Collectibles Books

Thanks goes to Steve Martin for bringing to light a significant, and nearly forgotten, history. Through artifacts (Steve's impressive and beautiful collection of opium paraphernalia, and period photographs) and down to earth story telling, I found myself transported to opium dens in the East and West, and imagined the lives and circumstances of those who were entranced and enveloped by the narcotic.

The pictures are gorgeous, the writing evocative, and the topic and the objects themselves provide a fascinating portal for history.

When the paraphernalia associated with opiates comes to mind what do you picture? Syringes? Drippy candles? Bent spoons? These are the gear of the heroin user but what about heroin's long dead uncle, opium? The paraphernalia of the two drugs couldn't be more different. This book will take you back in time when drug use was at least practised with style and flair. The opium pipes, lamps and other accouterments illustrated in this book are gem-like works or art made from rare and precious materials such as silver, ivory and jade. It's a world long lost but the author manages to bring it back to life for a brief moment and dazzle us with the promises of chemical bliss that tempted our ancestors. Getting addicted back then was no doubt as painful and ruinous as it is today, but they sure knew how to do it in style!

The Art of Opium Antiques is one of the most artfully illustrated and artistically written books on the subject. Throughout its pages Steven Martin traces the cultural use in China alongside the artistry and astounding craftmanship of the time, from the low and common to the truly decedent. Photos of amazingly ornate apparatus are peppered throughout alongside diagrams depicting the main components of a typical pipe or lamp. Historical photos help put one in the mind frame of the times, allowing one to contemplate how this blissful habit, aided by dedicated artisans progressed up until its zenith during the nineteenth century. Martin's vast collection and grasp of the subject are equally great, allowing one to walk away with a greater appreciation for opium related antiquities. There is no doubt this book will help spawn new collectors as well as reconfirm the addiction of the collector aficionado, for this book is a grand spring board for newbies and opium-porn for the serious collector.

Such a great book! Instead of just relating the well-known disastrous effects of opium, the author of this book brings new insight into the history of the drug by exploring Opium paraphernalia as an art form. It works!

We are brought into the mythical Opium dens of a not so distant past, with the rich illustrations of this text. A rare photo of an 1880 Butte, Montana bunkhouse "opium den" is particularly amusing. However, it is the lush photographs of the drug paraphernalia that make this work so worthwhile. The extensive captions that accompany each photograph have enabled the author to not only inform the reader about the use and artistic achievement of these artifacts, but entertain as well.

The result is a more humanizing view of the addiction itself. Knowing that these beautiful instruments were the tools in which to feed a deadly addiction gives us another vantage point to view this era of history.

Anyone with the an interest in the history of China, the Chinese Diaspora living in the USA in the late 18th/19th century or the history of Southeast Asia will find this book particularly fascinating. The Art of Opium Antiques will be an essential addition to your bookshelf.

This book is really helpful to identify antique opium art. I work for Asia Galleries in San Francisco where we sell a lot of antique opium artifacts. I had hard time to find a book that helps me to study about details of opium art, but in this book I see many dampers, pipes, lamps, and opium scrapers are similar to the ones Asia Galleries have; therefore, I was able to gain some knowledge through this book. Now, I am confident to explain details of our antique opium art to customers. I would like to say thank you to Steven Martin.

This is the best coverage of Lionel's promotional sets of the period in print to date. Highly recommend to all Lionel collectors, and to those who loved these sets peering through various Christmas catalogues, warming a boy's heart in days gone by! Nostalgic and authoritative!!

Drawing upon thousands of authentic Lionel documents, "Authoritative Guide To Lionel's Promotional Outfits 1969 - 1969" is an 848-page illustrated compendium showcasing the more than 700 electric train outfits (also known as 'uncatalogued train sets') that the Lionel company created exclusively as promotional items for retailers that included Sears Roebuck & Co.; Montgomery Ward; Spiegel; Western Auto; A&P; Quaker Oats; and others. Because of the limited numbers manufactured, these promotional outfits are among the most valuable items in the history of model railroading. These outfits never appeared in Lionel's consumer catalogs and information about them simply unavailable -- until now. John W. Schmid has been collecting toy trains with his father for decades. After the 2001 auction in which the Lionel Factory Orders and other miscellaneous internal company documents were purchased, Schmid embarked upon years of extensive research in newly found documents and has now distilled that research into the pages of an impressively descriptive catalog. The result is "Authoritative Guide To Lionel's Promotional Outfits 1960-1969", a work of meticulous scholarship that is unique in the annals of the enduringly popular hobby of model trains and railroads. Included is how all the engine and cars came to be individually packed; descriptions of the original outfit box (including outfit inserts and packaging); pricing for the complete outfit (and even the empty box alone); original production quantities; diagrams for packing the outfit in the outfit box; instruction sheets, packed envelopes, as well as peripherals (track, transformer, oil, wire, smoke, etc.) Also available in a hardcover edition (9781933600031, $89.95), John Schmid's "Authoritative Guide To Lionel's Promotional Outfits 1960 - 1969" is impressively informative and enthusiastically recommended for all dedicated model railroading reference collections.

