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Matchbox Labels: Over 2,000 Elegant Examples from All Over the World
 
 
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Matchbox Labels: Over 2,000 Elegant Examples from All Over the World [Paperback]

Jane Smith (Author), Natasha Lomas (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)


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Book Description

October 2, 2004

2.400 miniature masterpieces.

A matchbox label collector is called a phillumenist. But you don't have to be one to love these tiny works of art. The popularity of collecting matchboxes is growing because they are affordable and a joy to look at.

Matchbox Labels features 2.400 of the best specimens, chosen for their charm and beauty. The matchbook labels are organized geographically, sorted within each group by theme, and captioned with insightful text.

The book covers selections from:

  • Scandinavia
  • Europe
  • Eastern Europe
  • Russia
  • South East Asia, China and Japan
  • India and Pakistan
  • Great Britain and North America.

The labels range from minute works of socialist realism from the former USSR to marvelous naïve animal and bird pictures from southern India and sophisticated graphics and illustrations from Japan.

A brief introduction offers a concise history of matchbook art and provides helpful advice on how to start, gather and organize a collection of your own.

Matchbox Labels is an eye-catching and fascinating reference for art lovers, designers and collectors.



Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

No ulterior or hidden motives--such as promoting sales or increasing values of collectibles. Instead, Smith is simply focused on celebrating the color and design of more than 2,000 matchbox labels collected worldwide, primarily through eBay. Nine different categories, from people and architecture to leisure and graphics, help separate these almost artlike objects. And the inclusion of French and Spanish translations make these brief explanations much more accessible. Any further description of the contents would never be enough; instead, let readers appreciate visually the almost infinite variety possible in such a small space. Appended to this lovely book are collectors' notes and Internet resources. Barbara Jacobs
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

An easy, cheap collectible... this book will give you an idea of the possibilities... an intriguing introduction to a hobby. (Liz Pogue Victoria Times-Colonist 200412)

Focused on celebrating the color and design of more than 2,000 matchbox labels collected worldwide... lovely book. (Barbara Jacobs Booklist 200412)

A wonderful introduction to the artwork found on matchboxes and to the hobby of collecting labels known as phillumeny. (Paper Collectors' Marketplace )

Any designer or art lover will welcome this fascinating, striking reference -- an excellent source for graphic ideas. (Antiques and Auction News )

The range of subjects, the colors, and art is interesting and amazing. (Linda Hutchinson San Gabriel Valley Tribune )

Strikingly colorful and inexpensive collectibles... tiny artworks. (Lynn Van Matre Chicago Tribune )

Product Details

  • Paperback: 400 pages
  • Publisher: Firefly Books (October 2, 2004)
  • Language: English, Spanish, French
  • ISBN-10: 1552979784
  • ISBN-13: 978-1552979785
  • Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 8.2 x 1.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #209,167 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

4 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Excellent production, So-so selection, October 18, 2006
By 
MadMacs (Honolulu, HI United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Matchbox Labels: Over 2,000 Elegant Examples from All Over the World (Paperback)
Well designed and printed on quality paper, this well-stocked archive is a decent production for collectors, fans, and graphic designers. It's organization is clear and the color labels easily identified.

However, the most obvious shortcoming, and one that I found frustrating, was the amazing lack of North American selections. Nearly the entire 2,000 examples showcased are from former Soviet Union satellites and Asia. This isn't necessarily a bad thing - as you get a very good sense of Soviet-era constructivism and wonderful Asian simplicity & beauty. But the lack of labels from the United States, Canada and Mexico is sorely missed.

Although unbalanced - I would recommend this to devotees of the genre - if only to expose them to labels that aren't often seen. However, for graphic designers and fans of Americana, I would recommend focusing on selections by Chronicle Books.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Visual Resource - Love it!, November 23, 2010
By 
Mary H. (Alabama, USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Matchbox Labels: Over 2,000 Elegant Examples from All Over the World (Paperback)
I'm not a matchbook collector, but I am a graphic designer and I think any designer would find this collection of matchbook covers amongst the highest forms of eye-candy. The book is organized by subject matter, but often times the pages consist of a set from one particular country. I think that there is probably a lot of ground that this book did not cover, but over-all, this is an amazing book for anyone's visual reference library. The illustrations on the matchbooks are absolutely wonderful and inspiring.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Huge Resource, October 21, 2010
This review is from: Matchbox Labels: Over 2,000 Elegant Examples from All Over the World (Paperback)
This book is great. The sheer number of matchook covers and the nice printing are really 95% of why it's a great book. The descriptions are good to great, and I enjoyed the groupings of the various types of matchbook covers.

I really don't like books that throw too much graphic design and 'flare' into the book design to help make the book more engaging.. it tends to overshadow the subject matter and distract. This book does not do that, and I applaud the publisher for it.

Of all the matchbook cover books I've bought, I go to this one for inspiration the majority of the time..
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
Matchbox labels are very tempting to the collector for a number of reasons: their comparatively low cost means they are accessible to anyone; their small size makes them easy to transport; and their endless variety keeps the keen collector engaged and acquisitive. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
matchbox art, matchbox labels, las etiquetas, estas etiquetas, las cajas, label art, safety messages, font appel, una variedad
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Matchbox Labels Etiquettes des Boites, Europa del Este, Eastern European, Belovezhskaya Pushcha, Birdie Brand, Czech Republic, Europa Occidental, Fine Bird, Happy Flower, Meena Kumari, Swami Vivekananda
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