The color pictures are numerous and nice....the price guide in the back is a pain...it would be much better if the prices were on the same page as the picture. I think the price paid for this book was more than fair.

Granted, the color pictures do make for a nice book, however, I found many of the pictures to not show the pattern clearly. Sometimes it was the item they chose to show that caused the difficulty--patterns on cups, candlesticks, and vases do not give me what I need to see to verify the pattern on a bowl. I believe a bit more variety of pictures is need for many of the patterns. I would rather see a picture of a collection with a clear detail of the pattern. As far as the price guide goes, at first I found it inconvenient to flip to the back of the book to check the prices, but I got used to it and put up with it. Carnival glass resources are few, so this book is out there, but in my opinion, it's not a great book or a good value.

This Edwards & Carwile Encyclopedia is an excellent reference book for the "Carnival Glass" enthusiast. It has clear color photos, large print, is alphabetically listed, has informative descriptions, and a detailed price list. I never go shopping for carnival glass without taking this book; it's a necessary shopping guide. I always find the piece shown, described, and priced in this book. SM

If the title of this book sounds like it's trying too hard, that's probably because it is - and the story follows suit. Not terribly suspenseful, its characters only faintly given depth, rarely engaging and boringly derivative, the story seems to focus on writing style at the expense of relating anything substantive. The story is cloying, with overdone and predictable characters and situations, all of which makes the characters' occasional sense of urgency confusing since their stakes and motivations are never really addressed. In fact the exact motive of the chief antagonist isn't ever made clear - it all just comes off as being menacing for the sake of being menacing - and so the protagonists' struggle just seems pointless. There are times when the story takes itself so seriously and is so bad it's funny - such as when Old Magda gives Ellen a stick to defend herself against great danger, the townspeople accept Dr. Dredd's monsters into their town without a second thought, and numerous anachronisms roam unattended. These events would be intentionally funny if they were treated as comic hubris - but they're not. Additionally, the characters in the town are barely made distinct by their names. Not even deeply characterized enough to be stereotypes, the townsfolk are a mob - a grey, behaviorless, functionless mob.
Compare this story to some of the great suspense/mystical/adventure stories - like the Narnia Chronicles, or for something darker Christopher Pike's work - it doesn't stand up for a moment. Bland, bland, bland.

this spellbinder kept me at the edge of my seat while i read! it's the best book ever.........A MUST READ!!!!!

Dr. Dredds wagon of wonders was my favorite book of Bill Brittain. I always wanted to read it! I liked it because it was exciting and I couldn't wait till the next page! I hope you like it as much as I did!

This is a great little book to help identify all the differences in your fruit jar collection. All the different embossings are drawn out for you to identify - like all the different Ball fruit jar embossings. It helped us beginning jar collectors! Also has prices for all the different jars.

This book has many lovely pictures. Some of the text identifying the pieces is very complete, but some of it is rather scanty. The pictures and the text describing the fascination of Vaseline Glass made me a believer. No guidance on how to tell reproductions and re-introductions from the genuine antique stuff, and no prices. But a good explanation of how to use a black light to tell Vaseline from other yellow glass. Don't buy this book for reference; buy it for inspiration.

Not too often am I able to purchase a book by mail that is exactly as the description described. If you are looking for a detailed analysis of religious stained glass in color, symbol and style,,,this is the book. Quite informative and seems to be thorough in its description and origin of symbols and colors. A must book for those individuals doing stained glass for churches. An excellent reference for those contemplating stained glass for their church. Enjoyable reading along with the very beautiful pictures of existing windows and stained glass in some of the present day churches.

There is good general information on glass terminology and on some of the important glass makers of the era. Examples are of many different pieces and there is a very informative paragraph on each piece. Most of the photos are clear. However, my one complaint is that some of the photos, in particular of the clear glass, are not clear enough to show the details of the patterns. This makes identification nearly impossible in these cases. I still find this a helpful reference that is also readable and attractive.

One runs into a lot of pressed and pattern glass that isn't depression or carnival glass. Many examples aren't marked in any way and one has no way of knowing what they are or when they are made. This book comes to the rescue. Its format is picture after picture, most in color, with brief descriptions. So, one can peruse the pages looking for a match even if one knows absolutely nothing about a given piece. This has helped me a lot. At the end of the book are value estimates for all the patterns shown in the book. Great quality paper and good binding, so this book will last a long time with heavy use. Buy it and carry it with you so you can find out about those neat looking glass items you find but don't recognize.

This book is a God send! As a new antique Glass seller and collector, I find this book to be Heavenly! It's not only packed full of Beautiful Colored Photos, but also states current values and some of the history behind these pieces of wonderful Old Pressed Glass! You Can't go wrong Buying this book! It will pay for it's self in no time!

not user friendly to a beginning collector.
too difficult to use.
can't find what i'm looking for..

I loved this book. It is the best book I have found to use in identifying carnival glass. The pictures are crystal clear, and the number of items included is astonishing. However, the greatest weakness is that the book does not list the year(s) that any of the items were made. That is a huge weakness. You may find out who the manufacturer is and the name of the item, but not knowing the date leaves a huge gap in information.

This book is what it says and encyclopedia. I t was not designed for any group beginner or expert. It is well organized and packed with descriptive color pictures. This encyclopedia tell how when and where the glass was made and more important shows patterns to help you recognize what you are looking at. The "Marks" section is worth it in its self.

My two favorite objects in the book (of which I am not sure I would want in my house) are:

Purple Pickle Paperweight:

"Of All the oddities I've come across in carnival glass, this is probably the oddball of all time."

Scottie

"Surly there isn't a collector that hasn't seen these in the flea market in Scotties, poodles, dear, duckies, or rabbits. They are all covers powder jars, all marigolds, and made near the end of the carnival glass heyday. Still the coloring is usually respectable, and they are cute little things"

Personally I do not think they are so cute; but my wife has the "Dear" that was handed down from her mother.

Again this book is worth just being aware of the diversity in Carnival Glass.,

I was hoping for something a little different. There are only black & white photos/illustrations which are fine, but not great. Other books with color photos are much more user friendly. I have still not figured out exactly how the book is organized. However, all is not lost. As with some of the other glass books I purchased recently, with time, and a lot of patience, I am sure that I can use this book. I would recommend that an in-person examination before buying. Not recommended for the novice collector, like me.

I believe this book would be easier to use and more accessible to a reader if it had an index. It does have some good points, but it is not the definitive work on American cut glass.

This book is touted as a beginners volume yet it fails to perform as specified. The contents are poorly written and few examples are given to help in the learning process. To further complicate the learning of a new language, Puntos de partida provides very little explanations and direction to ensure sufficient comprehension and understanding of the Spanish language. Unfortunantly, this review can speak for most Spanish text books on the market as my Universities Spanish program has realized. Puntos de partida will not help the beginner to learn Spanish. It will deter the beginner to seek further understanding and learning of the Spanish language. This is unfortunate.

then this book is NOT for you. I tried to teach myself Spanish (I didn't know any) and this book just did not work out because of its poor construction. The concepts are not clearly described and all too often I found myself asking why is this grammar like this or what is the difference between the different tenses. The examples are not very helpful either.

However, I took a private introductory class and then returned to this book. Here, the book has provided some value with its vocabulary which is grouped by themes (festivals, family, etc). So the book has some value for a beginner if you are also receiving extensive instruction from another source.

Contrary to other reviews I find this textbook excellent. The chapters lead the student to learn Spanish with a minimal effort at a natural, comfortable pace. Recommended for beginners!