Collecting Books

If you like animals, the environment and laughing out loud...this book (as al of Durrel's books are) should not be missed!

Even for a person with an insufferably short attention span, I was not once bored during this book. It's not a thriller, or anything of the sort, but it managed to truly involve the reader in the author's journey.
The story of an Englishman who is on a trip through Patagonia to collect animals for his own private zoo, this book manages to bring out the animal lover in any reader. The descriptions of the land, the people, and the animals are beautifully crafted in well done, straight forward prose. I highly recommend it.

Even for a person with an insufferably short attention span, I was not once bored during this book. It's not a thriller, or anything of the sort, but it managed to truly involve the reader in the author's journey.
The story of an Englishman who is on a trip through Patagonia to collect animals for his own private zoo, this book manages to bring out the animal lover in any reader. The descriptions of the land, the people, and the animals are beautifully crafted in well done, straight forward prose. I highly recommend it.

Gerald Durrell will make you roar with laughter even in a whispering land. The fact that this book is still in print after half a century gives you some idea that it is still quite readable: In fact, it reads as if it were written yesterday.

I devoured this book as part of a reading program I planned for myself for a trip to Patagonia. The first half of the book is set in two areas in Patagonia that I planned to visit: Puerto Deseado in the south, once visited by Darwin on his circumnavigation of the earth on the Beagle, and the large wildlife preserve at Peninsula Valdez, near Puerto Madryn. There, Durrell visited penguin rookeries; saw the breeding grounds of sea lions and elephant seals; and saw guanacos, Geoffroy's cats, rheas, and tinamous.

From Patagonia, Durrell went to the area around Jujuy in the tropical northwest of Argentina. There, he went into collecting mode as he employed locals to track down wild animals that were being kept as pets by the indigenous population.

Durrell's encounters with the local people are funny and at times heart-wrenching, as when he finds a self-taught naturalist named Coco who must work at a sawmill to make ends meet. But Durrell's encounters with animals are utterly hilarious, as his attempts to tame a captured Geoffroy's cat (gato montes).

One of the best chapters relates to the difficulties that Durrell has in exporting his animals and getting all his bureaucratic ducks in a row. His final departure on a ship bound to Europe is held up until a last minute solution satisfies a particularly mule-headed customs official.

I enjoyed this book so much that I plan to read several more of Durrell's works soon. It is hard to believe that the author is the brother of novelist Lawrence Durrell, author of THE ALEXANDRIA QUARTET.

A charming little book about an animal collecting trip in South America. Durrell paints both an enchanting picture both of the Argentine people and of the flora and fauna of the country. He encounters vampire bats, a puma, and many birds. He rescues an ocelot from a cruel local owner who is starving the cat and convinces a baby Geoffrey's cat to eat by pairing it with a lovable tabby kitten who sets the example and provides it with company.

Durrell was one of the first naturalists to develop the notion of captive breeding to ensure the survival of endangered species. He obviously cares deeply about the animals that he collects and goes to extra ordinary lengths to make them happy and keep them healthy. His descriptions of caring for a sick taper, even sleeping beside her to comfort her, are delightful. His wrangle with custom's officials are amusing, and his description of a plain trip in Argentina is particularly hilarious.

Also, Durrell's tireless work and observations were sometimes the first and best studies into how to care for these animals in captivity. When possible, he takes his specimens from private owners, rather than taking them from the wild. People like Durrell were not responsible for the endangerment of these animals. He worked for the salvation of many species and was probably responsible for the continued survival of some today.

After I purchased this book I contacted the author, Mr. Moore to ask him about collecting autographs by index cards or by photographs. He was prompt and very informative with his reply. If you want questions answered about auotgraph collecting, get in touch with him, you will be happy you did.

