The story of laundry day, seen though the colorful ephemera of the past! Using over 560 color photos, this engaging book illustrates a host of laundry products--from soaps, starches, and dyes to detergents, bleaches, and softeners--as well as the colorful packaging and advertising used to sell them. Included are store displays, signs, posters, trade cards, postcards, calendars, tin containers, boxes, and more, many beautifully designed and decorated. Some ads date from eras when it was common to depict laundry workers as stereotypes. Although considered inappropriate today, they are among the most highly collectible for their visual documentation of social history. Whether appreciated as social commentary or as fabulous country store decorating, the many items shown here offer a fascinating look at "those low down, Monday morning laundry blues." Values included with the captions.

This comprehensive new book showcases the most desirable electro-magnetic pinball games ever built. Over 1,000 color photos, arranged in decades from the 1930s to the 1990s, display some of the most popular pinballs ever built. Also, rare photos show Gordon Hasse with some of the most sought-after and popular Gottlieb and Parker games. This book breaks new ground in documenting this classic era. It greatly augments the author's three earlier works on pinball history and rounds out the most up-to-date research in the field.

Bring the calm of a day at the beach to your desktop anytime of year with Zen Garden Beach Day. A welcome respite from the demands of everyday life, it's the perfect meditative desk accessory for fun and effective stress relief. Includes everything you need to assemble your own Beach Zen Garden: 3 x 3-inch mini zen gardening tray, bag of sand, wooden rake, and miniature accessories (umbrella, starfish, towel, flip flops, tropical beverage) Illustrated mini book: Includes a 32-page mini book on the benefits of mediation Great Gift: A fun, stress-relieving desktop accessory for home or the office

An essential addition to any transportation toy library, this is the book that bus lovers have been waiting for! Over 1,500 toy buses are shown in full color, from early buses to transit and trolley buses to school buses and modern luxury coaches. They are organized alphabetically by manufacturer, with over 250 toy makers represented. Buses from thirty countries on five continents are included, dating from 1905 to the present day. The eye-catching coaches are shown in the correct liveries (trim) of the bus companies. Bus memorabilia and current values for all models shown also included. Hop aboard to experience this wonderful showcase of worldwide bus toys!

"It imparts the type of educational information that all stages of jewelry collectors, as well as jewelry enthusiasts from students to dealers, will go back to again and again." - Beth Bernstein, Instore Mag "The Modern Guide to Antique Jewellery will make a collector of you yet" -Annie Davidson, JCK "...filled with fun factual titbits that are presented in a witty, conversational style, with lively narratives exploring each piece's history." - Solitaire International "The ultimate go-to guide." - Retail Jeweller World The ultimate go-to guide, The Modern Guide to Antique Jewellery takes the reader on a tour through time, venturing from the 1700s all the way through to the early 20th century. From how to look chic while wearing jewellery that outdates you by 100 years, to how to spot and score the best pieces, this book is a must-read for all enthusiasts and collectors who have an affinity for the jewels of the past. Fun factual tidbits are presented in a witty, conversational style, and lively narratives explore each piece's history. Part travelogue, featuring the most influential shops in New York, LA, London, Paris and Amsterdam; part educational guide, with anecdotes from dealers and experts; and part celebration of historical jewellery, this book is an invaluable and accessible reference. Topics covered include (but are not limited to): how to identify the most popular gemstones, materials, styles and collectible pieces in the market today, and how to select antique jewellery to complement your lifestyle. The Modern Guide to Antique Jewellery will reveal what to look for and where to locate rare finds, as well as how the experts score the pieces that decorate the fingers, ears, necks and wrists of the collector.

