The world's foremost authority on the history of thimbles tells all, outlining the little tool's long history, from ancient Egypt to today. The thimbles' history is interwoven with that of women, giving glimpses of a private, domestic world that history books often overlook. Meet the poor little Victorian seamstresses with their everyday brass thimbles and the tiny children's thimbles worn by early straw workers. Glance at gold and gem-set thimbles worn by the courtesans of Paris and, on the other hand, learn why the thimble was the perfect romantic gift a proper gentleman could give to a lady. Romance aside, this book supplies practical tips on cataloging, maintenance, and display, along with price guides and a list of thimble collectors' organizations throughout the world. More than two thousand thimbles are illustrated in full color, some of which have never been seen before.

Antique phonographs enjoyed a vigorous commercial existence 100 years ago. The market they inhabited was as filled with options, accessories, gadgets and gizmos as today's late-night television is populated with slicers, dicers, car waxes and beauty secrets. Collectors have acquired, examined and used these peripherals for years, but little has been written about them. In an effort to reveal more about the fascinating accessories, horns, storage cabinets, advertising and ephemera which surrounded the antique phonograph, the authors have examined nearly 20,000 pages of primary documents, and photographed examples from over 35 collections. Over 500 color photographs illustrate nearly 700 items from the early years of recorded sound. To finally discover this long-lost aspect of the antique phonograph hobby is something akin to Dorothy's first faltering steps into the Land of Oz. The world is suddenly in Technicolor! There is suddenly more excitement, more romance, more fun-as readers of this book will happily discover.

Great Wines and Great Writers are a Wonderful Blend"Guides to the wide world of wine are many but this is the first book on the market to pair books with wine by an author who is a preeminent expert on both." -Thriftbooks.com #1 Best Seller in Wine & Spirits Buying Guides A fact-filled, jargon free guide to wine, bursting with entertaining anecdotes, literary quotes and compelling humor that teaches you everything you always wanted to learn about wine but were too scared to ask. The pleasures of great wine and great writers. Under the careful guidance of his father, Patrick Alexander began drinking wine with his meals at the age of five. At the same age, encouraged by his mother, he began a lifelong love-affair with books. The twin pleasures of wine and writing remained his passion up to this day. He has raised his own children in many of the world's great wine growing regions, from Bordeaux and Piedmont in Europe to the Santa Cruz mountains of California while researching and writing his definitive guide to the novels of Marcel Proust. History of wine and some of the best wines. For several years, Patrick has been teaching a sold-out wine appreciation class at the nation's No.1 independent bookstore, Books & Books in Coral Gables, Florida. The Booklovers' Guide to Wine is based on this very successful class and blends Patrick's passion for the culture and history of wine and his love of literature for the world's great writers. A literary twist on traditional food and wine pairings, this book explores how great wines and great writers can be combined to enhance the enjoyment of both. The book describes the history of wine from the time of Noah to the birth of two-buck Chuck. If you are a fan of wine books such as Cork Dork, Wine Folly, Wine Simple, or The Wine Bible, and appreciate great literature, you will love The Booklovers' Guide to Wine.

There is no other single reference book in print that offers the vast scope of patterns identified, discussed, pictured, and priced as this one, now in it' 5th edition. It is the best identification and price guide for American and Canadian Depression glass, Fire-King, and fifties glassware. The 5th edition offers more measurements, more reproduction information, more pieces and patterns identified for the first time, and more current and accurate values. Hundreds of new, professional photographs are presented with captions to assist you in identifying thousands of pieces of glass in over 160 patterns. Barbara and Jim Mauzy are known for their accurate, user-friendly books and this volume confirms their ability to deliver what dealers and collectors want and need when they are buying and selling glassware. Reproductions are clearly marked, accurately described, and often photographed. Measurements are provided in inches rather than ounces, and often heights as well as diameters are provided. An extensive index of names and nicknames is included. Dozens of dealers and collectors have collaborated with the Mauzys, offering insight and guaranteeing accuracy. If you buy, sell, or admire American and Canadian glassware from the late 1920s-1950s, this is a book you must own.

From the formal carvings of the nineteenth century to the colorful and informal plastic and glass examples of molded relief jewelry, this revised and expanded guide is the perfect reference for those on a search for cameos. Fourteen new designs are included in vibrant detail, along with values and tips that will assist today's shopper with appropriate cameo choice befitting their tastes and styles. See shell, stone, plastic, ivory, lava, glass, plastics, and metal cameos used in jewelry and ornamental objects. They were produced by inspired artists in fine detail using old-world crafting and are displayed here in full color. An excellent pocket guide reference for collectors or anyone who appreciates the simplicity and beauty of cameo designs.

