Customer Reviews

The Great Book of Corgi

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This referance and coffee table book is an interesting and beautiful compilation of materials from many sources. The author led the Corgi dynasty in design during the golden years of this historical toy manufacturer. This is not a price guide, but more of a research resource. Inside you will find a complete listing of catalogues and variations from the early days of Mettoy(1933) through the 1980's. It contains an amazing amount of information and should DEFINITELY be in the library of anyone who ever owned a Green Hornet car, or ejected the little crook from his or her James Bond Aston-Martin DB5 ejector car. If you used to drool over these toys in the toystore like I did when I was young, you need this book. It is a warm and wonderful trip down memory lane for both the collector and the person who owned these toys as a youngster. ... This book is 512 Pages and approximately 12" by 12". Hard cover is a nice red leatherette with a golden Corgi silhouette embossed on the front. You will love it.

Corgi Toys were die-cast metal model cars and trucks, made in Great Britain from the mid fifties, and enjoying their heyday in the 1960s. Marcel van Cleemput was chief designer of Corgi Toys from the start of prodution in 1956 until the company went bust in 1983. (It was later revived but that's another story). Here he has assembled the ultimate catalog, full descriptions of every model Corgi ever made, with photographs of almost all of them, around 1000 in all, most in color. Always technically superior to their rivals, Corgi's greatest achievement was the legendary model of James Bond's Aston Martin from the movie "Goldfinger" - complete with a working miniature ejector seat.

If this book was simply a catalog it would still be a must-have for collectors (of whom there are many worldwide). But it's much more. Van Cleemput clearly loved his work and was himself a collector throughout his career. He's included anecdotes of what it was like to work at Corgi (somewhat chaotic at times, it seems) and points out the technical sophistication of models children took for granted at the time.

If you're a collector this book is absloutely essential. But there's much enjoyment to be had if you only played with these models as a child. Turn the pages of this lavishly - beautifully - produced book and say "I used to have that one." Or if you had a sharp eye for an investment when you were only six years old, you can say "I've still got that one - in its original box!"