I've been collecting American toy soldiers all of my life, and this is by far the best guide that I've ever found. It works as a good overall history of the subject, as well as, a specific historical guide to the companies and individuals involved. It is also superb as an identification guide and for approximate pricing.
Whether you are into cast metal figures like Maniol, Barclay, or Grey Iron, or the classic Marx, Ideal, MPC, or Lido plastics, this is one great guide. It even covers comic book flats, paper soldiers, cerial premiums, and the original G.I. Joe. You can spend hours just flipping though this hefty book and reminiscing, even if you don't currently collect.

Second of two large soft cover books by Richard O'Brien, specifically aimed at the identification and fair value of American Made Toy Soldiers. Includes brief history of each manufacturer pre and post WWII styles of soldiers. Top quality materials, mine has traveled thousands of miles in suitcases, back packs and the backseat. Opened and closed hundreds of times, it is still in great shape. Crisp and clear photos of most of the listed items have helped avoid confusion and misidentification.

With on-line auctions setting the pace in the toy soldier collecting world. An identification guide of this quality is a must in establishing a BEGINNING bid, while desirability sets how high the actual cost will go. Hopefully, an update of this book is in work as in my opinion the on-line auctions have driven the price of many of the toys to often double their listed price.

The Last Dark Place is one of those books that make you think. I particularly liked the skewed version of Heaven and Hell portrayed in this novel. And the immortal Roman who bumbles through his everlasting life waiting for the Second Coming should not be missed. Beware the evil dream clown...

After centuries of exile, Satan wants to return to the glory of Heaven. In order to make his return, he must find someone to replace him as ruler of Hell. Meanwhile, in a small town in New Jersey, a young man named Jimmy Christophe is having strange dreams and hearing voices coming from his air conditioner that make him think he is destined for something more than his normal life.

Mr. O'Brian has filled his novel with twists, turns, and bits of surreal humor like the Greek chorus of Arch Angels and gay bashers in superhero costumes. If you like the works of Clive Barker or Kim Newman, you will like "The Last Dark Place".

This is a GREAT book. It is a MUST read for all 4th grade teachers and students. It has universal appeal, that I think anyone, who enjoys reading about history, in a kind of you are there style, will enjoy. I have read this book yearly to my 4th grade classes since it was first published. The story is based in the Rancho period of California history. It is unique in that it is about a girl, and how daily life on a rancho affects her. The girl is young and the kids easily relate to her. The story itself is fiction. But, it is set on a Rancho that really did exist in what would later become Ventura County. The names of the people that the girl and her family interact with are real names of local founding families, and are historically accurate. A LOT of research has gone into making it as historically accurate as it can be. There are other good fiction stories for other periods of California history, but usually a boy is the main focus. It is WONDERFUL to have a book that has a girl as the main character and to have one that strives to be historically accurate while still telling a good, engaging story.

Absolutely fantastic book! I purchased a copy and was able to identify every foreign soldier I had and sold them for big bucks. COuldn't be happier!!

This book celebrates the Rocky Horror Picture like only Sal Piro can. This book is great! As a Rocky virgin ( :( Yeah I know... how do I live?) this book lets you right into the world of Rocky Horror. It has an incredible group of pictures. Most of them are black and white but some are in full colour. This book lets you have the ultimate Rocky Horror experience, especially for those of us who haven't seen the show. It's like a glimspe into the Rocky cast and show. This book is not being printed anymore unfortunately but if you can find a copy buy it! It is the greatest book and a must for any Rocky Fan.

I came across National Public Radio many years ago just tooling around the FM dial. I found "Fresh Air with Terry Gross" and was hooked by the interview at the time, with Clint Eastwood. The questions were ones I would want to ask him. I was intrigued by this voice I have never heard before on radio, sophisticated, smart, smooth, curious, and down to earth. No commercial radio hype, none of the exaggeration for a big news story, not a celebrity exclusive. I've since heard this audio compilation of the the comedians interviewed on "Fresh Air laughs" and loved it. This isn't just a side splitting laugh a minute tape, it also brings you a realization that these are real people. The Bill Murray interview is so unlike his performer identity we all know that you have to listen to it carefully, because Terry brings out his humanity with her interview style. We get to listen to conversation that has substance and not just style. This is a tape you can sink your teeth into, it's that thick.

