This wonderful book contains stunning images of 540 rugs crafted by 292 of today's contemporary rug hooking artists. They are rugs made by a group of artists exploring a common theme, as well as series or topic-related rugs by individual artists. Among the many subjects included are rugs from The American Folk Art Museum's "Icons of America" contest, "Circus Train" rugs from the Green Mountain Rug Hooking Guild, "Art Hits the Wall," from a Canadian fiber exhibit, "A Boy From Orient" by Gail Horton, and many more. Showcased are some of today's most noted rug hooking artists, along with artists making their debuts. Inspiring for all levels of fiber artists, this is a must-have book and a companion to Contemporary Hooked Rugs: Themes and Memories, also by Linda Rae Coughlin.

This clear and lively book, based on the understanding of collecting practice rather than collections themselves, provides an illuminating analysis of collecting as a major social and individual phenomenon in contemporary sociey. Pearce uses both qualitative and quantitative informaion to highlight the significance of collecting in relation to the cultural process, popular culture, contemporary attitudes to material culture, and the idea of collecting as a postmodern activity.

Hundreds of fascinating color photos reveal the wearable artwork created by today's top art jewelers of Europe, including one-of-a-kind necklaces, brooches, bracelets, rings, and earrings in gold, silver, mixed metals, glass, enamel work, found objects, and more. The artists are arranged alphabetically so readers may see the entire scope of their work on the page together. The artists provide personal statements about their work and its significance. These artists have created small sculptures that adorn the body and draw attention. This is the first book in the series to focus solely on the artists of Europe. Included among them are new artwork from artists readers have come to know in the previous volumes and an introduction to the work of artists whose jewelry has not been previously seen. This is a valuable guide to current trends in art jewelry design for buyers, jewelry enthusiasts, collectors, and artists alike.

Elegant, hand-painted porcelain plates were popularly produced as decorative fine arts during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Created by some of the most influential potteries and decorating houses in England and Europe, examples here include plates from Brown-Westhead, Moore & Company*TM, Davenport*TM, Doulton*TM, Feuillet*TM, Camille Le Tallec*TM, Meissen*TM, Minton*TM, Se*\vres*TM, and Wedgwood*TM. Over 675 beautiful full color images display lovely portraits, romantic landscapes and city scenes, still-life paintings, and floral arrangements. The engaging text provides concise histories of the factories, decorating studios, the artisans with the marks employed by each, an extensive bibliography, and an index. Current values are found in the captions. This book will be enjoyed by anyone who appreciates fine art and will inspire artists, collectors, and designers.

This superb new reference book describes the most popular of these revolvers--Colt, Smith & Wesson, Sturm-Ruger, Taurus and others--in words and superb, high-quality photographs, documenting their design, technology, and how they shoot. It also describes what they can achieve in precision shooting and discusses trigger pull weight and groups. Double action revolvers--in which the trigger cocks and drops the hammer--are more popular and much favored by bodyguards and security service personnel, where having a weapon that is both inconspicuous and handy counts more than firepower or the quickest reload. These weapons are also favored by hunters who can get five or seven shots in a powerful caliber, even with a feather-light titanium "snub nose."

Paper doll artist Tom Tierney turns his attention to his home state, dishing up a dose of history along with his fashionably accurate dolls. Texas is loaded with women who\ve achieved stardom, including Mary Martin, Ann Sheridan, Jayne Mansfield, Carol Burnett, Renee Zellweger, Salina, and Beyonce Knowles, as well as powerhouse politicoes, including Ima Hogg, "Ma" Ferguson, Ann Richards, and Barbara Jordan. In all, eleven Texas women are represented in full color, each with three carefully researched costumes.

This book explores porcelain wares produced by the Reinhold Schlegelmilch Porcelain Factory [marked R. S. Prussia], of Suhl, Germany, and sold to America from 1888 through 1900. The wonderfully molded and decorated plates and platters, tea sets, pitchers, clocks, and decorative objects are described with over 760 beautiful color images. An entire chapter is devoted to the company's charming toy china sets. Displayed are wares formed from a variety of molds (including Fleur-de-Lis and Melon) and patterns (outline transfer, King George, and Coraline patterns, to name a few). Newly discovered mold patterns are included, along with a history of the company's early operations, wholesale and trade catalog pages illustrating wares exported to the United States, the manufacturer's marks employed during this early period, a bibliography, and several appendices. This book will guide all collectors of Victorian porcelain to recognize the early pieces marked R. S. Prussia.