The reader and reviewer who wrote this book is the ULTIMATE has it right. This book is everything an autograph collector needs. Besides the thousands of celebrity addresses, this book backs up the names with celebrity facts. If you want a complete history of actors it is there under the website named in the book, if you want other facts to write to the celebrity about it is there. (the book has celebrity hobbies, celebrity charities, celebrity birthdays, celebrity hangouts and a lot of useful facts about celebrities)This is the only celebrity directory I will ever need. The price of this book is well worth it!!

I have known David Moore for many years and he is the only author of celebrity directories that uses and updates his address list on daily basis. For me, here is a list of celebrities who I have contacted and received autographs through the mail. They are: Sarah Jessica Parker, Bill Gates, Roy Clark, Gillian Anderson, Nicholas Cage, Bill Cosby, James Garner, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Gary Trudeau, Olivia Newton-John, Brandi Chastain, James Watson, Sandra Day O'Connor, Harmon Killebrew, George Bush, Betty Ford, Jimmy Carter, Leann Rhimes, Muhammad Ali, Angela Landsbury, Reba McEntire, Jay Leno, Faith Hill, Tommy John, Tom Hanks, Michael Eisner, Nolan Ryan, Tony Bennet, Colin Powell, Robert Duvall, John Mellencamp, Whoopi Goldberg and many others. If you want excellent results and great customer service, I highly recommend David Moore's book.

I am an autograph collector and I was happy to see how complete this book is. I collect astronauts who have walked on the moon, hi-tech business people such as Bill Gates, movie actors like Tom Hanks and baseball sluggers like Sammy Sousa and Mark McGuire. They are in this books with thousands more. It is well organized and I liked the extra features of sample letters and questions & answers about autograph collecting. It is a very good reference for autograph collectors.

I e-mailed the publisher to ask for an update of a celebrity address. He was fast with an answer. He also mentioned he has started a new service to autograph collectors. He will answer any question on the subject of autoghaph collecting for FREE!
I will use the e-mail address for finding out autograph prices, how and where to buy and sell autographs plus anything else I can think of. A great offer!

This is a most wonderful book. I have enjoyed it for years and have given it as a gift to friends. It is beautiful and informative, many interesting ideas. Makes you want to go out and find the lovely things you see in this book. I highly recommend it. You won't be disappointed

"It is the loveliness of little things that imparts life to a room." This quote sums up the feeling of this wonderful book. It is filled with hints and tips on finding and caring for antiques and collectible. The joy of combing through flea markets looking for the next perfect addition to your collection is reflected in both text and pictures. The chapters cover ceramics, wood, silver, textiles, glass and paper. What ever makes your heart sing is covered in this book. A nice plus is an index listing of flea market and shop locations in both the United States and Europe. This is a book I go back to and read and look through time and time again, a keeper for your personal library.

For anyone looking for a beautiful and useful book about antiques, this is it. Barbara Milo Ohrbach has a wonderful way with words and her enthusiasm about the world of antiques is charming.

I've owned this book for a number of years, and often refer to it when I want to know a specific terminology or when I'm checking out the care and treatment of a particular antique object. Because the author's writing style is so enjoyable, I always end up reading pages and pages of the book and learning more with each reading.

ANTIQUES AT HOME is divided into eight chapters on the following topics: Ceramics-Wood- Silver- Textiles- Glass- Paper- A Personal View and The Collector's World. The photographs are beautiful and I've borrowed some of Ohrbach's ideas about how to display different collections. Most of us can't collect everything, but the lure of old and beautiful objects is contagious and the author communicates that love in her book. She calls it "a personal view" of antiques.

This is a "must read" for all of us who love antiques. With every page there are new ideas for "old things." The photography is scrumptous and the text reads like poetry. This book envelopes you. I have been reading it for over a year.

This book is by far the best and is my favorite of all books on antiques and decoration! And I have a lot of those books!

