Antique Lamp Buyer's Guide: Identifying Late 19th and Early 20th Century American Lighting [Paperback]

Nadja Maril (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1999

Do you own an old lamp? Are you wondering what it is, how it was originally used, how you can make it better, or how much it is worth? If so, this book is written for you! Easy to read and complete with a newly revised price guide, this book answers many of the basic questions confronting lamp collectors, from "Where do I look for a manufacturer's signature?" to "How do I distinguish reproductions from originals?" Using a combination of color photographs and catalog illustrations, here is a wealth of information for anyone interested in buying or selling old lighting. Included also is a discussion of restoration issues like rewiring, practical uses for fixtures originally made for gas or oil, and restoring and protecting metal finishes.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Nadja Maril is a historic lighting consultant from Annapolis, Maryland who also is the author of American Lighting 1840-1940, also available from Schiffer Publishing.

Product Details

• Paperback: 142 pages
• Publisher: Schiffer Pub Ltd; 2 Rev Exp edition (August 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764308548
• ISBN-13: 978-0764308543
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,346,992 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A "Must Own" For Your Library, October 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Antique Lamp Buyer's Guide: Identifying Late 19th and Early 20th Century American Lighting (Paperback)

If you are looking for a book which has both an overview of different kinds of late 19th century and early 20th century American lighting and some practical advice on both buying and restoration; this is the book for you. It doesn't have everything; but a lot of good information, beautiful pictures and a price guide are included in its 142 pages. I like the way she has both original catalogue pictures and photographs. It's the best single book on the subject I've been able to find!

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just the Book I have been looking for, December 29, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Antique Lamp Buyer's Guide: Identifying Late 19th and Early 20th Century American Lighting (A Schiffer Book for Collectors) (Paperback)

As a professional Restorer of Antique Lighting Nadja's book is an astounding and invaluable resourse ,not only for identifying and pricing , but the tips on restoration have been a help as well.When one has a very strong interest { as I have} in antiques it is very exciting to find a resource like Nadja's books. Martin Dillon "Past Illuminations"

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Terrific photos but pretty skimpy on reference features, January 13, 2005

By 

Roger Purdom "R Purdom" (Wenatchee, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Antique Lamp Buyer's Guide: Identifying Late 19th and Early 20th Century American Lighting (Paperback)

This book provides a good overview of vintage lamps (including both oil and electric) and some excellent photos of an assortment of these lamps. If you like lamps, it is a pleasant book to read because of the excellent photography and the fairly broad array of lamp styles found in the book. I was, however, disappointed that the author falls short in the basic research that collectors really need. The title says it is a guide for antique lamp buyers, but the book has not been particularly helpful to me when I have looked at buying different lamps. For example, look up Bradley & Hubbard's electric lamps in the index and it directs you to photos of a sconce made by B&H - no electric lamps. It tells you little about the company history, their identifying marks, the quality of their product, and which styles tend to be preferred. Despite these critical comments, this still is probably the best book on the market today. So, I would recommend this book to beginning collectors and people who just like to look at good pictures of lamps. For the more serious collector, you might want to wait until Nadja Maril or another author publishes a new and improved version.