Harry Beahr, Jr. and Christopher Price have accomplished something special with this writing. They have documented the birth of the oak-hulled U.S. Sailing Navy with text-book accuracy, while never losing sight of the compelling human drama that the heartiest of sailing souls endured. From the first words, "Body O' me! It's a little city!", the reader begins a nautical journey - as rough as it is elegant - within the expansive bowels of these wooden masterpieces. If you are a reacreational sailor you should have this book aboard if, for nothing else, the detailed (30 page) glossary of sailing terms.

If you, or someone you care about is a sailing afficianado - or a sea-lover of any kind - The Old Navy must be in their collection. It goes far beyond the history of the oak-hulled U.S. Sailing Navy, it speaks to the very heart of the sailor. It reminds us that young men (and today - women) are still lured by the dreams and adventures offered by world travel over open seas.. though such travel is rarely easy or comfortable. It is also a fantastic snap shot of nautical history - drawing attention to terms and conditions that have endured and remain a part of the modern sailors' vernacular. A great read on a quiet night in the harbour.

This book has been so helpful to me and my friends this author has covered everything

As the widely-recognized ambassadors for Coca-Cola, Polar Bears occupy a special spot in my Coca-Cola collection. No doubt about it, these adorable bears and cubs make it all too easy to be smitten with the collector bug. Now I'm delighted to have a handsome hardcover book about these bears to add to my Coca-Cola treasures.

Thanks to this "family scrapbook" with colorful photos and general descriptions, I can now admire and covet the many Coca-Cola Polar Bears in every size, shape and variety. The authors even provided a list of resources that will come in handy. While I would have loved more technical details about how the TV ads were created and animated, overall I'm "beary" happy!

This 192 page, 8 1/2 x 11" softbound volume is jam packed with more than 600 full color, very large, sharp photos, including original boxes and ads. Collectors of this category will really enjoy this wonderful book. There is a brief introduction to the collectible, and is mainly a price picture guide. Prices are 1998. Major topics include Melvin Purvis collectibles, Jr G-man badges, pins and charms, fingerpriting and communication sets, lab, guns, books, movie collectibles, J. Edgar Hoover Items. Collectors will surely enjoy this beautiful book.

This book is a must purchase for anyone who wants to know what a particular wine and vintage has sold for at the leading auctions throughout the world. It clearly shows the quality of the wine (ullage etc) and the recent trends in price. If you are bidding at an auction, buying directly from an individual or merely checking up on your retailer's pricing policy this is the necessary bible for you. Comprehensive, definitive and accurate.

The haunting of the Borley Rectory is perhaps the most famous ghost story of all.This book is a wonderful book. But how much of what described here is actually true? Harry Price was an unpopular man-even his supporters disliked him.After his death there was a re-appraisal of this case and it was largely discredited. As Price himself notes in his book, much of the evidence provided by the Foysters was dicey-Ms. Foyster could have faked it. The actual rectory itself burned to the ground,an event often described as "possibly supernatural." In fact, it was deliberately set afire by the last owner for the insurance money (his own sons admit it.) Since no trace of the building has been left, "parapsychologists" have decided that the whole area is haunted now. They claim that the village church is haunted. I believe in "ghosts" and haunted houses,but there is a great deal of evidence against this specific case which is being ignored because the story is so compelling and well told.This story isn't as one sided as you would imagine from the reviews of this book.

Still..How much is really true!? First of all, this must be the absolute #1 Ghost/Paranormal Investigation of all time! Written in very "good spirits", humor, and British wry wit, it's the rare book that you'll without question read to the end!! Featuring a ghostly headless horseman,nun, carriages, unexplained flying household objects, eerie noises, wine turning into ink, locking of doors,mysterious written messages, etc. this must be the original "ghostbusters" story, and the author is surely one heck of a writer and paranormal investigator...Oddly, just about all the characters involved seem a bit unruffled by these bizarre unexplained activities, but that could be the famed stiff upper lip amusement of the Brits...Really a super impressive book, but not completely convincing, though I admit I'm a skeptic in any case. Possible "human" explanations could be dreams, wish fulfillment, human error, weather changes,wind (noises) faulty/shaky building construction, certain participants "playing games" on the others, an ill woman often unaccountable during these curious goings on, superstitions, faulty sensory perception (like seeing pictures in clouds), even the financial motivation to write a book, though Mr. Price is surely a terrific, thorough writer!..This book may give you the creeps,but my simple advice is to buy it here (used), and you will be amazed. Let you the reader decide...This book has even made me rethink a few things, though I remain essentially a skeptic...

