Customer Reviews

Center-Draft Kerosene Lamps, 1884-1940 (Identification and Value Guide)

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The previous review can be taken with a grain of salt. With a little research this reviewer would have found out that 99% of center-draft kerosene lamps are made of metal. And that the books by Catherine Thuro cover glass kerosene lamps.

Also, note that this book does not cover Aladdin lamps manufactured by the Mantle Lamp company. These are covered in Courter's, Aladdin The Magic Name in Lamps.

In Center-Draft Kerosene Lamps, Courter provides information on lamps made by dozens of companies. From the well known, i.e. Bradley and Hubbard, Edward Miller, Plume and Atwood, etc. to the obscure, Meriden Malleable Iron Company, S. Elwood May, etc.

There is a history of each company with numerous picture of lamps. Actual lamps are shown and also pictures from old catalogs, trade magazines, newspaper ads, etc..

Also illustrated are the lamp parts, with illustrations of burners, flame
spreaders, wick raiser knobs, oil fill covers, etc. Courter provides patent numbers and dates for these items. He also list the original finishes for the lamp. All valuable information if you are trying to determine if a lamp is authentic, or one that somebody stripped the finish from so it looks shiny, or one that is a hodge podge of borrowed parts.

Finally, Courter provides average prices for many of the lamps.

A great book.

This book is a must for people interested in this branch of lamp collecting. The history of the various companies that blossomed and died in that short era is fascinating. Well illustrated and produced

We watch the PBS versions of Sherlock Holmes. Amazing the variety of really interesting lamps. I have only seen two center drafts in all the antique stores i have visited and those were incomplete. No globe or globe holder.

Catherine Thuro covers the glass lamps in total history and manufacture. My interest more than actually owning any. More clutter and who can afford the best.

In the future i will buy this book, hopefully at Goodwill or from a store that does not know the value.

Any kerosene lamp collector will need this reference book. The discount price just makes the book all the more worth getting.

J.W. Courter's CENTER-DRAFT KEROSENE LAMPS, 1884-1940 packs in black and white photos of lamps, along with values and in-depth discussions of manufacturers and production differences. Its chapters hold many keys to both value and makes and operational differences.

I found the book not only helpful in identification but also I had a good learning experience. It was very informative.

I was very disappointed to find that there were very few examples of glass depression lamps. The book was comprised mainly of lamps that were made with metal. I have a large pink depression lamp that I was hoping to identify. The book was of no use in my search and contained just a few glass examples.