Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(3)
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3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

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.

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

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.

I was hoping to get a better insight into the antique business, instead I had to wade through the author's rantings and complaints about everyone in his life who crossed his path.

I really don't care about your eating sandwiches with celebrities. Tell me something interesting.

How would I sum up the book? It's more an autobiography about the author and a platform for his own self-serving revenge. He seems to hate everyone except his wife. Get a life.

Pass on this one.

I truly enjoyed reading this book. It gave me an insight into the antiques business from one of the most important dealers in the world. His anecdotes about the celebrities clients are intriging. I admire his courage on taking on the auction galleries and their (as he put it) "smoke and mirror tactics".

This book is written with an ax to grind. It seems that the author's family issues have had a greater effect on his life than his success as a dealer. The author needs a psychiatrist to deal with these issues and this book seems to be his vehicle for resolving them.

However, if that wasn't a problem, his contradictions are glarring. In one line he says he never would buy at auction, (pg 168) and then he describes his bidding experiences (pg 215); he says he wanted to rid Newel of "to the trade only" yet his advertisements carried that statement for years; he disparages dealers who exhibit at antiques fairs and their important clients (pg 139) yet he is awed by celebrities and the rich and famous (is he an A-list wantabee?). On and on, saying one thing then the opposite.

Newel is a great company; to bad the author's ego distorts his own denial about how lucky he was to get it all for nothing, to get the opportunity to head a company that his father had already successfully build for him. It's ashame he couldn't have focused his energies into really enhancing the image of an antiques dealer to the public.

Its clear that the author Bruce Newman used his book as a platform for revenge against anyone who ever upset him over the years. He spends so little time discussing the antique business and most of the time gossiping about celebrities. What's the point? The only point this book serves is the author's attempt at self gratification. He clearly seeks attention and portrays himself to be incompetant.

For example, here is someone who claims to be a fantastic business man and antique expert, yet he tells us in his book how his favorite lamp gets sold by his nephew. Why would he bring his favorite antique lamp into an antique store? Why would he not tell the staff not to sell it? How stupid.

His ranting and ravings about sandwiches he ate with "A" list celebrities and his negative comments about other celebrities bored me.

I would have been more interested to learn about his business dealings and antique hunts, but unfortunately we have to wade through his numerous trivial stories.

Save your money, and don't come back to buy this.

Bruce Newman's book is a good try at his attempt at being an "A" list wantabe. He certainly had a liable lawyer review his book as he tests the limits of insult and injury to those he feels he must show up or has a grudge. His unearthing family issues from 30 years ago is disgusting and his ego reveals itself as something he can't quite get a handle on.

Newel is a fantastic company, truly unique. Newman couldn't hold a candle to his father, who created and build the company. For someone who fought to get control of the business, Bruce Newman's only legacy from this book is his attempt to make himself, not Newel, an institution in the antiques industry.

Once I started this book, I couldn't put it down. It was a fast read about the antiques industry and one man's special experiences on how he learned his trade and succeeded by taking his business to the next level.

I felt it was an immodest telling of his meetings with celebrities and how we all would feel if we had dealings with them. I especially liked his anecdotes about Jackie Kennedy.

It was also interesting to learn of his family saga (we all have one) and how he was able to overcome many obstacles along the way.

The tips and tactics section at the end was a great chapter for beginners to get an overall basic view of how the industry works.

I totally agree with Thomas Hoving (the former director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC) who wrote an excerpt on the jacket cover stating that it was "fun...authentic...and a riveting story."

This is probably the worst book I have read about the antiques business in the last 20 years.

Save your money. The author bored me to tears with his rambling and poorly written stories.