It's very useful and gives you a lot of options on how to decorate with the antiques that you have on hand, makes you take stock of what you have and cherish them even more and also makes you want to have/buy the antiques beautifully illustrated here! I really recommend this book for every antique buffs!

an adventure of a young scientist into the world of big money and big people with "good" guys and villans...with cameos from mcgwire, sosa and donald trump....this was a home run catch with a home run ending

This book captivates you as you get a first hand look into the pursuit of the so-called American Dream. Not only is the story interesting in itself but it prompts you to analyse and question your own values. This book is just marvalous on so many levels. I can't wait for the next Paisner book to again enjoy his insights into the human personality.

Daniel Paisner has hit another home run. The absurdity that has entered into the sports memorabilia market is clearly exposed here. He accuarately illuminates just how hard it is for the average fan to collect that "special piece." Unfortunately, sports memorabilia collecting can no longer be just for the love of the game. The book was a great read and highly recommended!

You'll be amazed how quickly 200 pages turn with this well-written, fast-paced dialogue of Mark McGuire's 70th baseball and the hoopla that endured for a lucky scientist in St. Louis. Even if you're not a huge baseball fan, this story is likely to keep your attention. Thanks to Barron's newspaper for the recommendation!

Round and round and round she goes... Someone, maybe you, could strike it rich at the ballpark and bring home #62 or #63 or, heaven forbid, #70. Here it is, the great lottery of the magical 1998 baseball season. The buzz about Sammy and McGwire was matched by an undercurrent of instant fame and wealth, the American pastime promising to bestow the American dream. THE BALL captures it all. And it is truly a fascinating and highly entertaining read. I recommend this book not only to baseball fans (for whom it is a must) but also for anyone interested at a look behind the scenes of one of the great fairy tales of our times.

Good information about creating an auction ad (including sample templates) and interacting with buyers and sellers. Another plus: she presents an impressive list of smaller, specialized auction sites by category.

She went into a bit too much detail about necessary hardware (computer, modem, etc.) as almost all her readers are probably already online. Also, as with any book written about a Net-related topic, some parts of it were out-of-date before it hit the shelves. For example, she reviews the auction site "Up4Sale" which is no longer in business.

Overall, a worthwhile read for those serious about buying and selling at online auctions.

I've read every word in this book and highly recommend it as an clear explanation of the how-to's of ethical buying and selling via online auctions.

Personally, as a seller on various online auctions, I found the html info and templates explained in the back of the book to be most helpful!

I read the previous reviews of this book and I had to give my input - the more information, the better. Unfortunately, some data does go out of date. This book should be read before going to an online auction, while your in the middle of the auction, and after it's completion. There are lot's of examples (what I like) and how to's. If there's a problem with an auction, the author tries to assist you with other's examples. This an excellent "cookbook" for online auctions.

I found this book to contain the best and most conscise information on how to host an online auction. From start to finish, Nancy Hix guides you through every step with ease. Her advice is very easy to understand and follow. Being new to the whole internet auction experience, this book anwered numerous questions and enabled me to glide through auction sites very quickly. Her detailed descriptions of exactly how to host your own auction proved invaluable. If you are interested in learning about Online Auctions sites, or hosting your own auction, this book will get you started with confidence.

I had had already read two "online auctions made easy" type books before I bought this one. The others covered a lot of the basics but did not deal with HTML. I wanted to add "class" to my auctions and HTML was what I thought I needed and was confused on why these other books did not even mention the issue--I thought maybe it was too complicated??? Then I came across this book, it provided an extremely clear and easy walk through of the HTML language. There are even a few templates that I was able to examine and then adapted one for my own use. If a simple introduction to HTML is what you are after look no further...