The variety of packing trunks and carrying bags for salesmen, tradesmen, bankers, doctors, and travelers that are shown here will astound you. Whether of light or heavy weight, large or small size, and specific or general purpose, they all were made with a job in mind. Taken from the pages of sales catalogs of the 1890s, these illustrations are advertising pieces to the new mail-order business. They evoke the time when objects were made to last forever, and today there are trunks and bags of these types available in the antiques market. The Price Guide reflects what their values are today.

The revised edition of this popular and affordable book focuses on 16 of the most popular glass colors of the Depression era. It identifies, dates, and values over 300 different glass patterns, displayed in 384 vivid color photos. The book is divided into 16 chapters, each offering a brief history and several photographic examples of what is available to collect in a particular color. All of the items shown are described with their pattern name, manufacturer, dates of production, tips for identification, and current values. An updated index of pattern names and glass manufacturers is included for quick reference. While it is a wonderful identification guide, it is also a guide that encourages the collecting of a specific color of glass in various patterns rather than just a single pattern.

'Heartwarming, magical and uplifting' In today's throwaway culture, there's a counter movement growing that urges us to 'make do and mend'. The BBC's The Repair Shop has brought this waste-conscious message to an even wider audience, with its regular viewing figures of 7 million in the UK alone, cementing itself as a classic series in the vein of Antiques Roadshow. This new book concentrates on the show's much-loved experts, including woodworker and furniture restorer Will Kirk, clock restorer Steve Fletcher, metalworker Dominic Chinea, silversmith Brenton West, leatherworker Suzie Fletcher, upholsterer Sonnaz Nooranvary, and seamstresses Julie Tatchell & Amanda Middleditch - aka The Teddy Bear Ladies. Each of the experts shares their own stories and their repairs, capturing in the process the magic and ethos of the barn. Includes quotations and Q & As from the experts as well as Jay Blades on some unique restoration collaborations. With the focus on the experts themselves, readers will feel as though they're stepping straight into the 'workshop of dreams' and experiencing first hand the magic of the barn.

Perfect for the experienced collector as well as for the novice, this book covers all the details, beginning with the origins of handmade linens and encompassing afghans, altar cloths, curtains and shade pulls, and bedspreads; subjects which have not been covered before because they have only recently become very collectible. Centerpieces and doilies are probably the best known of household linens because so many were made through the years, and the author makes it easy to identify the many varieties. Other popular areas covered are decorator pillows, napkins, and napkin rings.

Eagerly anticipated, this update of the highly regarded third book from pinball author Michael Shalhoub includes over 900 color photos and covers the most recent period in pinball history, from 1982 through 2011. Each chapter is devoted to a specific year and features descriptions, release dates, and historical background on the games released that year from manufacturers Gottlieb, Williams, Bally, Data East, Stern, Sega, and others. Current values are listed for each machine shown in the book. Interspersed with the games are stories and interviews with many of the legendary designers and artists who created them. Readers will gain fascinating insight into the planning that went into the games, how the designers and artists got their start in the industry, behind-the-scenes tales of life in the pinball world, and more. "Michael Shalhoub's Pinball Compendium is a great documentary of our business," says designer Steve Ritchie of the second book in the trilogy. Along with its two companion volumes (the first covering the 1930s-1960s and the second covering 1970-1981), this book is a must-have for all who love the sights and sounds of the world's great pinball machines.

Discover the fascinating world of British commemorative produced for a variety of royal events--coronations, jubilees, marriages, wedding anniversaries, births and visits. You will see china and pottery commemorative mugs, plates, cups and saucers, loving cups, covered boxes, tea services and figurines. Also shown are tins, jigsaw puzzles, enamel boxes, fabrics and silks. Glass and crystal items include goblets, paperweights and bowls. Fascinating tidbits on the events and the royalty are sprinkled through the book. Anyone with an interest in British history and the monarchy will enjoy collecting British royalty commemorative. The authors give you tips on pursuing the exciting hunt for commemorative and provide a value guide containing more than 2,500 black and white photographs and descriptions of these commemorative. This newly revised edition features almost 300 new photographs and up-to-date pricing information.

