Customer Reviews

Melmac Dinnerware

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

 

 

The authors have presented a fairly basic overview of most of the main lines of melmac dinnerware, including illustrations from their own impressive collection and a short history of each manufacturer. As a reference volume or identification guide, this falls short, but as a general overview of the world of melmac, probably this is the sort of information that most semi-casual collectors can use. Until a better volume on this subject comes along (rumor has it that a promising young scholar is working on just such an opus) this still has to rank as about the best set of encapsulated summaries and illustrations available. Hence 4 stars.

I couldn't get very excited about this book. The whole genre of "pricing guides" is tacky and depressing (it takes all the fun out of junking - both from a buying and selling standpoint) but this one didn't even try to be informative. It wasn't well researched, nor was it very comprehensive.

I would suggest ignoring these guides and just going with your instinct. If you like it, buy it. Don't let these silly guides decide your taste for you. If you're a dealer, get to know your stuff and your customers and price accordingly.

I have to agree with other reviewers. For those of us who love collecting melmac, this guide falls short by a mile. There was so much more to say about this fabulous vintage dinnerware - including listing pattern and color names, but it was nowhere to be found. Hopefully, someone else will publish a more comprehensive guide for us Melmacians!

I found this book very disappointing: the authors did a minimum of research. Instead, they filled the pages with photos of items from their own collection--the monotony of this approach is quickly evident. With very few pattern names given, and a far too general price guide, there is little information in this book. A self-indulgent effort, at best.

Exceptional overview of the world of plastic dinnerware. The photos are great as are the company descriptions. This book makes those flea market finds easy to identify and price.