I absolutely love The Comprehensive Guide to Chocolate Molds: Objects of Art & Artists' Tools. It has beautiful photographs of molds with their values. This was of great interest to me since I have a mold collection. Also I use my molds for chalkware and have for more than 15 years. It was exciting to see photos of other chalkware artists' work. In all I love the book and hope Wendy comes out with Volume Two as there are many more molds to cover. Thanks, Carol

I have enjoyed the book on chocolate moulds and it is very informative for the antique moulds. I would recommend this book and am happy that I ordered it. It has many pages of information and pictures.

this book was well worth the money, it was well done. very informitive, unique and happy to own it

Wendy Mullen found her first chocolate mold over fifteen years ago and loves writing about chocolate. She has published articles about chocolate molds and this book displays a wide array of antique chocolate molds that include everything from Easter eggs to cats and angels. There are molds for butterflies, bunnies, frogs, turtles, goats, roosters, pigs, lambs, dogs, elephants, teddy bears, deer and just about any other animal you can think of including storks, seals and stylized dolphins. Fairy Tales are also featured and you can may enjoy seeing a Hansel and Gretel house, Red Riding Hood and Snow White Scenes.

All the prices are included so you can have an idea of how much you want to spend if you go looking for these molds. All the main holidays are represented, as are unique items like the the Krampus mold familiar in Austria. Neptune also appears and then there are may pages of Santa. If you love collecting Santa items, there is page after page. Christmas takes up at least one fifth of the book and is perfect for getting ideas if you make chocolates for Christmas. There are snowmen, angels, Christmas ornaments and even manger scenes.

Even if you don't want to go looking for a three hundred dollar scallop shell, at least you can get ideas for what you want to go find online. Many of these molds seem to be useful for candy making and for making soaps.

Additional creative finds at the end include hearts in a postcard style which are very beautiful once painted or if you use three types of chocolate. There are castles, temples, crowns, shoes, cars, boats and even hot air balloons.

A special "Collector's Tips and Closing" section shows how to purchase antique chocolate molds, explains how they must be cleaned and handled to prevent rusting.

From the information in this book, you could actually buy a new chocolate mold that looks antique. Additional information on suppliers is briefly discussed. To find most of the molds, you only need to do an Internet search because all the items have collection information and the names of the specific items.

As a coffee table book this is highly entertaining, but the usefulness factor is especially enjoyable because of the way the book is organized. A lovely gift or a research tool for your own journey of chocolate art.

~The Rebecca Review

Wendy Mullen's The Comprehensive Guide To Chocolate Molds: Objects Of Art & Artist's Tools more than just a collector's price guide, Wendy Mullen, chocolate maker for 15 years, delves into the history of antique chocolate molds and their design and production, packing over 1300 photos of such antiques with discussions of all kinds of molds. Topped by an interview with the great-granddaughter of one of the best German mold specialists in history, Anton Reiche, The Comprehensive Guide To Chocolate Molds is unparalleled in depth and detail: there's simply nothing like it on the market, past or present.

I have a number of collector books, including Elegant Glassware of the Depression Era : Identification and Value Guide (8th Ed)by Gene Florence. Gene Florence books are my favorite by far. This book is very well formatted. It is loaded with clear pictures that are helpful in pattern identification, informative text, and has easy-to-use pricing guides. The book indexes the glassware by pattern name and by manufacturer.

Whether you are a novice collector or "expert", I am sure you will find this book to be very helpful. Gene Florence's down-to-earth presentation of glassware is refreshing and practical!

This book is a little large to be carrying around, however I still do carry it to places that I already know will have the pattern I am looking for.

The forward describes "Elegant" glassware as handmade and acid etched glassware that was sold by department and jewelry stores during the Depression era through the 1950's, differentiating it from the dime store and giveaway glass that has become known as Depression glass. The word "Elegant" has become "official" nomenclature among today's dealers for designating handmade glass.

It is well organized with the glass patterns in alphabetical order and the prices in columns by color of glass. Most of the pictures are color and have good enough definition to identify what you are looking at. There is a contents by pattern and a contents by company.

gene florence , any of his books are concise and show the items in a clear picture . he presents the items along with the current prices . all of genes books as is this one , are lovely to look at and very informative, giving a lot of joy.

