Customer Reviews

Talking Toys of the 20th Century

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

 

 

Kathy and Don Lewis' Talking Toys Of The 20th Century provide an outstanding collector's identification and value guide, using small color photos to provide clear pictures of not only the toys, but the boxes which house them. An organization by toy publisher makes them quick to locate.

When one looks for a collectors guide they are looking for an informed source. A truly good "guide" will show an item in it's mint, original state. This way one can tell if the item they own is in Mint, Good, or Poor condition. It is unfortunate that Ms. Eisenstein and others make excuses for the untidy and ragged condition of some of the dolls and toys in this book, and for the sorry state of the photography. It tells me that the authors did not feel that it was their job to find really great examples of things that are not that hard to find... It takes hard work and imagination for this, and I'm afraid these things are lacking.

Another wonderful, informative book from Kathy and Don Lewis, the authors of "Chatty Cathy Dolls." It's wonderful to see a real guide, using photos from collectors which depict items in played with to mint condition, which is realistic for older dolls and toys. How often are we lucky enough to find mint condition collectible playthings? Highly recommend!

I have spent hours reading Talking Toys of the 20th Century. It is an outstanding book and Kathy and Don Lewis did a remarkable job in their research to make this book possible. Thank you Kathy and Don.

"Talking Toys of The 20th Century" is the only book of its kind in the world...It is an outstanding, comprehensive photo and value guide, not simply a resource for the "serious" collector, but instead it's an easy to read, fun to look at pictorial of some of the most important and obscure talking toys ever made. Once you see the wonderful photos and read the product descriptions of these magical icons from the past, you'll want to get a second or third job to satisfy your ever growing hunger to collect these treasures. Also check out the Lewis' first book on Chatty Cathy and Family Dolls...A must have for Chatty collectors!

Finally, an exceptional price guide and identification book for us collectors. Never before have I seen this type of pricing system and I hope future authors copy this format. Having multiple prices listed according to varied conditions (fully described) and the first price listed being the one that applies to the item pictured takes the guess work out of evaluating the toy's value. This system is VERY easy to understand. I did not know there were so many toy companies that made talking toys. It has several hundred full color photos, almost 300 pages and the Table of Contents and Index pages make it very easy to locate an item. Beautifully clear photos and the personal style in which it's written make this book stand in a class by itself. This book is actually fun to read. I highly recommend this book, whether you are a novice or diehard collector. Either way, you will learn a great deal from this book. TODAY'S BOOKS, which is an online reviewing house, gave this book a 'red heart five star' rating which is their MUST READ catagory; better than their 'five star' which is EXCEPTIONAL. "Talking Toys of the 20th Century" is by far the best and most thorough book on talking toys to-date. It will be hard to top this one!

If you collect talking toys of any kind, you'll want this small but mighty paperback book that provides almost 300 pages jam packed with sharp, full color photos of all of your favorite talking toys of the 20th century. The completely indexed volume includes a photo, description and price for items from Ariel, the Little Mermaid to Chatty Cathy, to Ed Grimley and Woody Woodpecker. The book's small size (approx. 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 inches) makes it a handy reference guide to keep with you. A very useful addition to your library that you're sure to use often.