Wow! This book is a must have for every Lionel collector and individual seeking to find their childhood train set...and the book is a bargain at ANY price. In 2001, the author, John Schmid, purchased internal, long-lost records from the Lionel archives for over $43,000. It took him five years to compile these records and photograph 100s of Lionel train sets into this unbelievable book value. This book contains all NEW information you will NOT find anywhere else.

The book details over 700 of Lionel's most mysterious train sets (outfits), the ones it made exclusively for retailers and promotional firms. Names we're all familiar with: Sears, Wards, Penneys, Spiegel, Quaker Oats, S&H, Western Auto, etc. Since these "special" sets never appeared in a Lionel catalog, NONE the them have been fully documented before. Individuals and collectors have spent years trying to find out the value and contents of these long lost train sets. Now, thanks to John's painstaking research and beautiful photographs, everybody has access to this priceless information.

The "Authoritative Guide..." provides everything that came in a train set, how many were made, who the trains were sold to, substitutions of items, pricing for the train set, pricing for the empty set box, and even how to pack the trains in its set box!

It is also much more than a book about sets, over 60 pages detail new information about the items that came with each postwar Lionel set. Stuff I never knew including how to identify different train cars, engines, boxes, instruction sheets, accessories, envelopes, trucks and couplers, etc.
Everything you ever wanted to know about what is included in a Lionel train set is provided.

As a final bonus, I was able to relive my childhood memories of the retailers my mother used to drag me to. John provides a description of each of the retailers (many no longer in business) that Lionel provided promotional sets. Yes even the US Army sold Lionel trains.

I could go on an on about how great this book is, but it is best to just buy it and see for yourself. You will not be disappointed.

One incredible source of Lionel information . . . way more than just sets. Covers promotional outfits with new information purchased from the Lionel archives. This is the first time this information has ever been published!!..."For every Lionel collector, 100s of individual item variations never before documented, a must have for any postwar collector, well worth the money". Written for all types of Lionel collectors . . . first time buyers to hard core collectors.

This book is exactly what it states in the title - "The Authoritative Guide". It surpasses any other documental guide available today because it does not only use marketplace data, rather, it uses actual Lionel data from the company archieves combined with field data to take it to the next level - a level of greater understanding of how and why these sets were created and to their scarcity and value. This book is a bargain at any price! With 848 pages and 700 outfits, it costs the same, if not less, per page, than any other guide. With this new, never before published information, the book will more than pay for itself in no time because now these previously unvalued sets have realized some serious collector values! For years collectors have been wondering what was in all those uncataloged sets Lionel produced in the '60's. Now the mysteries are solved. The volume of detail is incredible. In my 25+ years of collecting, I have never seen as much presented in one volume. Avid collectors will be conversing in terms as never before such as referring to product variations and paperwork by their stock or dash numbers instead of simply by their catalog number. Novice collectors will have the opportunity to quickly become as learned as experts that spent decades on information gathering at train meets around the country. This book will re-energize the toy train hobby and has single-handedly redefined the standard for information presentation. John Schmid's years of work on this book have certainly paid off and we should all be thankful he chose to share this information with the world. I'm already anticipating his next work, whatever it will be. In time, this book will become as much a part of Lionel history as the trains themselves. The renaissance has begun. Well done!

My daughter loves this book, and we are on our 3rd copy because she has worn it out taking it on trips, in the car, etc. Her favorite part is the international dolls section, where she enjoys looking at national costumes from around the world. The layout and photos are very well-done, and it brings me back to my childhood as well!