Orginally purchased for my mother, I purchased it also after looking through it. The original reason for the book was to attempt to id some etched glass, the glass was not in the book, but it was worth it anyway. Beautiful photos, good writing, I saw pieces I had not known exsited. Who knew that such elegant depression glass was out there! I would not recommend it for the "flea market" or "yard sale" groupie, one of his Collectors Encyclopedias may work better, but it is still a very nice book and well worth it if you collect or deal in higher end depression glass.

This is another fave of mine from Gene Florence!He sure knows what he is writing about!!!This book is loaded with color photos of many different types of depression glass.I never realized how many patterns,and companies,there were out there!!!He also is very thorough about listing what pieces were in what colors and the values for each color.
Overall a fantastic book!

It is easy to tell that a lot went into this beautifully illustrated book. I didn't realize until I went through this book how many dolls of this type there were. I was disappointed that I was only able to identify one of my storybook dolls. Still recommend this book for the avid Nancy Ann Storybook doll collector.

Excellent book to inform you and to identify what you are looking at.

Anybody interested in collecting Nancy Ann dolls must have this book which chronicles the history of these beautiful dolls and is chock full of photos and helpful information.

Ever since the early fifties I have had Nancy Ann Storybook dolls and this book is a must own for anyone interested in these dolls, if for no other reason than it boggles the mind to see how many of these dolls were made, and for all ethnic groups which is interesting when one considers black and Asian dolls were almost unheard of in the pre-60's days. Today I must have about twenty five of the dolls including a Nun doll but haven't been able to find the black doll that had the blue and white plaid dress which I had as a child. My dolls are heirlooms that will be passed down to family members who appreciate the workmanship. The book has so much information on the start of the company and how even during WW2 they were big sellers. And the photos are awesome.

This is a wonderful book, especially for the beginning collector. It is mainly a catalog of color photographs of dolls by style number, sometimes showing as many as ten variations of one doll in different costumes. There also is historical information on the evolution of the dolls and ways to identify the various body molds.

This is a true ''encyclopedia'' of every Nancy Ann doll know to exist. I found it an excellent source for identifying dolls from the 1940s which I had found in the attic.

I purchased another Nancy Ann book which is far inferior and which I never use. If you want to buy just one Nancy Ann book, this is it. If you have others, this would be a fine addition to your library and probably the only one you'll ever need for reference.

Lots of color pictures, catalog illustrations, and other reproduction of old Fostoria documents and ads make this the most detailed and comprehensive book I've found on Fostoria glassware from this period. It really increased my understanding of the importance of glass making in American history, and my appreciation for the talent and hardwork that went into making each piece of glassware an object of lasting beauty. The large number of pictures really helped identify pieces in my collection, and I use this book regularly when buying and selling Fostoria glass.

This book is not only an excellent reference for Fostoria's Golden Years, but it is also a beautiful book. Highly recommended for all Fostoria lovers.

This is an exceptionally detailed book, but the dates can be misleading. Some patterns produced during the 1924-1943 time period are not included in this volume. My pattern (Colony)is in the 1944-1986 volume (as well as Raleigh, Coronet and part of others) due to limited space in the first volume. If you are looking for one specific pattern, do some research to be sure you are buying the correct book.

This is absolutely the most beautiful and thorough book on Fostoria I have ever seen. It shines light on some of the mysteries and nuances in Fostoria production. It is a well organized, yet detailed reference which includes a large array of photographs, Fostoria advertising pieces and catalog pages along with an extensive listing of pieces and patterns, production dates and 1999 pricing. This is a great book for the new or seasoned collector and dealers. If you buy or sell Fostoria, you should buy this book!

This book has become an essential tool in my glassware business. It is very comprehensive in its listings of the various Fortoria patterns and the pictures are extremely clear and helpful. The catalog inserts are especially interesting and useful. The research and love that went into the production of this book is evident in its helpful format. Browsing through this book is a joy!

