Collectibles Books

The Amazing Step-by-Step Art Card Studios are both simple and amazing. My children were able--quickly--to draw animals that looked as great as the examples provided by Ms. Ragsdale. This product really delivers!

We bought both books. My daughter was really excited when they came. She loves to draw, & it has step by step instructions in how to draw each pet or Zoo animal. Each set has colored pencils, a drawing pad, & sharpener in a handy box. It has lots of cards with all types of pets & animals to draw. It is the perfect thing to take on long car rides, & gives hours of enjoyment. It will encourage kids to persue their artistic talents. The price is very reasonable. K.Key

The book has a wonderfully readable text to compliment the beautiful color plates, and David's illustrations of inclusions and the rainforest are impeccable. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to understand and learn about amber from this work, however, I must say, David, you are a talented genius and I read every word. All my friends are fascinated by the book and the author.

Some of you may be aware of the current amber exhibition at the Natural History Museum in New York. At the same time as the launch of this exhibition David Grimaldi; chairman, associate curator and organiser of this display has authored and published a new book on amber to compliment the show. New books on amber, particularly in English are so rare that I have taken the liberty of reviewing the work here for those who are interested. My credentials are thin for this task. I collect amber and have an extensive collection of pieces with flora and fauna inclusions. I read and collect articles, books and any work on amber I can get my hands on. I have had work published myself in my other existence as a management consultant. So I have some idea of the demands made on writers and authors. However, with your forgiveness I submit this review for your interest; `tis a meagre a thing, but mine own1. The book, `Amber - Window to the Past1 is immediately impressive both by its size and rich colour jacket. The cover shot at first sight might be some kind of artistic abstract picture, but is actually a photograph of several insects trapped in a piece Dominican Republic amber, a great attention grabber. The book was printed and bound in Japan and this countries predilection for quality and precision is clearly present in this work. There are 230 illustrations, which include 115 colour plates. Amongst these are some old line drawings and pictures which have been published in other works. These seek to illustrate certain inclusions and methods of amber collection. They help contextualise and place amber in an historical setting and their presence is understandable. The majority of pictures are however entirely new, 95+%. The photography is exemplary. Photographing amber myself I recognise the difficulties and problems one encounters, but here only the best and most lavish illustrations have been used. The pages simply ooze class. The book is principle divided into two sections: Amber in Nature and Amber in Art. The nature section begins by illustrating the origins of amber, how it came into existence, the types of trees which created it and is replete with interesting quotes and diagrams. Having already mentioned the graphical content of this work I will emphasise that nearly every page of text is supported with pictures and drawings which are comprehensible and useful. They helps immensely with understanding some of the processes and concepts dealt with in the work. There are the merest handful of areas where both facing pages are full of text with no graphical content. That in 208 pages is quite a feat. The following chapter covers geographical distribution of amber deposits. A minor exception here is the Isle of Wight amber deposit just off the South coast of the United Kingdom. This is a rich if very small source of some of the most ancient amber in the world and yet other than a few papers published by Dr Edward A. Jarzembowski has received scant to little attention by the academic press. The emphasis in this section is given to the major source deposits of amber, namely the Dominican Republic and the Baltic Coast though other areas are covered such as Mexico, Burmese, Japanese and the Middle East. A marvellous picture on page 58 shows quite literally gigantic `dunes1 of crude amber being bagged after being extracted from the now defunct Bitterfield mine in Germany. This illustrates better than any list of figures the vast quantities of amber which must have flowed out of this general Baltic region. I have seen a very similar photograph taken of the same scene in the 1995 book `Stenen som flyter och brinner` authored by Ake Dahlstrom and Leif Brost of the Swedish Amber Museum. This is a book written in Swedish, so it has limited distribution. I am glad that Grimaldi has included this picture here, for those people for whom amber has a special attraction or interest, it is simple awesome, and I use this word carefully. There then follows a rich selection of photographs illustrating the different types of inclusions which can be found within amber. Only the best and rarest are presented here and might give the casual reader the impression that this type of inclusion is present in nearly every other piece of amber ever found. Nothing could be further from the truth. These pieces are only the Creme de la Creme of the amber world. It is only when flicking through these pictures, time and time again and reading where they have come from that one realises the gargantuan task Grimaldi undertook in gathering together so many of these items not only for photography but also for display in the NHM exhibition. As well as the normal photographs in this section there is also a range of electromicrographs. These illustrate the micro preservative qualities of amber rather than the macro aspects which the normal pictures do so well. This leads logically into a section on DNA and its presence within such well preserved inclusions. This latter issue seems to have become a hot topic amongst many journalists, no doubt inspired by Crichton1s Jurassic Park and all the accompanying publicity. What frankly is more interesting I believe are the deductions and insights which can be drawn from the range of inclusions in amber about the ancient forests, their ecological workings, the animals present and the environmental conditions which existed. This too is also addressed in the book with a section on the ancient communities of the amber forests and woodlands. A final chapter in this section addresses amber forgeries and is especially interesting showing the lengths to which some people have gone in creating fake or counterfeit amber pieces with large or rare inclusions. This chapter draws on an earlier article written by Grimaldi et al in the NHM Journal which specifically addresses amber forgeries. This earlier work shows in even greater detail the deviousness of some amber forgers. However, the best photographs have been transferred to the book, with the exception of a Tarantula allegedly found in Dominican amber but which the author was unable to tests for its authenticity. The lack of confirmation one way or the other no doubt accounts for its omission from this volume. The second half of the book looks at Amber in Art. The initial part of this section begins by looking at the uses of amber through the ages starting at the Mesolithic Period. This whole section has a predominantly European slant. Here again are some unique illustrations and diagrams. The famous Hove cup from the Booth Museum in Brighton, United Kingdom is shown. It differs from many I have seen in the way the lighting has been set up to illustrate its translucence and the fine craftsmanship needed to have produced this piece. The text goes into some depth on the histories of amber and gives a broad though not heavily detailed account of its prominence in antiquity. It makes for good light reading without becoming bogged down in too many dates or claustrophobic details. The segment on Medieval and Renaissance amber shows some examples of woodcut prints detailing how amber was obtained in the Baltic but only one 17 century piece of jewellery is actually illustrated. The years leading to the beginning of this century are well structured. Ample information provides a rich description of the uses and the levels to which amber in art aspired during these years. Nothing is present on the contemporary use of amber in art and jewellery and would have been interesting. As DNA in amber has become a focus for many people so too has the `amber room1, an 18 century concoction of the Prussian and later Russian nobility. In essence this was a room completely covered in amber which mysteriously went missing during the second world war. Russian craftsmen are now in the slow and laborious process of re-creating this masterpiece from old photographs and diagrams. Some of the first pictures I have ever seen of their efforts appear in this book and show the amazing level of opulence they have achieved to date.

