Collectibles Books

"An American Postal Portrait" is a visually engrossing cultural history of the postal service. My father, a letter carrier in Kansas, was fascinated. It renewed the pride he feels in his job. It was a positive reminder that despite our techno age's slurs against "snail mail," the image of the letter carrier remains a powerful cultural--human--image. The book is a reminder that "technological advances" are poor substitutes for the power of human interaction. This book would be the perfect gift for anyone you know who proudly labors to ensure that our country's mail will be delivered despite rain, or sleet, or snow....

This is a wonderful book that reflects society and postal history on a parallel through time. Check out the section on the dog that was a mascot and traveled all across the world via airplane and earned his own medals! I learned a lot about our postal system and the photos were great. This was purchased for my husband who collects stamps. He really enjoyed reading about the "other" side of stamps.

I went right to the middle section of this book to read about The Haskell Silk Mills in Westbrook, Maine. Why? Because my Great Grandfather Edwin Haskell was the founder. Excellent research by the author and her obvious love of the subject matter gave us, the Haskell descendants, an incredible look at the success and subsequent failure of this local business. I learned much more about my forebears and the operation of the mills than I had picked up anecdotally all these many years. If you have an interest in the textile industry in New England or in fact, anywhere. This is a wonderful read about the days before the synthetics came to town.
Ben Haskell
Brewer, ME

Co-authored by a former costume curator, a professor of math and science history, and a costume curator, three top authors create a high-quality scholarly analysis of an industry in AMERICAN SILK 1830-1930: ENTREPRENEURS AND ARTIFACTS. At one time America's silk industry was the largest in the world, so even though it hasn't nearly the stature today, it's an essential piece of American and business history. Here three case studies of silk company production mills span the heyday of the silk industry era and cover the technological and social issues surrounding silk. A key college-level title for any holding serious about American and American business history.

This review is written from the perspective of the amateur collector on a limited budget. It has been said that collecting ancient coins was the "hobby of Kings". It might also be said that reference books on this subject can only be afforded by Kings, and are certainly less affordable than the coins. Not so with the readable series by Wayne Salyes, past editor of the premier journal on ancient coins, The Celetor. Number five (better to write V) in the series focuses on coins minted by the Roman empire during its long slide into oblivian. Constantinople also called Byzantium, and now called Istanbul, was the capital of the Empire and the center of Christianity from its founding by Constantine the Great in the 4th century to its final demise in the 15th century when the city fell to Mehmet the (Turkish) Conquerer in 1453. Most of us think of Rome as the capital of the Roman Empire but the Eastern half of the empire, while not so glorius, lived a 1000 years longer. Coinage usually reflects the culture, and this is clearly illustrated in Sayles' presentation. It is filled with numerous figures of coins, maps, and geniology. While all of his volumes are usually regarded as "introductory" and for the "new collector" to distinguish them from the comprehensive catalogues used to attribute coins, this particular volume has been particularly useful to me as an affordable attribution reference. It is fascinating to see how the coinage changed from images of emperor and soldiers to images of Christ and crosses. This is a superb addition to the series, fills a gap in the literature, and whets my appitite for volume VI.

Wayne Sayles has created a masterpiece with his "Ancient Coin Collecting V - The Romaion/Byzantine Culture." This book is a great resource, it introduces all of the main themes in Byzantine coinage and directs the reader where to look to find out more.

This book goes at length to describe the denomination of Byzantine coins, the meanings of the markings, and has an article for each emperors and claimants to the throne, from 491-1453. At least every page has at least one black and white photo, many genealogies, excellent bibliographies and much more.

This is an excellent resource for anyone interested in Byzantine coins. This book is also offers are remarkably lucid description of the narrative of Byzantine history. Highly recommended.

I collect and sell vintage Disney animation art, and this book is a great resource for seeing what pieces have sold for what, and for helping to determine what pieces have been available.

Mr. Lotmans book is an essential for anyone thinking of buying vintage animation art. Clearly this is one tool that you should have at your side when purchasing at auction or doing provenance work of any kind. Very informative with tonnes of great photographs, this book chronicles auction results from all the major houses over the last decade. Do not get caught without one!!!! P.S. Watch for the next ecition in the series to be published soon. Good Collecting

I really enjoyed reading this book. As an antique dealer, it was fun and interesting to read.

Any book with a dedication that begins, "For everyone who loves antiques..." deserves a read by people in our circle. It's a great bunch of stories. I've never seen anything quite like it. I'm wondering if young people would enjoy this book as much as the older folks. Any thoughts on this?

This is both a comprehensive publication and lovely tabletop book that is a feast for the mind, the senses, and the soul.

An exhaustive amount of research has gone in to this study of boxes from so many periods and regions of the world.

I think it is a steal for the price, and is my suggestion that anyone interested in this subject purchase the book now. It is one of those editions that will become an out-of-print costly collector's item in the not too distant future.

Thank you Ms. Cummins...just a joy.

Charles

Beautifully illustrated book Covers an amazing range of topics Every topic is covered in depth with a very readable text A great gift for any collector whether amateur or "expert" The examples range from museum pieces to objects you could find in your local antique store True value

Great Book, fabulous photos. I recommend it to anyone with a love of Gorgeous Enamel Jewelry

This book was a pleasant surprise. I expected the dry recitation of facts and adequate photography of the average collector's book, but that's not what I got. The narrative is fun, with much of the primary author's personality shining through, and the photography is lovely.

The book is beautifully designed. Literary quotes about jewelry and a sense of a personal connection with the authors enhance the text. I found myself reading the entire book instead of just looking up the parts I wanted to know about. The information is thorough and detailed.

Since this is the first text on antique enamel, one would expect it to do well among collectors, but this exceeds those expectations and will be an asset to anyone in the antique business.

This was a great item, a putter you can assemble with a great case. Quick shipment too

Pete Georgiady's Antique Golf Collectibles Identification & Value Guide is also a specialty collector's reference which might reach well into the sports/golfing area as well: clubs, balls, books, ceramics and memorabilia are all listed and detailed in a guide which packs color photos by Richard Walker with values and surveys of themes. Even comic books which feature golf plots, such as Felix the Cat from the mid-1950s, are included, leaving no topic uncovered.

This book is as good a general reference as one could hope to find. It covers many different areas and gives good examples with decent photos in each category.I strongly recommend this tome for all-from beginners to experts alike! and as usual Amazon's pricing,selection and service is the best!!

If only one affordable but definitive price guide were to be chosen for a gift for collectors and garage salers, it should be the 20th anniversary edition of Antique Trader's standard reference. Here are all the major categories of glass, ceramics, and furniture under one cover, packing in small color photos, values, and coverage of the latest collecting trends. There are literally hundreds of categories to Antiques & Collectibles Price Guide 2005 - and enough in-depth reference detail for any level of collector or dealer.

BEST REFERENCE BOOK ON BLACK AMERICANA, AND AMAZING COLLECTION OF LEONARD DAVIS, TOP COLLECTOR OF BLACK AMERICANA,

It's great I use it all the time while out collecting