Andy establishes his position as the preeminent authority of an endangered writing instrument. The chronological and authoritative description of every major manufacturer is interlaced with some of the most beautiful and actual size photography of pens you'll ever see.

This volume is a work of art and effort of a true aficionado, the most comprehensive history of pens you'll ever see is inside this book, the book will become just as coveted as your most treasured pen.

Beautiful heavy stock paper ensures this volume will endure in your collection for decades.

Andy Lambrou's reputation is well deserved, and this is the work of art from the master.

I have always admired Lambrou's book, 'Fountain Pens of the World', but could not justify the price -- after all the cost of this book could go towards another fountain pen -- I WAS WRONG!!

I wished I bought my copy years ago, it would have saved me so much money in buying pens that were not exactly the model that the seller described (going to a few markets/pen shows and especially on-line auctions).

The history of pens from around the world is well documented. The pen manufacturers are grouped in chapters by country.

Every pen is life size. More than 2,300 pens are shown and the color representation is great. Even a Parker Snake, Aztec, Swastika, Forget-me-not and many, many more I just dream about! Only gripe -- no price list, but Lambrou states that people can abuse the information as the price list is only valid at the time of print.

To date, I 've yet to see any other book as well put together's as this one.

Don't use false economy like I did. Buy this book as soon as you can -- it gives many, many happy hours of pen collecting and reading!

My love affair with fountain pens - particularly vintage fountain pens - entered a new stage the day that my copy of Lambrou's Fountain Pens of the World arrived. Covered with a gorgeous dust jacket, weighing in at several pounds and measuring 9" by 12.5", the book made an impression before the first page had even been turned.

This first impression, positive as it was, in no way prepared me for what I was to find inside: over four hundred pages with glorious color plates. Literally thousands of pens - mostly vintage - spectacularly photographed, and presented exactly life size. (Ever wonder whether your newly purchased vacumatic is a sub-deb, debutante, junior, slender, standard, major, oversized, or Maxima? Just lay it over the photographs in Lambrou's book!) Fascinating reproductions of vintage advertisements. Detailed histories - model by model - of all major manufacturers and many lesser-known ones, including Edward Todd, Triad, Diamond Point, Chilton, Stephens, Mentmore, Summit, Wyvern, Burnham, Soennecken, Osmia, Tropen, and so on and so forth, covering the U.S., the U.K., Germany France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Japan. The book is, plain and simple, a work of art and of incredible beauty. I could spend weeks just browsing its pages.

In retrospect, my biggest mistake in fountain pen collecting was to wait for several years before purchasing a copy of Lambrou's Fountain Pens of the World...

I have always admired Lambrou's book, 'Fountain Pens of the World', but could not justify the price -- after all the cost of this book could go towards another fountain pen -- I WAS WRONG!!

I wished I bought my copy years ago, it would have saved me so much money in buying pens that were not exactly the model that the seller described (going to a few markets/pen shows and especially on-line auctions).

The history of pens from around the world is well documented. The pen manufacturers are grouped in chapters by country.

Every pen is life size. More than 2,300 pens are shown and the color representation is great. Even a Parker Snake, Aztec, Swastika, Forget-me-not and many, many more I just dream about! Only gripe -- no price list, but Lambrou states that people can abuse the information and the price list is only valid at the time of print.

To date, I 've yet to see any other book as well put together's as this one.

Don't use false economy like I did. Buy this book as soon as you can -- it gives many, many happy hours of pen collecting and reading!

This is it. If you buy only one book on fountain pens, or if you are serious about fountain pen collecting, this is THE book to get. Unfortunately, it is Really expensive. Look around for a used copy using the usual suspects on the Web. The photos are great and the captions clearly identify each pen shown. Numerous non-US pen companies are written about and many pens are pictured here and nowhere else (in other standard pen ID books). Highly recommended.