Coinage played a central role in the history of the Athenian naval empire of the fifth century BC. It made possible the rise of the empire itself, which was financed through tribute in coinage collected annually from the empire's approximately 200 cities. The empire's downfall was brought about by the wealth in Persian coinage that financed its enemies. This book surveys and illustrates, with nearly 200 examples, the extraordinary variety of silver and gold coinages that were employed in the history of the period, minted by cities within the empire and by those cities and rulers that came into contact with it. It also examines how coins supplement the literary sources and even attest to developments in the monetary history of the period that would otherwise be unknown. This is an accessible introduction to both the history of the Athenian empire and to the use of coins as evidence.

This is the ultimate reference to military headgear that appears today on the collector's market, from the Comb Morion to the Picklehaube, and from the Closed helmet to the Bicorne hat with particular reference to rare Napoleonic headgear. Collectors, dealers, and auctioneers from Japan, Belgium, the United States of America, Italy, The United Kingdom, Germany, Malta and Sweden have collaborated to compile this unique collection of photographs of exceptionally rare hats. These include extremely rare and ancient helmets, expensive sixteenth century open-faced helmets, Zischagges, Burgonets, unique eighteenth century headdress, French shakos from the First Empire, neo-classical helmets from the Napoleonic wars, early spiked helmets from the Crimean war period, Oriental helmets, and First World War headgear. The book is lavishly illustrated with close-up views that assist collectors in identifying aging characteristics. It also places collecting in the context of history by discussing the employment of Internet auctions, replicas, forgeries, and prices are also covered.

This beautiful book is the first to exclusively present what many agree are the very best of vintage household linens, the products of the Weil & Durrse Company of New York City, from the 1920s to 1984. Their Wilendur? and other brands reign above others in the collecting world for good reason. The bold and beautifully executed patterns stand out as art of the highest quality. Their inks and dyes, as well as their base fabrics, were exceptional. This book provides a brief history of the Weil and Durrse Company and descriptive text for over 250 different tablecloths in 120 printed designs. 425 color photographs display exquisite floral tablecloths, napkins, placemats, curtains, towels, aprons, and handcrafted items. This fascinating and important book is for professional textile designers, historians, dealers, and collectors alike

The Historicism movement in art (1830-1920) was perhaps the most democratic of all. European furniture makers sought to recapture the magic and affluence displayed in early, highly stylized and aristocratic pieces of the Gothic, Rococo, Renaissance, Baroque, and Classicism periods--but at a fraction of the cost. These artists brought a great deal to their reproductions, applying a contemporary practicality that resulted in pieces of crafty pomp, opulence, and exaggerated beauty that were priced to reach the growing bourgeoisie. Historicism furniture pieces are not only art history documents of the most diverse cultures and styles of the 19th century, but they are also individual collector's items, their value not determined by objectively derived pricing factors alone. To that end, this book enlists the help of an international jury of furniture experts, from renowned art auction houses and antique dealer companies and restorers, to appraise and price over 15,000 featured pieces. Historicism is directly related to the strengthened bourgeoisie, to wealth and the newly rich, as well as to the foundation of nations. With this social and economic background, the furniture of the 19th century can be better comprehended and appreciated.

After more than two centuries, the process of opening a bottle of wine changed significantly in the 1970s with the introduction of the Screwpull. This is the story of the development and realization of one of the best devices in the world for removing a cork from a wine bottle, the Screwpull, and its inventor, Herbert Allen. Alongside hundreds of examples of experimental prototypes, patent drawings, and many production models, the story unfolds to reveal Allen's conceptualization of how the Screwpull should work and how imitation knockoffs affected his market. The story goes on to detail the events following Mr. Allen's death-the transfer of the company to LeCreuset of France and the production of new models. A beautifully illustrated and detailed history of this remarkable product, Screwpull is the perfect addition to the libraries of corkscrew collectors, product designers, those with good taste, and wine aficionados.