This beautiful book is a must-have for any girl who loves Barbies. It is a children's book and is a visual delight...not a dry guide for adult collectors. The pictures are crisp and labeled, as the other DK books are; "corduroy hat" and "red patent leather pumps," etc. A huge hit with my 9-year old niece.

I love this book. This is the neatest book in the world. It has almost every Barbie I have in there. My favorite Barbie was the Olympic P.J. I use it to help me surf on Ebay. If you like Barbies, get this book now!

This book is really nice, the pictures are gorgeous, and it has some index on Barbie dolls by year, also Barbie's friends. Not so much on collectible dolls, but there are some dolls with gorgeous pics, some are different from the publish pics and a few are the same. Nice information for dolls and furniture. Great book! The cover is stunning!!!!

My kids like it. It's got excellent layout, clear crisp pics, but isn't comprehensive. Great to look through, and point to - look, I had that one when I was a kid..... (YOU were a KID?) I don't use it with my collection, but I am glad I bought it - it makes a pleasent just for fun.

The book is wonderful. Very informative, up-to-date and easy to use. Beautiful illustrations. This really is a MUST HAVE for all collectors of Longaberger baskets. Especially handy to use while bidding for Longabergers on ebay.

I would highly recommend this book. I wish someone had told me about it when I first started bidding on ebay.

This is the book to use to evaluate your Longaberger collection or to help evaluate a basket before you buy. A must for any collector that trades on the secondary market! The book is divided into sections by basket type and includes an index for quick referencing. Take it along to the next basket auction you attend!

This was a great book. I wish that I had the book earlier, when I first started collecting Longaberger Baskets. This is a very good reference book I will use for years to come.

I RECENTLY BOUGHT A WHOLE COLLECTION OF BASKETS FROM A FRIEND WHO NEEDED MONEY....THE BENTLEY GUIDE REALLY HELP ME GIVE HER A FAIR PRICE FOR HER BASKETS.

I am a Longaberger consultant and have every Bentley's Guide ever published, including an autographed first copy. It is a great help in promoting the value of our products (the fact that they appreciate, not depreciate)! It has been of great help in increasing insurance coverage, not only for myself, but also for customers. I had one customer who lost items in a fire; we used the guide for the replacement value for the insurance company. I now have customers who purchase their own Guide.

A great source for bike history - a classic from 1862. Often quoted in other books about bicycle history and technology.

This book shows that many current 'new' ideas in cycling are not at all new ..... very useful even now.

Although 100 years old, it has great potential as a technical reference for small mechanism design as well as bicycles.

One of Sharp's goals was to debunk the truly awful designs of his day, and hopefully bring about their demise. When the book was written, the "ordinary" had only recently given way to the "safety," and the proliferation of designs described here is truly mind-boggling. As a historical record of early bicycle design, no other book even comes remotely close. The technical section is thorough enough to qualify as an engineering textbook, and needs no updating. The section on the design of individual components is of course limited by what was available at the time, but nevertheless is still of interest. After the numerous references to this book in Mike Burrows' "Bicycle Design," I had searched unsuccessfully for years for a used copy. The reissuance of Sharp at a reasonable price shouldn't be passed up by anyone with even a passing interest in bicycle design and history. Be forewarned: this is a faithful facsimile of the original, and as such, the typeface isn't as clear as what we're used to nowadays. We're lucky that the book is available at all, and this edition is undoubtably superior in appearance to an original (assuming you can even find one).

Honestly, I have studied some of the older bikes, like highwheelers and the safeties and even the racing frames used by 6-day racers like Major (Marshall) Taylor... and I honestly thought most of the early bikes were designed by luck and a prayer.
Sharp shows how much engineering knowledge was known about bicycles at the early parts of the 20th century. No wonder bikes were the precursors to --the automobile, --the airplane, --Harleys!
Concerns about bottom-bracket flex, weight distribution, climbing efficiency, transmission systems, steering control, comfort, stability at speed, etc. are all covered. Various materials and their pros and cons are covered (but back then exotic materials were bamboo and heat treated rolled steel!).
If you are an engineer or have a good background in math, you will be entertained by the incredible amounts of analysis presented in the text. If you are just a techie bike geek like me you will still enjoy it without breaking out the calculator to verify the formulaes. There are lots of 'pretty pictures' and well explained concepts to inform and entertain anyone interested in the fundmental engineering priciples and concerns of bicycles.

