More Collectible Bells: Classic to Contemporary (A Schiffer Book for Collectors) [Hardcover]

Donna S. Baker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1999

Bells have played a prominent role in our society since the earliest of civilizations, yet few realize the scope of objects encompassed by this broad heading. While all bells share certain qualities--like the ability to produce sound--they vary amazingly in terms of size, shape, style, and material. A flat round Chinese gong is as much a bell as the graceful figurine hiding a swinging clapper beneath her skirt or a strap of round metal "sleigh bells" from the nineteenth century. Featuring over 620 beautiful color photos, this absorbing and entertaining book showcases the wonderful diversity of collectible bells, from animal bells, call bells, and rattles to commemoratives, figurals, miniatures, and holiday bells. Here you will find bells made of different materials, bells with more than one purpose, bells with common motifs, and much more. Both antique and modern, well-known to unique, one of these bells is sure to grab your fancy! Values, an index, and a bibliography are all included.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Donna Baker is a writer and editor from West Chester, Pennsylvania. A member of the American Bell Association International, Inc., she is also the author of Collectible Bells: Treasures of Sight and Sound.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Schiffer Pub Ltd (July 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764308653
• ISBN-13: 978-0764308659
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,228,962 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Bells, February 27, 2000

By 

Bob Clochard "ringsabell" (Gard, France) - See all my reviews

This review is from: More Collectible Bells: Classic to Contemporary (A Schiffer Book for Collectors) (Hardcover)

This is a beautifully produced book with an unrivalled series of 620 stunning color pictures of bells. The illustrations are superbly printed (in China) and look as if they have been cleaned up with a computer so that there are no irritating features in the background. But the text is disappointing both in style and content. The reader will not learn a great deal about bells from the brief accounts that introduce each section and, in many of the captions, there is nothing about the country of origin or the use of the illustrated bell. Few of the bells shown were made to be used - many are modern decorative bells. Because of this, there is not much of interest for collectors of church, temple or animal bells. As to be expected, the emphasis is on bells of America with hardly anything on bells of Europe, Africa and Asia. There is a good index but a poor bibliography. Almost all classical books on bells are out of print and none is as well illustrated as this one. However, bell collectors interested in the manufacture and history of all kinds of bells should try to get hold of a copy of 'Bells and Man' by Percival Price, published in 1983 by Oxford University Press. Regrettably, only 1000 copies were printed and it went out of print almost immediately. American collectors should look for 'The Collector's Book of Bells' by L. Elsinore Springer published in 1972 by Crown Publishers Inc, New York. This is also out of print. The illustrations in these two books are in black and white and far from the quality of Donna Baker's pictiures. But the texts and captions are full of information. Readers of French have another option of a book that is still available. It is 'Cloches de France et d'ailleurs' by Jean-Pierre Rama published in 1993 by Pierre Zech Editeur, Paris. It has beautiful illustrations and a good text but, as the title suggests, it's mainly about French bells.