Intricate, painstaking, sturdy yet incredibly delicate...scrimshaw has been a beautiful tradition on the sea and at the sea-side for centuries. Far from the comforts (and distractions) of land, whalers from America, England, Australia, and Portugal could spend the long hours of attention necessary to perfect the scrimshander's art. They forgot their loneliness and discomfort as the crafted pieces like those shown in over 400 vivid color photographs in this new, fascinating book. Martha Lawrence's research covers every facet of the art of scrimshaw, from its origins on whaling ships, to the daily life of the sailor/scrimshander, to the materials, themes, and tools used for creating these objects. She also discusses modern scrimshaw artists. Today's collector will find her chapters on collecting scrimshaw work especially helpful, particularly when used in conjunction with the thorough price guide.

Barbara and Jim Mauzy are known for user-friendly books that deliver the history, identification information, and values in a format that makes them unparalleled tools if you are buying, selling, or maintaining a collection of vintage glassware. This seventh edition of Mauzy's Depression Glass, the world's most used and authoritative book on Depression Glass from the United States and Canada, vintage Fire-King, and 1940s and 1950s glassware, provides more than 350 new photos and continues to be the most comprehensive book in print pertaining to collectible glass. This seventh edition also adds 220 additional pieces to the patterns previously featured in the sixth edition, while providing accurate measurements, current values, a huge amount of up-to-date reproduction information, and two newly-included patterns.

Southern Potteries in Erwin, Tennessee, from 1938 through 1957, was the largest producer of hand-decorated pottery in America, including Blue Ridge China. Here thousands of pieces are illustrated in over 1400 color photos with informative captions, historical facts, newly identified patterns, and old favorites.

For the nearly all of their first fifty years of existence, Camel Cigarettes sat at the top of the marketplace. But a shift in consumer tastes toward filter cigarettes, begining in the late 1950s, led to a slow erosion of Camel's market share. To stem this loss, R.J. Reynolds began one of the most clever and effective campaigns in advertising history. On its 75th anniversary in 1988 a suave, new character appeared in the Camel Advertising: Joe Camel. This began the most recent chapter in a tradition of fine advertising started by R.J. Reynolds himself. This book documents the Camel advertising from 1964 to 1995. In addition to traditional posters and signs, these years saw the introduction of hundreds of premiums and merchandise bearing the Camel logos that have found their way into collections of tobacco memorabilia around the world. Each piece is illustrated in full color and current values are given to help the collector.

Today, a sense of nostalgia and the irresistible urge to play have combined to make arcade memorabilia and antique arcade games one of the hottest collectible fields of our time. This book is filled with 447 color photos of the greatest games ever to hit the arcade scene-the earliest arcades' strength testers and fortune tellers, perennial favorites like baseball games and SKEE-BALL, wild pinball games from the middle of the century, and modern electronic video game like PAC MAN and Q*BERT. While American manufacturers have maintained a solid grip on the market, some interesting offerings are included from foreign manufacturers. Also included are a section on novelty products, a detailed discussion of the development of different game trends, a history of significant manufacturers and designers, and a thorough price guide. Kurtz shares tips on how to begin moving in the arcade trading circuit, how to locate your favorite games, and how to maintain and repair your collection. Beginning collectors and long-time fans alike will find Kurtz's information helpful. With its foreword by Sha-Na-Na's Screamin' Scott Simon this book is a must-read for anyone interested in the games of yesteryear-and of today!

The Collector's Voice is a major four-volume project which brings together in accessible form material relevant to the history and practice of collecting in the European tradition from c. 1500 BC to the present day. The series demonstrates how attitudes to objects, the collecting of objects, and the shape of the museum institution have developed over the past 3000 years. Material presented includes translations of a wide range of original documents: letters, official reports, verse, fiction, travellers' accounts, catalogues and labels. Volume 1: Ancient Voices, edited by Susan Pearce and Alexandra Bounia Volume 2: Early Voices, edited by Susan Pearce and Kenneth Arnold Volume 3: Imperial Voices, edited by Susan Pearce and Rosemary Flanders Volume 4: Contemporary Voices, edited by Susan Pearce and Paul Martin

Although advertising has a history that goes back thousands of years, it is the Americans who have made it into an art form. Advertisements were put on everything from pocket mirrors to memo pads, the sides of barns to the sides of carriages and buses. A history of advertising printed in the 1880s even show and advertisement on a tombstone. With the advent of color lithography in the late 1800s, some of the most beautiful and highly collectible items were created. Tin signs with colorful, strong images, often embossed, were made for stores, and often found their way into homes. Paper advertising in calendars, trade cards, and posters reached new levels of artistry in the latter years of the 19th century. This new book explores advertising in all its media, tin, paper, celluloid, and enamel. In full color it portrays the creativity of its makers, while at the same time bringing to life the styles of the past 120 years. Included are signs, three dimensional designs, smalls, and novelties. With some tin signs bringing in excess of $100,000 (a Campbell Soup sign included in this book), it is clear that this is an active and exciting area for collectors. At the same time, it is a good field for the new collector, who can find many pieces of advertising for under $50. Both ends of the spectrum are nicely covered in Antique advertising: America for Sale, making it an important book for all collectors.