This book begins with a lot of information about sewing pattern companies, sewing in the beginning half of the century, and fashion changes during the forties that are worth the price of this book. The second half is all reproductions of the fronts of pattern envelopes which provide inspiration for design as well as pointing out how much more advanced the average sewer seemed to be in the forties compared to today.

This is a wondreful look at a time in fashion when looking your best when in public or private did matter. The fashions are an inspiration to those who love classic design. The only statement being made by these fasions are upbeat ones. Thanks for a great book that any sewer will treasure forever!!

I was amazed to receive this book. I learned about how rationing during WWII affected clothing and fashion. I saw how fashion evolved during a decade that began with war and ended with Paris reviving their Haute Couture.

I think that the one aspect of Blueprints Of Fashion that caught me completely by surprise was the nostalgic feeling that looking at home sewing catalogue illustrations returned to me. I remember spending hours browsing through catalogues with my Mom during the 60's and 70's. I noticed the change of illustration styles, and the use of more photography, throughout those 2 decades of the big 3--Simplicity, Butterick/Vogue, and McCall's. In the 40's there were many more brands and that much more variation in illustration styles.

Mr. Laboissoniere has done a great job of grouping the pattern face cards into a journey through the fashionable 40's. Even though he meant this as a guide for collectors, there are so many facets to his research that he has created something truly extraordinary.

this is one of the great fashion books. very well put together, interesting...unlike most fashion books (in terms of text) and classy and LOTS of images. Both of Laboissonniere's books are great.

As a dealer in vintage patterns, (...) Wade's book is an indispensable resource in accurate dating of my pattern inventory. This in turn helps me to better serve my customers. Wonderful color examples of all the catagories, styles and companies.

SINCE I STARTED USING "THE CELEBRITY ADDRESS HANDBOOK" I HAVE BEEN RECEIVING AUTOGRAPHS THROUGH THE MAIL. THE MOST NOTABLE AUTOGRAPHS I HAVE RECEIVED ARE: WILLIAM RENQUIST-SUPREME COURT CHIEF JUSTICE, GENERAL COLIN POWELL, BASEBALL HALL OF FAMER PHIL RIZZUTO AND ASTRONAUT NEIL ARMSTRONG. "THE CELEBRITY ADDRESS HANDBOOK" IS THE MOST UP-TO-DATE AND BEST REFERENCE ADDRESS BOOK I HAVE SEEN. THE HANDBOOK ALSO HAS A Q&A SECTION THAT IS USEFUL. THANKS TO "THE CELEBRITY ADDRESS HANDBOOK"

COMPARED TO ALL THE ADDRESS BOOKS I'V SEEN, "THE CELEBRITY ADDRESS HANDBOOK" IS THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE OUT THERE TODAY. I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT ANYONE WHO WANTS THE ENTIRE FIELD OF CELEBRITIES TO GET "THE CELEBRITY ADDRESS HANDBOOK."

I just received the 3rd edition of "The Celebrity Address Handbook" and I'm amazed. I was looking to take a vacation with autograph collecting on the agenda and I found it in this book. The book lists the NFL training camps and gives the scoop on how to get autographs at these camps. I'm in the planning stage now and I'm looking at how many camps I can see in the California area. Thanks to "The Celebrity Address Handbook"

The way I see it, you can collect autographs one of three ways. You can collect through the mail, in-person or from a dealer. "The Celebrity Address Handbook" explains how to do all three. It has tons of celebrity addresses, a calendar of events for in-person collecting and a complete list of dealers in the U.S. I'm going to try all three ways!!

I've seen a lot of celebrity address books and this one is the most complete. Other celebrity address books list the name alphabetically."The Celebrity Address Handbook" not only list the name alphabetically, but it groups the name and address by the category of what the celebrity is known for. I like this feature because it helps put a name to a face that I remember. "The Celebrity Address Handbook" also contains a lot of names in business, science and politics that you don't see in other celebrity address books. I give "The Celebrity Address Handbook" two thumbs up!

I came across this calendar some years ago and have enjoyed it ever since. In a stressful world this calendar provides me with peace and calm. The pictures are beautiful, colorful and filled with charm. The teatime delicacies accompanying the table settings add to the joy and deliciousness of this calendar. The informative text completes this perfect calendar. Tea anyone?

