Antiques Books

If cars, rock-n-roll,and the birth of those two cultures even slightly interests you, this is the book for you! The author, who also put out another great book, art of modern rock, really shows just how much rock-n-roll and the car culture have been intertwined since the birth of rock-n-roll to the present time.

I'm not a huge fan of coffeetable books. They always seem to have an air of pretension about them (or I do ha ha), but "Rockin Down The Highway" does NOT come across that way. It's packed full of cool photos and info that draws you in and doesn't leave you feeling like an outsider. Even you're not a fan of rock music and hot rod cars, this is a great book to while away the time with...and maybe have a cup of coffee while you're at it.

Awesome book. It's about time that someone wrote about the marriage between music and cars and the people that drove them. This author really did his homework. I've done my share of reading about cars but there are photos in there that I've never seen.
Worth every dime.

Rock `n' roll is cool music, of that we can have no doubt. From Chuck Berry and Elvis, to the newest stars of 2006, rock n roll does, in fact, appear to be "here to stay." And cars have been a big part of rock since the early days. Whether you were revving up your Little Deuce Coupe, if you were Born to Run, or Born to Be Wild, or just roaring down the road in your Little Red Corvette, the cars have been there all along.

Paul Grushkin's book, Rockin Down the Highway celebrates this marriage of cool with photos, stories, cartoons, art and much more, bringing cars and rock together in a big, very attractive package. The book is as fun to read as it is to look at, with all varieties of entertaining anecdotes and tidbits from Mr. Grushkin and other contributors, ranging from well-known rockers and rock writers to ordinary rock fans recounting the pleasure of the open road, stereo blasting out their favorite tunes.

This is a big, lovely style book, lavishly illustrated and beautifully composed. It would go beautifully on the coffee table of any rock fan!

There are plenty of books on automobile history and culture and plenty on music history, but what makes Rockin' Down the Highway: The Cars and People That Made Rock Roll an impressive study is not just an oversized format which packs in color photos on every page - some 1,000 of them - but an attention to surveying the connections between cars and rock music. It's the first illustrated, book-length history of the topic and includes many photos not previously seen in print, coming from a notable rock historian who uses posters, photos, ads, album covers and more in the process of analyzing the attraction of fast cars and fast music to a teen audience. An outstanding, sweeping presentation which will prove a 'must' for any comprehensive rock library collection.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

I found the history of the drive-in very interesting in this publication. It would make a great gift for any friend or family member interested in this type of history.

Although the drive-in theater didn't start in Hawaii, it may be that the outdoor movie did.
In "The American Drive-in Movie Theatre," Texas drive-in buffs Don and Susan Sanders have a photograph of a sizable crowd watching films projected against the outside wall of a building next to Sacred Hearts Convent School in Honolulu in 1906 -- about a year after the silent movie came to America.
It took a surprisingly long time to marry the outdoor movie and the automobile. In 1933, Richard Hollingshead Jr., the "father of the drive-in theater," opened the Camden Drive-In in New Jersey.
Although cars and movies seem as natural a combination as milk and cookies, it wasn't so easy for the pioneers. The Sanderses say the studios never liked "ozoners" and refused to make first-run, or even good second-run, films available.
And getting sound to the customers was a problem that took years to solve. When the problem eventually was put in the hands of a professional engineer, at RCA in 1941, a workable solution was simple.
But drive-in entrepreneurs were not engineers, nor were they the kind of people who turned to engineers for help.
They tinkered. The results were weird and wonderful -- and likely to annoy the neighbors. One solution was a giant speaker that broadcast the sound over the lot, and much farther.
Cold nights cut into business, too, but every problem was an opportunity to the drive-in operator: In Anchorage, the Billiken Drive-In offered 18-hour, seven-feature admissions in the wintertime.
The 1945-55 decade was the peak for drive-ins. The nation had more than 5,000 of them, though they never caught on much overseas.
From 1955 on, the Sanderses say, television and other changes started to suck the family trade away, leaving the field to teen-agers and Samuel Z. Arkoff's American International Pictures for another half decade or so.
Since then, drive-ins have steadily declined. There are about 500 left, mostly in rural areas. They require too much land to be affordable in cities.
Some individual theaters are doing well, and drive-in societies seek to preserve and protect them.
The Sanderses have traveled to more than 40 states to interview drive-in people and take pictures, and they have ransacked archives for illustrations.
They came up with enough material not only for this charming bit of nostalgia, but for another volume, "Drive-In Movie Memories."

