Antiques Books

I was mad at myself for not going to New York to see this exhibit.
This book helped me to be there.
I promised myself not to miss the next exhibit.
When you think about how they go about putting together an exhibit, Christo & Jeanne-Claude are phenomenal!
This book will show you that.

Excellent collection of images of his most interesting completed works; Valley Curtain, Surrounded Islands, Running Fence, Umbrellas and the Gates. Also, some images from the upcoming Over the River project. Images are printed full size on large heavy stock and are suitable for framing. A brief project description is on the back of each sheet. Strongly recommended for any fan of Christo's work.

The images in this book are all that remain of Christo and Jeanne-Claude's Central Park outdoor art exhibit, The Gates, a massive, stunning and unforgettable project that was dismantled forever on Sunday, February 27, 2005, after a two-week run. This photographic chronicle is interspersed with prototype drawings and designs as well as reflections of the artists as they brought their project to life. Through "The Gates'" the couple created an artistic representation of two of our oldest cultural and religious totems: the myth of Hades and Persephone and that of Moses and the Burning Bush.

The photos of a snow-covered Central Park in February with the naked, brown-grey trees - which lack depth but somehow yield shadows - reminded me of Hades; the orange gates reminded me of Persephone and her fateful pomegranates. Winter will yield to spring which will eventually yield right back to winter. Other photographs bring to mind the Biblical story of Moses with the orange gates looking like bushes blazing cross Central Park.

The story of rebirth and redemption is expressed in literature and was exquisitively expressed in this outdoor art. Both stories, and about 4 million others based on crowd attendance figures, were told across Central Park for 16 short, sweet days. If you didn't have the personal experience, at least have the faithfully recorded one. And definitely plan on seeing their next art installation, Over The River, Project For Arkansas River, Colorado, (date tba) in person. You won't forget it or regret it.

Ms. Lady Henrietta's books are always great. There are many interior designers who write books to put on the market.....but I haven't yet seen anyone who consistently puts out wonderful books like she does. They are the best!! I am a sold sucker on her books. I feared that since she has so many decorating books out there, that they would do nothing but repeat themselves. But was I ever wrong?!! Always comprehensive, detailed, yet never over the top. Her books are always easy to understand. The royal lineage of her family surely puts her in a super huge advantage in that she is always around the beauty in the country homes of England's countryside of Oxfordshire and surrounding areas. I am planning to get each and every book she has written to include in my design library. They are great inspirators.
You will never go wrong with her books. :-)

A wonderful reference guide to fabrics AND a top notch coffee table book! Even your guests who find nothing appealing about textiles will find this book just divine! Pour a glass of Merlot and relax with this wonderful "picture book". The text is excellent too if you are in the mood for details...

Priced at a bargin. excellent text, lovely photos. Highly recommend

I was born in 1951, and didn't really pay serious attention to F1 until Mario made a serious run at the title. This book has gone a long way toward filling a major hole in my understanding of Grand Prix racing. It's a superb book. The writing and the photos are first rate. I wouldn't have imagined that I would find the early cars as interesting as Ludvigsen made them. I had no idea that GP cars had as much power as they did, as early as they did. Coupled with the so-called tires of the time, and the agricultural "suspensions", Ludvigsen has given me an inkling of the courage and skill of the drivers who drove some of those beasts. Now I'm reading Classic Racing Engines, but that will be another review...

This book covers the period very well, giving a detailed overview of each "sub-era" nicely, without reverting into a who-finished-where-for-each-race format. It includes articles from the period from vintage magazines, photos (including some nice color photos from the early '50s) and illustrations on every page, detailed descriptions of significant technological advances, as well as the personalities of the day. It's a nice intro for those unfamiliar with the period, and a nice review for those who are. My favorite part: the chapter covering the "Silver Arrows" from the '30s, Mercedes and Auto Union. Although it's titled "The Front Engined Era," Ludvigsen also covers the early rear engined cars as well, such as Cisitalia's Porsche-designed Type 360, the Alfa Romeo Tipo 512, and, of course, the Cooper-Climax.

Classic Grand Prix Cars provides an excellent history of the Formula 1 era from 1906-60, with liberal doses of vintage black and white photos accompanying information on the sports cars and engineers which powered them. Prior fans of auto racing history in general and Formula 1 in particular will find Classic Grand Prix Cars a keepsake history packed with lively descriptions and technical insights on the cars. Very highly recommended for all Grand Prix racing fans!