Welcome to the world of McDonald's*r Happy Meal*r collecting! Within the pages of this comprehensive book you will find a complete listing and updated price guide for the thousands of toys, promotional items, and other McDonald's collectibles distributed in the United States from June,1979 through the end of 1989. Hundreds of color photographs illustrate the wide variety of Happy Meal promotions of this decade, including boxes, bags, premiums, and advertising materials.The authors have established a definitive numbering system which identifies and distinguishes each of the items, and check-off boxes are provided to help you organize and document your own collection. Brief historical comments from each year chronicle the phenomenal growth and success of the McDonald's Corporation during the 1980s. For the fast food collector and enthusiast, this is the definitive guide to Happy Mealr toys from the 1980s! Be sure to complete your McDonald's library with the Losonskys' companion volumes, McDonald's*r Pre-Happy Meal*r Toys from the Fifties, Sixties, and Seventies, McDonald's*r Happy Meal*r Toys from the Nineties, and McDonald's*r Happy Meal*r Toys Around the World.

Tapestry Conservation: Principles and Practice explores current practice and recent research in tapestry conservation, promoting awareness of recent developments among conservators and custodians of tapestries. The book facilitates more informed conservation practice and decision-making, and helps custodians to select the most appropriate method of intervention.

Dinky Toys were introduced in 1931 and these diecast metal toys became bestsellers. More than 1000 different subjects were modelled, mostly transport related. They were created by Frank Hornby, a Liverpool entrepreneur, and Dinky Toys were part of the successful Hornby empire, which also manufactured Meccano and Hornby trains and establish factories in France, Germany, Canada and other parts of the world.

Men of note who hail from Texas are featured, with full-body representation and three carefully researched costumes. Figures shown include key political leaders like Sam Houston, Stephen F. Austin, and Comanche leader Quanah Parker, boxer Jack Johnson, aviator Howard Hughes, movie stars Larry Hagman and Audie Murphie, musicians Willie Nelson and George Strait, and military heroes Davy Crockett and Juan Sequin. Paper doll artist Tom Tierney has penned and illustrated hundreds of paper doll books and he takes pride in meticulous research of the costumes. He has recently returned to Texas, where he is opening a Paper Doll store and museum.

Working on the some of the finest elegant glass of the depression era, W.J. Hughes added his own creativity by cutting it with his Corn Flower pattern. Depression Glass and Elegant Glass dealers and collectors finally have the full color, indispensable identification and price guide for the popular Corn Flower. The premiere Corn Flower authority, Walter Lemiski, surveys a wide scope in presenting more than 500 images of cherished glassware with accurate values, descriptions, historical information, and identifications from the major American glass works including: Cambridge, Duncan Miller, Fostoria, Heisey, Imperial, Indiana, Jeannette, Lancaster, New Martinsville, Paden City, Tiffin and more. This invaluable volume provides the first major appraisal of the Candlewick-Corn Flower connection complete with original documentation. Also included is the entire 1938 Corn Flower catalogue and images of W.J. Hughes himself creating the Corn Flower cut. Elegant Glass with Corn Flower is lovely to look at, interesting to read, and worthy of inclusion in any library devoted to collectible vintage glassware.

The beauty of traditional Chinese design is seen in the simplest household implements as well as in the great houses and furnishings of the Emperors. This new book celebrates items found in the households of China that are now finding growing appreciation among Western collectors and designers. Baskets, buckets, boxes, small items of furniture and cabinetry, and items of play and relaxation like mahjong sets, puppets, and bird cages are all featured.\nThis is the first book to discuss at length vernacular Chinese accessories c. 1850-1930.,The author draws on her wide expertise as a long-time importer of Chinese antiques. A wide range is illustrated, with more than 275 color photos with detailed descriptions and a guide to retail values.

This fascinating and entertaining book covers the complete range of action figures marketed during the 1960s. Included here are the soldiers and sailors, cowboys and Indians, space men and the spies that populated the action figure world from 1964 to 1969. Over 300 color photographs capture these often elusive and highly sought heroic "dolls for boys" including GI Joe, Captain Action, Johnny West, Major Matt Mason, Johnny Hero, and James Bond. This book spans the product lines of all the major action figure manufacturers of the day from Hasbro and Mattel to Marx and Ideal. Presented as well are the many accessories that accompanied many of these figure lines. Prices are provided in the text for the figures and their accessories. Both loose and mint-in-the-package prices are provided whenever necessary.

