Warman's 101 Greatest Baby Boomer Toys


Book Description

The kids of the 1960s are the collectors of today, and their toys are among the hottest items in the collecting world. &break;&break;Warmans's 101 Greatest Baby Boomer Toys brings the past alive with historic details surrounding the creation and evolution of timeless childhood favorites of the 1950s, '60s and '70s. More than 300+ detailed color photos accompany production history and background about the toy industry the year each toy appeared on store shelves. &break;&break;From Barbie, Mr. Potato Head and Rock'Em Sock'Em Robots to The Beatles Flip Your Wig game, Twister and Hot Wheels, this book offers unparalleled insight to the Best Baby Boomers toys.




Toys of the 50s, 60s and 70s


Book Description

"Toys from the 1950s, '60s, and '70s capture the joy of play and the pure fun of being a kid. But beneath those iconic names are rich veins of nostalgia, memory, and history. These toys--and the stories of the kids, parents, child-rearing experts, inventors, manufacturers, and advertisers they affected--reflect the dynamism of American life"--




Toys in the Age of Wonder


Book Description

By the middle 1800s, toys were appearing in forms that drew upon--and that inspired--advances in areas such as optics, biology, geography, transportation, and automation. In these decades, too, a new type of wonder tale was being brought to maturity by a Poe-inspired Jules Verne. The modern wonder tale's highly-charged vision expressed the hopes and the fears, and the delights and the traumas, engendered by "new worlds idealism"--that Western pursuit of both mechanical and geographical conquest. Exploring realms belonging to childhood, literature, science, and history, this innovative study weaves together the histories of wonder tales and children's toys, focusing specifically on their modern aspects and how they reflect and express the social attitudes of that time period beginning around 1859 and ending around 1957.




Shapers of American Childhood


Book Description

The experience of growing up in the U.S. is shaped by many forces. Relationships with parents and teachers are deeply personal and definitive. Social and economic contexts are broader and harder to quantify. Key individuals in public life have also had a marked impact on American childhood. These 18 new essays examine the influence of pivotal figures in the culture of 20th and 21st century childhood and child-rearing, from Benjamin Spock and Walt Disney to Ruth Handler, Barbie's inventor, and Ernest Thompson Seton, founder of the Boy Scouts of America.




10 Things You Might Not Know About Nearly Everything


Book Description

For years, the Chicago Tribune's "10 Things You Might Not Know" column has been informing and entertaining readers on a diverse range of fascinating subjects. 10 Things You Might Not Know About Nearly Everything is a collection of the best of these columns, presented in a fun and easy-to-read format. This book gives readers well-researched, obscure facts on universal topics—including arts and culture, food and leisure, history, politics, science and technology, sports, holidays and religion, lifestyle, language, and more. 10 Things You Might Not Know About Nearly Everything contains a plethora of surprising trivia and pertinent tidbits on so many different areas that will appeal to everyone from history buffs to sports fans to foodies, with an especially riveting look into Chicago-area history and facts. For example, in Zion, Illinois it was once not only illegal to gamble, curse, and sell alcohol and tobacco, but also to whistle on Sundays, put on plays, eat pork or oysters, spit, or wear tan-colored shoes. Some facts will make readers laugh and some will make jaws drop. This collection is a kaleidoscope of the absurd, the outrageous, and the sometimes-gruesome, making a highly entertaining mix of people, places, and things. 10 Things You Might Not Know About Nearly Everything will leave readers brighter, wittier, and curious to learn more about myriad worlds they never encountered before and will never forget.




Warman's Antiques and Collectibles Price Guide


Book Description

Collectors of miniature paintings, lace, Lefton china, Tucker china and yard-long prints will find their favorite pieces listed in "Warman's Antiques and Collectibles Price Guide". This 31st edition has added these categories to the numerous old favorites. Hundreds of photographs, factory marks, and illustrations aid in identifying antiques and collectibles.







Warman's Antiques and Collectibles Price Guide


Book Description

An antiques price guide for more than 50,000 items, with detailed descriptions.




The Great Beanie Baby Bubble


Book Description

"There has never been a craze like Beanie Babies. The $5 beanbag animals with names like Seaweed the Otter and Gigi the Poodle drove a large swath of America into a greed-fueled frenzy as they chased the rarest Beanie Babies, whose values escalated weekly in the late 1990s. Just as strange as the mass hysteria was the man behind it. Sometimes called the "Steve Jobs of plush" by his employees, he obsessed over every detail of every animal his company ever released. He had no marketing budget and no connections, but he had something more valuable - an intuitive grasp of human psychology that would make him the richest man in the history of toys. The Great Beanie Baby Bubble is a classic American story of people winning and losing vast fortunes chasing what one dealer remembers as "the most spectacular dream ever sold.""--Back cover.




Brown Girl in the Ring


Book Description

In this "impressive debut" from award-winning speculative fiction author Nalo Hopkinson, a young woman must solve the tragic mystery surrounding her family and bargain with the gods to save her city and herself. (The Washington Post) The rich and privileged have fled the city, barricaded it behind roadblocks, and left it to crumble. The inner city has had to rediscover old ways -- farming, barter, herb lore. But now the monied need a harvest of bodies, and so they prey upon the helpless of the streets. With nowhere to turn, a young woman must open herself to ancient truths, eternal powers, and the tragic mystery surrounding her mother and grandmother. She must bargain with gods, and give birth to new legends.