Memorabilia Books

STAR WARS VAULT BY STEPHEN J. SANSWEET AND PETER VILMUR: Celebrating it's thirtieth anniversary this year, the Star Wars franchise is in a similar predicament to the time after the release of Return of the Jedi: no plans for future movies, apart from a continuing animated series of the Clone Wars. By the same token, fans are in the same state with little to nothing to look forward to. Thankfully, to commemorate the third decade of the blockbuster, internationally bestselling movie series, there's the Star Wars Vault: "thirty years of treasures from the Lucasfilm archives with removable memorabilia and two audio CDs.

This is not just a nicely decorated picture book in a sturdy slipcase; it's an experience, a journey that one is immediately taken one when they open up the cover. Star Wars Vault is part of the new style of picture being published, like that of 1776: The Illustrated Edition, where the book goes beyond glossy, colorful pictures and photos, but incorporates all types of media, and with the rich heritage of the Star Wars franchise which literally revolutionized the world with merchandising, Star Wars Vault is a gift that would make any fan of the series, no matter how old or how much of a fan, respect you greatly in your choice of gift.

Sansweet keeps his story short, taking up little room on the page, and leaving the evidence reproduced here in various forms to speak for itself. He begins with the fascinating tale of how the first movie, Star Wars Episode IV, barely made it to release, and with little support, until the enormous numbers of audience members proved that the studio executives were very wrong. While Sansweet spends less time on the development and release of the rest of the movies, the experience as one turns the pages and relives the history of the Star Wars empire is unlike that of any other. With unique photos, movie posters, and a plethora of pictures from around the world, there are innumerable insets and handouts of unique items like patches, stickers, collectible postcards, film cells, and even two audio CDs with a variety of different pieces ranging from the mid-eighties radio ads, to special interviews, to a recording of the song sung by Carrie Fisher for the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special.

While the price for Star Wars Vault is considerable, no one will regret it when they turn the page and discover the world within. It is a book that will immediately be quickly read, the stickers and patches possibly used, and added to the shelf to be rediscovered over and over.

[...]

I bought this book for my husband. He really loves it. Its like a scrapbook collection of 30 years of Star Wars. Very neat! I was disappointed because the shipping caused the book to be dented in the corners. I know its a heavy item, but Amazon should make sure to accomodate.

My 8-year-old, who is a huge Star Wars fan, loves this book. Unfortunately, because it's so cheaply made, it fell apart shortly after he got it. The pages have completely separated from the hard cover, probably because the materials/methods used in the binding are too flimsy. For a more-than-$50 "collector's edition," the publisher should have made the book to last more than two weeks. It will cost me $85 to have it repaired.

This book is a must for every star wars fan, the presentation, the wealth of the material, and the incredible Memorabilia, plus 2 audio cd's. make this a must Own.

I highly recommend this book. It's a collector's must have. It comes with several pull out items and pictures of some things you might not see too many other places. I'm just a little concerned with how well the pockets that hold some of the pull out items will hold up over time. I feel that I have to be extra careful pulling the items out. If it wasn't for that, then I'd be giving it the full 5 stars.

I purchased this as a gift and the recipient was thrilled with it. I did sneak a peak before giving it away and enjoyed it immencely.

A very well done book. Big glossy pictures of some of the greatest Baseball artifacts in America. Probably the closest I will get to seeing these in person.

As a lover of the old days of baseball (prior to the 1970's) , and with an interest in various types of artifacts pertaining to the old days, this book wonderfully broadened my horizons. The sections on baseball cards was especially fascinating for me as i do some collecting to add to some as i had as a kid (50's-60's).
would recommend this book to anyone remotely interested in the old days of baseball or collects baseball memorabilia.

Stephen Wong has created a drop-dead gorgeous look at some of the game's great artifacts, and many will be surprised to learn that they are not at the Baseball Hall of Fame nor even at the Smithsonian (despite the book's title). The game's artifacts extend way beyond the cards and gimcrack collectibles sold at the ballpark, and Wong has deftly toggled his focus from collectible to collector and back again, providing a memorable prose portrait of the lively game played off the field. I cannot recommend this brilliantly conceived book highly enough.

