Antiques Books

This is a highly personal volume, based largely on the author's own collection and interests. But this takes it well beyond the typical collector's book. Sigafoose manages to revive the vanished America of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, putting American art pottery in its social and cultural context. Especially fascinating are the many postcards, factory views, advertisements, and catalogue pages that show how the makers of art pottery presented themselves to the world. "Large gaudy vases and highly colored pictures look cheap and commonplace," advises one such ad. "One small [art pottery] vase, costing perhaps a dollar, will do more to give that touch of elegance and refinement to the the home than any other one thing."

I know Dick Sigafoose personally, and he knows his Art Pottery. This book is well written and beautifully illustrated, and covers all of the major art pottery studios - from vases to tiles. Every page is filled with good, clear color photos, plus detailed information on the studios that produced these works of art. I highly recommend this book to art pottery collectors - both advanced and beginners.

This is a lovely book. Beautiful pictures.The collection concentrates on Art Tiles rather than Art Pottery. Great articles on the companies histories. If you collect Art Pottery Tiles this book is for you!

This is a highly personal volume, based largely on the author's own collection and interests. But this takes it well beyond the typical collector's book. Sigafoose manages to revive the vanished America of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, putting American art pottery in its social and cultural context. Especially fascinating are the many postcards, factory views, advertisements, and catalogue pages that show how the makers of art pottery presented themselves to the world. "Large gaudy vases and highly colored pictures look cheap and commonplace," advises one such ad. "One small [art pottery] vase, costing perhaps a dollar, will do more to give that touch of elegance and refinement to the the home than any other one thing."

5 JUNE 2008.
IF I HAD SEEN THIS BOOK FIRST HAND WITH THE LITHOGRAPH ILLUSTRATIONS, FROM MANUFACTUREERS SALES BROSHURES, VICE REAL PICTURES, I WOULD NOT HAVE ACQUIRED IT.

If you love old cars, this is a must have. Almost all of the cars are shown in color. It is a world that is gone, but the pages bring back memories of very large, colorful cars. The price of gas was not a problem. The air conditioning was the wind in your face. The seats of the car were as large as your mother's divan. What memories...

This book is well-produced in a very easy-to-read format. If you're looking for in-depth details you won't find them. But if you want a picture of life in the 1950s this book is for you. Each brand of car is presented alphabetically by name and then year-by-year. The color, quality of paper and the printing process are all first-rate. You'll also learn about the independent makes that didn't survive the decade like Hudson, Packard and Willys. I recall visiting our local Ford dealer in the 1950s as a small boy and collecting the brochures for each model. I would study them for hours. You could not help but be impressed with with each company's self-promotion on how good their make of car was. This book condenses the highlights of all of those old brochures and helps convey the message of how great the '50s truly were.

Yet another book of Fifties cars and in fact this is the publisher's second book on the subject. The earlier, 'Cars of the Fabulous '50s' (ISBN 078530939X) by James Flammang was a sort of definitive guide on glossy paper with 1600 color photos (including ad illustrations and other graphics) that covered every American car. This latest book covers the same subject in less detail but has an interesting angle: virtually all the images are paintings of cars originally used in ads and brochures.

Using slick, photorealist type art makes this a rather handsome little book I thought. Detroit obviously favored car art because reality could be stretched to make these dream machines seem bigger and a whole tribe of wee folk could sit inside. As well as several hundred cars there are logos of the twenty-four makes and plenty of those engine-block illustrations that you used to see in car ads, usually in a panel with some over-the-top copy about all the extra horsepower this exciting new power unit could deliver.

As well as great car art, the book is handsomely designed and printed and could well be a real memory jogger if you remember looking at those flamboyant auto ads that filled the weekly consumer magazines more than fifty years ago.

***FOR A LOOK INSIDE click 'customer images' under the cover.

Witzel has done it again! The diner images in this book are fantastic, both the vintage and current shots. Many are full page size and more, giving the reader a closeup look at some of America's greatest diners. Along with really informative historical text, each chapter contains a sidebar that highlights a particularly cool diner. It was fun to learn the history of and to see some of the greats like Pal's, Rosies, The Riverhead Grill, the Cutchogue, and Mel's "Googies" Diner in action.

