Collectibles Books

This is a really Great book!!! But I wish they would Lower the price for these books! most people who buy these books are kids! And they don't have just 25$ growing on trees! Lower The Prices!!! Please!!

This is a really Great book!!! But I wish they would Lower the price for these books! most people who buy these books are kids! And they don't have just 25$ growing on trees! Lower The Prices!!! Please!!

this book on pokemon is the largest, most complete source you'll ever need for all U.S. and Japanese Pokmon trading game cards--With up-to-the minute information on new releases,it has helped me in my trading and finding out what cards are worth something or not.A excellent book

I think that the Beckett Pokemon Collector Priceguide is the most helpful Pokemon guide book out there. It has price guides for every Pokemon trading card, even Japanese. It also includes a list of all the Pokemon, including 151-251. The book also has updates on the latest in Pokemon news, cards, games, and the most popular Pokemon. If you are looking for a good guide to Pokemon, this is the book you are looking for.

This is the greatest reference book for antique beer cans ever!!! Incredible color photos and great information about the cans!!!! Loved it!!!

Reference book. This book really is the bible for beercan collectors, people interested in development of the modern can structure (from the bottle through cone tops, steel through aluminum), or people who want to look into the history of cans/breweries that were in their local areas. A lot of fun just to turn through the pages.
There are 124 pages to the paperback edition (not sure if there was a hardcover edition). Pages 49-124 have apprx. 45 cans pictured per page listed alphabetically with a short description at the page bottom of the brewers name, location, and date.
Pages 1-23 describe old breweries, cans, pull top evolution and how to rate can conditions. Also brief pointers on how to restore old cans.
The cans are mostly American but some foriegn cans are shown as well.
Obviously much has happened in the beer industry since this book was published but it is the best point of departure for anyone interested in cans or brewery items. One day the Smithsonian will have a can collection and this book will be on display with it.

I can't be without my Bentley Guide! I am a consultant and I bring it to every show to show my customers how much their investment in Longaberger baskets will grow over the years! It also has allowed me to see older baskets that I wanted and was able to track down on Ebay! LOVE IT!!

This book is absolutely wonderful. It has very nice pictures of the baskets and is very helpful when you are just starting to collect baskets. My only gripe is there are a FEW (a SMALL few) they do not have pictures of. It is a wonderful tool for anyone who loves Longaberger. Very helpful for ebay, etc.

This book is a must have for any new or seasoned collector of Longaberger baskets. The information is concise and easy to read.

If you enjoy Longaberger basket collecting, this book will aid you tremendously. It has all the information you will need to buy retired baksets at online auctions or anywhere else. Whether you are an experienced collector or just beginning it is a must have.

John Marion has written a very readable account of how to buy affordable antiques at Sotheby's Auction House in new York. He takes you through the process of registering and bidding in a common sense way that takes the mystery out of the process. In addition, he makes a compelling argument that many of the objects you buy at a department store might better be purchased at a reputable auction house as investments which you can enjoy for years to come. The Best of Everything is a tresure in itself.

John Marion has written a very readable account of how to buy affordable antiques at Sotheby's Auction House in New York. He takes you through the process of registering and bidding in a common sense way that takes the mystery out of the process. In addition, he makes a compelling argument that many of the objects you buy at a department store might better be purchased at a reputable auction house as investments which you can enjoy for years to come. The Best of Everything is a tresure in itself.

it's one of my favorite books, it gives me so much inspiration! it's the best book on painted furniture available now.

Florence de Dampierre's The Best of Painted Furniture is a "must have" source book for any decorative paint artist. It is filled with gorgeous photographs of exquisite furniture displayed both alone or "in situ". Each chapter focuses on a different region of Europe, as well as America, with an emphasis on the changing of painting styles from a fascinating historical perspective. It is an inspirational idea book, and is invaluable when trying to capture the feel of a certain era. Famous decorative paint artists from each coutry are discussed and featured, and the evolution of certain styles of painting, for instance chinoiserie, are examined. It is a painstakingly researched book, and the ideas from the past four centuries unfold in a unique and creative way. The author shows how the painted furniture styles of past centuries blend into modern settings, and also examines painted metal and papier-mache furniture, as well as the care of painted furniture, in general. Creative inspiration and practical advice and a healthy serving of decorative painting history gives this book 5 stars, in my opinion. Enjoy!

What the critics say:

Derek Roberts, founding member of the Southern Veteran-Cycle Club (now Veteran-Cycle Club), England, editor and principal contributor of 'The Boneshaker' for its first 21 years ('The Boneshaker' is the first periodical to be devoted to cycling history):

"...you have produced a work that every student of cycling history must buy. It is the coffee-table book to end all coffee-table books, and it has the merit of being a work of art as well as a reference manual. I congratulate you on your fine achievement...I shall obviously have to have a special coffee-table made to hold it."

Les Bowerman, editor of 'The Boneshaker':

"It is a magisterial view of all aspects of cycle history, and I strongly recommend it to all interested in the general history of cycles and cycling. Forget the high price - you must have the book,....this is the cycle history publishing event of the decade."