A collector's delight, this comprehensive volume is devoted to the wide variety of charming salt and pepper shakers produced by Goebel Porzellanfabrik*r of Germany, from the 1920s through the 1980s. Nearly 600 color photos display shakers and condiment sets in the forms of animals, birds, fish, people, flowers, fruits and vegetables, and more. Variations in color or size are included, as well as many scarce or rare sets. Captions contain identification numbers, artist's name where known, date of manufacture, and current market value. Also includes a helpful explanation of Goebel's numbering system, trademarks used from 1923 to the present, and tips for identifying and pricing Goebel sets. A wonderful resource for all collectors and admirers of novelty salt and pepper shakers.

This fascinating book charts toy robot design of the last half of the 20th century and explores Japanese aesthetics in tinplate toys, especially robots. Over 200 photographs and original conceptual drawings illustrate this captivating history, from the wind-up walking mechanism of the "Diamond Planet Robot" to the sophisticated "Answer Game Machine," the first robot computer capable of doing mathematical problems. Tomy, Horikawa, Waco, and Sony are just a few of the manufacturers whose robotic designs are featured here. The captions provide much relevant information, including date, size, manufacturer, and current values. This important book is of compelling interest to historians, collectors, designers, and students of Japanese studies and popular culture in the golden age of toy production.

Historic valentines are popular collectibles themselves and within many other types of collections including comic characters, paper items, international themes, nursery rhymes and topical themes. From hand-made to manufactured, from fancy and romantic to cute and funny, there are valentines for every personality. This book presents a wide range of styles with market values in the capitons. 600 photographs beautifully display the wide variety. It also contains a glossary.

The first detailed discussion of the greatest timepieces from the exceptional collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art Among the world's great technological and imaginative achievements is the invention and development of the timepiece. Examining for the first time the Metropolitan Museum's unparalleled collection of European clocks and watches created from the early middle ages through the 19th century, this fascinating book enriches our understanding of the origins and evolution of these ingenious works. It showcases 54 extraordinary clocks, watches, and other timekeeping devices, each represented with an in-depth description and new photography showing the exterior as well as the inner mechanisms. Included are an ornate celestial timepiece that accurately predicts the trajectory of the sun, moon, and stars and a longcase clock by David Roentgen that shows the time in the ten most important cities of the day. These works, created by clockmakers, scientists, and artists in England, Germany, France, Italy, and the Netherlands, have been selected for their artistic beauty and design excellence, as well as for their sophisticated and awe-inspiring mechanics. Built upon decades of expert research, this publication is a long-overdue survey of these stunning visual and technological marvels. Published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Distributed by Yale University Press Exhibition Schedule: The Metropolitan Museum of Art (10/26/15-05/22/16)

Since the earliest days of cameras and photography, the idea that an event or a person could somehow be frozen in time and preserved forever has fascinated people. This absorbing book features many of the most famous and historically significant cameras ever produced from the 1930s through the 1990s. Famous American brands such as Imperial, Kodak, Spartus, Polaroid, and Argus are shown, as well as early cameras from Beacon, Packard, and Falcon. Camera types include rangefinder, viewfinder, and single lens reflex, plus foldouts, instants, premiums, plastic art cameras, and even disposables. Here too are many American made movie cameras from Bell & Howell, Kodak, Revere, DeJur, Technicolor, and Keystone, along with Japanese models from Yashica and Chinon and the popular Swiss made Bolex. Though no longer being produced, many of these wonderful older cameras are still available to collectors and are surprisingly inexpensive. Valuable information on where to find them, what to pay, and how to start or add to your own collection is provided.

This unique book presents vintage Recreational Vehicles (RVs) through 350 postcards. The text spans RV activity from the early 1900s through the 1970s, including many rare images from over 20 countries. Topics illustrated include early car and cycle camping, RV campgrounds from the 1930s through the 1970s, travel trailer advertising, Airstream, mobile homes, roadside RV scenes, amateur radio and RVing, and RVing humor. Values for the postcards are in the captions. Postcard collectors, RV enthusiasts, and history buffs now have a fascinating new treasury to refer to and enjoy.

