Collecting Books

This book was helpful for me because of the life-like illustrations. While I have only visited one site discussed by the author, his drawings have been a great comparison point against the typical fossil guides' pictures.

The author's interest in his hobby is contagious - I recommend you read the book and share his passion.

One of the best guides to invertebrate fossils hunting I have read. Drawing from his experience in the Appalacian region (mainly West Virginia and Virginia), the author offers many fine sites which are accesible to the professional and amature alike. Was well worth the 8 hour drive from New Jersey and the cost of the book ! Includes excellent annotated references as well.

I went to many of the fossil locations mentioned in the book and came home with a load of fossils. It was a great book, one of the best fossil books i've ever seen. I would recommend this book to any fossil collector.

Before leaving Germany for my next job at Langley Air Force Base, VA, I discovered Jasper Burns' book and ordered it from Amazon.com (THE Bookstore that linked us to home while away and connects us to the world now that we are back). Suffice it to say, I was biting at the bit to see if Mr. Burns' words would bear fruit, or more importantly, fossils. In short, his location directions and pictures of fossils to be found there were spot on. If they were listed in the book, I have found and added them to my collection i.e sharks teeth (some as large as 6 inches),whale vertebrae, shells, etc... An excellent guide and reference! If you live on or plan to visit the Mid Atlantic Coast and enjoy spending time searching and finding fossils, this is THE book to own. Thank you Mr. Burns and thank you Amazon.

One of the few books that reveals actual fossil hunting locations--for good reason. Because of frequent visiting, some of these sites have experienced overcollecting or damage to the natural surroundings (undermining rock faces, etc.). If visiting, please be sensitive to the environment and the site's neighbors. Best to stick to quarries or big highway cuts, where environmental impact is not a factor. These happened to be more productive fossil-wise than the more scenic locations, anyway, so everyone wins!

The Marinolli Treasure will keep you turning the pages, while at the same time, reminiscing of those one-hit wonders you completely forgot about while trying not to step on your girlfriend's toes at your High School dance. The plot is simple---What do you get when you cross a baseball card with a lawyer? Money For Nothing---Dire Straits 1984.
A well-written, fast-paced, and easy-to-read novel surrounded by suspense, humor, and......music! Mr. Lewis hits a home-run with his first publication. He easily gets my vote for "Rookie of the Year."

Jerry H.
Dirty Water---Standells 1966

I must honestly say this is one of the most enjoyable books I have read in quite some time, and I read a lot! I read it in one sitting, which I never do. The whole time I read it I was picturing an Elmore Leonard like screen adaptation... a cute girl, some thug kidnappers, neat plot twists, and some good testosterone laden Malenglish!

Think of a cross between Carl Hiaasen, Elmore Leonard, and John Grisham. And don't worry if you aren't a baseball card collector... sure, baseball cards play a big part of the story, but I could care less about them and loved the book.

I never in a million years would have thought that this book would appeal to me, but once I got started I couldn't put it down. What fun!!

Mr. Lewis' knowledge of the baseball card collection industry really comes through in this quick paced book. It is extremely entertaining for sports fans, as well as, fans of lawyer based intrigue stories.

His style of writing, Malenglish, is built for the generation that came of age in the 80's. Or, for that matter, anyone that enjoyed or still enjoys, music and movies from that wonderful era.

I highly recommend this book and can't wait for his next one.

I bought the book to support my fellow Gator (the author), but ended up really enjoying it! I knew nothing about baseball or baseball cards before reading the book, so I was fascinated with all the detail that was provided in a fun way. But really, the book is a thriller about the hunt for "something" - so it could have been a baseball card or a pot of gold and the story would have been the same: suspenseful and funny. I recommend this book to anyone who likes to read first-person narratives and really see inside the main character and what makes him tick. I also recommend it to anyone who wants to take a break from serious literature and really laugh. Job well done, Gator!

Enhanced with more than 3,700 full color covers from America's most popular, iconic, and widespread weekly magazine, "TV Guide: The Official Collectors Guide" compiled by Stephen F. Hofer (Curator of the Philo T. Farnsworth Television History Center, Auburn, Indiana, and who himself is the owner of one of the largest collections of TV Guide magazines and memorabilia in the United States) covers all the national and regional digest size covers from April 10, 1953 to October 9, 2005. Included are TV Guide foldout covers, holographic covers, and multiple covers. For the antique dealer and hobbyist collector, each issue has the current secondary market prices listed. Featuring memorable quotes from TV Guide and from television shows, "TV Guide: The Official Collectors Guide" is more than a price guide compendium, (and a superb history of the magazine itself), it is also a very highly recommended tour of American television programming through more than fifty years of popular culture.

