The Ultimate Barbie Doll Book [ILLUSTRATED] (Hardcover)

by Marcie Melillo (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Krause Publications; illustrated edition edition (November 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0873413970
• ISBN-13: 978-0873413978
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #379,682 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  Books > Home & Garden > Antiques & Collectibles > Dolls

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

63 of 65 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Barbie Collector's MUST-HAVE!, July 4, 2000

By	Andrea Egger, author of Grave Accusations (Gallup, NM USA) - See all my reviews

The title of the book tells it all. The book takes you back to the very first Barbie doll and shows you how you can tell if you have an authentic doll. It also goes through many of the boxed, collectible Barbies and gives a price list for the older and newer boxed dolls and their value if never removed from the box (NRFB) and if they HAVE been removed. Usually, it's a dramatic difference, so if you can handle it, leave these lovely beauties in their boxes! As the boxes get more and more modern, the box itself is going to be valuable.

I was reading in a doll magazine the other day about whether boxes really are all that important, and one collector/seller said if she just saw a box being sold alone for one of her sets at an antique shop, she'd purchase it just to complete her set!

This book was recommended to me by a very reputable Barbie doll seller who sold me my first vintage Barbie (a #5 brunette who is gorgeous!). I agreed as soon as I took a look at it. Not only does it describe Barbies, but it shows the pictures in more than 1,800 photos! A detailed index allows you to look up specific dolls without having to search through the whole book. Collectible, designer, porcelain and children's favorites are described in this 1996 book, which is well worth the price! If you have any interest in collecting Barbies, buy this book!

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Barbie collector, March 14, 2001

By A Customer

This book clearly organizes an enormous amount of detail such as head molds, body markings, arm styles and more for over 1,000 dolls produced from 1959 through 1995. The book sticks to the dolls most collectors need identified -- those in general release in the US. The book lists the accessories and outfits the dolls were packaged with so it is possible to dress a loose doll found at a flea market. There are extra sections showing popular shoes, arm and head molds. There are 1800 color pictures of the dolls -- my only complaint is that I wish the pictures were bigger. The price list doesn't just assume the collector has a boxed doll or mint complete doll. And the index saves so much time because it is well cross-referenced so even if you don't get the name exactly right you can still locate the doll. I use this book more than any other. This is the definitive book on Barbie dolls.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Review of "The Ultimate Barbie Doll Book" by Marcie Meillo, February 27, 1997

By A Customer

This book REALLY is the ULTIMATE! No Barbie Doll Collector should be without it! I loved the full color pictures of each doll, a Full length shot of the doll in the box, and close up on the face. The lists of accessories that each doll came with is indepensable to someone trying to complete a doll! The Face Picture help identify dolls by hairstyle and makeup..I cannot praise this book enough! It also is a great "Wish Book"!