The best book of its kind, bar none. Photos are excellent, and it is obvious that the authors really know and love their subject. Anyone who has ever spent an evening at the drive-in would love the memories this book evokes. Anyone who never had the opportunity to participate in the golden age of drive-in movies can experience it vicariously through The American Drive-In Movie Theatre. I've given several copies as gifts -- Everyone loves a Drive-In !

Being a huge fan of drive-ins, I really looked forward to reading this book. The only criticism I have is the sequence of the actual chapter text of the book, and the information inserts that the author has throughout. It is very "chopped" up. Reading the chapter, then turning the page to find there is information pertaining to something else on the next page. The chapter text starts a couple of pages later in some cases, breaking up the continuity. Other than this, it makes for a very interesting read for those who enjoy nostalgia and want to be transported back to a more simpler and fun time.

Don and Susan Sanders have captured the essence of the drive-in movie theatre and packed all of the magic into a really great book. I flipped hamburgers at the now defunct Belknap Drive-in when I was in high school and turning the pages of this time-machine brought back many memories. Forget about multiplex cinemas and theater complexes at the mall. The American Drive-In movie theatre lives!

Especially for those who are passionate about Beatrix Potter. Sewall and Dubay do an excellent job in showcasing items often overlooked in other price guides. This is not to imply this book is simly a price guide. It is much more - a true delight!

Collecting is wonderful and documenting a collection is an honor that Ms. Dubay has bestowed on her friends the Sewall's. There are many books on the market that go into Ms. Potter's life like expert Judy Taylor who wrote the foreword for this book! As a novice collector, of many porcelain pieces, this is the first book I could find that has the values and is actually a useful price guide for the diverse Potter collector. I highly recommend.

Charming book documents Beswick, Royal Doulton, Royal Albert, Wedgwood, Crummles, Eden Plush, Giants, Pull Toys, Musical Toys Hand Puppets, Beanie Babies, etc., Schmid Music Boxes, Anri, Border Fine Arts Figurines, Steiff, Tins, R. John Wright, etc. by author Debby DuBay, foreword by Potter expert Judy Taylor, highlighting Kara and John Sewall's private collection. Fabulous colored photographs with complete descriptions and a value under each. This price guide is easy to read and the only one I could find on general B. Potter collectibles. Highly recommend this lovely yet inexpensive book.

This charming book opens with Debby DuBay chatting away on how she met the Miss Potter and collector of today - Kara Sewall. I love this book and highly recommend it to all collectors, Peter Rabbit and Potter fans. Thanks to Debby DuBay for another charming book; she has a unique way of inviting us into her life and the lives of her friends and then getting us addicted to whatever the subject is that she is documenting. I am now a Limoges and Potter collector.

I have collected Beatrix Potter for many years and finally a price guide is available on many of the pieces I have collected. I highly recommend this book to collectors of Beatrix Potter memorabilia from Wedgwood, Crummles, Schmid Music Boxes, etc., from the 1970s to today. LOVE this price guide!

Too often craft/art books are whatever the subject is by-the-numbers. Do this, do that, voila you have a finished project just like mine. This is so much more and exactly what it should be. Layers of information. Beautiful examples. A book that inspires you to choose your own path. This is the best type of creativity inspiring book. I purchased this along with "500 Handmade Dolls" (which shares many of the same artists work) and have found hours of enjoyment. Very well done book.

LIKE ANATOMY OF THE DOLL THIS BOOK OF SUSANNA'S IS ALSO A MUST
HAVE.I AM NOW ADDICTED.