This beautiful book belongs in every baseball enthusiast's library, but it would be a mistake to keep it on the shelves. Author Stephen Wong has partnered with the Smithsonian to publish the most stunning book on baseball on the market. It deserves to be on your coffee table not only because of its wonderful photographs but also due to the wonderfully rich way he presents the history of the game. Wong gained remarkable access to the sport's foremost collectors, combing through hundreds of images and memorabilia items. The payoff is tremendous for anyone with an interest in baseball or, for that matter, in American history and culture. Readers will learn the essential facts about the game, and the fascinating tidbits, such as the origins of the curve ball. They then get to see remarkable shots, some most unusual - from folk art statues to Don Larsen's enshrined shoes from his perfect game to the bricks of former stadiums. In fact, this book should be placed in the Hall of Fame!

Well-written, lots of information about caplocks during their brief but important period of use. I was not disappointed in the reason for purchase which was the honest reviews of modern replicas. The only reason for 4 instead of 5 stars are the pictures and awful Old English font used. A 19th century one would have been better. Maybe in the 2nd edition they will make some changes.

This is a fun little book, obviously a labor of love by the authors. The coverage of performance is not all-inclusive, but the historical information is interesting and you can infer the authors' preferences for certain brands of reproductions. They missed the Rogers & Spencer revolver, though there aren't many of them around. I like the R&S grip and it's a solid design, so too bad they didn't cover it. The book does cover the Colts and the Remington New Army pretty thoroughly, along with a few others that were of less interest to me. It steered me away from the Walker and Dragoon Colts and convinced me I had to have an 1851 Navy Colt, though I bought a .44-cal version that's compatible with my other cap-and-ball revolvers. The authors didn't test the .44-cal, only the more-common .36-cal.

What this book needs more than anything else is copy editing. There are many consistent misspellings, which detract from the pleasure of reading it. That's why I gave it only 4 stars. Perhaps the authors can find a friendly local English teacher to clean up the manuscript before the next edition.

I had purchased this book to help provide information about shooting cap and ball revolvers but had the additional pleasure of finding excellent information on care, cleaning, tuning and background as well. While it does not cover all available reproduced models it is very informative, helpful and humorous about the models it does cover. The only negative I have is that the captioned photos are in very small print and difficult to read. I intend to buy a second copy for my reference library and use my 1st copy as a range and bench reference. I hope that Bates and Cumpston continue with another book covering other cap and ball pistols not covered in this work. A very useful book for Remington and Colt cap and ball shooters.

This is a great book, from a historical reading standpoint. It puts the technological progression of the percussion handgun in historical context.

I thoroughly enjoyed the practical information on how to use the various antique versions and modern replicas of these old guns. I also appreciated the candid assesment of build quality, parts availability and customer service from the various importers and manufacturers of replica black powder percussion guns.

My only suggestion is that the book be larger, with more pages, with lots of color and black & white photos, with more history, more gunsmithing how-to's, more custom black powder revolver modifications, more gun leather, and more field testing and hunting tales. The only regret I had on finishing this book was that there is not yet a sequel.

Buy this book, but be warned -

. . . upon reading this book you will find yourself awaiting shipment of an 1851 Colt Navy black powder revolver, along with a small box of shooting supplies. (make sure you try real black powder!)

Nice little book, full of information about various types of handguns. I liked the opinion bits about various gun makers, the load charts for each gun, nice amount of information (including history)- even for a novice to the sport. I like the range test details and comparisons to modern weapons too.
At least one reviewer mentioned the poor photographs, I don't remember the technical term but they're printed newspaper style (too hard to look at) and would be helped if they were larger. The old English script(why use that?)on these pictures is very hard to read at this scale, in one instance it's impossible. Fortunately the real information is in each chapter instead of the pictures.
My biggest complaint is that while various gunmakers/ dealers/ parts suppliers are mentioned you don't get an address or website for any of them. Many of the readers of this book will already have these bits but they should be provided for the novice as well.

Book was nicely put together and contains some great pictures as well as reproductions of his first contract, a letter from Richard Nixon, a love letter to his wife, etc. I'm sure there are better books out there in terms of the amount of information about Mantle. Buy the book only if you want to own reproductions of Mantle memorabilia but skip it otherwise.

The book was given to my husband as a gift and he enjoyed it so much that we bought one for a friend. Our friend was equally impressed with the book from the different memorabilia to the overall presentation. It's a book you want to look over again and again.

This book contains many seldom to never seen photographs from the Mantle family archives that make the book priceless. The inserted reproductions of Mantle memorabilia are a perfect supplement that give the reader an insight to Mickey that you can't get anywhere else. Top that off with great stories from Mickey Herskowitz, David Mantle and Danny Mantle and you have a real winner.

