Miniature Books

Many of the listings on Amazon are for the paperback version. The binding was changed from paperback to hardcover after many sellers listed their paperback. Check individual listings to see which are the actual 1984 hardcover printing!

-A good touching story, kind of sad when Bambi's mother died :( Lots a various emotions.

Bambi is a nice drama of real life. It states how life goes. It shows that sometimes you have to go on without your parents that they wont always be there. It also states that your friends & loved one's can be there to lean on & help you get on your feet again. If you're looking for a good book to explain life to kids then this is it. It is a good book to start conversations about life to little kids as well.

This fine addition to the Disney Sketchbook series has many of the wonderful sketches done by Disney's animation department for Bambi, including many pieces from the storyboards, and several sketches of scenes that never made it into the final film. Artists that would like to study the Disney style of drawing and animation should find this volume a terrific addition to their collection despite its rather high price. As a student of art, and a fan of the Disney style, I highly recommend any of these books for your library.

I have browsed a copy of this book in an animation gallery and was impressed by the work within - certainly a marvellous way to explore the drawings that make up these films.

Let's hope Disney continue this series and quickly release Glen Keane's awesome character sketches and pencil development from 'Beauty and the Beast'! That is what I'm *really* waiting for!

This is a great book for anyone who is restoring a dolls' house and would like some history, architectural information and handy patterns for creating small 1:12 scale furniture and items. There are great pieces throughout regarding wallpaper, design elements, equipment needed, walls, framing, fire places, roofing, house finishes and much more. If you're busy restoring a dolls' house or are just interested in the hobby this book is fun to flip through as well as a great reference piece.

Terrific book with the right information... Just so when you have two little girl grand children... Poppy will be very popular

This book is a fine representative in the "ultimate" series. It is entertaining, informative, and has wonderful illustrations of historical dollhouses. It will interest several audiences: the historian, the collector of antiques, and the hobbyist, who will find good ideas for building and furnishing his or her own dollhouse.

I bought this book about a year ago. I have 8-10 doll house books now, and this is not one I look through very often. It is good for checking up details like which colour the wall papers usually had during the Victorian era, and some of the descriptions of how to make for example a fire look realistic are good, but many of the pictures are really boring and they dont make you wanna copy the design. There are lots of other books that are more inspirational.

I purchased the original edition of Jean Nisbett's book years ago and absolutely loved it! There are lots of beautiful color photos throughout and useful tables in the book. She provides a handy metric conversion table, a fine description of the different periods of which most dollhouses are designed and decorated, and offers many projects for dollhouse components and accessories. I haven't yet looked through her revised edition, but I'm sure it can only hold more wonderful pieces of information, guidelines and ideas. Inspiring and useful!

Ok, I just have to start off by saying that this book and the movie that goes with it are by far the coolest things that Disney and Pixar have come up with. They are funny, heartwarming, and educational as well. Here is Flik, a kind ant that wants to do good for the colony and make a difference. However, Flik's got one problem... he's a bit of a clutz... he shows children and adults that standing up for what you believe in and never giving up is the best way to live life. I'm fourteen, I love the book and the movie, and I WILL be seeing the movie, as well as reading the book, again and again. The wonderful story of the young ant Flik who wants nothing more than to make a difference in his colony and win the heart of the beautiful Princess Atta has touched my heart, and I garinty the same with you.

This book has animated scenes from the movie. One is of Princess Dot and the other of Hemlich. The pictures are animated well and motion blur helps the pictures seem realistic. My only complaint is that the book is too short. It needs more scenes.

Hello, this book is very realistic compaired to the
movie. I am a big fan of The Simpsons, but I still
love A Bug's Life. This book does have 96 pages,
perdectly following the main story. The illistrations
are beautiful, and almost as good as movie. OF
COURSE we can't copy every single quote from the orig-
inal movie, but this book IS A MUST FOR LOVERS OF
A BUG'S LIFE!!!...

My 2 year old son loves this book! He was in a phase where he wanted to watch the movie over and over and over and over again. In an effort to get him off the TV, but still into the story, I ordered the book off of Amazon.com He loved it so much we have purchased more of the Disney story books. They're great!

As a kid I made my own flipbooks. Starting in the corners of math textbooks I later graduated to 4" by 5" index cards. Now I'm happy to find one of the scenes I animated from "A Bug's Life" in this flipbook (Heimlich chomping on a leaf on the way to Ant Island). There is also a really fun bit of animation of Dot from a very talented animator, Karen Kiser. I only wish they would make more of these books, from "A Bug's Life" and other animated films. Flipbooks are the simplest way to look at animation; frame by frame, page by page. I highly recommend this book for anyone (especially kids) interested in animation. And for anyone who is a fan of "A Bug's Life."