Nick Clayton, Honorary editor of 'The Boneshaker':

"...the most comprehensive and correct treatment of the subject to date."

The Guardian, Manchester (UK), February 27, 1997:

"Pryor Dodge...has combined what is unquestionably the most finely illustrated history of cycling ever produced with a text which is both erudite and elegant. Dodge not only reminds us of the curious paths and byways the bicycle has travelled down; he points a way forward by documenting the bicycle renaissance of recent years."

London Review of Books, April 24, 1997:

"The Bicycle is full of delights....adds up to what used to be called a wonder book....close-ups of clean, shining mechanisms can have an elegance all their own..."

Bicycle Culture 11, York (UK), December 1996:

"This is the most sumptuous book ever on the history of cycling. The author borrows generously from his astonishing collection of historical illustrations: revealing images not previously known even to cycle historians.  That so many of them are in colour is particularly delightful. The many finely-lit studio photographs make old, worn machines look truly beautiful, from the pitted and scratched Levocyclette of 1905 on the front cover, to the two-page spreads devoted to a Velocipede pedal detail and to the Simpson lever chain."

VELO, 1996 Fall/Winter Catalogue:

"This book is nothing short of the finest cycling history/picture book ever published...This book is a treasure for any cycling enthusiast....Outstanding color photographs."

In 1988, when living in China, I bought a Shanghai-built Yongjiu ("Forever") bicycle. Reputed to be a copy of a 1936 Raleigh, or a 1938 Legnano, depending on which expert it was, the Yongjiu is clearly from another era: massive steel tubing, rod-operated brakes, a wide, brown sort-of-leather saddle with lots of springs underneath, one speed. It was almost brand new and very inexpensive, so I thought I was buying a bit of history and a nifty souvenir. It looked great, with its deep black enamel finish and chrome flourishes. And it had a sturdy rack, suitable for carrying furniture, or ducks to the market.

After returning to Canada, I had the opportunity to ride the Yongjiu to work once when my regular commuter bike, an elderly Gitane ten-speed, required some major repairs. The five kilometer trip was interminable. The bicycle was awkward and ponderous. It was undergeared for load-carrying, meaning I had to spin at much too fast for comfort. But the bike was so heavy that even speed bumps took on Matterhorn dimensions. The brakes did not appear to slow what little forward progress there was, although I could hear them working. And I had to ride with my feet pointed outwards to prevent my knees from being whacked by the handlebars on every revolution of the crank. And everyone at the office who saw the Yongjiu was enchanted by it.

This fascination for old bicycles seized Pryor Dodge at an early age. His epiphany was seeing Cantinflas ride a high-wheeler in the film "Around the World in 80 Days" and the result has been many years of collecting old bicycles and related paraphernalia. And this wonderful book, which traces the development of the bicycle from Baron Karl Friedrich Drais von Sauerbronn's Laufmaschine ("Running Machine") of 1817 to the velocipede, with its cranked front wheel, to the elegant but precarious high-wheeler and, finally, the safety bicycle of 1886. The last thirty pages are devoted to the bicycle in the Age of the Automobile, but you can tell Mr. Dodge's heart is not really into relating the story of the BMX or mountain bike.

No, Pryor Dodge loves bicycles from before 1900, when an inventive madness swept the world and the bicycle took so many whimsical forms. One can savour the details of the 1884 Kangaroo geared high-wheeler, the steam-powered velocipede (!), the bamboo bicycle or the bizarre Coventry Rotary Tricycle, whose appearance defies description but which is beautifully illustrated in one of the many superb photos that grace this book. The text, which is somewhat overwhelmed by the quality of the images, is full of interesting facts, conveyed in a clear and attractive style. The photos of bicycles are supplemented by images of posters, medals, club uniforms and other amazing things.

For anyone with any feeling for bicycles (or gorgeous books), "The Bicycle," which has been published in at least three languages, is a must, and a steal at the price.

And on page 193 is a photo of people in Shanghai riding to work on their Yongjius.

As a collector of Fenton this was a must to add to my library of Fenton books. Photos and descriptions are extremely helpful in identifying pieces.

This is the best book I've ever seen dealing with Fenton Glass, especially the Hobnail and its' colors. Very thorough. I LOVE IT!!!

If you are a "real" doll collector, you would have this book not only in your personal library but as the centerpiece on your console. The photos in this book are so gorgeous you are left breathless---your heart starts pumping as you see even more artists that you would just love to have in your collection. These photos most definitely place doll making as an art form up there with the Monets of the world. Let's not forget the biographies that attach the photos. This book is not boring but a page turner. I love, love, love this book. I plan to give them as gifts so I can bring non-doll collectors to the bright side! Dorothy-Dandridge.com

3 words to describe this book
Excellent, Excellent, Excellent.
This book is full of information. I have learned a lot about doll artist and other doll related information.
Thanks for such an wonderful, informative book.