Collecting Books

While my interest in Art Nouveau is largely a consequence of its incorporation into cross stitch designs, I also admire the inherent beauty in many of the pieces.

I picked up this book simply to feast on the many and varied works pictured including: ceramics, jewellery, furniture, posters and glassware. A cornucopia of designs from Rene Lalique, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Tiffany Studios, Alphonse Mucha and many others.

If you have an interest in Art Nouveau, or just enjoy looking at it, then you may well enjoy this book.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

This book is not only packed with information, but also is easy to read, in case if some budding collectors are not familiar with the complicated ways of the art world.And seasoned collectors can learn new information also, for this book. As here is no description, nor the possibility to search what is inside the book, let me tell you more exactly what this book is about, what is The Art of Buying Art.

The book is divided in four parts, plus eleven appendixes listing valuable reference materials.The four parts are: Define ,Select, Research and Buy.

The first parts are more directed toward a novice collector. Define part is about the goals in buying art, how to define what you like-which is very important if someone want to create a real collection, instead of random bought series of art- and how to enter the art world by discovering it, and original art vs. reproduction. Dealing with your budget, and why art collecting is not only for the rich ones is covered also. I don't list the chapter sequentially, but you get the idea).

The Select part is how to deal with the opinions in the art world, and how to take, analyze and and understand the info you get from the art world people. Comparison shopping for art, dealing with dealers,(how to interact, etc. and how to spot good dealers, whom you can't trust,how to behave inside a gallery,how to buy directly from artist, how to be a good costumer,and why it pays to be a good costumer.How to buy on internet and how not to buy art.

The Research part is about how the provenance, physical characteristics, condition of art, and importance of an artist influences the value of art. One chapter how to locate and evaluate the information about the artist, another also how to evaluate physical characteristics of art, provenance chapter deals also, in addition to provenance issues, how to create and maintain the files of the collection. Damage chapter: how to spot damage, or damage susceptible art, and how it can affect value.In addition there is a chapter about forgeries,scams and misrepresentations.
This is about the criminals operating in the art world, and how to avoid rip offs.

Buy part is about the economics of art, there is chapter about facts regarding art and money, another about how to learn to evaluate asking price, how to negotiate (etiquette of negotiation is covered).Make the Buy is about documentation, payment,return and exchange, finalizing the sale, and so on. Two chapters deal with buying art at auctions, regular and internet auction. Those chapters explain the differences between the regular auction houses and internet bidding, how they differ from galleries, auction basics, and common misconceptions,and how to avoid mistakes. There is also a chapter how to built a collection.

Appendixes deal with auction records, price guides, appraiser associations, auction houses, artist dictionaries, encyclopedias, art periodicals, art dealers association, and other valuable references.
I hope the review help you to see what to expect.I hope an editorial review will be posted soon.

If you are just beginning to collect, or are thinking about collecting, this book will not intimidate you, but properly initiate, the language and explanations are very accessible.If you are collecting already, it is a great resource how to do things right. I recommend this book very highly. Don't forget to do internet research on the author, he is a prolific writer and a gold mine of information.

William S. Spaulding and John t. Spaulding were prominent Bostonians who are best known today as art collectors who assembled their collections during the early decades of the twentieth century and to whom Boston's Museum of Fine Arts owes its gratitude for having such masterpieces as major European paintings by Gauguin, Cezanne, Van Gogh, Matisse, and others; as well as oils, watercolors, and drawings by such American masters as Hopper, Ken, and Home. The Spaulding's were also the major source of the archive of World War I propaganda posters and a world-renowned collection of Japanese prints held by the museum. In "Art Of Collecting: The Spaulding Brothers And Their Legacy", art historian and collector Frederic A. Sharf draws upon family papers and archival documents to tell the story of the Spauldings as members of Boston society, as architectural patrons, and as 'collectors of genius'. Superbly enhanced with a profusion of full color images revealing an illustrative spectrum of the Spaulding's collections, along with some period photographs, "Art Of Collecting" is not only a fascinating and enthusiastically recommended testament to the museum's holdings from the Spaulding's life-time collections, but an informed and informative revelation of the critically important role that collectors play in shaping what museums have to share with their visitors.

A concise reference book with listings for a wide variety of artists' auction records from numerous auction houses. Rather than list all works for a given year, this guide provides the hammer price in dollars, french francs and british pounds along with the auction details for one or a few representative records. It lists the number of works reported as sold next to the artist's name. Compared to other auction reference books this is very affordable and easier to carry around for on-site research. I keep mine with me and check it when I'm shopping at antique stores and retail galleries.

Mashburn writes terrific books. His Postcard Guide is the best general book out there. He also does specialized postcard books such as this one. Anyone who collects artist-signed postcards will want this book, no question about it.

It is filled with hundreds of pages and pictures of all our favorite artists, like Harrison Fisher, Philip Boileau, Earl Christy, as well as the more obscure yet fabulous artists like Lupiac and others. He covers a variety of categories, like Beautiful Ladies, Beautiful Children, Nudes, Blacks, Sports, and Comics. He includes a reference section in the front which goes over important information such as how to determine the age of a card, grade a card's condition, and so on. My only quibble with this book is that all the inside images are in black and white, and I would have loved to see some in color. Perhaps in the next edition.

If you're looking for a comprehensive reference on Artist-Signed postcards, this is the book to buy.

Jo and Bob Sanford and Barbara & Jim Payne's THE ARTISTIC GLASSWARE OF DALZELL, GILMORE, AND LEIGHTON pairs collector history with the latest price guide for these specialty pieces, providing notes as specific as commentary on patterns to accompany a history of makers and production lines.

I first became aware of the Arts & Crafts movement of William Morris and his circle back in the late 1960s, when Art Nouveau (an outgrowth of Arts & Crafts) was enjoying a renaissance. I ended up with several pieces of Arts & Crafts-style furniture (replicas, naturally, on my graduate school budget), some poster (reprints) and a couple of affordable ceramics (original). And I made a point thereafter of searching out museum collections and galleries specializing in this stuff. I still have a preference for the clean lines of furniture and the luminescent glazes on pots, especially those by Pilkington and Rookwood. Miller has brought together in this beautifully produced volume more than a thousand examples of design and craft, with detailed descriptions and notes and a list of "Key Features" for various artists and studios. Approximate values also are included, though I'm happy just to look at the pictures. If you're trying to learn about the Arts & Crafts movement, this would be a good visual textbook.

Even from the very cover this book has taken the right approach!
Where countless others have tried to give insights to an array of
Native subjects and materials, this one overwhelmingly succeeds
setting new standards. The depth of study and the richly detailed photographs make this a masterpiece!!!!

I was able to positively identify several pieces in my collection using this very compact but useful book. I consider it a must for any serious collector.

A great source for the selecting and ranking of Australian wines. If you like data, this is the book for you. The author's and winemaker's rankings along with the color label makes purchasing a previously untried wine less of a risk. The pocket size format allows the user to carry it while shopping.