Dorothea Johnson has written an excellent primer on dining etiquette. It's amazing how much information she packs into such a tiny tome. It's small enough to store in a purse or coat pocket, so you can take it with you to important dining engagements for reference.

This book is so handy to keep you out of etiquette trouble. The huge etiquette books are terrific references but impossible to carry around on a daily basis. This little book fits in a purse, glove compartment, satchel, etc.

Well written and organized. The small size makes it irresistible, everyone wants to pick it up and read it. Perfect for grads moving out into the business world as the emphasis is on the applied use of table manners. There is enough history, a few pictures and it is concise enough that even the most hurried can finish reading it in under an hour.

I bought this book for my daughter and she really enjoyed it and found it very useful. She has a European boyfriend and they dine out nearly every night. She really appreciated this book

I received this charming "little" book as a Christmas gift a few years ago. My friend and her husband had taken note that I like etiquette books, and they kindly added to my collection. But this book isn't the heavy, voluminous Amy Vanderbilt/Emily Post for my coffee-table-only book. This book couldn't be more portable and is chocked full of great information. Do you know the differences between Service a la Francaise, Service a la Russe, Service a L'Anglaise, and Restaurant/American Style forms of food presentation? I certainly didn't!

(The author, etiquette guru Dorothea Johnson, is the grandmother of Liv Tyler. How cool!)

Although I love etiquette books, I'm the first to admit that I don't follow etiquette guidelines to a T (especially in casual company--I'd look a little odd if I did!), and my manners, while decent, are far from perfect.

As an aside, my sister had a hearty laugh when I told her I had started reading etiquette books (my first etiquette book was Etiquette Grrls: Things You Need to be Told). She said, "But you're a Crane. Why would you read an etiquette book?" (It's a family joke that the Crane side of my family is known to be more than a little crude, while my mom's side is the more refined. Luckily, my sister and I have our mom's side to somewhat offset the Crane genes :-)

This book on little quilts is a winner!! I am dying to start. They all look very good with ample instruction - small projects that don't take long.

This is a nice quilt book with good instructions and lots of pictures. I did find however that after the first few pages you were looking at the same quilts over and over, only done in different colour schemes. There are still some excellent patterns and instructions. This book is very inspiring as well. Any room filled up with that many quilts is bound to feel at home.

I really like this book,the pictures are lovely and the patterns are very clear and easy to follow. I'm fairly new to quilting and found this book very inspiring . The thought of trying a small quilt for your first attempt at quilting is not as daunting as a full size one,and this book has some great ideas.

I think all quilters should own this book. The directions are easy and include both rotary and template patterns. The pictures of the finished designs are vibrant and beautiful. I taught a beginning quilting class and we used this as our "textbook". Many of the quilts featured can be completed in just a few hours. Also, my favorite part of the book is how the quilts are shown on display. These pictures offer great decorating ideas.

I love this book and have made the quilts time after time. I do think the seams in the star points get bulkey so I trim away the excess fabric even though it's not described in the book. Its a must have if you like or love little quilts.

I enjoyed this book and its unpretentious step-by-step procedures for making miniature houses out of polymer clay. I would have liked to see a bit more variety in the projects offered, but there is certainly enough technique demonstrated that an imaginative reader would have no trouble extrapolating whatever design he or she can dream up.

As a beginner I was looking for a book that gave detailed instruction. I never thought that I would find such great instruction and pictures. This is a superb helper and will make my first attempts look like I have been using polymer clay for years. Author is to be commended for such fine and detailed instructions. I highly recommend this book.

I borrowed this from the library and had to buy it. I am waiting on its arrival impatiently. The details are great, the instructions are clear and the pictures couldnt be better. The only real problem I have is the pattern placements could be better. From the fourth project on, many of the pattern pieces are located near the spine, not the outer edge of the page, so they are difficult to photo copy, and even tracing a few is challenging. But I still think this problem is small and the book is well worth the money.

This book has great details and instructions in how to make miniature houses. It also was extreemly inspirational to go on from the author's instructions and create better and more detailed houses. I highly recommend this book.

Everyone loves miniatures, especially miniature dwellings...Ms Ritchey offers text and so many step by step photos - all of which make it easy to make your very own tiny abodes. Simply charming.

For a beginner, I found everything I needed in this book, from materials to step-by-step instructions. Very easy to follow.

