The ancient and wonderful art of direct stone sculpture is brought to life in this comprehensive new book by the noted sculptor, Milt Liebson. After a brief, informative historical overview of stone sculpture, he leads the reader through the hands-on experience of sculpting in stone. This is an invaluable book for artists and would-be artists in stone. The types of stone used in sculpture are covered, as well as the basic tools for hand sculpting and the techniques for their use. For the advanced sculptor there is detailed information on power tools and their use, the methods of lamination and repair, the business side of stone sculpture, and other helpful information gleaned from years of experience. Detailed photographs take readers from rough stone to the polished and mounted piece. Already a standard reference, **Direct Stone Sculpture now includes 47 new pictures, updated stone-working techniques, and a gallery of students' work.

Next to Christmas, more money is spent on Halloween decorations and novelties than on any other holiday. This wonderful book has been credited with inspiring the Halloween collecting craze, giving its devotees a chance to celebrate the holiday all year round! In addition to color photography and a brand new price guide, there are also many fascinating insights into Halloween. Most people are familiar with the symbols-ghosts, Jack-O'-Lanterns, witches, bats, skeletons, and black cats-but few know about Halloween's past. Why does it exist? What is the origin of trick-or-treating? Why does it fall on October 31st? Through these pages you will experience Halloween celebrations of the past and take a look at Halloween today. For collectors, this is one of the largest collections of Halloween memorabilia.

As the Victorian era passed into the Edwardian and Roaring Twenties, a market developed for bisque and china naughty novelties and figurines of women in revealing outfits. These little lovelies include bathing beauties, who came clad in swimsuits of real lace or stylish painted beach wear, as well as mermaids, harem ladies, and nudies, who wear only an engaging smile. Also produced were flippers (innocent appearing figurines who reveal a bawdy secret when flipped over) and water squirters. Most were manufactured in Germany from the late 1800s through the 1930s, often showing remarkable artistry and imagination.\nThis photographic study showcases an extraordinary variety of figurines, and the in-depth text will help collectors and dealers discover the rich history behind them. Manufacturing techniques, marks, and manufacturers are discussed, including Galluba and Hoffman, William Goebel, Hertwig and Company, Schafer and Vater, and more. Decorative details, size, and current value are provided for each figurine. A delightful reference for bathing beauty and doll collectors, Art Deco aficionados, and all who enjoy things naughty and mischievous.

Forty colorful postcards detail the architectural Art Deco splendor of Miami Beach. Keep it as a souvenir book, detach and mail them, or show them off in any standard 5" x 7" frame. At $14.95, it's the best deal on the Beach.

Here's a sweet treat for collectors of colorful M&M's characters, starring regular and peanut. This is a serious collector's guide to those smiling candies with a tough exterior and a gooey heart, and now has even more wonderful examples. Author Patsy Clevenger, who describes the smiles of the M&M characters as "absolutely infectious," first provides readers with a concise review of the candy's history, including a timeline of M&M colors featured from 1940 through the 1990s. This comprehensive and enjoyable guide then leads the reader on a tasty tour of the M&M collectibles, complete with values for the hundreds of items shown, which range from kitchen towels to tins, toppers, posters, and jewelry. Additional sections on advertising items and M&M packaging round out the book.

A magnificent tour of canes and staffs from the late seventeenth through the twentieth century in both folk art and formal designs. Color photographs provide a sweeping survey of the varying cane forms available to collectors today, including canes with handles bearing human and animal forms, scrimshaw and glass canes, gadget and weapons canes, political, and presentation canes. There is something to peak anyone's interest among these beautiful and engaging sticks. Even historic events and relics amy be found among the canes pictured here. Both rare and common canes are presented in an impressive visual format. Cane terminology, dating techniques, and formal cane etiquette are among the topics discussed in this collector's handbook. Photographs are arranged in broad categories to provide a sense of the scope of human imagination rendered in these magnificent sticks.

Exquisite marbles produced by more than 130 artists and craftsmen are represented in over 600 stunning color photographs. The thorough text includes an extensive and detailed look at the pioneers, current artists, and craftsmen of the contemporary handmade marble movement. The history and development of handmade marbles is reviewed in words and illustrations, beginning with the earliest use of decorative glass and moving forward to the influence studio glass founders brought to bear on the pioneers and current craftsmen of contemporary handmade marbles. Also included are tips for the purchase and care of fine marbles, an in-depth glossary, and a valuation guide. This book will be a joy for everyone fascinated with glass. Novice and experienced art glass and marble collectors alike will appreciate this beautiful book.