"The American Diner" is a delightful book that maintains the high standards Michael Witzel has always set for himself. Very beautiful, informative and entertaining. Chock-full of outstanding images from photographers like Pedar Ness, Ronald Saari and Howard Ande.

There are many excellent sidebar stories, including one on Jerry Berta's DINERLAND in Rockford, Michigan. This man saved Rosie's Diner, built a miniature golf course and restored another 1947 diner into an art gallery. (I've gotta meet this guy.)

Another delightful effort from Michael Karl Witzel. "The American Diner" entices me to Hit The Road and experience these wonderful greasy-spoons firsthand, especially those original East Coast joints!

This is a wonderful book for we nostalgia nuts! The many photographs and descriptions of pre-fast food America will remind you of simpler times, or make you sad that you missed them.

Thanks Mike. I new B 4 hand that the book would B great. I no your work. 2 of the diner pictures R in my home town. In Middletown Connecticut. USA. The color in the book is so nice. By. Marty.

I found this book after I went to a appraisal in Dallas Texas where author Debby DuBay was speaking on antique Limoges porcelain. I purchased DuBay's book Antique Limoges at Home and then purchased American Limoges by Ms. Limoges to help me with my American Limoges pottery. I found out by reading these reference books every thing I needed to know about my grandmothers "Limoges" Thank you to two wonderful authors who have published two very useful and valuable reference guides on the subject.

Do not purchase any Limoges China, (american) without this book. It is a priceless resource to be carried with you as you explore antique shops. I wish that I had it with me before I gave away my American Limoges China, thinking that it was worthless. Raymonde Limoges has done a great job in assembling this book.

I found American Limoges after reading Debby Dubay's "Antique Limoges at Home". If you want to know the difference between antique Limoges and American Limoges I highly recommend Antique Limoges at Home! For more info on American Limoges recommend this book.

Full-color photos on every page and current price values for each item are the pluses in this book. Many items are not actually identified, however, and names given to the pieces have been coined by the author. Even so, this one serves as a handy reference and guide to those wishing more information on American Limoges, the history and major pieces. I wish there'd been more examples of Viktor Schreckengost's connection to the company and designs made by him for American Limoges but that is a personal preference.

This book has some really good pictures. The cars in this book are very rare muscle cars. Their are statistics showing of how much of each car were produced. Their is also some good information. Too bad they didn't have the 1969 Yenko Nova which is a very rare car.

This book was a gift from my uncle who liked muscle cars. It is an excellent book on cars from the Otis Chandler collection. The collection seems to be biased towards mopar, especially the famous 426 HEMI cars that have become especially collectible-due to flamboyant design-even by muscle era standards, and the rare Hemi engines. So that is the good and the bad-It is mainly covers Hemi mopar-especially ultra rare convertibles, and GM big block muscle. COPO, Yenkos and other relatively rare and unknown to the general public muscle cars. Very few Fords, but they can be found elsewhere. But the photography is excellent, and each car reflects a story about the muscle car era-insurance, OPEC, etc. while discussing the car. The Challenger T/A has an entertaining descriptive story that I liked the best. Camaros, Chevelles, and Corvettes are well covered. The book concludes with a 1971 Hemi'cuda convertible that is familiar to most tv viewers. This book may cause you to petition Chrysler to reopen the assembly lines and start making the 1970 Plymouth Hemi Cuda again!

Excellent book with very good photography. Have purchased many books by Randy Leffingwell and happy with all of them. (This is the best though)

This book offers great pictures and unique insights into the background of some of the most desireable muscle cars of the 60s and 70s.

Of particular interest are the backgrounds offered with the Baldwin Motion, Yenko, & Shelby cars.

Great book.

Even though I had been collecting since 1984 I discovered how much there is to know about the subject. Full of history, insights, examples and references, plus beautiful format and photograpy.

