21 used & new from $14.68
See All Buying Options
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
 
Purse Masterpieces: Identification & Value Guide
 
 
Share your own customer images
Search inside this book
Tell the Publisher!
I’d like to read this book on Kindle

Don’t have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here.
 
  

Purse Masterpieces: Identification & Value Guide (Hardcover)

~ Lynell Schwartz (Author) "Imagine a beautiful painted scene with its intricate detail and multitude of shades by Raphael or Fragonard..." (more)
Key Phrases: glass beaded purse, scenic purse, vanity purse, The Curiosity Shop, Irene Clarke, Paula Higgins (more...)
3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)

Available from these sellers.


6 new from $24.68 15 used from $14.68

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Vintage Purses: at Their Best, with Price Guide (Schiffer Book for Collectors)

Vintage Purses: at Their Best, with Price Guide (Schiffer Book for Collectors)

by Lynell K. Schwartz
3.9 out of 5 stars (8)  $19.77
100 Years Of Purses 1880s To 1980s : Identification & Values

100 Years Of Purses 1880s To 1980s : Identification & Values

by Ronna Lee Aikins
3.2 out of 5 stars (4)  $18.21
A Passion for Purses, 1600-2005

A Passion for Purses, 1600-2005

by Paula Higgins
5.0 out of 5 stars (6)  $32.97
Handbags (Schiffer Reference Book for Collectors)

Handbags (Schiffer Reference Book for Collectors)

by Roseann Ettinger
5.0 out of 5 stars (2)  $19.77
Antique Purses: A History, Identification and Value Guide

Antique Purses: A History, Identification and Value Guide

by Richard Holiner
2.8 out of 5 stars (4) 
› Explore similar items

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Never before has a book examined the intimate link between the fine art of purse making and the fashion history of purses - until now.The volume expands upon recognizing purses as art, the delicate art of purse making, architecture as inspiration, the manufacture of mesh, a look at fabric, rare and unusual pieces, vanity bags and compact purses, frames, and works of celluloid. The book traces the transformation of fine art masterpieces into vintage beaded and petit point purses identifying those taken from the paintings of Raphael, Millet, and Fragonard, among others. Along with detailed photographs, there are vintage advertisements and catalogs, original design sketches, purse-making instructions, and rare assembly photographs, which provide fascinating peeks behind the production scene. 2004 values. AUTHORBIO: Lynell Schwartz is owner of The Curiosity Shop in Chesire, Connecticut, for more than a decade. Her articles and antiques have appeared in many national magazines and newspapers. She is nationally recognized as an authority on ladies' vintage accessories and is the publisher of the purse collector's newsletter and author of Purse Masterpieces, Vintage Purses At Their Best, and Vintage Compacts and Beauty Accessories. REVIEW: This book expands upon recognizing purses as art by taking a closer look at the breathtaking array of fabric, the manufacture of mesh, the elaborate frames, and intriguing works of celluloid. Some of the rarest and most unusual pieces are highlighted. In addition to exquisite bags, there are vintage advertisements and catalogs, original design sketches, purse-making instructions, and rare assembly photographs.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 272 pages
  • Publisher: Collector Books (December 2003)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1574323636
  • ISBN-13: 978-1574323634
  • Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 9.2 x 0.8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #941,648 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category: (What's this?)

    #34 in  Books > Home & Garden > Antiques & Collectibles > Fashion

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

More About the Author

Lynell K. Schwartz
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

› Visit Amazon's Lynell K. Schwartz Page
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Search Inside This Book:
Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
Imagine a beautiful painted scene with its intricate detail and multitude of shades by Raphael or Fragonard. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
glass beaded purse, scenic purse, vanity purse, widening panels, purse frame, crocheted pouch, jeweled frame, purse twist, chatelaine purses, celluloid frame, vintage purses, tapestry purse, mesh purse, enameled frame, point purse, bead worker, plunger top, fine glass beads, mesh links, tortoiseshell frame, steel beads, silk pouch, carry handle, ring mesh, beaded bags
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
The Curiosity Shop, Irene Clarke, Paula Higgins, Courtesy of the Napier Company, Diane Goldfarb, Bliss Company, Elaine Lehn, Walter Kitik, Harry Barth, Joyce Morgan, Marion Held, Courtesy of Marilyn Pivnick Purses, Lisa Statt, Middle Ages, New York, The Angelus, Distinctive Group of Beaded Bags, Madame de Pompadour, Mandalian Manufacturing Company, United States, King Ludwig, The New Piccadilly, Courtesy of Diane, Sleeping Beauty, The Foster Blue Book
New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats
Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Search Inside This Book:
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 41 books:
See all 41 books this book cites