In recent years, collectors have come to recognize the beauty and value of Roycroft items, particularly the art metal which is the most available, affordable, and varied of all Roycroft collectibles. Influenced by the English movement that was spearheaded by William Morris, Elbert Hubbard began a new industry dedicated to quality of design and manufacture, from its factories near Buffalo, New York. With 179 full color illustrations, this newly revised & expanded identification and price guide offers Arts and Crafts collectors and dealers an in-depth look at the many objects that were made. Included are bowls, vases, jewelry, desk items, bookends, candlesticks and other items of interest. The text provides the history and background of the company, as well as information about each of the products illustrated. There is also a good selection of original advertising and promotional material.

From Alpenbrau to Zima, this engaging book features more than 450 color photos of some of the most attractive beer signs ever created and provides an in-depth look at this significant aspect of advertising art. Included are early wood and cardboard signs, animated, hanging, and wall-mounted signs, electric lanterns, and clocks-all presented in alphabetical order according to brand of beer. Special emphasis is given to electric, lighted, and animated signs from 1950-1970, the Golden Era of beer signs. Captions provide valuable information on dates, sizes, values, manufacturers, and manufacturing techniques. A treat for aficionados of breweriana and advertising alike!

Corning's PYREX (R) glassware was created in the early 1900s to meet the needs of the expanding American railroad system, but American housewives' love of this recognizable, useful, and popular glass grew from the vast assortment of kitchen glass that followed. PYREX (R) brand kitchen glass was the first product that allowed one to prepare, cook, and store in the same piece, and as the twentieth century progressed, PYREX (R) options increased and color was added. You can usually tell what year a person got married by the color of the PYREX (R) in the kitchen cabinet! This expanded edition explores those colors along with the clear ovenware, Flameware, laboratory glass and now for the first time, restaurantware. There are more than 150 additional color photographs, advertisements, and catalog pages proving once again that this is the most inclusive and necessary book in print on this subject of PYREX (R).

Hundreds of old farm tools and equipment are shown to be echoes of America's past, as farming remains vital to the economy today. Major chapters cover old haying, grains, tobacco, orchards, poultry, dairy, horses and mules in farm practices. Over 600 vintage and modern photos display the amazing variety of gadgets once necessary for farming. These objects are preserved in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, at the Landis Valley Museum, where they help to interpret American farm life of the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. This book extends the reach of the museum's collections to interested people worldwide.

From the years of slavery through the years of civil rights, images of black people have taken many forms. Some of these images were positive and some negative and stereotypical. Together they help us see and measure the history of racial attitudes in America, and make up the growing field of what is called Black Collectibles. These collectibles help to chronicle an important aspect of American history. Hundreds of these items are gathered together for Images in Black: 300 Years of Black Collectibles, and are illustrated in full color. The text helps the reader understand the history, and the price guide makes the volume useful for evaluating the market in black collectibles.

The application of make-up for women was made more convenient in the 1920s with the popularization of small container known as a "compact". Inside, pressed (compacted) face powder was housed with a cloth of feather "puff" applicator and a mirror for checking the job. In this book, Frances Johnson has compiled hundreds of different compacts of various materials, styles, and values along with delightful stories about girls who did or did not paint themselves up to attract boys. Her direct style is tinged with humor, making the compacts here all the more enjoyable. Prices with captions.

Whether you're a beginning or advanced collector, a nostalgia buff, or simply moved by Raggedy Ann and Andy smiles,you'll love this book. It is a peek into private collections from across the country, with dozens of collectors sharing their special "babies." More than 700 color photographs depict previously unpublished dolls and related items. For the first time, creative "concept Raggedys"-those outfitted in ethnic or occupational garb-are covered in depth, and Raggedys dressed for the holidays also make their appearance. Volland, Georgene, Knickerbocker, and Applause collectors will welcome the sections provided to help them date their dolls. These smiling Raggedy faces will entice you to read, reread, and refer to this volume again and again. The dozens of Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls, books, and collectibles pictured here will have you heading out on a Raggedy search, want list in hand.

This lively, photo-filled reference book is a delight for all interested in figural pottery. The American Bisque Pottery, operating in Williamstown, West Virginia from 1919 to 1982, and the American Pottery Company produced popular cookie jars, ashtrays, doorstops, sprinkle bottles, banks, planters, lamps and much more. Many of these items have never been pictured in any book before. With American Bisque in hand, you will be able to identify little-known pieces including airbrushed planters of yarn dolls as well as the most sought-after cookie jars.