The book is well planned and organized and does an excellent job revealing Mr. Boggess' knowledge of hunting collectibles. Expert photography in combination with high grade paper stock do an outstanding job of detailing the presentations for easy identification. What a great combination if there were a follow-up book highlighting fishing collectibles!

"Classic Hunting Collectibles: Identification & Price Guide" is an excellent and much overdo work in the field of sporting collectibles. The images are in color and covers a vast number of the most desired items sought by collectors. It is a must for any collector and/or hunting/fishing enthusiast.

Knowing author Hal Boggess, I know his knowledge is second to none in the field of hunting collectibles. The photographs are just super and the price of the book is very reasonable. Books in this same field sell for double or triple the price and not nearly as well written as Mr. Boggess.

All photographs are in COLOR. Amazing. This is just what we in the sporting collectible field need. I have read this book over and over. This is just the book needed by the hunting collectible community.

His current listed item values is certainly in line with the current sporting collectible market. The values are listed below each of over 1100 color photographs.

Of all my books on lantern collecting, this is the one that I would recommend most highly for the beginning or advanced collector alike. It covers a number of lanterns from different manufacturers with great pictures and thorough, accurate descriptions. It also gives the history of the different major manufacturers, restoration tips, and a priceguide. While it does not cover every lantern made, it does not pretend to. It instead educates the reader, so that he/she may age (by construction methods and lantern chacteristics), and determine value of the lantern without the need of reference. In my opinion, you can not go wrong with this book. Mine is dog earred from being read so many times. This is a "must have" for the lantern collector.

A definitive work on the subject of American made lanterns. A wonderful documentation of the history, contribution and technological progress of lanterns in the United States. An engaging photographic investigation of companies, people, places, uses and prices of kerosene lanterns from 1830 to the present. Contains a wonderful restoration chapter with great hints. It is safe to say that it is a complete treatment.

Author Dennis Pearson has written a wonderful book that not only gives the history of the kerosene (and precursor fuels) lantern, but is filled with some 200 photographs and illustrations of lanterns past and present. The color photographs are simply superb. These are not snapshots of lanterns, they are studio-lit celebrations of the lantern of the quality you would expect to see in a magazine ad. Pearson's work concentrates on the barn lantern, but the major types and manufacturers of railroad lanterns, as well as other types, are also presented with the author himself pointing out that a number of books have already been written concentrating on the railroad lantern. If you're looking for the details that will help you date a lantern they are here, but you may have to do some page flipping, as a single model of lantern may have been made over such a long time that it spans the author's dividing lines: all solder construction, machine and solder construction, and all machine construction. There are chapters on how to date a lantern, the operation of lanterns, and restoring old lanterns. Finally, Pearson gives a "lantern value calculator" that enables you to calculate the rough value of any lantern, and a price guide to some 130 lanterns, including the more common railroad types and some foreign lanterns. Unlike some other books of this type, Pearson's prices seem to match pretty closely with the real world. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in kerosene lanterns.

This book is chock full of color photos. In my humble opinion, the 50s is the decade when trucks rose to popularity as an alternative domestic vehicle and took the modern form that they still resemble today. This book illustrates that classic era with many popular and also some rare beauties. Photo quality is excellent. I wish I'd have ordered two copies.

Book was very informative-pictures were great-I enjoyed it very much & learned a lot.

In my opinion, this is one of the best books in this series by Motorbooks International. I have yet to read it, but the photos alone are well worth the price of admission. Really great photography... and I am a photographer...

Actually dips back into the 30's and 40's in the introductory chapter. Photos of some off beat trucks as well, including the Ranchero and El Camino trucks that appeared at the end of the decade.

Includes photos of original ads and sales literature.

At only 95-96 pages it can't cover everything, but it makes good use of the pages it has.

This one should please all but the most finicky truck fans.

This book is what i use in collecting early U.K. coppers. It has photos of the different varieties and has been very helpful to me. The best i could find in this field.

Richard Lobel has put together a definitive work on the coins of the UK and England from 1066 to present. The information is at its most informative when establishing rarity or variety. There are many line drawings to help the reader establish the differences in many of the earlier hammered coinage of England. This is in addition to the wonderful pictures of coins that are throughout this reference.

I would whole heartedly recommend this book for the serious collector of the coins of England and the UK.

