Aladdin Electric Lamps [Paperback]

J. W. Courter (Author)

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

J.W. Courter retired as professor of horticulture University of Illinois in 1991. Collector, author and publisher of books on antique lamps and lighting. Courter organized The Aladdin Knights of the Mystic Light in 1973 and publishes the newsletter Mystic Light of the Aladdin Knights. Over 1000 attend the Gathering of Aladdin Knights, who sponsor an International Lamp Show & Sale, each year.

Product Details

• Paperback: 229 pages
• Publisher: J W Courter (August 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0961887907
• ISBN-13: 978-0961887902
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #614,105 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The ONLY book to COMPLETELY ENCOMPASS the subject of Aladdin ELECTRIC Lamps., July 24, 2011

By 

majormusiclover - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Aladdin Electric Lamps (Hardcover)

This comprehensive detailed reference book is the ONLY one of it's kind that contains information focusing on Aladdin ELECTRIC lamps. (Not kerosene) Copyrighted and released in 1987, it is Courter's SECOND book. (See Footnote)

This book was extensively researched, and it is considered 'the other bible' of Aladdin lamps.

Here Courter gives an account of the begining history of the Aladdin lamp co.

Where the factory was located in Alexandria, Indiana. -- The building is still standing.

1. The Mantle Lamps Company of America was established in 1908. Producing "Aladdin kerosene mantle lamps" and some other items.

2. Aladdin made insulated cooking dishes for the U.S. armed servics during W.W.1.

In 1919 Aladdin Industries, Inc. was founded as a subsidiary of the Mantle lamp Co. They made 'Thermalware jars' and dishes. The 'jars' were one to two gallon metal water coolers, the likes of which your parents may have had from the 1920's or 1930's. The first Aladdin vacuum bottles were later introduced in the early 1930's.

That was to be the begining roots of some wonderful and VERY collectable children's items.

In 1950 Aladdin introduced it's 'character' school lunch kits. Decorated with action scenes of America's favorite cowboy, Hopalong Cassidy, Aladdin's creation set a new trend in colorful lunch boxes.

3. Aladdin first year to produce an Aladdin ELECTRIC lamp was in 1930. The first were vase style lamps, and some semi-opal with marblelike glass colors.

4. Aladdin alacite lamps that were made before W.W.ll contained uranium, and those lamps will glow a greenish color under a black light. Those are more sot after then the later lamps. Aladdin had to stop using uranium because of the war effort.

5. Shown are colored photos of assorted 'Velvex' vases, and velvex Aladdin lamps 1935 to 1938.

6. This book covers ALL electric lamps, table, boudoir (bedroom), pin-up (wall) and both styles of floor lamps, regular (uses a standard looking shade) and torchere (uses a large glass shade that is open towards the ceiling.

7. Page 46 gives the lamp model # for table, boudoir and pin-up electric lamps from 1930 to their end in 1956, and the years those models were made. The model was always MADE the year before it was released. So this chart shows the last model made in 1955, but shows the last year for the release of an Aladdin electric lamp 1956.

8. An extensive amount of Aladdin lamps and shades are shown for table, boudoir, pin-up and both styles of floor lamps, regular and torchere.

9. The Aladdin lamp finial assortment, and drawings of all known finials that exist are shown and a year given.

Since 1965 Aladdin has been the manufacture of the world-famous Stanley stainless steel vacuumware.

All this information and much more in greater detail, is contained in this essential book.

There aren't any values given for any items.

The #5 price guide is the latest one from 2006. It's out of print but as of July 24, 2011 Amazon still has a few.

This big book and the price guide really do go hand in hand on this book.

Often the price guide will give the number ONLY of a lamp and the page number that it is found on in the big book. Without the big book you often wouldn't know what item they were pricing.

Your local library will likely have a copy of this book.

Footnote: Courter's FIRST book was published in 1971, "Aladdin the magic name in lamps" contained information on both electric and kerosene mantle lamps.

Published by Wallace-Homestead Co., Des Moines, Iowa. The front cover of this book pictures BOTH electric and kerosene mantle lamps, and a bowl. This 168 page book has had multiple printings from it's copyright year of 1971. Now out of print. Later, Plain Talk Publishing Des Moines, Iowa, also printed this same book.

This book is 8 3/4" wide x 11 1/4" tall x 3/4" thick hardback. There have been several companion price guides for this book that of course gave values for both electric and kerosene mantle lamps. All are out of print.

NOTE that the oblong book that is shown on Amazon as one of the choices for "Aladdin the magic name in lamps" at THAT location, is misleading. The picture of a table with a kerosene lamp between two banners for Aladdin lamps, is simply the inside page of this 1971 book. Or one of it's repeated printings. Note that it is published by Wallace-Homestead Co., and the the picture that shows the content pages end at page 168.

Courter had continued to vastly research Aladdin lamps and their history, and gained so much additional information that he separated the two categories of electric and kerosene. The end result became two books that are basically the 'bibles' of Aladdin electric and Aladdin kerosene mantle lamps. They are as follows:

Courter's SECOND book published in 1987 is "Aladdin Electric Lamps". This book is 8 3/4" wide x 11 1/4" tall x 3/4" thick hardback, and is the book the above comments are about. The front cover of this book pictures ONLY electric lamps. These 229 pages were published by Plain Talk Publishing, Des Moines, Iowa. This book covers many facets of collecting Aladdin items, and the main focus is Aladdin "Electric" lamps. For now, out of print. There have been 5 price guides as companions to this book. The latest is #5 from 2006, 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" and 47 pages. This guide is also out of print, as of July 26, 2011, Amazon still has a few. THIS book doesn't feature kerosene, they are the focus of the following book.

Courter's THIRD book copyrighted and published in 1997 is "Aladdin the magic name in lamps". The outer spine states "REVISED EDITION". The front cover of this book pictures ONLY kerosene mantle lamps. These 304 pages were published by Image Graphics, Inc. Paducah, Kentucky. This book is 8 3/4" wide x 11 1/4" tall x 7/8" thick hardback. This book covers many facets of collecting Aladdin items, and the main focus is on Aladdin Kerosene mantle lamps. For now, out of print. There have been numerous campanion price guides for this book. The latest is #22 from 2006, and is out of print.

As of July 24, 2011, Amazon still some available. This kerosene price guide is best used with this big book, but it is VERY informative by it's self.

J.W. Courter has written and had published on the subject of Aladdin lamps, the tolal of the three books mentioned above.

Each book has had the appropriate companion price guide.

NONE of the 'big' books contain price values.