Books on Related Topics (learn more)
 
Bead Crochet by Bethany Barry
Handbags by Barbara G. S. Hagerty
 

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Vintage Purses: at Their Best, with Price Guide (Schiffer Book for Collectors)
28% buy
Vintage Purses: at Their Best, with Price Guide (Schiffer Book for Collectors) 3.9 out of 5 stars (8)
$19.77
Handbags (Schiffer Reference Book for Collectors)
23% buy
Handbags (Schiffer Reference Book for Collectors) 5.0 out of 5 stars (2)
$19.77
100 Years Of Purses 1880s To 1980s : Identification & Values
19% buy
100 Years Of Purses 1880s To 1980s : Identification & Values 3.2 out of 5 stars (4)
$18.21
Purse Masterpieces: Identification & Value Guide
16% buy the item featured on this page:
Purse Masterpieces: Identification & Value Guide 3.0 out of 5 stars (2)
Explore similar items

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

 (What's this?)
Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product).
 
(15)
(9)
(10)
(7)
(7)
(7)
(7)
(6)
(5)
(4)

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more
 

Customer Reviews

2 Reviews
5 star:
 (1)
4 star:    (0)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.0 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
26 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars Where are the Masterpieces?, January 21, 2006
By California Collectors Group (California, New York, Chicago) - See all my reviews
This is quite possibly the most self-serving book I have ever seen published. The misleading title, Purse Masterpieces, suggests that it will feature the very best extant examples of vintage and antique purses. Disappointingly, what we are given instead is a virtual catalog of the author's own collection, regardless of rarity, condition, noteworthiness or "masterpiece" status. Commonplace and unremarkable purses are included alongside finer examples. There are important categories of purses poorly represented or ignored entirely, presumably because the author either had none in her personal collection or had no interest in the type. The overwhelming majority of the purses included in the book are listed as being from the author's retail store or the author's personal collection. While the author did scatter here and there a limited number of purses from a few select other sources, the book reads like a photographic documentation of the author's retail store. To add insult to injury, the values placed by the author on her own purses appear much inflated, thereby rendering the book's worth as a price guide suspect at best and a disservice to the collectible purse market at worst. The text breaks no new ground and reveals little that hasn't been published elsewhere in other more comprehensive and more fairly written collector books on purses.

The end result is that a book ostensibly purporting to document and value only the finest "masterpiece" examples of purses instead comes off like a means for the author to market all of her own purses by establishing "book" prices and published status of her collection.

The author describes herself as "collecting, researching and writing about vintage purses for over a decade," and while she appears reasonably knowledgeable on the subject commensurate with her limited time in the field, I would humbly suggest a more accurate title for her book. She has a lovely collection deserving of cataloging, and my colleagues and I would certainly help her value them more accurately.

There are many well-researched books and price-guides available on vintage, antique and collectible purses written by professionals with a wealth of time and experience in the field. In my opinion, this book does not add to the fund of knowledge or documentation on the subject previously published. The premise of a book solely focusing on masterpieces is a good one, and I will await the publication. ... This just isn't that book.

A real disappointment.
Comment Comment (1) | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Book, April 10, 2007
Purse Masterpieces is a wonderful addition to the literature on antique and vintage purses. Many examples pictured in this book have never been seen before, some of them dating to the 18th century. Seven other individual collectors contributed to this book. The sections on beaded, mesh and dance purses has some lovely examples, which any collector would be proud to add to her collection. Another section on frames shows some beautiful jeweled pieces that have not been seen in the exisitng literature. In her first chapter, Ms. Schwartz discusses the relationship of purse designs with the more traditional art form of painting, archeology (Egyptian) and literature. She makes a connection that has not been made in the past in other books on purses, which adds to the literature and makes for a very interesting read. Her value guide is just that, a guide. As all purse collectors know, prices vary from one end of the country to the other, from venue to venue, and year to year. I highly recommend this book to all antique and vintage purse collectors.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
identify the logo on a handbag 0 September 2006
identify the logo on a handbag 0 September 2006
identify the logo on a handbag 0 September 2006
identify the logo on a handbag 0 September 2006
› See all 4 discussions...  
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
   

Product Information from the Amapedia Community

Beta (What's this?)

Look for Similar Items by Category

Look for Similar Items by Subject

Search Books by subject:








i.e., each book must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...
 

Feedback

If you need help or have a question for Customer Service, contact us.
 Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
Is there any other feedback you would like to provide?

Your comments can help make our site better for everyone.



Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.