I was looking for a book with good instructions, nice photos, and interesting projects. This book definitely fits that description. I am loving using the sample projects as a catalyst for my own creative ideas & the authors made it easy with the detailed information provided.

This book is good for the crafter with a bit of experience. It has some great ideas for someone who has a little bit of knowledge about making books by hand. The instructions are pretty easy to understand and the end projects are wonderful!

EXCELLENT illustrations! This book not only provides excellent ideas, it also CLEARLY shows you how to execute the techniques necessary to complete the project! Excellent reference book for anyone who wants to create their own professional looking books!

This book is divided into two sections. The first one is an introduction to the techniques and materials used for bookbinding. The technique are illustrated with clear drawings to show you what to do. I don't know anything about bookbinding so I can't tell if this part of the book describes best practices, traditional techniques, or modern adaptations. I can say, however, that it was perfectly understandable and clear. The materials are all common and easy to find...though I would have liked to see more brand names mentioned, just so that I was EXTRA sure I was getting the right stuff at the store.

The second part of the book contains instructions for a series of projects. Unless you are a pretty good artist, there's no way you will be able to reproduce these incredible miniature books since many of them include original artwork. But WOW, are they cool to look at! And of course you can design your own pages using stickers, clipart, cutouts, rubber stamps, or anything else.

Keep in mind that when the authors say "miniature," they mean it! The projects are all very small. (The techniques section in front will help you learn how to make books of any size, though.)

Geraldine (Gerry) Porter is a retired school teacher who now loves to create miniatures. She sees miniature furniture in many small discarded items. Unfortunately Maddie, her visiting granddaughter, doesn't share her love. She prefers sports.

Linda Reed's teenage son Jason is thought to be involved in the robbery of Crane's Jewelry store. He's been rebellious and in trouble.

Gerry is the chairperson of the local Dollhouse and Miniatures Fair. She and Linda share a table. Gerry notices a spot of blood on a small desk of Linda's. Not long after, Linda and the desk disappear. Gerry is very worried.

That night Gerry gets a late night plea from Linda to pick her up from a deserted area. Gerry bundles Maddie in the car and picks up Linda. Linda refuses to tell Gerry anything.

Then a dead stranger is found near where Gerry picked Linda up and on the same night.

Who killed the stranger, and what connection does she have to the area? Is Jason really involved in the robbery? How and why?

This is the first in this great new cozy series. I can't wait to read the next book! I've always been fascinated with all the small furniture and details in dollhouses, so I really enjoyed the descriptions of creating the various furniture and scenes.

The author has provided plenty of twists in the plot to keep the reader guessing to the end. I highly recommend this book!

My package arrived timely and in great condition -- I haven't had a chance to read it yet, but as far as the shipping goes, it was perfect!

Murder in Miniature is dollhouse delightful, a perfect example of what makes themed mysteries so much fun.

Author Margaret Grace (aka Camille Minichino) clearly has an insider's knowledge of the miniaturist's world and she uses it well, seamlessly weaving just enough fascinating crafting details into her cozy mystery to add pieces to the puzzle and give dimension to her characters without ever overwhelming the plotline.

Her heroine, Geraldine Porter, Gerry to her friends and family, looks at the world with a miniaturist's eye, seeing a dollhouse table in the plastic spacer in a pizza box and candlesticks in a pair of wood screws. She brings this unique way of looking at the world to her dealings with her visiting granddaughter, Maddie, who prefers sports to dolls and is way more observant than her grandmother would prefer, especially when the body count rises; with her difficult neighbor, Linda, who can be selfish and thoughtless, but was always there for Gerry while her husband was dying; and with Linda's difficult son, Jason, whose teen rebelliousness may have led him into real trouble. It also guides her investigation of the mysteries plaguing her charming hometown, Lincoln Point.

Gerry is still adjusting to widowhood and here, too, dollhouse details and her ever-evolving relationship with her growing granddaughter are deftly blended with Gerry's feelings of loss and remembrance, creating poignant moments that ring touchingly true.

The setting, Lincoln Point, has its own personality, including an interesting connection to Abraham Lincoln, and the town residents, including a group of dedicated crafters, and Gerry's adorable policeman nephew, Skip, offer lots of intriguing possibilities for future plots mixed with crafting lore.

All this makes Murder in Miniature a crafter's mystery that even cozy mystery readers who've never longed to furnish a dollhouse will enjoy.