Mantle was a one-of-a-kind ballplayer that the sport has not seen since his retirement. Almost 40 years later, Mickey still holds many baseball records including the fastest time from home plate to first base (3.1 seconds), the longest measured home run (565' even though he hit a few in excess of 600' that could not be measured) and most World Series home runs (18).

The legend of #7 will live forever.

My favorite player (my nickname is 'Mickey'). Well done different presentation. I really enjoyed

I got this wonderful book for my father for Christmas and he loves it! It's his favorite book on Mickey Mantle. As a Yankee fan myself I also love the book-it's very touching how Danny and David Mantle talk about their Father.The photos are beautiful and all the little extras are really neat to look at. I recommend this book to Mantle and Yankee fans everywhere.

Anyone born between 1955 and 1970 HAS GOT TO SEE Dazed and Confused.

And this book adds to the fun. Plenty of real live Mad Magazine stuff, real live ads from the time period, with a bunch of side splittingly funny made up stuff based on the characters from DAC. Enjoyed the heck out of this book. Just wish it was longer so my trip through memory lane could go on another hour or so.

Great stuff! Where's Wooderson today, by the way?

It was in a fit of Dazed And Confused mania that I purchased Richard Linklater's tie-in book to his cult classic 70s adolescence movie several years ago. At the time I basically flipped through the book and then put it aside. Until earlier today when I was going through a stack of old college texts I was planning on getting rid of and wonder of wonders came across this one mixed in among them for some reason. So I decided to take a refresher course in 70s stoner adolescence and then offer up my take on it.

What I especially liked about Dazed And Confused the movie was the way Linklater managed to sneak in some profound truths about life amidst the nostalgia. In the book, the most profound and honest part is Linklater's introduction where he writes: "Let's face it, no matter where you live no matter at what time high school is a light prison sentence to be served. Once paroled, you don't look back".

From that point on, any social observation basically goes out the window as we are treated to a crash course in all things 70s as well as stuff related to the movie itself. All of the major characters are profiled and there are excerpts of a yearbook page from the high school they attend. Although it might seem redundant to most people, die hard fans of the film should enjoy it. Pick up a copy! Also recommended -------> The Losers Club by Richard Perez, an offbeat small press novel that you will truly dig. Like far out!

ATENTION ALL D&C FANS: IF YOU DO NOT GO OUT AND GET THIS BOOK RIGHT NOW, YOU WILL NEVER KNOW THE WHOLE STORY! This book has everything, from Clint's favorite colored muscle T-shirt to Benny's beer limit. It is definantly a must for not only Dazed fans, but to any fans of the seventies!

Dazed & Confused is a classic movie about the day in the life of high schoolers in a small Texas town on last day of school in 1976. This book that is a companion to the movie is just like the movie itself: funny. Designed as part high school yearbook, part 70's era teen magazine, it is a nostalgia filled, quick and enjoyable read. There are tons of pictures (the yearbook pictures of the cast are great) and everyone of the major cast member contributes an "article" to the book. If you are a fan of the movie, then this book is a must for your collection.

Let me just start by saying that I just bought this book no more than an hour ago. As soon as I got home I picked it up and didn't put it down forr the next hour. As a huge "Dazed and Confused" fan, I was extremely happy when I saw that there was a book to go along with the movie. But the book is not just about the movie. It starts out with a great introduction by the director and writer Richard Linklater. In this intro he explains the time period, the pros and cons of the 70's, and where the idea for the movie came from. Also in the book are synopsis's of all the basic charactar (the best is Clints, the guy who beats up the nerd). This book doesn't just follow along with the movie, it is an explanation of the 1970's, I enjoyed it considering I wasn't alive yet. So if you are a hardcore fan of "Dazed and Confused" or a collector of 70's memorobilia, than you need this book.

I am very happy with this book. It tells me about all the fishing lures made back when adam was a boy....

We are generally disappointed in sequels but this 2nd edition IS AN EXCEPTION. The hobby's rarest and unusual Lures are pictured in vivid color with a short history. Set this one on your coffee table and your guests are instantly "hooked". If you are a collector or simply enjoy angling history, this one is definitly a "MUST HAVE"...

This book is really gorgeous on the outside and even more so on the inside. It has in depth descriptions of the different types of lures and their parts and gives great incite on how to date such lures and parts. The print is is large and bold and the color pictures are stunningly printed on heavy bond glossy paper. There are pictures throughout the book of just about every lure imaginable. I promise you will not be disappointed.