I was so happy to receive the TV Guide Official Collector's Guide, it is a great publication!! It has a lot more information than I expected - comments by stars over the years and much more!! It is very colorful and I will enjoy reading it for years to come. My 45 year old son has a collection of TV Guides and I know he will be interested in seeing the publication to see if the ones he has are valuable! Thank you

This book has several major flaws. For a start, there is no index. The only way to locate covers with your favorite stars or shows is to browse the pages year-by-year.

The price guide only gives values for "mint condition" issues, with no guidelines for how to adjust value for copies in less than mint condition. (Most collectors' guides give a range of prices based on condition.)

It would have been nice if they had included some lists, such as: the most valuable issues; issues with multiple covers; people who have appeared on the most covers; etc. All of these things are mentioned in the text, but there is no way to look them up except by browsing every listing.

Despite these flaws, this is still an invaluable book for collectors, because of it's comprehensive checklist.

The episode of Seinfeld where Frank Costanza was noted to be a collector of TV Guide pretty much cemented that publication's place in the lore of pop culture. Now, from Bangzoom publishers comes "TV Guide" the official Collector's Guide. A lot of collector's books claim to be the only book you'd ever need to own but this one truly fits the bill. With over 3700 pictures, and every national and regional TV Guide cover pictured from 4/10/1953 through 10/19/2005 this is truly the ultimate resource for not only collectors, but fans of the magazine as well.

With a foreward by senior TV Guide editor Michael Davis, the book provides info geared towards the collector on where to buy, grading, and preserving your TV Guide collection. The cover subjects are what drives the price of back issues with the very first issue featuring the baby Desi Arnaz Jr. being the most valuable. While I've never collected TV Guide I was a long-time Comic Book collector and basically TV Guides should be kept and stored the same way...in protective bags and ideally in acid free storage boxes.

The guide provides a 19 page history of the magazine as well as a look at TV shows and trends by decade from the 40's through the 2000's; everything from Milton Berle and Howdy Doody to Lost and American Idol. I was born in the 1960's and love many of the shows from that era even though I didn't watch many in their initial runs. It wasn't until syndicated re-runs in the 1970's that I came to adore shows such Bewitched, Gomer Pyle, and Green Acres. As noted in the book, The Brady Bunch was never a top-rated show, but you'd hardly know that since it has gone on to become one of the most syndicated shows in history and a true TV legend.

Next up is 213 pages which show each of those covers from 1953 through 2005 in full color and it's like a trip on a wonderful time machine to page through the decades to see many of the actors and shows that you remember so fondly, and many you may have forgotten such as The Governor and J.J. One TV Guide trend that seems to have ended some time in the early 80's was featuring Santa Claus on the cover of a December issue. The book concludes with a 68 page index and value guide for each issue and doubles as a handy checklist for collectors.

Whether you are storing issues away chronologically like Frank Costanza, or just have a life long love of TV, you are certain to find something to enjoy in this fabulous book.

Reviewed by Tim Janson

A mind-bending, if not surreal, parade of TV trivia presented week by week, year by year, era by era. Every single TV Guide cover is shown in true color, from April '53 to the first mag-size issue from autumn of last year. They're arranged as text would be on each page, left-to-right, top-to-bottom and IN ORDER on each page, dated and readily viewable. They even include full displays of all fold-out covers, as well as every version of each multiple cover, such as the one which had to be updated at Michael Landon's death, different regional sport-season previews, and the 25-cover tribute to all the Star Trek cast.

The book is in 3 main sections:
1) A 26-page section of blurb overseeing the history of TV Guide and background trivia of many of the covers
2) The section displaying the covers themselves, and
3) A listing of all covers (with dates and captions) and their collectible worth in mint condition.

It is bound in durable yet manageable paperback binding.

Anyone can invent their own TV trivia diversions just by scanning through this book (i.e. what are the earliest covers featuring people who are still alive? or Who has appeared the most times? or How did TV Guide handle documentarial times and issues [JFK's assassination, 9-11, the advent of cable & PBS etc.], or When did one televion era end, and another begin? and the like). The price list section also serves as an easier-to-count ready-reference of all the cover headings.