If you have any book on amber in your possession, this is the one to have. Amongst amber aficionados, this is considered to be the "Bible". The chapter on differentiating between real amber and the vast number of fakes is vital for those that collect this wonderful gem. If you have the opportunity to get a copy of this book, don't hesitate!

Patty C. Rice brings a passionate love for her subject to this wonderful book. She offers a very comprehensive study of this beloved gemstone, from a detailed account of its long history, to the folklore surrounding it, to a thorough study of its scientific properties.She explores the many sources of amber worldwide, and gives an exhaustive study of the amazing variety of amber. Most helpful to a collector, she explains in detail how genuine amber differs from its imitations, and how you can perform simple tests to determine if yours is authentic.The mechanics of working with amber as a lapidary or jewelry- maker are also discussed. I loved the wealth of gorgeous photos, many of them from Dr. Rice's own impressive personal collection from all over the world. Her book does full justice to the beauty and enduring fascination of amber, and if you love it as much as I do, her book is a must-have.

I am the publisher of this book, which is (of course) wonderful, but it has been replaced by a new book. I am also the publisher of the new book (2004) by Gregory Brunk,
"Merchant and Privately Countermarked Coins, Advertising on the World's Smallest Billboards".

This is available direct from World Exonumia Press, Rich Hartzog, or should be available on Amazon.

Features:
Over 13,500 listings of ALL KNOWN Merchant countermarked coins!
480 pages
2000+ photographs
Detailed Descriptions
MANY NEW ATTRIBUTIONS
More pieces have been attributed, many have REVISED attributions.
Historical Background and reference information.
Comprehensive Alphabetic INDEX of all known merchant countermarks:
Includes country, denomination and date of known stamp.
FREE INDEX on-line now: www.exonumia.com/art/cma.htm
Detailed Listing of all those with Two or more known countermarks:
Includes number seen on each denomination and date.
Often includes attributions.
Many with contemporary advertisements.
Historical information on the merchant, plus other reference details.
Comprehensive Introduction
History of countermarks and general introduction.
List of known Fantasy countermarks.
Cross-reference by city and state of all purposive marks.
Bibliography

and NEW Comprehensive PRICE GUIDE

Rich Hartzog World Exonumia Press
AAA Historical Americana
Rockford IL

This is the most useful reference on the subject of counterstamped/countermarked coins by far. Gregory Brunk being a self proclaimed authority on the subject can be contacted with new information on new discovers. His book is excellent and when you can find it, it's well worth buying.

This excellent reference guide originally published by the Marine Research Society in Salem, Mass. in 1926-27, actually consists of two Volumes:

Vol 1: Adelaide-Lotus: ISBN: 0486251152

Vol 2: Malay-Young Mechanic: ISBN: 0486251160

Volume 1 covers all American Clipper Ships built from 1833-1858 whose names begin with the letters A through L, and Volume 2 covers from M through Y. I don't know why they are offered separately, as Volume 1 also contains the introduction and Volume 2 the Index, so it makes no sense to purchase these separately. Also the pagination is consecutive. The brief introduction explains the criteria used to define a Clipper Ship, which is a ship "...of peculiar construction, designed for great speed rather than for capacity." (p.v) The authors Octavius T. Howe and Frederick C. Matthews consider the "Ann McKim" launched at Baltimore in 1833 to be the first Clipper, and the era of the Clipper to be over by 1858 with the launching of "The Star of Peace" at Newburyport. The books are basically listings of all 352 known Clipper Ships arranged alphabetically. Some entries are brief; others however are quite lengthy and include excerpts of contemporary descriptions in the Press and in Correspondence. It seems that the Sailing Records of Ships were of great interest to the authors, so the records of the fastest voyages on several routes can be found in these books. The Index includes not only the names of Ships, but also of Captains, Owners and Builders. Also included are reproductions of about 100 paintings and some drawings. These have not fared so well in the reprint edition, and their quality is sometimes not so good, but many are still helpful. This almost 800 page long book can be used as a reference book, or as a book just to page around. Original editions are quite hard to come by and expensive, so this reprint edition is very reasonably priced and a welcome addition to any Bookshelf of Maritime History.

Review by Walter O. Koenig

a definitive work. The two vol. could easily replace the other fifteen books on the subject of clippers that I have on my shelves.

This is one of the best books written on the subject in years! It is very detailed and full of color photos of these great old toy soldiers. If you have this book and Richard O'Briens...thats all you need as a resource on the subject!

This is one of the best books written on the subject in years! It is very detailed and full of color photos of these great old toy soldiers. If you have this book and Richard O'Briens...thats all you need as a resource on the subject!

A fascinating little book. Insightful to a time when much of a family's cloths were not purchased in the store but made by the lady of the house on her sewing machine or in some cases sewn by hand.

Very interesting, fun to look out book. I enjoyed finding out about the pricing and incentives used to entice buyers. The pictures are wonderful. The reprint of the magazine article is entertaining. It was interesting to see the evolution of comfort in women's clothing.

A wonderfully nostalgic look at pop culture of the 20th century, this is as much a social history book of the 1930's through the early 1970's as it is a history of Drive In restaurants. Jammed pack in this 187 page "psuedo tome" is the history of fast food and how it evolved into what it's become today, as well as teen culture of the era, and how the automobile turned America into a mobile society and society's response.
Car hops (sometimes on roller skates), neon signs, original menus, advertisements...the author gives the reader the sense of being there, back in the 1940's, 50's, or 60's, cruising along in your car to the local hang out, and there were plenty throughout our great country: Sal's Hotdog Heaven, Blackie's Drive In, Pig Stand, Steak and Shake, Igloo, Chicken In The Rough, The Varsity, and so many more.
Mr. Witzel also gives us the histories of the many well-known fast food restaurants still in existance today, all who had their beginnings as Drive Ins: A & W, McDonalds, Bob's Big Boy, White Castle, and even the infamous Mel's Drive in from American Grafitti.
The photographs alone are worth the money, and there are hundreds of pictures throughout.
I guess if I had one complaint it would be that every time I look at this book I end up dragging the family out to our local drive in (Eddy's Drive In located in Harrison Township, Michigan - girls on roller skates, classic cars, and all!).

This book blends words and photography to take readers back to more relaxed days of the early to late 20th Century. The pictures alone are worth the price. It is apparent how much time, research, and effort Michael Karl Witzel contributed into the making of this book. I highly recommend it- especially for baby boomers and older, or someone who just wishes to visit a regrettably lost era of American history.

If you are interested in flight jackets, their design, styles and art work, then this book is for you. There are literally hundreds of colour and black and white photographs of aviator leather jackets. World War Two jackets are covered in detail as are Korean and Vietnam period flight jackets. The book is well set out, has large high resolution photographs and is a well constructed hardcover. The only fault I could find with the book is that in many of the photographs it fails to identify the jacket type and specification. It also does not deal with jacket construction or design. As with many of Maguire's books it has excellent reference photographs and information on who used or wore the artical in question, but fails to provide detailed information on the item other than the basics. Still, it is worthwhile addition to a library, although the book is expensive.

Perhaps I enjoyed this book so much because of the fact that it's main focus is the WWII era of flight jackets and that is my favorite area as well. If you want historical jackets (KOREA AND WWII), get this book, but if you want just modern jackets then shop elsewhere.

If I had to be picky about the book, I would have to say that there were too many blood chits on jackets pictured and not enough pin-up work, but that's only if I had to be picky. The authors did their homework for this book as they don't just give you tons of photographs (BY THE WAY, THERE ARE TONS OF PHOTOGRAPHS) but also chronicle the jacket's history and when possible, the owner's history as well.

Fantastic layouts as the information is presented in a very professional and orderly way. They break down the jackets by theater as there's a section on the CBI theater, the European Theater, Korean theater, etc. Good paper and a nice sized book.

A bit on the pricey side but I still got it and I would still recommend it to the hardcore fan of the subject. May be too much cash for the casual fan.

This book is fantastic for those who love FOLK ART,
good overview of American variety. Enjoy!

Folk art is of ongoing interest, and American Folk accompanies a major ongoing exhibition of folk art at the Museum of Fine Arts, gathering over 50 objects from across the country and adding background history and enough biography for even newcomers to appreciate their significance. A gorgeous presentation.