Books, Home & Garden, Antiques & Collectibles, Americana

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Michael Chaplan
The Urban Treasure Hunter: A Practical Handbook for Beginners
by Square One Publishers (Paperback)

Ben Franklin, Richard Saunders
Poor Richard's Almanack (1733)
by Applewood Books (Paperback)

This facsimile edition of the original Poor Richard_s Almanack, representing the first year of its publication, offers a unique view into the lives and thoughts of Americans who came almost three centuries before us. This first issue was issued in 1733, when Ben Franklin was young and cheeky, predicting his rival_s death. This book will be offered in an affordable format, so that it can be made available for historians of all ages.

Susan Waggoner
It's a Wonderful Christmas: The Best of the Holidays 1940-1965
by Harry N. Abrams (Hardcover)

Even now that we're all grown up, we can't help but look back on our childhood holidays and hope to recapture that elusive spirit of joyful anticipation. Celebrating Christmas is so often about nostalgia. With a nod and a wink to the days of Christmas past, It's a Wonderful Christmas presents classic images of the Yuletide icons of mid-20th-century America.Bubbler lights and glow-in-the-dark icicles. Catalogues crammed with toys. Norad bulletins tracking Rudolph's red nose through the nighttime sky. Along with hundreds of such quintessentially American illustrations, author Susan Waggoner stocking-stuffs her lively text with fascinating bits of information, lore, and lists. Wonder what the all-time most popular Christmas song is? How the tradition of the department store Santa got started? The answers are here. Loaded with images of vintage Christmas cards, wrapping paper, magazine ads, Lionel toy trains, and more, all in full color, this charming book will appeal to anyone who ...

1000 Pin-Up Girls (25th Anniversary Special Edtn)
by Taschen (Paperback)

"Girls, Gags & Giggles" - this was publisher Robert Harrison's recipe for dishing up the American pin-up to the U.S. male. In the 1950s, his girlie magazines sold by the millions, before becoming icons of pulp and trash culture.These skilfully illustrated girls with their curvaceous forms and inviting lingerie soon overtook America's national dessert, in terms of popularity, and even developed considerable potential as a cultural export during the 1940s. 'Never show everything,' was always the motto. Smiling prettily at the camera, the models exuded just the right amount of sex appeal without seeming too sophisticated or artful. They were the 'girls next door' whose wholesome attraction soon made one forget the magazines' deliberately trashy presentation. Their rosy complexions and innocent allures still titillate even in an age when far more graphic material is the norm. This is for everyone who enjoys pin-ups, push-ups and pulp style!

John Canemaker
The Art and Flair of Mary Blair
by Disney Editions (Hardcover) (Release Date: 2003-08-11)

For more than a dozen years, an unassuming, quiet-spoken woman dominated Disney design. The stylishness and vibrant color of Disney films in the early 1940s through mid-1950s came primarily from artist Mary Blair. In her prime, she was an amazingly prolific American artist who enlivened and influenced the not-so-small worlds of film, print, theme parks, architectural decor, and advertising. At its core, her art represented joyful creativity and communicated pure pleasure to the viewer. Her exuberant fantasies brimmed with beauty, charm, and wit, melding a child's fresh eye with adult experience. Blair's personal flair comprised the imagery that flowed effortlessly and continually for more than a half a century from her brush. Emulated by many, she remains inimitable: a dazzling sorceress of design and color.

Michael McCoy
Classic Cowboy Stories: Eighteen Extraordinary Tales of the Old West
by The Lyons Press (Paperback)

Twenty of the finest stories in this well-loved and uniquely American genre.

1897 Sears Roebuck & Co. Catalogue
by Skyhorse Publishing (Paperback)

Imagine it’s the end of the nineteenth century, and, with one catalog, you can buy everything from beds and tools to clothing and opium. (Yes, opium.) Not to mention ear trumpets, horse buggies, and Bibles. The 1897 Sears, Roebuck & Co. Catalogue is both a wonderfully fascinating collector’s item and a valuable piece of American history. For every recognizable item included, there are plenty of others guaranteed to confuse or interest  21st century readers—like Bust Cream or Food and Sweet Spirits of Nitre. What was once standard household fare is today a sometimes strange, often funny look at what life was once like for the average American family. It’s amazing to see that a Princely Shirt for Princely Men cost $0.95 or three for $2.75 or that a Complete Violin Outfit (with bow and case) cost only $2.00.

Roderick Kiracofe, Mary Elizabeth Johnson
The American Quilt: A History of Cloth and Comfort 1750-1950
by Clarkson Potter (Paperback) (Release Date: 2004-09-28)

For more than two hundred years, American women have been recording their hopes and dreams, their fears and frustrations in the exacting stitches and exuberant designs of their quilts. The American Quilt shows how these virtuoso textiles, long appreciated for their bold graphic appeal and naive charm, are also a fascinating reflection of cultural and social attitudes, painting an indelible portrait of our nation’s history and the remarkable women who lived it. America of the 18th and 19th centuries developed at a breathtaking pace, and the changes that marked each era were inevitably mirrored in the prevailing quilting styles of the period. The American Quilt marks the first time the evolution of quilting has been traced chronologically, identifying the fabric, design, and construction hallmarks of each period and showing the genesis of beloved patterns and styles. A thorough discussion of America’s textile history, complete with a fabric time-line, provides further insight ...

Jason Surrell
The Haunted Mansion: From the Magic Kingdom to the Movies
by Disney Editions (Paperback) (Release Date: 2003-09-15)

Welcome, foolish mortals, to The Haunted Mansion, one of the most popular attractions in Disney theme park history. The Haunted Mansion: From the Magic Kingdom to the Movies fleshes out how the Mansion's 999 grim grinning ghosts were brought to life. Rare early sketches and story concepts, and stunning architectural drawings illustrate the Mansion's evolution as it was constructed at each Magic Kingdom Park around the globe. The attraction has now been brought to an afterlife like never before in a movie starring Eddie Murphy, with special effects by Rick Baker. Readers will get an insider's view of uncanny costume creations, spine-tingling set developments, and the latest in CGI (computer ghost imaging) technology. This is one book you'll be dying to have on your shelf!

Eric Sloane
A Museum of Early American Tools
by Dover Publications (Hardcover)

Fresh, informal, direct, and expressive, A MUSEUM OF EARLY AMERICAN TOOLS covers early tools and the wooden and metal artifacts that our forefathers made with them. Including dozens of pen-and-ink sketches.

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