I own all of Susanna's books and think they are excellent. I would suggest that anyone interested in doll making invest in them, and this is a good one to start with. I honestly think this is 5 star all the way. I use this, and her other books, frequently while working. I am a serious cloth doll maker and usually buy every doll book when it comes out - some I resell immediately, but this one I am keeping!

The pictures in this book are incredible! The multitude of eclectic styles inspire, and while this is not exactly a how-to, it gets you thinking about the possibilities. In the book, Oroyan focuses more on the different options an artist has: planning ideas (and ways to do this), materials, questions to ask when thinking of the concept, elements of design (e.g. form, scale, color, etc), and she includes some sample sketches that illustrate these ideas, showing some do's and don'ts along the way.

While I have never made a doll, this book has been useful on a few levels. The discussions on scale, caricature (again, with do's and don'ts and how to achieve different goals there), creating abstractions of the form, trying different styles, working with faces and hands, gestures, clothing patterns for the dolls, different materials, anatomy...this book has so much to offer! The images alone earn Designing the Doll 5 stars--everything else is icing on the cake!

For any of you who believe that dolls are just children's toys or cutesy collector's items, you have obviously not seen this book. Oroyan's Designing the Doll: from Concept to Construction, is a very impressive book. While it is as advertised, a book on making dolls, it is first and foremost an art book. Throughout the book, the author is addressing the student as artist. She covers issues such as color, texture, drawing, abstract and impressionism, scale, etc. The details of construction are included as are some patterns, but the greatest value of the book is actually in the illustrations of finished dolls, some by the author and some by others. These are exceptional works of art. Some are actual portrait works, capturing in miniature the personalities of those portrayed. Others, while they may have had human models, are designed to capture an essence or spirit, an impression or meaningful event. When one sees dolls such as these, one understands instantly why a person would collect them: they are Michelangelos in miniature.

Being big disney fans, my son really enjoyed receiving this as a Christmas gift. It comes beautifully packaged and is a great addition to his collection. Playing the cd's brings fond memories of the rides and attractions at Disneyland Park and makes you wish you were there.

You must be a Disney fan for truly appreciate this book. If that is your case, you'll love it!!. The "pockets" where some of the "souvenirs" are located are a little tight, and can tear with ease. Other than that, it is a nice idea.

I absolutely love this book! I love seeing replicas of letters, stories, pamphlets, early drawings, etc. When people come to visit they pick it up and are as fascinated as we are. It's one of the coolest books we own.

These books are like a pop up book on steroids...They are FULL of interesting little pieces that you can take out and look at, like letters from Walt to Lillian, ride tickets from the early days and all sorts of other things...These 2 books are worth every penny!!!

This book is a timeless classic, an absolute gem. For anyone wishing to get a real glimpse into the magic that is Disney this is the book.It offers historical insight and hands on replica memorabilia. I found this book full of information and fun.Beautifully presented.

I bought this book to learn how these amazing figures were constructed but was even more surprised when my husband "borrowed" it from me as inspiration for figures and the human form for his drawings. I haven't seen the book since!

What an amazing author therefore an amazing book. The talent of this woman and the passion she has is very inspiring and to think they are done in fabric. I am in total amazement.

The day I receivd this book,on my birthday, my heart lept for joy I have waited patiently hoping to get a copy but not so expensive.Im 62 live on SSI so my funds are far short of my dreams but my son darling that he is surprised me. Turns out this was well worth the wait,and maybe 60.00I'm sure that the author deserves every penney as she is inspired and authentic. Sharing her knowledge with the rest of us mere mortals is indeed a gift.Hard to believe she can make fabric behave in the way she does but it takes patience and love of the designer so if you are not patient or inspirable save your money and blend in with the crowd with this book as an inspiration you will break out of the mold and be the butterfly you dream of.I love it.I will never part with it.
Thank you Lisa

LISA'S BOOK IS AN INSPERATION FOR THE DOLL MAKER AND WILL CHALLENGE
YOUR COURAGE TO TRY HER METHODS.NOT FOR THE FAINT HEARTED.
SOME INSTRUCTIONS BUT YOU NEED TO PUT THE EFFORT INTO HANDS ON AND
TRY,TRY AGAIN.A WONDERFUL BOOK A JOY TO READ AND QUITE SPIRITUAL.
A MUST HAVE.

