Customer Reviews

Under the Tree: The Toys and Treats That Made Christmas Special, 1930-1970

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

 

 

'Under the Tree' is Susan Waggoner's second dip into the festive market. I thought her previous book: 'It's a Wonderful Christmas' was much better because it covered the overall Christmas experience rather than just toys. The text in this latest book is a rather generalized historical view of toys and the magic of seeing them all under the tree on the twenty-fifth. What gives the copy a lift are the frequent Santa's Shopping List panels throughout the book. These list toys with a brief description and the prices and just wait until you see some of those prices. For twenty bucks you could get a pretty good train set in 1954 or a Radio Flyer wagon for $7.29 in 1950 or how about, in 1947, a Betsy Wetsy sixteen inches tall doll for Sis at $8.79.

Nostalgic as all this might be I thought the real disappointment was the picture content and the design. Most of images are bits of pages from mail order catalogs showing generic toys and many of them have been reproduced too small and badly cropped making them look rather like something just to fill some page space. Overall I thought the picture content very poor. There are a couple of whole page ads included, Schwinn bikes and Brach's candy, and they really stand out from the other pictures. It would have made the book much more interesting if there were lots more festive toy ads from the past. None of this is helped by the bland page design which is the same as Waggoner's 'It's a Wonderful Christmas' book but at least that one had a much wider range of vintage illustrations and photos.

Considering the subject matter of 'Under the Tree' it really should have sparkled visually to capture everyone's nostalgic Christmas imagination.

Branded toys like Barbie, Lionel trains or Revell model kits get a mention but I think I much better toy book is Tim Walsh's Timeless Toys: Classic Toys and the Playmakers Who Created Them a beautifully designed three hundred page historical survey covering toys from 1900 to 2000. A second choice might be The Story of American Toys: From the Puritans to the Present. Though neither of these are hung round a Christmas theme like 'Under the Tree' they are both wonderful celebrations of the goodies that filled Santa's sack.

***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.

Baby Boomers should enjoy sitting down with a cup of coffee to read this book. Why is it, the days gone by are always the best?

Wonderful book I remember a lot of the things in their. Thing you thought you forgot about when you were a kid. Show your grandchildren what you had as a child.

This was a nostalgic look at Christmas past that brought back lots of fun memories of toys and times as a family as children.

This one brought memories back from not only my childhood but my two grown boys.

I am a nostalgia buff so I was naturally drawn to this book that held so many memories of my childhood. Highly recommend if you love strolling down memory lane. Also book was in great condition. Very pleased.

Take a trip down memory lane. I smiled and remembered being an elated child!!!

This book brings back very fond memories for Baby Boomers and Traditionalists who remember those "good old days"!

The illustrations in this book are great and the book is wonderful. I still have some of my Matchbox cars and every time my grandson comes to visit he asks for them. They've been around for years!

Memory Lane is a great place to visit from time to time.
And this book was a wonderful road map to take you there when at times you get lost.