This reference has been a great tool for us. We collect antique lures and have learned what to look for and what it's worth. We have found just about every lure in our collection in this book. Would reccomend to anyone with the hobby!

Well done! I use this book constantly. Well illustrated and good discriptions.

This is one of the better guides. I really could not do business without it. You certainly will not be wasting your money on this one. Highly recommed it for the collector, dealer and those just interested.

THIS BOOK WAS EXTREMELY HELPFUL. FOUND GRANDAD'S TACKLE BOXES FROM THE 50'S. THIS BOOK ALLOWED ME TO IDENTIFY 98 OUT OF 139 TOTAL LURES, FLIES, AND OTHER ITEMS. (HIS PEACH PIT AND BANDAID WERE NOT LISTED.) THIS BOOK HAS STARTED A HOBBY WHICH I HOPE TO PASS DOWN TO MY CHILDREN. COULDN'T HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT THIS MASSIVE AMOUNT OF INFORMATION AND KNOWLEDGE! THANKS C.F. LUCKEY AND AMAZON.COM!

As a lure collector, I have several identification guides.
This book gets used more than the rest, simply because it is more an identification guide than a Value guide. (Sure, it has book value included(which means nothing compared to auction values), but, it also has way more information on the lures and companies themselves than most other ID books).
If you are looking for a complete library (if you want almost any lure identification at your fingertips--or in your head , as you learn about them all--), then you should definately include this one.
But (always a "but"), this book doesn't cover too many of the "small name" companies out there, or folk arts, nor many flies. But, if it's a top name company (Heddon, Creek Chub, South Bend, Shakespeare, etc.), you will find it in this book, up until 1975.
You cannot go wrong with this book...and if mine ever wears away with use, I'll keep purchasing new copies as needed.

my husband received an old tackle box full of lures from a friend who just did not want it any more. we knew there were some from the early 20's to 40's,other than that we knew nothing about them. we found several books we thought might help us. we had a tough time deciding between this one and several others on amazon. at the last min we decided to get this one and are we glad. has wonderful history, easy to use index. it is a wealth of information. we have identified dozens of tackle. this book is HIGHLY recommended if you have alot of old lures.

HAVE HAD LOTS OF LUCK FINDING GRANDPA'S LURES AND WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND TO THOSE WISHING TO IDENTIFY OLD LURES. MY ONLY COMPLAINT IS THAT PAGES HAVE BEGAN TO FALL OUT OF THE BOOK CREATING A BIT OF A MESS.

Here are the contents of the book:

Part I: An Introduction to eBay for Buyers and Sellers
Chapter 1 - Getting Started
Chapter 2 - Research: Don't Buy or Sell Without It
Part II: Buying Antiques and Collectibles on eBay
Chapter 3 - Finding Antiques and Collectibles on eBay
Chapter 4 - Buyer Be Aware: What to Know Before You Bid
Chapter 5 - Bidding Strategies
Chapter 6 - I Won an Auction! Now What?
Chapter 7 - Working Through the Bad Buy
Part III: Selling Antiques and Collectibles on eBay
Chapter 8 - Setting Up Shop on eBay: Getting Started Selling
Chpater 9 - Titles, Descriptions, Photos and More
Chapter 10 - Setting Your Starting Price, Understanding eBay's Fees, and Creating a Basic Listing
Chapter 11 - Managing and Completing the Sale
Chapter 12 - Standing Out in a Comptetitive Market
Appendix - More Helpful Resources

More and more, I meet people who are selling things on eBay. Here's a book that spells out how-to and reduces it to a manageable level.
Here are the contents of the book:
Part I: An Introduction to eBay for Buyers and Sellers
Chapter 1 - Getting Started
Chapter 2 - Research: Don't Buy or Sell Without It
Part II: Buying Antiques and Collectibles on eBay
Chapter 3 - Finding Antiques and Collectibles on eBay
Chapter 4 - Buyer Be Aware: What to Know Before You Bid
Chapter 5 - Bidding Strategies
Chapter 6 - I Won an Auction! Now What?
Chapter 7 - Working Through the Bad Buy
Part III: Selling Antiques and Collectibles on eBay
Chapter 8 - Setting Up Shop on eBay: Getting Started Selling
Chpater 9 - Titles, Descriptions, Photos and More
Chapter 10 - Setting Your Starting Price, Understanding eBay's Fees, and Creating a Basic Listing
Chapter 11 - Managing and Completing the Sale
Chapter 12 - Standing Out in a Comptetitive Market
Appendix - More Helpful Resources

The book came so fast that I thought it was teliported!
Great price for very useful, informative information.
Thank you!