Mad Magazine presented a similar, also top-rate, timeline of all their covers a few years ago upon the advent of their 400th issue. The first such resource to incorporate all the TV Guide digest covers certainly doesn't disappoint.

I wish I had know about this book years ago ! Needless to say I'm going to order copies for friends too. The layout is clear and easy to follow. The topic covered are comprehensive. There is plenty of information given to progress your knowledge further. All in all a great addition to the historic costumiers library.

Note: my review is based on the first edition of this book.
I think this book is wonderful--the author has also written computer manuals, and so her directions are very clear. (Come to think of it, most computer manuals aren't that easy to understand--hers must be special!) The book covers a wide array of topics related to vintage fashion. I especially appreciate the segments on sewing techniques--she explains basic things that I haven't been able to figure out from other books, like how to lengthen a pattern, and more complicated techniques that are very helpful when dealing with vintage clothes, like how to replace a lining. The author includes a lot of helpful hints from her personal experience. The book is organized into different topics, so you can skip the ones that aren't relevant to your interests.

I'm a swing dancer and I love this book because it tells how to deal with vintage clothes you actually WEAR! Some books seem to think everybody who buys vintage clothes is some kind of museum. Or that they're rich and only buy perfect clothes in fancy boutiques. This book gives instructions for real-life cleaning, mending, and altering to fit you (for men's clothes too). And how to work with vintage patterns to make your own repros. This book ROCKS!

I thought this was a useful book on costuming. There are lots of illistrations and detailed info, such as what style of lace, or what patterns were popular/available during the periods. Good buy, very helpful!

Best book I've found. Descriptions and illustrations for each historical period, as well as outfit planning, authentic fabrics, sewing and patternmaking tips, mending, restoring, and resources from A to Z -- books, websites, catalogs, periodicals... My #1 pick.

This is absolutely the most comprehensive book about Bakelite bangles. The photographs are gorgeous and it tells you all about the history of Bakelite, how to test for authenticity, and care for your bangles. I just look at the pictures for pleasure. I feel I am a more informed consumer when I look at estate and antique sales.

absolutely loved the huge volume of beautifully photographed bangles. wonderfully written, definitive guide. i was amazed at the loveliness of the photos considering this is a paperback book. i really couldn't expect better quality in a hardback book. a great buy and a must-have for collectors of all levels. karima parry really knows her stuff and it shows. and the price guide really helps. some of the other books i've looked at overinflate the value. she gives a realistic range, from what i've seen in buying vintage bakelite over the years.

This is by far the best book on Bakelite that I own. (I own every Bakelite book that is currently in print, and several that are out of print.) The hundreds of photographs of Bakelite and other plastic bracelets are colorfully crisp and clear, and the captions are informative and well-written. The text is intelligently organized, and covers quite a bit of information that has either never been addressed or has been incorrect in other books (a hot pin DOES penetrate genuine Bakelite, thank you Karima! ) The sections on Bakelite lexicon, including color names, are especially welcome. The author knows everything on this subject and has presented it wonderfully. If you will own only one Bakelite book, this is the one.

I have recently amassed quite a collection of bakelite, having started collecting lucites, and branching out to the more sought after famed vintage phenolic plastic we all know and love as Bakelite, and all the other manufacturer sub-names it was produced under. I bought a few references recently, but none have compared to Karima Parry's wonderful "Bakelite Bangle Price and ID Guide".

First thing you will do is eat up all the eye candy this nice large and attractive volume has to offer, and after you finish drooling and wishing, you can read all about the different types of plastics, their history, chronology, and how they differ. Ways to identify the difference between Bakelite, Celluloid, Lucite and how to spot newly worked "fakelite" as well. The author is very knowledgeable and is also willing to share her knowledge with other collectors of this engrossing hobby. I look through this book so often, and find myself reading a different section each time, and sometimes just admiring all the wonderful shots of some of the most gorgeous coveted pieces in the bakelite realm. Karima also shows a nice section on lucites as well as celluloid, so you can get a good idea of these pieces when you might be lucky enough to find one, or consider buying.

I have had the personal pleasure of talking to this author, and she is a wonderful insightful person who took the time to answer all my questions and share her knowledge with me, and I am that much wiser for that, and buying her book. I currently have 3 plastic jewelry references, and hers is by far the best.

For anyone interested in collecting bakelite bangles, other vintage plastics, and gaining a nice working knowledge of them as well as a chance to see the most gorgeous pieces as examples, this book is indispensible. The only thing I would change is the price guide, since it is unfortunately hard to use this to price. I would like to see the dimensions and all the other pertinent information, on the page with the items and not in appendix form at the back. Otherwise, I highly recommend it as a must have for your bakelite reference library.