First published in 1968, this classic work remains the basic reference book for collectors and fanciers of American spoons. Now offered in a new edition, it will be a welcome resource in your library. Spoons themselves originated in prehistoric times, when shells performed their function for the inhabitants of southern Europe, but spoons as commemorative items began with the Niagra Falls Suspension Bridge Spoon patented by Myron H. Kinsley in 1881. Soon their popularity spread as ideal mementos for practically every conceivable event, personage, or natural wonder. Ranging from expensive sterling silver sets to fifteen cent mailorder spoons, the variety of design, quality and interests reflected in this richly illustrated book is truly impressive.

America in the nineteenth century Victorian age was changing as fast as the engines of the Industrial Revolution could carry it. At every turn, Flow Blue was there, first sparking the interest of the affluent and later the middle class with its rich colors and complete table services. This book puts Flow Blue in its historical context and covers the British, American and European manufacturers who produced it, the exhibitions that promoted it, the people who owned it and what moved them to buy it. Over 500 color photographs present the variety of forms and patterns in these popular wares from the 1840s to turn of the twentieth century.

This valuable text provides a sweeping survey of the McCoy pottery produced by both the Nelson McCoy Pottery Company and its predecessor, the Nelson McCoy Sanitary Stoneware Company. Among the more than 750 color photographs are illustrations of McCoy wares ranging from utilitarian stonewares to beautiful artwares, including bookends, centerpieces, flowerpots, jardinieres, tea sets, vases, and the ever popular cookie jars. Historical photographs of the company's early years are also provided. Accompanying the photographs are a history of the company, beginning with the W.F. McCoy Pottery of 1848, a detailed discussion of McCoy manufacturing techniques, and an examination of the firm's numerous manufacturer's marks. In fact, these marks are used in a unique way as tools to guide readers quickly and efficiently to the wares they seek. Also included in this volume are a bibliography, an appendix chronicling the many cookie jars produced by the company over the years, and an index. Updated values for the wares displayed are included in the captions.

Kachina dolls are carved from cottonwood by Hopi artists in Arizona to represent the many spirits of their religion. Old examples are preserved at the Heard Museum in Phoenix and most of the important Indian museums nationally. Today, modern Hopi artists continue to make exquisite Kachina dolls, and they have become very sought after by a growing number of collectors world-wide. The reader of this new book is able to grasp the art of Kachina wood carvings, and enjoy knowledge behind each doll, through the carvers who make them. The book beautifully illustrates contemporary Kachina dolls with over 150 exquisite color photographs, and delves into the lives of the carvers who make them. Twenty-five of today's important Kachina carvers have been interviewed personally for a first-hand glimpse into their work. Discussions with Cecil Calnimptewa, Von Monongya, and Loren Phillips, to name just a few, bring to life the essence behind their carvings. All who are interested in Southwestern crafts and art in general will appreciate these beautiful art works carved by such interesting people.

Judaica embraces those objects associated with the celebration of and adherence to Jewish rituals. This book presents clear explanations and beautiful color pictures of candlesticks, boxes, plates cups, toys, and foods which celebrate Jewish traditions. These objects of creative design display, honor and rekindle the spirit of a 5000-year-old religion to reflect 20th-century modernism.

This book represents an extraordinary sample of Depression era glass, because Tiffin was an extraordinary glass company. Its output during the Depression was well documented and enough to keep any collector occupied for years. Most of the glass presented in this volume is from the 1920s and 1930s. With detailed captions for the more than 450 illustrations--color photographs, catalog pages, advertisements, and drawings--it is a guide to help the collector, researcher, and dealer identify, price, and enjoy this compelling glassware.

Unquestionably, this is the most comprehensive study ever written on the subject of Connecticut working decoys. The author has documented and shown examples of decoys from eighty-odd carvers throughout the state. Henry C. Chitwood begins his book with a table of carvers listing them by name, date, location, carving period, number of decoys made, and a description of the types of decoys they carved. This is followed by a detailed text covering the various geographic areas in Connecticut and the decoys produced there, along with biographical notes on the gunners as well as the carvers. Finally on factory decoys, shore birds and descriptive decoy features. The hunting as well as decoy enthusiast could not ask for a more informative source on Connecticut working decoys.