Just when you think you know Ebay out comes a great book that teaches you even more. A great learning book for the beginner and for the advanced auction seller. Don't miss this book. Great writer that writes so everyone can understand.

Good book if you just start to use ebay, but it is not offer much to e-bay users that are already familiar with standard features in e-bay. For example if you like to know, how to use web site to add pictures to your listing or like to know, how to write HTML to make your listing more organized, this book would not help. however, I will keep this book in my liberary as a referance for a few tips that I found usefull.

If you're a die-hard baseball fan, then you'll love this auction catalogue featuring Barry Halper's unique collection of baseball memorabilia. If you can't make it to Cooperstown, this book is full of some of the most incredible pieces of baseball history short of the Hall of Fame. From the first baseball ever used, to Babe Ruth's last will and testament, each page brings you closer to baseball heaven. The ultimate guide to baseball lore and a must for the "can't wait till spring training" baseball fan.

This is filled with great photos of some of the most amazing baseball memorabilia that you'll ever seen. The book can be really, really expensive, so try to find it used.

Andy.

This collection is a history of the great game of baseball. The Babe Ruth collectables alone are stunning, add in the Joe DiMaggio and all of the photos! Wow! To spend a few hours browsing this set of books is magic! I can't say enough (can you tell).

Very nice indeed. Photographs of sale items, which have distinct value. What I loved most was the inclusion of lot numbers and their final sale prices. Millions of dollars spent on what, at that time, were just some trinkets and a hobby.

Very well presented and I really like what I continue to see.

This book is great. The pictures are beautiful, the descriptions informative--an all around great piece of work for sports lovers. It's well worth the money.

I bought this book as a wedding present for a couple from Texas that have relocated to Chicago. Up north, they think the "Don't mess with Texas" campaign is about not messing with Texans. I just thought it was a great way of showing what the campaign was really about to all of their visiting Chicago friends. It has great photos with all the Texan icons.

This is a great book for people who are living in various parts of the country and miss Texas. Sold as a coffee table book, it's a great gift idea, providing out-of-staters with the chance to bring some of Texas home to them. The famous celebrities that appear on the pages helped to establish the campaign, further contributing to its good standing. This book serves as a reminder to Texans of just how unique the state of Texas really is. Texans are known for possessing an immense amount of pride for their state, and the excerpts in this book help to explain and reveal exactly why Texans feel this way.

I am an art and photography store owner in Hartford, CT, and I was so thrilled to see this book on Amazon! The slogan just recently won an advertising competition from Madison Avenue, and is now in the Advertising Hall of Fame. I love this book because it really gives a concise but powerful retelling of the campaign. Just like the Absolut Book (about Absolut Vodka) and the several books about the milk mustache campaign, this book retells the birth and subsequent fame of the advertising campaign, and how many different tacts and approaches the firm took. Plus, it has some great pictures and examples from commercials with celebrities and the different ways the slogan caught on. Really a must have book for advertising kids everywhere, as well as artists who are interested in commercializing their work.

Don't Mess With Texas gave a very interesting explanation of the history of the slogan. I think that everyone has heard the slogan, Don't mess with Texas. According to the book, the publication is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the famous anti-litter campaign. Considering it's success I think that the campaign is definitely deserving of a book in it's honor. When you start reading you begin to realize how long this slogan has been around and it brings back almost hilarious memories of old commercials and the different faces of the campaign. How many anti-litter campaign have had the faces of legends like Warren Moon, Jerry Jeff Walker, Willie Nelson, George Foreman , and Leann Rimes. This book encompasses alot of the values that we as Texans hold important and shoot, it looks great as a coffee table book. I would reccomend it to any one looking to explore an interesting story and piece of Texas history turned pop culture.

As an advertising executive, the "Don't Mess With Texas" campaign is, for me, the stuff legends are made of. It was the biggest, longest-running, and most successful public service advertisement in advertising history. It's really quite astounding that a local, pro-environment campaign picked up SO much momentum and even became an important part of American pop-culture. Tim McClure and Roy Spence do an outstanding job of telling their reader everything he/she wants to know about the campaign...and then some! Everything is there--from the first seeds of the idea to the last fully developed commercial (with, of course, lots of celebrity appearances, close-calls, budgeting issues, and interesting stories in between). This is a great book. If you're interested in advertising or Texas at all, it will entertain you.