More than 570 Pairpoint lamps with their distinctive glass shades are shown in this and the companion volume that comprise the catalog. They represent a broad sample of the production of Pairpoint lamps from 1900 to the early 1930s. The most remarkable feature of the catalog is that so many of the pages are hand-colored with watercolors, having been painted by the original factory decorators. This practice occurred at the factory when orders for the lamps were slow.

A comprehensive survey of ceramic wares produced by the Trenton Potteries Company of Trenton, New Jersey, throughout its existence, from 1892 to 1950 is presented with particular attention to the artware lines of in the 1930s and 1940s. Over 290 vibrant color photographs illustrate these beautiful deco vases, lamps and wall pockets, and neo-classical centerpieces, candlesticks, and jardinieres. Also included are a brief history of the company, a review of its manufacturer's marks, advice for collectors, a bibliography, and an index. Current market values are included in the captions.

Concentrating on the explorer and naturalist Joseph Banks (1743-1820), this book explores the early history of collections at the British Museum. Taking Banks' extraordinary career as its basis, it examines the changes that took place during a period of transition that led to collecting on an increasingly global scale.

Bluebird china enjoyed a brief but spectacular history, first appearing in the late 1800s, reaching its zenith in the early to mid-1920s, and was almost entirely gone by 1930. China decorated with the bluebird motif was produced by over 50 different American companies including Anchor Pottery Company, Atlas China Company and Atlas-Globe China Company, Chippendale China, Homer Laughlin China Company, and Steubenville Pottery Company to name just a few. Whimsical, colorful, and cheerful, this comprehensive collectors book displays bluebirds on plates, platters, pitchers, canisters and other housewares in over 750 beautiful color photos. Whether you are a novice or an advanced collector, this book will help you identify the many subtle differences. Recent values are included in the captions.

Over 330 clear color photos display the wide array of equipment once used to log high timber that are now eminently collectible, including axes, saws, filing tools, springboards, oil bottles, undercutters, wedges, marlin spikes, drag saws, and venerable chainsaws. Historical photos display towering giants of old growth forests where loggers toiled decades ago. An informative text provides useful information on cleaning and preserving the antique logging tools, descriptions of them, values, and a bibliography. This book will be treasured by all who share a fascination for logging as it was done by the lumberjack, bucker, and high climber.

Cowgirls, cowboys, horses and Western heroes cover these great vintage textiles. See the best chenille bedspreads from the 1940s, rugs, blankets, tablecloths, aprons, hankies, scarves and novelty prints up to the 1970s. This comprehensive presentation of vintage household textiles will inspire today's designers and encourage collectors to keep digging.

This book is indeed a "first." A few rubber tins have made cameo appearances in past publications but this is the premier book exclusively about rubber containers-most of which have never been pictured before. Try this on your coffee table and you'll have a fun conversation piece-a trifle naughty but respectable! You and your friends can share hours of enjoyment getting to know about one of the hottest collectibles ever to hit the antique advertising scene! Buying Remember Your Rubbers! can save you money, perhaps many times the price of the book. You'll learn which brands are rare and which are not. You'll know enough not to spend a fortune on a "Deans Peacocks" (the "Prince Albert of rubber tins") as well as not to pass on a one-of-a-kind like the "Rainbow," both incidentally from the same company!

For centuries, entertainers have strung their audiences along with these captivating characters. This author does the same, chronicling the global fascination with puppets over thousands of years. From Pinocchio to Kermit the Frog, from Indian stick figures to Jerry Mahoney puppets, these collectibles have entertained and educated generations. They are a perfect medium for telling stories, some quite serious and deeply meaningful and others meant simply for entertainment and laughter. Puppets and Marionettes will bring back memories of childhood, of the early days of television and the hours of delight these animated characters have brought into our lives. In this new book, Jan Lindenberger, with the help of her friend Joel Martone, offers a wide range of puppets and marionettes in more than 500 full-color photographs. Concisely captioned with current prices, this is the perfect book for the collector to take into the field.

Pop culture collectibles from the post-World War I and II (1920s-1960s) are brought to life again in this new reference guide. Relive the days of the novelty "must-haves," including Hallmark paper dolls, holiday ephemera, Vogue picture records, and vaudeville. See the impact ceramists Marc Bellaire, Howard Pierce, and Heidi Schoop had in their era and today. Get nostalgic while viewing early TV Guides with "I Love Lucy" and Liberace. Take a walk down memory lane through movie posters featuring such iconic stars as Shirley Temple and Ava Gardner. Enjoy a behind-the-scenes look at popular antique walks held in such places as Walnut, Iowa. With 682 images, this invigorating exploration of the tastes that shaped an era is sure to make you smile. This reference book is a must-have for lovers of American popular culture, historians, and collectors.