Teapots are fascinating - so frivolous, yet so necessary - to
hold the most wonderful beverage invented.
Teapot Calendars are the next best thing to having the real
item in your hands. The layouts of the calendars are absolutely
wonderful, they make you feel as if you are a part of the entire
tea ceremony and make you wish the world had more interest in the
art of teamaking instead of warmaking.
The selection of teapots and their different styles, colours
and patterns make you realise that humans can see every different
facet of life. The photography is exhilarating and brings to mind nature's masterpiece of colour ranges.
Thank you to Joni Miller and the Production Team behind these
calendars. I look forward to my calender every year!
more

If you are teapot collector, this is the calendar for you; for the last 4 years, I have purchased the teapot calendar. I enjoy the history associated with each teapot, as well as some of the tidbits for tea pleasure.

Love your calendar - but I really loved the 2005 Debby DuBay Limoges Tea Pot photographed in Feb 2005. Can you please get her to include another one of her lovelies?

As always the 2006 Teapot Calendar is simply a delight. The photos are so detailed and sumptuous that you feel as if you are sitting down at that exact table for tea. It brings back all the wonderful memories of having tea parties as a child, but oh! so much more elegantly! Not only are teapots featured, but tea cups, and tea cakes or cookies that would appropriately be served with that particular type of tea or pot. Each month has a little limerick or ditty about tea and also a few lines about the particular pot being pictured, or the company who made the teapot, or some other fascinating fact about tea. I have been purchasing this calendar for the last six years and I have never been disappointed! If you love teapots, the art of taking tea, or anything to do with tea, you will be absolutely entranced with this calendar.

if you want to buy dolls you need to know what you are doing especially here on Amazon where some of the Barbie prices are three times what they should be . so you need advice from an expert who isn't trying to run prices up on his own stuff he has for sale. Michael is both expert and honest. You can't hope for better than that!

I just love this book! everything is great....
I love looking at all the dolls.......

I found this book to be very helpful in that I have a BARBIE COLLECTION and needed to find out the value of my 200+ collection for insurance. Although not all of my dolls were in this book I still found many of the values that I needed.
Great value for the money spent

J. Michael Augustyniak's COLLECTOR'S ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BARBIE DOLL COLLECTOR'S EDITIONS 2008 is a 'must' for any Barbie collector or any collection catering to doll collectors. It packs its pages with the latest values and updated color photos, including descriptions, notes on special collections and Barbie attributes, and more. If only one Barbie doll collector's comprehensive reference were acquired for a general lending library, it should be this one.

This is a collector only. Its not a price guide for all Barbie's ever made, like it makes you think.

Good information about creating an auction ad (including sample templates) and interacting with buyers and sellers. Another plus: she presents an impressive list of smaller, specialized auction sites by category.

She went into a bit too much detail about necessary hardware (computer, modem, etc.) as almost all her readers are probably already online. Also, as with any book written about a Net-related topic, some parts of it were out-of-date before it hit the shelves. For example, she reviews the auction site "Up4Sale" which is no longer in business.

Overall, a worthwhile read for those serious about buying and selling at online auctions.

I've read every word in this book and highly recommend it as an clear explanation of the how-to's of ethical buying and selling via online auctions.

Personally, as a seller on various online auctions, I found the html info and templates explained in the back of the book to be most helpful!

I read the previous reviews of this book and I had to give my input - the more information, the better. Unfortunately, some data does go out of date. This book should be read before going to an online auction, while your in the middle of the auction, and after it's completion. There are lot's of examples (what I like) and how to's. If there's a problem with an auction, the author tries to assist you with other's examples. This an excellent "cookbook" for online auctions.

I found this book to contain the best and most conscise information on how to host an online auction. From start to finish, Nancy Hix guides you through every step with ease. Her advice is very easy to understand and follow. Being new to the whole internet auction experience, this book anwered numerous questions and enabled me to glide through auction sites very quickly. Her detailed descriptions of exactly how to host your own auction proved invaluable. If you are interested in learning about Online Auctions sites, or hosting your own auction, this book will get you started with confidence.

I had had already read two "online auctions made easy" type books before I bought this one. The others covered a lot of the basics but did not deal with HTML. I wanted to add "class" to my auctions and HTML was what I thought I needed and was confused on why these other books did not even mention the issue--I thought maybe it was too complicated??? Then I came across this book, it provided an extremely clear and easy walk through of the HTML language. There are even a few templates that I was able to examine and then adapted one for my own use. If a simple introduction to HTML is what you are after look no further...