Manufacturing Books

As a collector and admirer of meerschaum pipes, this is the book I've been waiting for. The author, Ben Rapaport, is well known among antique pipe fanciers for his earlier works, including the standard work, Complete Guide to Collecting Antique Pipes (which discusses all types of antique pipes not just meerschaums, published in 1979 and recently reprinted) and the lovely and informative Museum of Tobacco Art and History Guidebook (1996). But his newly published book, Collecting Antique Meerschaum Pipes, is in a class by itself. Although Rapaport is the leading authority in this area, he primarily lets the pipes do the talking. Of the 176 pages, the first 50 contain the scholarly background which addresses the questions of how, who, why and where these pipes were created. But even in this section at least half of the pages are dedicated to wonderful photographs of pipes, old catalogs, craftsmen and workshops. The remainder of the book is an absolutely gorgeous album of some of the most beautiful and extraordinary meerschaum pipes ever sculpted. The photographs are large so that one may see the exquisite detail, and where appropriate the reader is provided with additional particularly detailed pictures. The photography is of exceptional quality, as one would expect to find in a first-rate art book. At the end of the book the author provides a compilation of the 19th and early 20th century manufacturers and sellers of these pipes organized by country and city, and an international listing of museums and shops where one might view some of these treasures today. It is hard to imagine that anyone other than Ben Rapaport could have created a book like this. The book brings together his many years of experience as an author and collector. But just as importantly he is known and respected by the many collectors who were willing to provide him with their pipes for inclusion in this collection. If you collect pipes, if you enjoy viewing small sculptures, if you are a fan of "working art," if you want to take a look into a small and not particularly well known world of master artists and craftsman of the late 19th and early 20th century then you owe it to yourself to buy this sumptuous book.

This doll book is one of the best currently available in print. I am a big fan of Constance King and her doll books. She is very knowledgeable of dolls and has really done her research. She covers dolls from early woodens (from the 1800's) all the way through to dolls manufactured in the early 1900's. The prices are in British pounds which isn't very useful (unless you take the time to calculate them based on the conversion rate to US dollars), but the pictures and information is worth the price of the book. You will find yourself paging through the book over and over, at all the beautful and fascinating dolls. This book is a very nice and beautifully illustrated reference guide for all doll collectors!

Absolutely fantastic book! I purchased a copy and was able to identify every foreign soldier I had and sold them for big bucks. COuldn't be happier!!

Prof. Dundas has finally created a really helpful and informative book on the subject. The images are by far the clearest and most comprehensive, a real bang for the buck. Other books on yo-yo's are unfortunately poor in image quality or poorly organized. This is really the best!

This charming book provides practical advice to both the beginner and the more experienced collector of toys and dolls. The introduction deals with preservation and cleaning and ways of displaying various pieces. It also covers what is best to collect and how to go about it. This includes tips on approaching dealers and auction houses and participating in swap meets.

Following this, the informative chapters are titled Dolls, Automata And Mechanical Dolls, Toy Soldiers, Tin Toys, Toy Trains and Diecast Toys. Much detailed information is provided, e.g. the aforementioned chapter on dolls has information on inter alia wooden, papier-mache, wax, ceramic, fabric and celluloid dolls, plus a list of doll-related words and expressions.

These chapters also discuss the major manufacturers with historical accounts of their output, their different use of materials and the availability and distinguishing features of individual pieces.

The text is lavishly illustrated by both black & white and more than 400 colour photographs, whilst the lists at the end of the book includes Major Manufacturers of Dolls and Automata, Major Manufacturers of Tin Toys and Toy Soldiers and Museums and Collections to visit. The book concludes with a bibliography of monographs and journals and a useful index.

This is an essential reference work for the collector and an entertaining book for the coffee table.

If you have any interest in collecting coin-operated machines or in their history, you should get this book. There are a large number of color pictures of historic slot machines, arcade machines, pinball machines, trade stimulators, and jukeboxes. In addition to the pictures and market prices, there is a lot of information about the history of these machines, and tips for collectors. This book was a great help when I purchased a vintage slot machine.

This is an excellent research and resource book on Raggedy Ann and Andy. Wonderful colorful photographs and well laid out. The information was well worth reading and one can learn a lot of historical and background material on this wonderful rag doll. A must for a Raggedy collector and most enjoyable reading. Loved it!

with clear color pictures and descriptive texts explaining the uses (workability, characteristics, common uses, etc) of a good majority of hard,soft and man-made woods this is a very comforting book.
Jackson & Day also explain the process of bringing timber to lumber and producing veneers. Althou this book is not exhaustive I feel this book is comprehensive yet instantly accessible to the layperson.

this book is fantastic!
Miles Southworth, having worked years at Rochester Institute of Technology, influenced many lives. One such life was that of my father, Jayant Marathe, who was sited in some of the chapters, and assisted in writing this fantastic piece of literature, which is STILL read today at several established universities.

Just goes to show: some pieces of work are timeless!
Kudos, good show, and I hope the next generation is around to read this as well!

Although this book has been out of print for about 10 years, it is still, in my opinion, one of the best texts about the subject ever produced. The authors took hundreds of photographs of pathological lesions and conditions in the main red meat species, including horses, which are not generally classed as meat animals in this country (UK). Alongside the photographs are explanations of the conditions and the judgement of the authors of fitness of the meat for human consumption.
For anyone involved in the production of meat for human consumption - Vets, meat inspectors - this book is a must, if you can get your hands on a copy!