The authors describe a practice routine that can help beginners, duffers and pros.

Since the object of the game is to put the ball into the hole, the focus is on developing skills to hole shots. The book develops skills starting from putting to hitting the driver. The theory is developing confidence by building on previously developed skills and creating situations to positively reinforce your successes. Mastering each step through a practice routine develops confidence. This stuff actually works. Buy the book, find a practice partner and lower your score.

Although the six hours refers to someone with experience and possessing all the tools and wood, the design is perfect for people (me, for example) with no woodworking experience. Because I had little experience, I had to refer to Tom Hill's extraordinary Ultralight Boatbuilding, which though written for a skilled woodworker includes important details left out of Six-Hour. There are only a few things I would want to change to Six-Hour:
There are two lists of materials, one on p. 11, one on p. 58. They do not match. The one on 11 has a frame bottom, but this is not in 58, and 58 does not list the keel. They mention a "full sized pattern" for the gussets on p. 18, but no such pattern exists. They also might as well include the butt block procedure for two 4x8 pieces of plywood in the main part of the book because most places on the planet do not have 4x16 pieces of marine grade plywood. Also, readers should work hard to find a source of cheap bronze screws before they start (the project requires about 120 of them--not the 50 given in the text--and they are expensive!) It would also have been nice if they had photographs showning the canoe at main stages in the process. The above minor points did not detract from the 30 hours or so of pure enjoyment I had in using this book to build a canoe. I hope the authors come out with the sailboat version they promise.

We have made these as part of youth programmes in Western Australia. They take us about 30 hours to build with groups of 4 to 5 working on them. These people have never made anything before so progress is slower than you would first think. They are a great project, we use cheap ply and paint them well seems to work fine. The group gets a great deal for the building process. I keep meaning to build one for myself, perhaps this time round I will

I have taken a class a Buffalo State College with John Montague, the author. In the class I built the weekend skiff, a row boat/sail boat. I have also built the 6-hour canoe with high school age kids in the Adirondack Mountains at a summer camp. It took a group of 6 kids to build 2 canoes and approximately 4 days working about 4 hours per day, this includes painting the canoe which is not part of the 6 hours of building the canoe. The directions are easy to follow and the cost is very inexpensive. The canoes have lasted 2 summers so far and look to withstand many more. They are made of marine grade plywood. Have fun building one yourself.

Well, this book has simple versions of all the songs, some times a little too simple. That would be my only complaint. It features all the songs from the stage show, including Once In A While, and all the verses and little bits cut from the film. It also features some great photos from the 1990 London Production. The music is easy to read, and a lot of fun to play. If you have any questions about the book, be sure to e-mail me on tyson@speedlink.com.au!

This book was really great, I found out things I never knew about Rocky Horror, and I'v only seen that movie around 100 times! Richard O'Brien is pure Genious!

10th edition, year 2001 very comprehensive collectible toys guide featuring more than 51,000 values for its 17,000 listings. There are more than 3,700 black and white pictures and a 16-page color section. A complete table of contents makes item location easy. Its items range from Action Jackson, Buck Rogers, Charlie's Angels and Evel Knievel, to Addams Family, Howdy Doody, Munsters and Pez and Matchbox, Renwal, Tootisetoy and wooden toys. Each major topic covers a nice introduction to the area. Very useful reference for toy collectors and enthusiasts.

O'Brien's Collecting Toys covers an awful lot of ground and does it well. Whether you are a collector or a dealer you MUST have this book to be on the same page everyone else is when evaluating the values of most antique and vintage toys. While the book does cover many of the popular toys and manufacturers, it does have many ommissions, at least in the area of tin windups. In the future I'd like to see more toys added, and other manufacturers included..most notably Guntherman, Marklin, Martin, Arnold. A more intuitive listing of the toys would also help as it can sometimes be difficult to find the toy you're looking for.

Elizabeth Stephan's O'Brien's Collecting Toys, 10th Edition is a weighty price guide which could well be used as a price 'bible' for toy collectibles. Anticipate only a handful of color photos mid-book: the meat of the title lies in its black and white photos throughout and more particularly its over 50,000 items categorized for quick reference and provided with the latest values.