Harry Price, a talented writer, discovered the haunting of Borley Rectory. As a journalist might, he collected all the available evidences in and around Borley Rectory: interviews, witnesses, statements, photographs, histories, poltergeist literature, experiment, and sceancing. The approach of his book, "The Most Haunted House in England" is systematic. It reads as a court case with testimony and vigour. He took care not to pronounce himself a Spiritualist, in the case that his credibility might be put in question. He tried to be as disinterested as possible, but the culmination of evidence convinced him through and through. His style of writing is wonderfully simple but strong.

In my view, the preternatual is an obvious reality, especially as the evidence is showing. I have read close to a dozen books on poltergeists, all which cement the grounds for belief in them. Thankfully my 'gut feeling' of them being real was a reliable one.

Skepticism of the paranormal tends to dogmatism, as with religion. You see, modern science has decided, already, that ghost and poltergeists cannot be. But an intelligent student can see that poltergeists are common and well documented. In parapsychology circles the Poltergeist is the most convincing phenomena, which the possible exception of telepathy. There are too many witnesses, from all social groups, and coming from every country and every age. It would take a real fool, like Frank Podmore or Bertrand Russell, to deny the Poltergeist.

I recommend this book among the classics in preternatural literature. It has more weight than the available crap of today.

On the night of September 27, 1972, twenty-five year old Bob Lowe was just out walking his dog when he witnessed the brutal murder of his neighbor, Billy Logan. Lowe, an auto mechanic and family man living in a blue-collar neighborhood on Chicago's West Side, came literally face to face with the killer, Harry Aleman, before he jumped into an idling car and sped away. It was a vicious mob hit, plain and simple. Lowe easily identified Aleman, and with the assurance of witness protection, was willing to do his civic duty and testify. As he stubbornly told the police and his frightened family, "I saw what I saw." So began Bob Lowe's twenty-five year odyssey through two murder trials, political corruption and pay-offs, disillusionment with the system, depression, petty crime, alcoholism, and finally vindication, redemption and justice..... Fasten your seatbelts, Maurice Possley and Rick Kogan are about to take you on a very bumpy, suspenseful, and compelling ride through the mean streets of Chicago during the years organized crime had a stranglehold on police, judges, and politicians at the highest levels. This is a fascinating, intricate, and intriguing page-turner, made even more so because it's all true. The writing is crisp, intelligent, and engaging, the scenes vivid and riveting, and the characterizations, brilliant. But it's Possley's and Kogan's indepth, painstaking research and great attention to detail that makes this novel stand out. Everybody Pays: Two Men, One Murder And The Price Of Truth is a spectacular and absorbing story, rich in drama and history, and told with insight, wisdom, and humor. This is a novel that shouldn't be missed and should definitely find a place at the top of every mystery/thriller and true crime fan's MUST READ list.

This is a true story of a hit man literally getting away with murder in 1970s Chicago because of a pyramid of power and payoffs, only to have the story come full circle more than twenty five years later and have justice prevail in the end. The hit man, neighborhood wiseguy Harry Aleman, thought that he had gotten away with murder. After all, he had been tried and acquitted, and one can't be tried for the same twice on the theory that double jeopardy would bar such a second bite of the apple. Or would it? Well, more than a quarter of a century later, the Department of Justice thought otherwise. After all, how much jeopardy could Harry Aleman have actually have been in, if the fix were in?

This is a well researched, well-written, compelling chronicle of a case that would would have great impact on an eyewitness to a murder. It also a fascinating narrative on the influence that the mob once wielded over the criminal justice system in Chicago. It is a fascinating birdseye view into a criminal justice system so rife with corruption, it will keep the reader riveted to its pages. It is also the story of one man who tried to be a stand up guy and do the right thing under this corrupt system and found himself the one paying the price for its shortcomings.

Bob Lowe, a working class stiff who worked at a gas station, had the misfortune to stumble into the murder of Billy Logan, a neighborhood acquaintance, one night. In the mean streets of Chicago's West Side, Bob saw Harry Aleman blow Billy away with a sawed-off shotgun. In that one brief moment, simply by being in the wrong place at the wrong time, Bob's life and that of his immediate family would change forever. From that moment on, it would be Bob, and not Harry, who would be on the run.

Placed with his family in a witness protection program that was ineffectual and problematic, characterized in a negative way by the corrupt judge who presided over the trial, and seeing a murderer vindicated at his expense, Bob Lowe saw his life, as he knew it, simply ebb away. He became awash in a haze of booze and drugs, doing some crime and doing some time. His life was a continual lost weekend, until he was finally able to pull himself out of the personal morass into which he had descended. Over a quarter of a century later, he would find himself finally vindicated at Harry Aleman's second trial for the murder of Billy Logan, as Harry Aleman would finally get the verdict he should have gotten over a quarter of a century earlier. The wheels of justice did, indeed, grind slowly.