The plot may be good, but the pacing of the book leaves a lot to be desired. The author gets so bogged down with exposition that the book starts and stops like a car with bad gasoline. Maybe because it's written in first person, but the character stops to explain nearly every thought. At first it was done with commas, but later in the book the author uses parentheses to insert comments, explanations, random thoughts, whatever. On page 172, for example, there are five such additions. These asides take the reader out of the story and border on insulting. After all, mystery readers are intelligent enough to figure out a lot of things on their own.

Oh, by the way, it's X-Acto, not Exacto. A miniaturist should know that; she probably owns several. If it's a copyright issue, call it a craft knife instead of misspelling it.

I've never read this author before, did read the prior 5 star reviews and was excited to begin this new series. I truly loved the innovative descriptions of the dollhouse hobby and the creative ideas therein. The mystery itself was also quite good, with the requisite twists and turns.

My complaint and reason for only a 3-star review revolves mainly around the repetition from beginning to end from the main character: a constant reminder that she's a retired English teacher, her concern for dragging her precious granddaughter into the fray is a constant, as well as the constant refrains with regard to her nephew, her sister-in-law, her so-called "friend" Linda, and on and on. It made me wonder if this author was paid to write by the number of words!! Also, Gerry's friend Linda is a character I don't think anyone can warm up to and although like most of us, she does have good and bad qualities, not quite enough good ones for me to care about on any level.

The question is will I try No. 2 in this series? I think not. But I am willing to go back in time and try #1 from Ms. Minichino's first series.

The AT-AT looks great on a shelf, but as far as a supplement to the Star Wars Miniatures game, it is lacking.

Wait until they can't sell them then snatch them up for less.

The AT-AT is a must have for any Star Wars Miniatures Fan. This thing is huge! It is highly detailed, and is made of rigid plastic so it is much more durable than the standard mini. I am very pleased.

I was very impressed at the quality and detail of this model.
It's fantastic and was delivered to me on time and at half the price I could buy it for in the UK...thank you Amazon.com

This game is very enjoyabale. It takes about an hour to play a round with the standard rules. The pieces are pretty indestructable. They are pre-painted so the out-of-the box time to play time is low

As collectibles, many of the pieces are worth a lot right out of the box. Each box is a suprise as to what you will find. A decent collectible if you want something harder to damage than cards, but still want to be able to play with the collectible item (as opposed to say, coins)

"Universe" is the fourth expansion set in the Star Wars Miniatures Universe, which started with the Rebel Storm Starter set back in September, 2004 (see more about the minis game itself in my addendum below). There are 60 different figures in this set. These are the first "huge packs," so each booster comes with seven durable, pre-painted figures (including one rare OR one very rare figure), one of which will be a large OR very large figure.

The first thing I look for in any expansion set are how many characters I recognize from the movies (vs. those that appeared only in the books). I am particularly interested in figures from the original trilogy, and am happy to say there are at lest 22 figures from the original trilogy in this set. Most are simply more powerful versions of earlier figures (for example, Lando Calrissian Rebel Hero, Darth Vader Jedi Hunter, Admiral Ackbar, Chewbacca Rebel Hero, Han Solo Rebel Hero, Luke Skywalker on Tauntaun, Princess Leia Rebel Hero, and Luke Skywalker, Jedi Master), but some have never been released before (for example, B'omarr Monk, Lobot, Nien Nunb, Wedge Antilles, and Rancor). Notably, there are even a couple of great new common and uncommon figures from the original trilogy in this set (for example, Gonk Power Droid and especially the Stormtrooper Commander).

Further, though I am not a big fan of the prequel, there are several figures from these movies as well (say 5-10 - though none of them stood out as particularly amazing/useful). The rest are either from the books (including some that are very powerful), or generic/minor characters that I have never seen or heard of before (some of which are also pretty good and may be particularly useful in the Star Wars RPG).

In sum (and as of the time this review was written), this is perhaps the second best expansion set for those interested in the original trilogy since Rebel Storm was first released in 2004 (with the Bounty Hunters expansion set being the best in this regard). Those who like the Star Wars minis game and those who use the figures for the Star Wars RPG will likely be very happy with this set.

