Customer Reviews

The Lionel Legend: An American Icon

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This is a pretty book. Great photography and style. But enough historical errors on nearly every page to make it seem to have been written in a parallel universe. Not of this earth. The author has written some fine how-to books in the past but apparently didn't do the homework for this one. That's unfortunate because newcomers will believe what this pretty book says.

You have to give a book at least one star, but this one doesn't even desrve it. If your looking for beautiful pictures of Lionel trains, this book is for you...If you are looking for anything else, forget it. No new or accurate information here. What you are buying is a Lionel advertisement. A huge disappointment! Don't waste your money. If you want to see Lionel trains, buy a Lionel Nation video.

The book police need to step in here. I got through two pages and found multiple errors. If the author does not even know the gauge of American railroad standard gauge track, let alone Lionel standard gauge toy train track, how can you expect the info in the book to be accurate?

Since Kalmbach bought Greenberg and quit publishing all but the pocket price guides, and TM stopped printing their series, the existing copies of their books have gone through the roof. And others are stepping up to write new books on the subject. Unfortunately, the writing must be accurate. This book is not. I only hope that in the future new collectors and hobbyists do not assume the information contained in this work is authoritative and accurate.

If you are looking for a book that is full of historical facts then this book isn't for you. If you looking for a book that is full of great photos then you will love it. I've read other books that go into great detail about properties that Lionel owned, deeds, plots, dates, etc. and they were great but I found this book to be fun to read look at the pictures and just enjoy....

This was a Christmas gift for my nephew. He was fascinated with the pictures in the book and this is something he will definitely enjoy as he grows.

This is a dream book- it takes me back to my childhood and the dreams of a new Lionel train set. Very nostalgic. I give it 5 stars.

I haven't investigated the claims of inaccuracies made by the reviewers below, but no doubt they are valid. However, there are other detail oriented reference works where you can obtain technical info: the Krause Publications volumes, for example. For me, it's all about the visual impact of the toys; and that is this book's great strength. Lots of excellent, large color photos of the most interesting trains and layouts; really a celebration of the shape, color and general affect of these. Let's not forget that they are, in fact, toys, to be enjoyed.