Customer Reviews

The encyclopedia of antique sewing machines: A reference manual for the history, identification, maintenance, and use of antique and vintage model sewing machines

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This book has some good info on the history of the sewing machine, as well as
some history for a few selected makers of sewing machines. It also gives useful
info on pricing sewing machines for sale,
and how to pack a machine that you are shipping. Unfortunately, after explaining the
pitfalls when trying to place prices on vintage sewing
machines, it fails to give any helpful information about
the specific value of the various machines illustrated in the book.
I mean, you don't need to be a brain surgeon to realise
that you need to "take into account the machine's condition." Duh.

The book contains hundreds and hundreds of illustrations - its
strong point. Unfortunately, their quality is that of a typical
struggling small town newspaper - many, if not most, are of extremely poor quality,
especially for a book priced at more than $50. Also, there is much repetetive
content dealing with how to thread, oil, use attachments, etc. Maybe this info seems
rather useless to me since I sell sewing machines, so perhaps I
am being a bit harsh. (From my view, any high school graduate
can figure out how to thread and use a vintage sewing machine.)

Another problem is that the book deals mostly with later
"vintage" sewing machines (from about 1900 - 1930.) There
is not much info on earlier machines; probably the best source
for the earlier era is the book by Grace Rogers Cooper.

All-in-all, the book is OK if you are interested only in a few
makers of sewing machines from the early 1900s. But for $50+
the author should have at least provided decent illustrations.