On September 27, 1972, Billy Logan was murdered on his front lawn. Neighbor Bobby Lowe was an eye-to-eye witness. Hit man Harry Aleman had left his car to check on the victim when Bobby's dog leapt in front of him. For a few seconds, the two men stared at one another, Bobby in shock, and then Harry broke the spell and returned to his car, which then sped away. And Bobby's life changed forever.

Though Bobby told the police he had been an eye witness (much to his family's dismay) and had identified Harry's picture in a mug book, nothing happened. It was buried. Harry Aleman was well connected with the local mob and a nephew to one of its kingpins. Authorities estimated Harry had killed over 20 people. Four years later the case was reopened, and this is when Bobby's personal hell began. Before the trial (estimated to be a slam dunk), Bobby, his wife and three children were placed in one seedy motel after another. They had to give up their jobs, the children changed schools on a weekly basis, and they lived off fast food. The trial was a farce, Aleman was found not guilty and the Lowes entered the Witness Protection Program without adequate identification to secure a decent job. Bobby spiraled down and lost his job, his family and self-respect. Finally, he got his life back together, discarded his false identity, and regained his family. In 1997, the case was reopened again, 25 years after the crime. Bobby had no choice but to testify again.

Possley and Kogan do a masterful job in presenting this complex case without wasting a word. Bobby's character is done so well, you feel like you have known him all your life. The research and documentation are meticulous. The only mystery that remains is Harry. He was an excellent husband and adoring father that just happened to be a cold-blooded killer. I would buy another book explaining to me what made Harry tick.

Sadly, the message I received was to never, ever admit to being a witness to a mob killing. The Witness Protection program, which is devastating and mind shattering even if it worked perfectly, was a farce for the Lowe family. "Everybody Pays" is true crime and investigative journalism at its finest.
-sweetmolly-Amazon Reviewer

This is a wonderful book to have if you are a rookie like me and don't know junk from treasure. Doing alot of yard sales, I come across items that look like junk when in reality, they are a piece of old treasure. This book will help you know what to look for when going to yard sales, "junk" stores, etc. I bought this book looking to get educated on some past collectibles and really got ALOT more information out of it than I expected. This is the only book you will need when trying to sort through what's really worth $$ and what't worth only pennies. WELL worth the money to buy this book. :)

I was not happy with all the items marked NA(not available), RI(recent issue), etc. The book, in my opinion, is not up to date & has very little value to someone who wants to price out their collection

This book is a great reference for plate collectors. Although an update is probably due, the book still offers information that holds in today's market. After pricing and selling some 200 collector plates, I have found the prices in the book to be "on the mark". Don't hesitate to add this to your resource collection.

This book is one of the few out there that is of any value in regards to Collector Plates. Although it doesn't always give you an indication on todays current price, it does tell you what the issue prices was, and gives a guideline as to whether the plate is now worth more than what was paid for it, the same, or less. I deal in Collector Plates personally and as a business, and I do use the book as a reference tool pretty often. I do recommend this book as a general guideline to those interested in collecting or selling plates.

this "book" is the worst book i have ever read. the reason is because the "author" is putting 101 advertizements for harry potter mechandise. i reapeat myself, DO NOT READ THIS BOOK!

The amount and variety of Harry Potter merchandise never ceases to amaze me. Rather than collect much of it, just buy this book. The pictures are detailed and printed on high-quality paper. Want to see what some foreign editions look like? It's in here. Want to find out some basic info about J.K. Rowling? It's in here, too.

Sure it resembles a catalog, but what book of collectibles doesn't? Its biggest flaw is being out of date, thereby leaving out quite of bit of recent merchandise, but it's a good start. The focus is on items based on the books, not the movies, which is okay by me. I'm late to HP fandom, so I get to see what I missed out on.

I also had the advantage of seeing this book in a store, so I knew what I was getting. It would be nice if there were an updated second edition, as this one only scratches the surface of HP collecting.

The book definitely has an entertaining value, but as far as a book for collectors, it isn't up to par. Most of the sections on Harry Potter collectables are not up to date, and they feature very vague values or prices. I think the reason is that Harry Potter merchandise is fairly new, and so it is hard to calculate an item's worth when it just came on to the market.

The book also includes several interesting sections on the upcoming movie, JK Rowling, and England, which are mildly entertaining. The thing that I thought was the most appealing in the book, however, was a section on Harry Potter around the world. I found it very interesting to see the covers of the Harry Potter books in Germany, France, Japan, and many other countries. Out of everything, I would say that that section helps redeem this book, which is otherwise a failure.