Nice for studies and examples of others work but value is underpriced. One must consider the value to the person collecting the china.

Beautiful pictures, excellent information, nothing like it. For novice and advanced collectors I have not found a source so thorough. I suggest you contact the author and review this book. You won't be sorry

A must-have for collectors and antique dealers alike. This book details the history, production, and decoration of American handpainted porcelain, all with beautiful photographs and helpful illustrations. A key component is the identification and valuation of handpainted items.

I am writing to advise that the availability listed by Amazon is very misleading. I ordered one on October 19 and my promised ship date now could be as late as December 24. I'd advise you to buy this book where you can rely on the shipping promised when you place the order. Sign me unhappy with Amazon.

Outstanding book on slag glass. Any one thats in slag glass will find this very helpful. Excellent pictures, tells the year it was manufacture, and tells what its worth than and now.

This is a good book for American or "recent" slag. It was informative, especially with the recent pricings in the back.

Outstanding book on slag glass. Any one thats in slag glass will find this very helpful. Excellent pictures, tells the year it was manufacture, and tells what its worth than and now.

As a serious collector of Amish quilts, and a textiles professor who also does research on the topic, I am so glad that this book is in print. So many of the others on Amish quilts show the quilts without the cultural context. The cultural and religious context is briefly presented in this book, which is a departure from most of the others.

I highly reccommend this book to anyone interested in Amish quilts. The pictures are gorgeous and the historical text is fascinating. I bought an antique quilt 2 years ago and was told it came from a farm auction in an Amish community in Iowa. As it is a double wedding ring pattern with a multitude of small print calicos and pink backing I dismissed the idea that it was of Amish origin. However, after reading about quilts from Iowa and their use of patterned fabrics I am thrilled to think that it probably is Amish.

A wonderful book!

Not ony does Eve Wheatcroft Granick walk through the evolution of the Amish quilt, she also helps the reader grasp Amish heritage and culture. I would highly recommend this book!

I've bought, read, or browsed through many books on this subject. Granick's book on Amish quilts is the most comprehensive and fascinating I've seen. A delight to read. A delight to the eyes. I recommend it highly.

This book is brilliantly written. It has many stories of famous Anarchists, including poems and recipes for homemade weapons and survival items. Overall a great book and worth ten billion times the money. I give it two thumbs and two toes up!

An amazing, amazing book stuffed full of anarchist ideals and provides real, documented evidence of anarchist collectivism in ACTION. Society was reorganized based on the fundamental principle: From each according to his ability to each according to his need. The book provides first-rate accounts and an objective analysis of the Spanish Social Revolution. If any of you are doubting anarchism or simply need proof to support your anarchist convictions, BUY this book. The ideas in it are simply priceless. It doesn't take much to bring you down. Read this book. It will cement your belief in libertarian communism. Bask in the righteousness that springs from the truth!

This is an odd but interesting volume. Sam Dolgoff edits a volume, using primary sources, to discuss a little known aspect of the Spanish Civil War. Indeed, partisans would say that the term "Civil War" is wrong, and that what is described in this volume is actually a "Revolution."

The work begins with a useful essay by Murray Bookchin on the Spanish context. He outlines the dizzying array of groups with a stake in the conflict between the Republic and General Franco's forces. The focus of this book is the anarchist collectives--and how they functioned--after the start of the Civil War/Revolution until the eventual triumph of Franco and his allies.

The first part of the book is a set of readings that Dolgoff puts together to present the background and context of the "Revolution" (anarchists describe the conflict as a "Revolution," while others use the term "Civil War"). Among subjects covered: the trend toward workers' self-management (also referred to as syndicalism), the rural collectivist tradition, and so on.

The heart of the book is a set of essays by actors of the time (as well as some quick essays by Dolgoff himself): Augustin Souchy, Diego Abad de Santillan, Gaston Leval, and Jose Peirats). Focal points include urban collectivization (e.g., the efforts by the anarchist unions to collectivize Barcelona) and rural collectives.

This volume ends with an essay by Gaston Laval written many years ago as well as a concluding essay by Dolgoff.

