Collectibles, Memorabilia

The American flag has been raised high in wartime triumph and peacetime celebration; sewn lovingly onto quilts, caps, pillows, and bags; appropriated by popular culture; and faithfully honored every Fourth of July. This vibrant collection of 100 Stars and Stripes artifacts ranges from Civil War-era banners and Native American braided moccasins to an early 20th-century "friendship" kimono and original flag art by several of the world's leading designers. Destined to captivate folk-art aficionados, history buffs, and collectors, 100 AMERICAN FLAGS provides a stunning visual history of America's most treasured symbol...

The American Flag consists of color photographs of flags flying at various places in the United States. Although it is nice to peruse, the photographs are not documented in any way, and packaging includes a polyester 3' x 5' flag with the book. Long May She Wave is recommended for public libraries and should appeal to flag enthusiasts, historians, and collectors...

The book presents 82 of the finest watercolor renderings along with a selection of the artifacts they represent. The original objects range from quilts, weather vanes, and hand-carved toys to carousel animals, stoneware, and cigar-store figures. Three essays explore the history, operation, and ambitions of the Index of American Design, examine folk-art collecting in America during the early decades of the twentieth century...

Amazon Best of the Month, November 2008: The scrapbook has long been a popular and vital form of self-expression embraced by a cross-section of American society. "To read another person's scrapbook" observes Jessica Helfand in Scrapbooks: An American History, "is to acquire a body of knowledge about an entirely different time and place." Helfand--a prominent graphic designer, art critic, and author--has combined her considerable talents to create one of the most interesting and category-defying books on American culture this year. Through some 200 albums dating from the Victorian era through the present day--albums that Helfand personally curated and researched--Scrapbooks tells the story of ordinary and extraordinary lives, innovative visual ideas, and social change within the larger context of American history...

America's first century was defined by expansion and the negotiation of territories among areas colonized by the French and Spanish, or occupied by natives. The exact location of borders became paramount; playwright and screenwriter Stein amasses the story of each state's border, channeling them into a cohesive whole. Proceeding through the states alphabetically, Stein takes the innovative step of addressing each border-north, south, east, west-separately. Border stories shine a spotlight on many aspects of American history: the 49th parallel was chosen for the northern borders of Minnesota, North Dakota, and Montana because they ensured England's access to the Great Lakes, vital to their fur trade...

"Cartographia," by Vincent Virga and the Library of Congress is an amazing volume that explores in depth the development of the art of cartogtraphy, map-making, from ancient times to the present. This handsome, over-sized, volume with full color photos of beautiful and rare maps throughout the ages, is a must-have for anyone interested in history, geography or maps. Drawing on the Library of Congress's 4.8 million maps and 60,000 atlases, this is an overview of cartography in different times and cultures. If you ever get a thrill finding your destination, reading the map key to open the mysteries before you, or locating your house on Google Earth, Cartographia will captivate you. ...

This is the preferred desk reference and price guide to the world of antique, collectible, vintage and modern firearms. With over 25,000 model listings, and completely updated pricing, new photographs and an editorial section offering collecting tips and techniques, this new edition contains everything the enthusiast needs to price, buy and sell all types of firearms. Dan Shideler is a firearms book editor for Krause Publications. His works and articles have been published in Gun Digest Magazine, American Rifleman, and a variety of other shooting and outdoors-related publications. He resides in Goshen, Indiana...

This comprehensive price guide contains current prices for over 2,000 stamps from 1847 to the present. It also includes: Hundreds of photos, including a full-color insert; Current market trends, with advice on how to buy, sell, and preserve your stamp collection; Exclusive prices for first day covers, mint sheets, plate blocks, line pairs, and PNCs (Plate Number Coils). The book is easy to use, easy to read and very well laid out. I would recommend this for anyone who collects stamps or for a gift to any stamp collector. The size of the book means enables me to carry this in my purse when I go to antique stores and look at old postcards/letters and find my treasure....

In addition to tactical aspects of self-defense, practical information like choosing the right firearm and ammunition, used gun purchases, and all legal aspects of self-defense with a gun are also extensively covered in this complete and authoritative look at concealed carry. Massad Ayoob is one of the pre-eminent fighting handgun trainers in the world. He operates the Lethal Force Institute, which trains both U.S. and international clients. His methods of reflexive, high speed yet accurate shooting has been adopted by the U.S. army as part of its standard pistol-training course. Massad has written many books for Krause Publications, including Combat Handgunnery, The Gun Digest Book of Sig-Sauer, and The Gun Digest Book of Beretta Pistols...

A comprehensive guide that describes and illustrates over 700 of the most important antique tools, covering all categories from wooden and metal planes, braces and measuring devices, to axes, saws and wrenches. Included are over 250 original photographs, plus many line drawings that show these tools in use. Also covered are: where to find antique tools; how to buy and sell them; valuable tips on cleaning, restoring and displaying; books to read; clubs and organizations to join; common and not-so-common pitfalls to avoid; materials used in tools. A complete and conveniently organized reference guide for anyone concerned with antique tools...

Sweet Sue, Betsy McCall, Tiny Tears, Little Ricky, Whimsies, Toni, Toodles, and Tressy, American Character's most popular dolls, are known for their high quality construction and beautiful clothing. Over 1,000 full-color photos cover the entire line of over 100 dolls produced, from composition to vinyl. Dolls and their fashions are depicted, with captions listing the year the doll was produced, marks, description, and current collector value. A brief history of the company is included, as well as a helpful index. This book is the first on this subject ever to be published. Author Judith Izen is well known for her knowledge in the doll field, and this book is one of her best yet. A thorough history of the company is included, along with hundreds of color photographs...

This is a book for your coffee table! It of course covers the history of Colt firearms, and was written by (who else?) the historical consultant to the Colt Firearms Division. Wilson is also a well-known collector, free-lance consultant and well-known author in the firearms field. This is his twentieth book, and perhaps his best. The book is well-written, of course, and the epitome of accuracy--deriving its facts and figures directly from the horse's mouth, so to speak--but its greatest value is the exquisite color photography with which it is filled. There are 406 gorgeous eight and a half inch by eleven inch (landscape) pages, almost all of them containing color photographs of great beauty, depicting historical firearms directly from Colt's own collection, as well as from other sources. If you are a firearm aficionado, or a Colt collector, or just a history buff who appreciates the role Colt firearms have played in American history, this is the book for you...