I gave this book as a gift to my sister (and fellow bakelite lover.) It was the hardest thing to do! I wanted to keep it for myself. Karima has filled a niche in the bakelite market with her web-site and book. Easy to read, great pictures and VERY imformative! I highly recommend this book to all bakelite lovers. You will refer to this book over and over in your quest for the next great bakelite treasure.

Jack does a great job of producing the addresses of players. Just that simple. If you want to write them, here is your resource. Buy it new, don't get it used because you will be throwing money away.

This book is indispensable if you're a baseball autograph collector. I've gotten hundreds of autographs over the years using Jack Smalling's books. And if a letter is returned to you for an out-of-date address, you can simply send a copy of the returned envelope (with old address) to Jack and if he has a new address he'll send it to you for free! He's a heck of a nice guy. I'd also advice anyone buying the book to get on his mailing list (address is in the book) for autograph auctions and sales. I have no relation to Jack other than a satisfied customer, but he's truly the best when it comes to baseball autographs.

One caveat, the edition for sale here on Amazon has been replaced by Vol. 11, which is available on the Baseball America website.

I have been using Jack Smalling's autograph handbooks for over 5 years (the version shown is edition number 10), and my autograph collection has grown exponentially. If you want to collect autographs of retired baseball players, then this is the book for you!

If you want free baseball players autographs via the mail... this is a must have book!

What a great book!!! A definate plus for any autograph collector. Very useful, easy to read, gives tips on how to write to a baseball player (past or present). An all around great book, if you love baseball as much as I do, you'll buy this book.

Okay- I admit it. I did not have a room full of R.S.Prussia china to reference when I bought this book. I just loved the pictures and had to have it! I can dream a little dream and imagine finding a portrait bowl or vase at a small town flea market for next to nothing...and then I can look up its worth and smile as I place my prize in the china cabinet ( a coveted possession NOT for resale!).

This is an excellent book! I teach an antique porcelain class and found it useful to gain expertise quickly. This book is successfully used by appraisers, dealers, collectors and teachers. I have read many porcelain books, and this one was one of the easiest to read and understand. It was well organized and contained a good variety of the styles and characteristics of RS Prussia.

All four volumes are needed to identify pieces, although Ms. Gaston provides a shape guide to help date pieces not pictured.

What I'd like to see in the next book is 1) clarification on how the marks were made, i.e., printed over or under glaze, 2) the types of glazes used (and were pieces refired) 3)repeat of history with changes incorporated, verses the new and updated info section. The history only appears fully in the ist volume.

Wonderful book with full color pictures. Also pictures of the marks. Great price guide! Will use this over & over.

This book was very insightful for me. I was searching for a particular "mark" on a piece that I own. This was the only book that was of help.

As a new collector of R.S. Prussia I found this book to be an excellent reference. It's detailed description and beautiful pictures of the different molds, decorations and marks was very helpful. I know there are a lot of "fake" pieces on the market and this book is proving to be an invaluable guide for me. The history was very interesting also. Thank you Ms. Gaston! A really beautiful book and very informative.

Cindy Sabulis' Dolls Of The 1960s And 1970s (162-5, pairs pages packed with color photos of the dolls and most often their boxes with identification tips and values ranges. This will prove an invaluable guide for any avid doll collector needing a complete reference to makers and dolls of these eras.

Cindy has done it again - This is a FABULOUS guide to all those dolls we played with back then! Cindy has indexed this book by all of the popular (and not-so-popular) doll manufacturers in order by year of release. Everything is full color, with approximate secondary market values! Vinyl dolls from the 60's and 70's are rapidly growing in value on the collector's market and buyers have the BEST opportunity now to scour, ID and sell - this is one book you do not want to be without at doll shows! I enjoyed reacquainting myself with most all of the dolls displayed. Thanks, Cindy!

This is a terrific book with tons of bright and detailed photos. Contains a lot of the popular dolls from this period- along with some that are not so popular (which is nice for identifying). Contains dolls such as Liddle Kiddles, Dolly Darling, Crissy, Flatsy, Playpal, Thumbelina, Barbie, Darcy, Tammy, and so many more. It is a pleasure to read so you will find yourself coming back to look at it even when you don't have a doll to identify.