ADDENDUM: (Please note that I include this addendum at the end of all my Star Wars minis reviews, so if you've read it before, there is no need to read it again.) If you want to play the Star Wars minis game as it was designed to be played, it is best to have at least one starter (each starter comes with game instructions, a map, a D20, terrain tiles that are very helpful and add great variety to the game, and more). I like the Rebel Storm Starter the best because it's from the classic era/trilogy, but the Clone Strike and Revenge of the Sith starters from the newer movies will also work. If you don't want to invest in a starter, you can also get one of the three "Ultimate Missions" books, as each comes with a double sided map and a few smaller terrain tiles (again, I like the Rebel Strom Ultimate Missions book the best because it is also from the classic era/trilogy). Or, you can buy the "Attack on Endor" scenario pack, which comes with TWO double sided maps (in addition to a scaled AT-ST that is fully usable in play). The main point here is that you'll need some type of map/grid. If you don't want to buy a Star Wars one, generic ones are also available at most gaming stores (you can use your imagination to set the scene, or draw terrain with an erasable marker right on the grid). Of course, the minis are also useful for the roleplaying game (RPG) - in which case you may not need a starter or map, but will likely need the "Core Rulebook" instead. Finally, they are just fun to collect for those who like all things Star Wars!

The AT-AT looks great on a shelf, but as far as a supplement to the Star Wars Miniatures game, it is lacking.

Wait until they can't sell them then snatch them up for less.

The AT-AT is a must have for any Star Wars Miniatures Fan. This thing is huge! It is highly detailed, and is made of rigid plastic so it is much more durable than the standard mini. I am very pleased.

I was very impressed at the quality and detail of this model.
It's fantastic and was delivered to me on time and at half the price I could buy it for in the UK...thank you Amazon.com

This game is very enjoyabale. It takes about an hour to play a round with the standard rules. The pieces are pretty indestructable. They are pre-painted so the out-of-the box time to play time is low

As collectibles, many of the pieces are worth a lot right out of the box. Each box is a suprise as to what you will find. A decent collectible if you want something harder to damage than cards, but still want to be able to play with the collectible item (as opposed to say, coins)

"Universe" is the fourth expansion set in the Star Wars Miniatures Universe, which started with the Rebel Storm Starter set back in September, 2004 (see more about the minis game itself in my addendum below). There are 60 different figures in this set. These are the first "huge packs," so each booster comes with seven durable, pre-painted figures (including one rare OR one very rare figure), one of which will be a large OR very large figure.

The first thing I look for in any expansion set are how many characters I recognize from the movies (vs. those that appeared only in the books). I am particularly interested in figures from the original trilogy, and am happy to say there are at lest 22 figures from the original trilogy in this set. Most are simply more powerful versions of earlier figures (for example, Lando Calrissian Rebel Hero, Darth Vader Jedi Hunter, Admiral Ackbar, Chewbacca Rebel Hero, Han Solo Rebel Hero, Luke Skywalker on Tauntaun, Princess Leia Rebel Hero, and Luke Skywalker, Jedi Master), but some have never been released before (for example, B'omarr Monk, Lobot, Nien Nunb, Wedge Antilles, and Rancor). Notably, there are even a couple of great new common and uncommon figures from the original trilogy in this set (for example, Gonk Power Droid and especially the Stormtrooper Commander).

Further, though I am not a big fan of the prequel, there are several figures from these movies as well (say 5-10 - though none of them stood out as particularly amazing/useful). The rest are either from the books (including some that are very powerful), or generic/minor characters that I have never seen or heard of before (some of which are also pretty good and may be particularly useful in the Star Wars RPG).

In sum (and as of the time this review was written), this is perhaps the second best expansion set for those interested in the original trilogy since Rebel Storm was first released in 2004 (with the Bounty Hunters expansion set being the best in this regard). Those who like the Star Wars minis game and those who use the figures for the Star Wars RPG will likely be very happy with this set.

ADDENDUM: (Please note that I include this addendum at the end of all my Star Wars minis reviews, so if you've read it before, there is no need to read it again.) If you want to play the Star Wars minis game as it was designed to be played, it is best to have at least one starter (each starter comes with game instructions, a map, a D20, terrain tiles that are very helpful and add great variety to the game, and more). I like the Rebel Storm Starter the best because it's from the classic era/trilogy, but the Clone Strike and Revenge of the Sith starters from the newer movies will also work. If you don't want to invest in a starter, you can also get one of the three "Ultimate Missions" books, as each comes with a double sided map and a few smaller terrain tiles (again, I like the Rebel Strom Ultimate Missions book the best because it is also from the classic era/trilogy). Or, you can buy the "Attack on Endor" scenario pack, which comes with TWO double sided maps (in addition to a scaled AT-ST that is fully usable in play). The main point here is that you'll need some type of map/grid. If you don't want to buy a Star Wars one, generic ones are also available at most gaming stores (you can use your imagination to set the scene, or draw terrain with an erasable marker right on the grid). Of course, the minis are also useful for the roleplaying game (RPG) - in which case you may not need a starter or map, but will likely need the "Core Rulebook" instead. Finally, they are just fun to collect for those who like all things Star Wars!