker in the Soviet Union, Mr. George Costakis.

For those really interested, you can find more detailed books on a number of these collectors, such as "Memories of a Collector" by Giusppe Panza.

James Stourton is a highly informed and interesting art expert, although certainly given to focusing on the positive about each of his selected collectors and their collections.

I have both paper doll books (Princess Diana and Prince Charles Fashion Paper Dolls in Full Color; and Diana, Princess of Wales, Paper Doll: The Charity Auction Dresses [Paper Doll Series]) by Tom Tierney. I love his artistry and his attention to detail. I got the Charity Auction paper doll book as a gift and searched for more finding the first paper doll book that also included Prince Charles. I added both books to my scrapbook on Diana - I still love looking at these pages. They are both excellent as are all the paper doll books he produces. I also have books by Tom Tierney on Pope John Paul II, Jackie Kennedy Onasis, and one with Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip. I would encourage anyone interested in collecting, using the books for school reports, or finding your favorite subject in paper dolls, to look for this artist. He does excellent work.

This is one of the most beautiful sets of paper dolls I have, well drawn with great attention to detail and short historical notes on each dress inside the back cover. There are a lot of costumes in this book, about thirty, and two beautiful dolls. It covers fashion from 1890 to 1919, with dresses from great designers like Worth and Paquin. Tom Tierney's paper dolls are wonderful, and this is one of his best.

Anyone who loves fashion history will enjoy this book. The illustrations are evocative of the lives of fashionable women 100 years ago.
I especially liked the dolls themselves, clad in faithful depictions of the underwear of the era.
The selection of costumes is superb. It is clear to see the development of women's dress from 1899 until 1919, from heavily corseted hourglass figures laden with ruffles, lace and embroidery, to the fantasies of the early teens and finally the simplification of dress leading up to the 1920-s.

This is a wonderful paper doll book. Book gives a bit of history regarding the dresses in the book. Illustrations are excellent.

This beautiful book inspired me to gather and organize decades of greeting cards at various locations in my
house, perhaps for a collectible scrapbooking project or for art ideas.

If you love Valentines you need this book! It's the best!

Greetings With Love: The Book Of Valentines will hold year-round attraction for any interested in greeting card art, collectability, or history. The focus here is on antique valentines, with chapters surveying the earliest valentine in history to modern times. Over 20 vintage valentines from mechanical cupids to lace productions are detailed in a history which traces the changing trends of the day. Beautiful color photos of antique productions make for a bright, highly recommended coverage.

This is the most complete book on Valentines Day I have seen. Filled with interesting facts, over 200 (not 20) vintage Valentines, the history of Valentines Day, fun crafts for kids, recipes andmore. A must have book. AAAA+++++++

it really is the best "little" book for anyone interested in collecting coins or watching the value of owned coins go up. very reliable prices.

I became fascinated with coins as a youth a zillion years ago. I worked on the Lincoln cents series, memorizing the valuable dates and prices before finally completing the entire set. Since that time I have returned to coins again and again, drawn by their allure on many levels. They serve as cultural icons - an encapsulated national history lesson. They are also beautiful works of art...one cannot help but be reminded of the great sculptor Augustus Saint-Gauden who designed, according to President Teddy Roosevelt, the "most beautiful coin ever minted" - the famous and breathtaking St. Gauden's $20 gold coin. Last, but certainly not least, coins serve as an anchor in bad economic times and as excellent (the best) investments. Even in this age of technology, savvy investors know that gold and silver are "for the ages".

Throughout it all the Redbook has been a faithful companion. It succeeds where others do not for several reasons - each edition builds on prior works, research is ongoing, latest findings are presetn but most important, it remains THE repository for fair pricing. I note that it still contains the reminder, "Well-struck, uncirculated pieces demand higher prices than shown". Some things never change.

The listings are accompanied by numerous photographs including a multitude of "close-ups". The warnings are also present - Be aware of washed coins or altered dates or forgeries. But it is the grading system that forms the core of the book. Despite the non-stop battles over grading methodolgy (I prefer the 70 point system since it seems the most objective) many experts still refer to the Redbook and its language concerning feathers, stars, "LIBERTY" and hair details. As long as there are silver and gold coins there will be a Redbook.

The Redbook is a great reference for coin collecting. It has color pictures of almost every coin. It also illustrates die varities and other rare errors like double dies. The pictures are enlarged so you can see if your coins have a feature that makes them much more valuable. It tells you the mintage for each coin. Also, with each coin series there is a short history about the coin series. Included is a section about error coins.

The one bad thing is the pricing. It really is not much inline. If you want this book just for pricing I would not reccommend it. However, if you want it as a reference, I would highly reccommend it. Some prices are too high, and others too low. So if you want a good coin reference book, this is one of the best out there!

The Redbook is the US coin collector's bible. Every collector MUST have this book if they are collecting US coins. The Redbook lists every coin ever minted in the United States. It also tells you which mints have produced them (there have been many over the years) and how many where made at each mint. This is valuable information because the value of any given US coin will depend on its date, mint mark & condition.

The prices in the Redbook are representative of the full retail price of a coin. The vast majority of the coins listed can be had for considerably less though from any reputable dealer. In most cases, if a dealer tries to get the Redbook price for a coin, run, do not walk, to the nearest exit.