I saw this book sticking out on a shelf in the library. Though I don't have a doll interest I decided to check it out. I've checked it out at least five times since then.
The book is so colorful and beautifully laid out. The woman has a sense of humor about the bizarre items of the past, some of which would never pass today like the doll Flatsy. Another item of this book was Growing Hair Cher where a person could make Cher's hair go up and down with a key.
I've shown this to other people and it always manages to get a couple of laughs.

This book is great. I am very pleased with it. It has lots of dolls to look at/look up. The dolls are catagorized by manufactorer but if you can't find your doll that way the index is extremely easy to use. It has helped me a lot in my doll collecting and it has also helped add some dolls to my want list. All in all wonderful book, worth buying.

What a fun read! How interesting it was to learn that there is a history of those wacky things we all made and that someone has been paying attention to the fact that there is a history! Thanks for enlighting us! And thanks for the inspiration to make them again.

This is an enjoyable read, with many photos that will take you back to the campfires, scout meetings and home-ec classes of your youth. Even if you consider retro crafts to be more junk than antique, you'll still find projects that will tempt you to break out the glue gun. I gave the book four stars because I do wish that a few more projects had been included. (As an example, she referenced the Reader's Digest Angels, but didn't include instructions for making them.) But overall, I think novice and expert alike will find something here that will inspire and entertain.

I love this book. I was not a crafter before I got his book. It inspired me to start crafting and even form my own crafting group with other moms.

Our foremothers had the same helpless inability to throw things away that we have today, only they didn't have recycling bins. This book shows what they made with tin cans, matchsticks and the like: craft items, some beautiful and some really, really ugly. Suzie Millions has been collecting these thingies for a lifetime -- she has an artist's eye for the good stuff and the really good bad stuff. This book shows you things you never knew existed, and what's worse, how to make them. As an added bonus we get photos of her amazing house, which gives new meaning to the word clutter.

My highest recommendation! A funny, soothing, yet oddly practical book.

I was truly impressed with the Retro book. It read well, loved the illustrations and pictures, and it rekindled enthusiasm for me to go be creative!
I may even look up my Mom's old apron!

This book is a must for US stamp collecting. Use it often to find hidden information.

As a newcomer to American Philately I found this work to be

erudite,logical in its layout and,most importantly,very easy to

read.

Encyclopedia of United States Stamps and Stamp Collecting is not intended to replace the requisite catalogue, but meant to supplement it. Its sixty-two chapters are divided into three parts. "Stamps of the United States" spans thirty-one chapters and covers definitives, commemoratives, special purpose stamps, and postal stationary. The first two chapters discuss postage before stamps and are well-researched and concise without being simplistic.

"History, Production and Technology" claims twenty-four chapters and covers the history of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, United States Postal Service, and technology of stamp production. The last seven chapters focus on related collectables such as first-day covers, metered mail, seals, and cancellations. Appendix A is a glossary of terms. It is unfortunate that this glossary is not available as a stand-alone publication as it would complement a catalogue well. Appendix B and C are print and web resources. Appendix D is a list of benefactors without an explanation of their generosity.

Each chapter has an almanac, a reference for additional information, and relevant quotes from that period. Some chapters have notes for collectors or examples of postal usage. All of these addendums serve to make philately more interesting for novice and seasoned collectors alike.

Curiously, this publication has no index making it difficult to cross-reference issues that are cited in multiple entries. The term "encyclopedia" would imply that the book contains detailed information on every US stamp issued (until its publication). In this regard it is a disappointment as some issues are not covered at all, and a large number are given perfunctory treatment.

Generally, an interpretative review of the socio-political factors that prompted an issue or public reactions to it is lacking in its depth of coverage. Technological factors essential in the production of stamps are adequately covered and well presented. While the glossy pages enhance the vibrant color reproductions, these pages are not conducive to writing personal notes.

One can debate if the book is truly an encyclopedia. However, it is packed with interesting facts and insights making it a wonderful companion to any philatelist's United States stamp catalogue.

Armchair Interviews says: Great for stamp lovers.

This is a well put together book. It's very informative and entertaining. The full color illustrations are a plus. Overall great value for the money for any stamp collector, beginner or expert.

I HAVE COLLECTED FOR OVER 50 YEARS AND I AM ONLY AT PAGE 35 OF THIS BOOK AND HAVE ALREADY LEARNED NEW THINGS. GREAT JOB!!!!!ANYONE WITH AN INTEREST IN U S COLLECTING SHOULD OWN THIS BOOK. GARY MARTIN