The 1998 edition of the catalogue is vastly superior to previous editions of the work. The historical information, the pricing, the photographs, and the quality of the binding are all unsurpassed for reference works of this type. I am especially pleased with the line drawings that have been provided to help numismatists distinguish the various varieties of the Edwardian pennies. The collecting tips which are provided for each issue are also useful for those who have not spent a lifetime collecting the series. If you collect English coinage you MUST have this work on your shelf.

Superb coin book, Best of the best British numismatics catalogues printed now days, is complete, up-to-date information and values from Spink's own worldwide auctions, excellent ilustrations, and beautifully printed with the highest quality and care.
I also recommended Michael Marsh The gold sovereign, and many other of his writings on Gold Sovereigns and Half Sovereigns.
The gold sovereign
The Sovereign - the World's Most Famous Coin: A History and Price Guide

The Spink catalog is published yearly, and is the standard catalog for the coins of England. The prices listed for common coins reflect average prices that a dealer will charge for a coin, but not what they will pay for a coin. The prices shown for rarer coins usually reflect the most recent auction prices for coins, and are a fairly reliable.

One must keep in mind that most common coins appreciate in value a little each year, a few depreciate, and the rarer coins may appreciate in value quite a bit from the time each yearly catalog was written.

I have found that the most useful value for this catalog is its numbering system for English coins, as the Spink catalog numbers are the most widely used and recognized numbers for identifying English coin, both by dealers and collectors.

Marshall Faintich
Author of "Astronomical Symbols on Ancient and Medieval Coins"

I have several editions of this book. You can never have too many. Each one comes with a different mix. And the newer editions of course will have the newer coins. This is not a substitute for the Standard Catalog of World coins but is better focused on England and a lot easer to carry.

The book also teaches us a little bit of symbolism and history.

Keep in mind that this is still just a guide. Other factors determine the value of the coin to you and others.

I am usually a harsh reviewer and rarely give a book five stars except for one with strong scholarly content. This is one where I did give five stars because the book so adequately covered the necessary topics important to collecting this type of item. It is the most comprehensive book available for information on Fiesta.

Gonzalez is organized, thoughtful, and extremely visual in giving tips on how to recognize Vintage Fiesta from Post86 (reissued) Fiesta, as well as distinguishing knock-offs from the real thing! He discusses each of the impressed stamps and ink stamps used to identify Fiesta, as well as providing pictures of each stamp. He also shows how to measure items to distinguish Vintage from Post86. His value ranges are a bit high, but this book is invaulable when it comes to being a useful resource for new and seasoned collectors alike. This book is great to use hand in hand with the Huxfords' book. The values in the Huxfords are very accurate, but the book can be confusing - especially if you are at a Flea Market and need info quickly. Gonzalez will provide info clearly (and easy to find) without rambling.

Brand new, year 2000 hardback library volume of 182 pages. A beautiful book with a wealth of information and more than 800 full color, large, sharp photos. Covers from Homer Laughlin Lines, Taylor, Smith and Taylor Lines to Knowles, Mt. Clemens, Zephyr, Sevilla, Camwood and others. Item descriptions are very detailed and appear with great photos and values. The photos are exceptional, and true to life. A joy for collectors of colorware.

Excellent works, both Volumes I and II.
Very important that all photos in colour, grouped according to type.
Careful and clear document, with accompanying advertisement reproductions illustrating the compacts, the styles, the periods covered.
Carefully researched, very neat, clear easy to follow.
Huge selection, especially with 2 volumes.
Estimated values may/not be accurate, but author explains which models need what parts for best vlues.
I highly recommend.

I have both volumes and find these books easy to read with beautiful pictures and descriptions of compacts and carryalls. I reference these books everytime I am about to make a purchase. The compact values are listed under each picture with description so you don't have to look in another part of the book for the price as so many price guides are written. I highly recommend this book as well as volume 1 for any serious compact collector.

This volume, along with volume one, is the source for compacts. There are tons of color photos of everything from compacts and vanities to plies, powder boxes, rouge compacts, and advertising. Mueller gives fine intros to each of her topics, educating the reader on the makers, the different styles, and where to focus your collecting if you don't have big bucks. Mueller also doesn't jack up the prices to astronomical heights like Gerson's book--prices are reasonable and acceptable for easy- and hard-to find compacts. The book is well organized, and I'd be hard-pressed to see how to do this one better.