The Barbie Closet: Price Guide for Barbie & Friends Fashions and Accessories, 1959-1970 [ILLUSTRATED] (Hardcover)

by Patricia Long (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
Because of the high demand for all things related to Barbie dolls, most decorative arts libraries order whatever is published without being too concerned about quality. Fortunately, this is a pretty good book and would not be a superfluous purchase for most collections. Aware that most Barbie value guides show prices for dolls in mint condition, Long, a veteran collector and columnist for Toy Shop magazine, has gone a step further by including prices for the individual components of each particular boxed ensemble. There is also information on other dolls in the Mattel family (e.g., Ken, Midge, and Skipper), sidebars detailing Barbie's history (this is where you find out Barbie's last name as well as the names of her parents!), and facts about each individual model. Hundreds of color photos show the dolls as they would look if in mint conditionDthat is, with ensembles intact (important for collectors). Although the table of contents is detailed, the book suffers from lack of an index. Nonetheless, this is a recommended and highly useful tool.DMargarete Gross, Chicago P.L.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 350 pages
• Publisher: Krause Pubns Inc; illustrated edition edition (March 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0873416953
• ISBN-13: 978-0873416955
• Product Dimensions: 11.5 x 9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,102,313 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I needed this book., May 31, 2000

By A Customer

I'm one of those collectors with every Barbie book possible. Until the introduction of The Barbie Closet, I was always fumbling through all my books to locate information, and prices on vintage Barbie dolls, and that of her fashions and accessories. Lugging a half a dozen books to shows and conventions was always such a pain. Not any more though. Because now, all I have to carry is The Barbie Closet. This book is my Barbie bible. I carry it to Barbie shows, club meetings, and conventions. It has been such a help to me in quickly identifing information, and prices. I love this book, and I love that it has prices for all the little accessories as well as for the clothing, and dolls. This book has been a tremendous help to me.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice book, November 9, 2002

By	alhf4384 (Puerto Rico, USA) - See all my reviews

OK, if you have: the 2 volumes of Sarah Eames and the Ultimate Barbie Book, then you don't need this book. It is nice in a way that fashions are presented on dolls and the dolls are presented by themeselves and described. Also the prices for the individual items are listed (and they are close to ebay prices / and prices I have heard from other collectors). Yet like the other buyer said close ups are blurry and some fashions have no pictures. I didn't find the picture's backgrounds distracting, but that is a matter of opinion. If you have the books listed above don't waste the money this one is worth. I have found several errors, mostly on the names and some acceosries, but nothing really big. I found it to be nice and I am glad I bought it, but if you are tight on money and you just want a good, easy, compact, fast, reference book get the other 3 better, with the money left you can buy some barbies!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointed, March 22, 2001

By A Customer

Money better spent buying Sarah Eames' Barbie Fashion books. This one added nothing and fell short in some respects. Photographs are often poor and close-ups blurry and grainy. Some things had no pictures, just a name and list of items. There are also some errors. And, I realize this is a matter of opinion, but the dolls seemed ackwardly posed in many photos, which is distracting for a reference book. Sorry I couldn't rate it better.