The work is useful, as it describes what was going on in parts of Spain that were not often reported upon by reporters or others at the time. George Orwell (if memory serves) was with POUM, the Trotskyite organization), although he wrote of the anarchists in his "Homage to Catalonia." It provides a somewhat different perspective on the events in Spain in the mid-1930s that helps fill out the picture of the desperate struggle between different groups--from fascists to Republicans to various Marxist groups to anarchists. A fascinating period of time. . . . Too sanguinary for my tastes, but still fascinating.

This is not a book about making bombs. If you read this book you will know what anarchism really is and why it's original meaning has been bastardized. Anarchism is a legitimate and serious political ideology. This book was recommended to me personally by the famous MIT professor and scholar Noam Chomsky. Sam Dolgoff's work is very well documented and insightful. It will give you a peek at what a meaningful democracy really is and how IT CAN WORK!

This book will guide you step by step (literally) through the magnificant temples of Angkor. And even if you weren't planning to go, you will want to for sure, after viewing Michael Freeman's superb photographs and reading Claude Jacques' expert commentary.

No matter where you wander on the very large site of Angkor, Freeman and Jacques are right alongside you, suggesting places to look and explaining what you are looking at. There are maps and temple plans, a glossary, and an index. For visitors with limited time, the suggested itineraries (from one to seven days' length) will let you make the most of your visit.

The book is especially helpful for photographers. Freeman, who has photographed professionaly at Angkor for over a decade, describes the best vantage points and subjects, suggests the best time of day to shoot, and provides itineraries that take you to each location just when the light is best.

The book is well designed and contains many helpful features. For example, a cross-referenced list of architectural features and mythological scenes makes it easy to locate temples that contain whatever the visitor is most interested in seeing.

In short, carrying this book with you is like having an expert photographer and historian as personal guides during your visit to Angkor. You probably won't even need to engage an actual guide, unless you want to pick up a bit of local color; everything you need is right there in the book.

This book is a fantastic combination of pictures and facts for people wanting to visit the Angkor temples. The pictures stir the imagination and the text provides the facts to go with the pictures.

In fact I recently used this book as my guide while visiting Angkor. It provides a section for each of the most-visited temples and will also give you information on suggested time to put aside for each visit and the best time to go. In fact, my guide at Angkor said this was the best guide book he had seen, and I saw other people using this same book to guide themselves around the temples like I did.

This book provides suggested itineries to the temples and the best times to visist for photography. whether you can actually manage to combine the two is debatable on a short visit. The books main downfall is not its content, but its weight which is quite heavy because of the good quality paper used.

The climate (extremely hot and humid - air conditioning is a worthwhile investment) can make visiting these monuments as trial at times, but they are worth the effort. All the buildings are unique, covered in exquiste carvings (which books can only hint at) and original. Some are still partly swallowed by the jungle. Straight out of indiana Jones.

Get this book, let your imagination wander and visit these amazing ruins if you can before too many other tourists turn up - for they are a world wonder not to be missed. And don't forget your camera - these are places begging to be photographed.

Claude Jacques is an expert on Angkor, and has studied its history for 30 years. Photographer Michael Freeman has been taking pictures of Angkor for over 15 years. Together Ancient Angkor is the product of a partnership that has yielded over 350 color illustrations, and a well-written guide to the ruins of Angkor.

Included are detailed plans and descriptions,[even of lesser known temples not found in other guides]. The book is well thought-out -with suggestions of various itineraries, and information on hotels and other items pertaining to travel . This serves not only as a great tourist guide for travellers planning a trip to the ancient ruins but also a great book for armchair travellers with lush color illustrations and meticulous descriptions.

A lovingly prepared compilation of superb color photographs, maps, history and scholarly explanations of the major world monument that is Angkor Wat. The authors thoughtfully include suggested itineraries ( ranging from one to six days ), sites ranked by interest, peak times and locations for photographing and even helpful suggestions for accomodations. A must for planning a visit to Angkor Wat or for preserving memories.