Here's a big second serving for sassafras softdrink lovers. Ever since Tom Morrison's first beverage book, Root Beer Advertising and Collectibles, was published, a second edition about this popular pop was inevitable. More than 650 photographs of root beer bottles, cans, dispensers, mugs, signs and emblems, and more are depicted in this volume, which was made possible by the groupings of some of the largest root beer collections in America. Root beer tidbits, recipes, lists of clubs and newsletters, and a guide to the brand names also make this book a valuable guide for those who want to know more about these popular collectibles.

Hot peace / Cold War, the early 60's. The Russians threaten president John F. Kennedy with the icy promise' we will bury you.' A formula for flames. A young man raised in the simplicity of a rural Oregon town seeks his technical vocation in the U.S. Navy. He is selected for special training and assigned within the Navy's intelligence community. Bizarre events sweep him into a vortex of espionage and intrigue, teeming with military and personal conflict. Powerful game-masters in this Machiavellian environment manipulate him to execute their warped brand of patriotism. The twisted paths he is forced to traverse propel him toward implosion in a war between conscience and duty. To survive, he must fight for his life and his sanity in the maelstrom of a spystorm.

The pinball book you have been waiting for is finally here! From those fabulous '50s & '60s, Jeffrey Lawton, Bingo Pinball Historian, presents 290+ photos, including original promotional brochures and advertisements, that showcase a fantastic collection of Bally*r Bingo pinball machines, along with a history of the evolution and excitement that surrounds this compelling hobby. All who grew up with street cars, slot machines, pinball machines, pool halls, and diners will enjoy this book tremendously! If you buy only one pinball book, this is the one to have.

The Cabbage Patch Kid craze started in the 1980s, and continued into the 1990s, where it is perpetuated by a strong community of collectors. This excellent book picks up the story at the start of the 1990s, where the authors' successful first book left off. It shows the full line of Kids produced by Hasbro from 1990-1994, including Birthday Kids, Kissin' Kids, and the 10th Anniversary dolls. All the Kids produced by Mattel between 1995-1998 are here as well, including OlympiKids, Snacktime Kids, and the Keepsake Collection. The book also features pets, with lots of valuable information about the adorable Koosas. The authors have included an excellent 85-photo reference for head molds used through both the '80s and '90s. Learn to recognize fakes and altered Kids in the marketplace, and see some creative ways to turn shabby flea market finds into beautiful Kids again.

This encyclopedia of firearms is both an authoritative reference work and a stunning visual directory, explaining the development of arms through the centuries. The chronological survey begins with gunpowder and the first crude 14th-century hand cannons, and continues through handguns and the development of machine and submachine guns. Each gun's features are listed, as are the military, political and technological contexts in which the gun was developed. A full list of manufacturers and a glossary complete this easy-to-use encyclopedia. The book is essential reading for anyone interested in gun manufacture and conflicts of war.

Over 1000 dazzling color images display the beauty and elegance in glassware produced by the Fenton Art Glass Company from 1985 to today. These highly collectible and much sought after wares are from Fenton's General, Connoisseur, and Special Series lines. Along with Christmas and Easter items, here are the popular animals, baskets, bells, bud vases, candy dishes, clocks, fairy lights, lamps, ringholders, trinket boxes, vases, and more in treatments ranging from Carnival to Shell Pink. Decorations added to the glassware lines are also displayed. The comprehensive text lists and describes product lines, treatments, and decorations, identifies company logos, provides a detailed bibliography, and includes values in the captions. This reference will be a joy for all who enjoy quality glassware.

To collectors of modern military uniforms, Vietnam era tigerstripe combat fatigues have always been a much sought after commodity. The pattern itself, in all of its classic forms, is both exotic and unique and carries with it an immediate, esthetic sense of the full drama of that not to distant Southeast Asian conflict. There exists however, surrounding this one camouflage pattern numerous misconceptions. Tiger Patterns analyzes to the most minute degree, the finite variances which defined the many original, Vietnam era tigerstripe patterns and uniform cuts and establishes dependable identification techniques and practices, whether your particular interests area as a historian, veteran, modeler, or collector and enthusiast.