The electrification of the watch led to massive upheaval in the watch industry as mechanical chronometers built by Old World masters developed into electromechanical devices mass produced in Asia. In nearly 600 images and in-depth text, this book retraces the often circuitous paths that led from the electromagnetic pendulum clock to the modern quartz wristwatch. This well-researched volume focuses on the period between 1950 and 1985, but it also covers the long process of electrifying big clocks, which goes back to Alexander Bain's 1841 patent for an electrically operated magnetic pendulum clock. But the crowning achievement of this process was the further miniaturization of the timepiece into the modern quartz wristwatch. Follow the many different technical developments in Switzerland, France, Germany, Russia, Japan, South Korea, and the United States and see detailed images of components, schematics, and complete wristwatch movements from hundreds of makers, including Bulova, Hamilton, Omega, Rolex, and Seiko. This is an ideal book for horologists as well as those interested in the history of science and industry.

The most ingenious and ephemeral of textiles, lace ispresented as the poetry of fashion. Here is a fascinating glimpse into this extraordinary art form and its role in our culture presented with over 225 pictures, including dramatic original photographs as well as historical illustrations, to portray various types of lace and lace garments from different periods. This is a delightful journey through the history of a celebrated ornament of fashion. An outstanding resource for fashion historians, designers, collectors, students, and aficionados, this unique study will be cherished by all who appreciate beautiful clothing and fabrics.

Paramarine! is devoted to the Marines and Sailors of the Marine Corps parachute units of World War II. It explores in fascinating detail their unique, specially-designed uniforms, equipment, weapons and insignia. For the first time, over 500 photographs and images from World War II and modern collections have been assembled in one volume and combined with a wealth of facts and information about all aspects of Paramarine gear and training. Paramarine is the latest in Schiffer's series of studies on the airborne forces of World War II and is a must for historians and Marine Corps and Airborne collectors around the world.

Dolls not only capture little girls' hearts, they've also managed to corner markets for mega-companies like W.K. Kellogg Company, Jolly Green Giant, and Campbell's. The author has scoured flea markets and auction houses and consumed cereals, candies, and innumerable hamburgers in order to compile one of the most complete collections of advertising dolls known to exist. This comprehensive book traces the emergence of dolls like Aunt Jemima and Betty Crocker, who leant their stamp of domestic credibility, and chronicles the extraordinary rise of figures like Ronald McDonald and the California Raisins, tiny figures which invaded homes and helped define American culture. Here is the nostalgic revisit of hundreds of advertising creations, like Uneeda Kid, Buddy Lee, Cracker Jack, Charlie Tuna, Burger King, and Trix the Rabbit. Each is shown with front and back details, and current values are listed providing the perfect reference tool for the collector.

Beautiful Polynesian women will tempt you to linger on each page of this stunning new book. Be transported to Hawaii, Tahiti, Samoa, Tonga, Naratonga, Fiji, and the Maori regions of New Zealand to view their beguiling native inhabitants through 380 historic and rare color postcard images that date from 1898 to 1920. Concise text for each locale presents interesting pertinent facts about the geography, people, and local history that make them distinct. These include first sightings by European explorers, local crafts, and traditional customs. The women in Polynesian societies, as reflected in these images, portray exotic ideals that many European artists and writers have fallen in love with and immortalized. \nThis compelling book will be cherished for years to come.

Whimsical household linens and handkerchiefs of the 20th century, most from the "fun linen" period after World War II and through the 1960s, fill this book. The authors' selection criteria was simple: the linens must be collectible, cheerful, and fun! Shown in outstanding color photographs are eye-catching tablecloths, napkins, placemats, runners, towels, doilies, potholders, bedspreads, pillowcases, curtains, laundry bags, and aprons. Organized by subject matter and accompanied by fascinating historical information, they reflect American society during a period of rapid change. Included are many examples of embroidered, crocheted, and hand-painted linens, as well as wonderful signed and unsigned printed pieces. The designs include those by early, pre-World War II proponents of the "fun linen" look, such as Tony Sarg and Tom Lamb. To aid collectors, the authors offer tips for finding and purchasing fun linens, newly discovered information about some of the textile designers featured, and current values. These popular and charming keepsakes are guaranteed to put a smile on your face!