WOW!! ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! Everyone in my class wants one!! A teriffic book for all Dollmakers and Collectors.
Included in the 160 pages is the Gallery with 37 stunning pictures of different dolls made by Lisa.There is also a "Progress of a Figure" section complete with illustrations showing you how to make a Figure.
Then comes the "Evolution in Fabric" which is a Gallery including many more pictures of Lisa's work over the years.

Great book for the Coffee Table !

I had taken this book out from a library to get some ideas for my final project in my cabinet making course and I just had to have it. I like the way the furniture is classified for each time period and also the many pictures and their discriptions.

I waited and reviewed many books on furniture history and was very pleased with this one. Many beautiful pictures and great information to go with it. Judith Miller is a well penned author in the area of Interior Design. My husband could not put this book down until the end, and was online trying to find many of the pieces for sale! Worth the wait of being picky about what I wanted in a book of this topic. Many of the items in here were, or are, for the top 1% of our society, but you can take the information and apply it intelligently to other more common pieces to get the history and inspiration for those items. I could go on and on, but just trust me when I say, the ink stops here.

This is the most thorough, extensive, well-organized, beautifully photographed book on period furniture and interiors on the market today. It should be a required text for all design schools as well as a treasured resource for collectors, historians, and lovers of furniture of all kinds. Well worth it at twice the price.

We found this book to be a useful guide for styles of furniture of the upper class of society. For doing stage productions this is very helpful, however, more pictures of "common" furniture styles would make this a perfect book for our reference. If you are interested in collecting antique or reproduction furniture you will find this a great resource. It's like strolling through a museum.

This book is amazing, and needs to be on your shelf if you are involved in Interior Design, Historical Renovation, miniatures construction, film making, etc., etc! What I like best is that it treats less-expected styles, such as Scandinavian and Russian, which are often difficult to locate. The photos are outstanding. The quick Elements of Style at the beginning of each chapter are nut-shell explanations of how to identify a piece as belonging to a certain era. Well worth the price.

a beautiful coffee-table book on old and modern Southwestern Pottery. I would have liked a little more on the old stuff and a little less by modern potters, but it is a minor quibble.

this is a beautiful book the the pictures in the book are so vivid and colorful, it would make a wonderful addition to any library or it would make a great coffee table book!

I was impressed with the display groupings presented and the journey of the authors beginnings of his collections and the knowledge he aquired along the way. He gave good advice to new collectors. I open it daily and alway see something I missed. It's a great book to add to your collection.

This is an excellent book for both the beginner or serious student of Southwestern Pottery. It gives examples of all styles, types, and designs, making it easy for anyone to understand what makes each Pueblo's pottery unique. Perhaps not as "in depth" as some others, this book is easily the best book out there today as far as explaining and illustrating the basics. It really is an indispensable guide and reference book. The authors are regular guys rather than scholars, so it is easy and enjoyable to read, and filled with great photos of their quite amazing collections. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a place to begin learning about Southwestern Pottery.

I'd been looking for a book like this for ages. It goes through every pueblo's pottery, describing the special characteristics of each, and talks about the important potters in each pueblo.

This is very well written in an easy going, non-snobish style, instantly increasing your depth of knowledge in southwestern pottery. The photographs are excellent and plentiful, giving many diverse examples from each pueblo/region/era.

Highly recommended for those new to collecting. I gave a copy to my parents in New Mexico, and even though they had been doing a bit of collecting for years, they have a much better understanding of the history of some of the pottery sitting on their shelves. They love this book.

This is one of the first books in a long list of fashion books that I own. It is one of my favorites. It is a bit academic as another reviewer mentioned, but I feel that's an important part of what makes this book a keeper. It covers European, mostly English fashion of the aristocracy. There are some great historical anecdotes. My favorites involve Empress Eugenie lounging audaciously around in her red knickers, and some about the rare daring lady to show up to the Ascott races in "pants". The writing isn't as witty as other books, but the historical detail is fantastic. There are quite a few pictures as well. The arrangement of the pictures and text is chronological and very easy to follow. The only drawback is that the pages are matte and not glossy. And the spine falls apart after a few years of hard labor.