Try searching on Google for a "reputable coin dealer" (include quotes) to locate a reputable coin dealer in your area. Every coin dealers advertises the quality, value and convenience of shopping with them but how many advertise their integrity? Try googling for "integrity, quality, value & convenience" (include quotes) and just see how many coin dealers are willing to ride on their reputation!

If you are looking to sell some coins, do NOT base the price you want for them on what is shown in the Redbook. The price a dealer will offer you for you coins will be a dealer-to-dealer price (i.e. a wholesale price). You certainly don't want to be one of those naive collectors who walk into a coin shop and try to sell your coins for anywhere near the price shown in the Redbook. Most dealers would simply laugh at you and move on to the next customer (as rude as that be).

Again, if you are thinking about collecting coins, the Redbook had better be the first book you buy.

I purchased this for my husband, and he's ecstatic. Over the last month he's shown me every picture, and read me something from nearly every page. I can only assume he's pretty happy with it, since I can't pry it out of his hands!!

Excellent and comprehensive review of Sig Sauer pistols. Unfortunately does not include the new Sig R-DAK models with their unique and butter smooth trigger systems, recently adopted by the Coast Guard and some other more secretive Federal agencies.

Could stand an updated edition, but still well worth the money.

(I'm writing this after a quick first read-through of the book, so please forgive any error I may unintentionally inject.)

I'm a pretty solid "gun nut," with an excellent and diverse gun book library. I always feel ambivalent about these books that purport to give an overview of a gun company and its product line. While I'm interested in learning stuff that I don't already know (bring on the minutiae!), many of these books (those of one particular coffee table author come to mind) turn out to contain little more than a few beautiful photos with a ton of incredibly dull rah-rah copy: recitations of annual production numbers for various models are a highlight. However, Ayoob's GUN DIGEST BOOK OF SIG-SAUER is a good example of what can be done RIGHT with this type of book.

Ayoob, love him or hate him, is a major gunwriter for a reason. He can write (unlike some) and he's smart. One may disagree with some of his theories (I do, personally) and one may question whether he is right or has experience on a given legal or tactical issue, but the man knows how to write interesting articles about guns.

That's what he does here. The GUN DIGEST BOOK OF SIG-SAUER has a chapter for each model of Sig-Sauer's pistols, from the P-220 through the GSR 1911 (nothing on the new 250s, alas). Ayoob covers each model in detail (you'd think this would get boring with the overall similarity of the Sig-Sauer pistols, but it doesn't) offering insights as to each model's pluses and minuses, as well as intelligent commentary on the sociological niche each model fills. There are chapters on the Sig-Sauer in training, in competition, and on the various custom options available. There are chapters on SIG handguns like the P-210 and on the SIG-H?mmerli target series. There's a chapter on tactics featuring a bunch of goofy photos showing folks performing drawstroke techniques taught by Ayoob's LFI. It's an amazingly thorough book (the NH-based Ayoob's physical proximity to SIGARMS might have helped here): well-written and informative.

The book serves up hundreds of well-done photos to illuminate the text. They're not always placed right next to the text they're illminating, but that's okay. (They're not always of Ayoob, and that's great, too.) Ayoob provides photos of interesting points (e.g., comparisons between the stamped steel slide of a 220 and the milled steel slide of a 220 ST, old grip styles, comparisons of the short and long trigger styles) that fulfill the reason to have a book like this one. I know that Gun Digest books are usually full of good photos, but this one is better than most.

Because of the photos and the nicely delineated text, this is a book that one can read for a couple of hours or just pick up for a couple of minutes (I foresee a lot of copies camped out in the bathrooms of their new owners) to read an article or check out some different photos. Ayoob's writing on each topic is insightful and well-reasoned, and I learned a fair amount in my first run-through.

If you're a "gun nut" (or if you're shopping for one), I don't think you'll be disappointed with this book. Given my aforementioned ambivalence about these "overview" books, I thought long an hard before I bought this one. Now that I've read through it, however, I'm planning to buy another copy for a friend! (By the way, Amazon is offering a great price on the GUN DIGEST BOOK OF SIG-SAUER, which runs $28 at the retail outlets where I've seen it.) Ayoob did a great job with this one!

If you want to know about Sig products and how to effectively use them this is a great book. It is well written and covers basics to more advanced items. I really enjoyed it. Recommended.

I bought this book because I like to collect new and vinatge Halloween decorations. I used the book while looking around Ebay for items. Comes in handy. Could use some more detail in describing items but still worth the money.

This book was very informative and straight-forward. Included very clear, concise photos of vintage Halloween collectables with an up-to-date price guide reference. I would recommend this to anyone interested in vintage Halloween items.

This book is a wonderful depiction of the vast varieties of Halloween collectables you may find. I find this reference book to be very accurate and also the items you see listed are items you may actually come across and want to purchase. Unlike some antiques reference books, this shows the actual item in question...not something similar that leaves you wondering about the true value.

A must have for every Halloween memorabilia collector.

This book is a wonderful depiction of the vast varieties of Halloween collectables you may find. I find this reference book to be very accurate and also the items you see listed are items you may actually come across and want to purchase. Unlike some antiques reference books, this shows the actual item in question...not something similar that leaves you wondering about the true value.

A must have for every Halloween memorabilia collector.