Don't Come Back Until You Find It: Tales from an Antiques Dealer [Hardcover]

Bruce Newman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2006

NEW YORK - It is the early 1940s, and a horse-drawn wooden cart works its way down "the strip" - Manhattan's Upper East Side. The driver loads his cart at various opulent buildings - with help from thankful supers - taking away tenants' unwanted goods. Returning downtown, the cart's booty will help the fledgling Newel Art Gallery become one of the most influential decorative arts and antiques galleries in the nation.Bruce Newman's new book chronicles his fifty-year career in the decorative arts/antiques arena, discovering, acquiring, and selling art and antiques from all over the world. Newman recounts the early days of being mentored by his father and his own tenure, during which he often dealt with famous clients such as Jackie Kennedy, Dustin Hoffman, and Woody Allen. Finally, he brings his expertise to bear on ways in which a buyer of antiques can feel more confident in their own abilities.Everyone from "Antiques Roadshow" fans to antiques novices and mavens will find this book a treasure trove of information and entertainment.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Bruce Newman received a B.A. from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, in 1953 and is a trustee emeritus of his alma mater. He has appeared on numerous television programs sharing his expertise on antiques. He is the author of Fantasy Furniture, a catalogue raisonné of the genre that he categorized and named. He lives in New York City.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Beaufort Books (January 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0825305365
• ISBN-13: 978-0825305368
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,586,589 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A good, light read on one aspect of the Antique Trade, February 19, 2006

By 

Frank Jelnicky "The Write Stuff" (Palm Harbor, Florida) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Don't Come Back Until You Find It: Tales from an Antiques Dealer (Hardcover)

This book is titled "Don't Come Back Until You Find It, Tales From an Antique Dealer". What it is not titled is "The Authoritative Book on Antiquing", and true to the title this book presents tales from the authors history in this business.

Having no real exposure to the antique trade before watching the Antiques Roadshow on PBS, I first purchased "Hidden Treasures" by the Keno brothers......famed by their involvement on the PBS show and one of their own now. Where "Hidden Treasures" describes both the involvement of the Keno brothers in the Antique trade from their youth to the present (one a dealer and the other a resident expert on Americana at Sotheby's) as well as insightful advice on how they judge any given piece presented to them, Bruce Newman's book is more of a memoir, a look back over his career in the trade and the major events that he was a part of.

If you are NOT well versed in the antique trade, then Newman's book is a good place to start. As he describes in his book, he enjoyed the role of trying to expand the antique market to as many people as possible, never looking down his nose at inane inquiries or naive amateurs. He accomplishes the same with his book. While it is still more of a memoir, his tales are well told and in a conversational style that makes for a quick and fun read.

I also liked his approach to dealing with his adversaries: If it feels good, don't do it. In other words, by continually taking the high road, you will never find yourself in the gutter.

The last 20% or so of the book gives some basic guideposts as to how one might approach the antique trade, and many of his thoughts are very well received. It is certainly not a How-To guide but that's not what he attempts to do right from the start.

I enjoyed this book, commiserated with him on his business dilemmas over the years (family and otherwise) and genuinely believe that his manner and approach to life, to treat people with respect and integrity, helped him have the successful career and life he describes in his book. Nicely done, especially his involvement with Jacqueline Kennedy to start the book. I too felt the air rush out of the room reading it.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars don't come back until you find it: tales from an Antiques Dealer, March 24, 2006

By 

C. Crittenden "cc @ c" (chautauqua, ny) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Don't Come Back Until You Find It: Tales from an Antiques Dealer (Hardcover)

I was disappointed - I thought it would be more informative instead of self congratulatory.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't bother, March 17, 2006

By 

Robert Givens (NYC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Don't Come Back Until You Find It: Tales from an Antiques Dealer (Hardcover)

So this is how bad self-serving biographies have reached. Maybe the auther shouldn't come back until he has found a fact checker, a psychiatrist, or competent ghost writer. It is impossible to really know if he is capable of telling anything that isn't an exaggeration or written to embellish himself at other's expense.

Speaking of expense, I have never seen a book like this advertise so heavily in newspapers. Of course this is at the expense of Pratt Institute, whom the author has graciously offered to donate any profits from this book. Shame on him.

Oh, one more thing, in his ads, he quotes an endorsement from Bruce Wolmer, editor in chief of Art & Antiques Magazine. I would hope he realizes that Wolner works at ART & AUCTION MAGAZINE. That's typical of this book.