A good and informative book. Just looking through it I learned a few things that I hadn't ever heard or noticed before, such as the way that tightlacing of corsets doesn't seem to have been too common before the late 1860s.
The book is very reasonably priced. The only trouble, which probably, were it to be fixed, would make the book cost a lot more, is that I often wish the photographs were printed in better quality.

It is a rare opportunity to see how people dressed in reality so far in the past. By contrast, fashion plates always show the garment in its perfect form, portraits are idealized, and original illustrations change the proportions, whether purposefully or not, to fit the times of the artist, not that of the garment. Photos do not lie.

The pictures feature mostly upper-class people in attractive poses, and the reader can enjoy seeing these people in their clothes, in a variety of settings, in the middle of different activities (cycling, skating, boating, traveling through snowy mountains, playing tennis...). The people sitting for portraits are looking their very best, trying out different positions, picking their finest clothes. As for the garments themselves, the pictures are clear and attractive, and the details are so telling!

The text dissects the pictures and explains costume of the era in detail, discussing the general trends, exceptions, class distinctions, and how the people in these old photos relate to all this. A Very good book for a costume historian.

This compact book is full of photos and it has great explanations from beginning to end. The author explains carefully every photograph, and also each of the fashions worn by the subjects.

If you love old photos of Victorian and Edwardian fashions, then this is a nice book to own for your library. (Also, the price is reasonable).

Dover Publications, monarchs of 19th-century fashion surveys, have hit another one clean out of the park with this superb examination of Victorian and Edwardian fashion from the coronation of Victoria to the early 1900's. Originally published in England in the early 1960's as "The Mirror of Reality", this book was acquired and republished by Dover in a handy paperback edition up to their usual high physical standards (Dover is well-known for the high quality of its paperback books). Alison Gernsheim delves into every single aspect of costume in the period, from buttons to boots, and the accompanying B&W photos, well over a hundred of them, are worth even more words. The fashion-plate books such as Stella Blum's "Harper's Bazar 1867-1898" and Joanne Olian's "Victorian and Edwardian Fashions from La Mode Illustree" are absolutely indispensable for showing the fashions of the era as their designers conceived them, but you need - I say again, _need_ - this book to see how those dresses looked in the real world.

Another great book by Sarah Sink Eames!-Great outfits and pictures-easy to see values-Fun to see how Barbie and friends followed current fashion trends for the late 60's and early 70's-very helpful to any vintage collector!!

Great book. Found outfits and the year they came out. Do Recommend if you are into Barbie clothes...

If you are a collector, you should have this book on your shelf. Comprehensive, complete, with photos galore. A+++++

In Hong Kong, it is not popular to collect vintage Barbie dolls so that it is not easy to explore specific related knowledge. This book really helps a lot. It is a bible for every Barbie collectors!

This book and its companion volume, 'Barbie Doll Fashion: 1959-1967', are without doubt the most beautiful and informative books on the market for the vintage and mod era Barbie collector today. They are very well-written, with lovely photographs of absolutely pristine examples of each outfit, enough to make you drool over on every single page!

'Barbie Doll Fashion: 1968-1974' covers the fashions from Barbie's exciting Mod era, and includes fashions not only for Barbie, but for her friends and family as well. These include original outfits, Pak outfits, Best Buys, Get Ups and Gos, Store Exclusives and every other type of outfit available from 1968 to 1974.

Each outfit is described in detail, with a photograph showing the outfit and all accessories next to it, laying flat. Some outfits are shown on the doll. The photography is stunning, by far the best of any Barbie book I've ever seen.

'Barbie Doll Fashion: 1968-1974' isn't just informative, it's a catalogue of dreams to build on, and a fun book just to sit and look at. You'll never be sorry you own it!