• Reference | Encyclopedia
• Reference | Fun Facts
• Home & Garden | Antiques & Collectibles
• Health, Mind & Body | Beauty & Fashion
• Travel | Europe
• Curiosities & Wonders; Unexplained Phenomena

Encyclopedia of the Exquisite is a lifestyle guide for the Francophile and the Anglomaniac, the gourmet and the style maven, the armchair traveler and the art lover. It’s an homage to the esoteric world of glamour that doesn’t require much spending but makes us feel rich.

Taking a cue from the exotic encyclopedias of the sixteenth century, which brimmed with mysterious artifacts, Jessica Kerwin Jenkins’s Encyclopedia of the Exquisite focuses on the elegant, the rare, the commonplace, and the delightful. A com­pendium of style, it merges whimsy and practicality, traipsing through the fine arts and the worlds of fashion, food, travel, home, garden, and beauty.

Each entry features several engaging anecdotes, illuminating the curious past of each enduring source of beauty. Subjects covered include the explosive history of champagne; the art of lounging on a divan; the emergence of “frillies,” the first lacy, racy lingerie; the ancient uses of sweet-smelling saffron; the wild riot incited by the appearance of London’s first top hat; Julia Child’s tip for cooking the perfect omelet; the polarizing practice of wearing red lipstick during World War II; Louis XIV’s fondness for the luscious Bartlett pear; the Indian origin of badminton; Parliament’s 1650 attempt to suppress Europe’s beauty mark fad; the evolution of the Japanese kimono; the pil­grimage of Central Park’s Egyptian obelisk; and the fanciful thrill of dining alfresco.

Cleverly illustrated, Encyclopedia of the Exquisite is an ode to life’s plenty, from the extravagant to the eccentric. It is a cele­bration of luxury that doesn’t necessarily require money.

Dennis Prince teams up with antique and collectible expert Lynn Dralle to provide all the information necessary to reap the huge benefits of selling antiques and collectibles on eBay

Written by an eBay Power Seller whose earnings topped $20,000 a month, this book helps you to research types and eras of antiques and collectibles and find the best merchandise.

How to Sell Antiques and Collectables on ebay also informs the reader of the correct use of language that gets buyers to pay the most for the seller's items.

Do-it-yourself decorators will discover creative inspiration in this book, along with smart shopping tips and easy-to-follow guidelines for giving a room unique character and personality with vintage finds.

Practical flea-market shopping advice.

Hundreds of illustrated ideas for decorating with vintage finds, room by room.

275 inspiring color photos of homes and rooms featuring creative decorating ideas.

Easy how-to for evaluating, salvaging, and refurbishing finds.

Favorite flea markets and antique fairs around the country.

Internet antiques-shopping tips, including the best sites for auctions, on-line antique malls, and state-by-state flea market guides.

Superb examples of the ironworker’s art—elaborately wrought designs for gates, fences, finials, banisters, window grilles, signs, marquees, cathedral screens and a host of other architectural and decorative appointments, from Gothic style to Art Nouveau—meticulously rendered in fine black-and-white drawings reprinted from rare European and American books and periodicals, all copyright-free.

Carnival Glass has magic. It captures a unique harmony of color, pattern, and iridescence--a shimmering dance of light, an ever-changing sheen with many moods. It possesses a legacy from the master craftsmen of the past. Carnival Glass has mystery. Looking at its history is like holding a mirror to the world. It reflects all aspects of society and culture--and in those reflections over time lie many mysteries. Carnival is the "Cinderella" of glass that has become a "Rockefeller" of glass. Through over 300 stunning color photographs, almost 200 black and white illustrations (including original, detailed line drawings of Carnival patterns), and much contemporary archive material the reader is presented with a wealth of information surrounding Carnival Glass. Individual chapters provide an explanation of how Carnival was made. Many hundreds of patterns are covered, over 500 of which are explored in detail. There is a fresh look at the major and minor manufacturers of Classic American Carnival and the relationships among them, Carnival Glass from around the world, fascinating and revealing catalog information, and many unique insights into aspects of Carnival previously unexplored. Uniquely, the book provides recognition features for many geometric patterns as well as an analysis of the "Signature Characteristics" of the main Carnival manufacturers in both the United States and the rest of the world.

Rich in history and valor, the multicolored woven art known as "tartan" is centuries old but has been codified only since the late eighteenth century. Conjuring images of kilted warriors and lively bagpipes, tartan has survived hundreds of years to become the very fabric of a nation--as popular today as in years past. "All Scots are color coded," it is said, and in this first of three alphabetically arranged volumes you will find over 400 examples of vividly striped tartans covering the names Abbotsford to Fraser. "What are my colors?" is the most frequently asked question of the International Association of Tartan Studies, and chances are you will find them in this beautifully illustrated book. Compiled from the nearly 5000 tartans in the Association's database and selected by two leading authorities, this outstanding assortment ranges from the simplest to the most complex. Includes brief historical background, definitions of related terms, and thread counts for the tartan weaver. An invaluable resource for families, clubs, historians, and designers.

This volume contributes to the burgeoning dialogue on the "Reggio Emilia" approach, and features the work of scholars, policy-makers, researchers, administrators and practising teachers who have created and directed the infant-toddler care systems in four cities in Italy. Joined by American educators and researchers (including Ron Lally, Rebecca New and Jeanne Goldhaber), their work builds upon and extends inclusionary and family-centred philosophies. It combines missions of care and education, and produces innovations in space and environments. The collection contains examples from dynamic, open systems of organization that support emotional and cognitive development of infants and toddlers, and respect the delicate relationship between parents and their young.

Don't Be Scared - Be Prepared How will your family stay warm, fed, and sheltered during a power outage? Do you have an evacuation plan if you are forced to leave your home? Disaster can strike at any time. Be one of the prepared few by following Kathy Harrison's practical plan for emergency self-sufficiency. Learn how to evaluate, organize, and rotate your food supply; pack an evacuation kit; portect important documents from fire; develop a communications system; make nutritious soup with canned and dried pantry items; and entertain the kids for several television-fee days. Everything you need to know to survice when public services fail is covered in this essential guide to family preparedness.

Some 200 superb photographs—in long shots and close-ups—capture exquisite interiors of world’s great "floating palaces"—1890s to 1980s: Titanic, Île de France, Queen Elizabeth, United States, Europa, more. Informative captions provide key details.

Home & Garden | Antiques & Collectibles
History | Military | Wings (Insignia) | Naval | Aviation (United States)
History | Military | Naval | Aviators

This book by Ron Willis and Tom Carmichael chronicles in full color the development of Navy wings, including variations in designation, design and makers from World War I to the present. Also included is a listing of 17,000 naval aviators by name and number up to 1942.

One person said, "United States Navy Wings of Gold from 1917 to the Present  has great photo references showing most wings front and back so you can see the all important hallmarks and construction of the wings and there's a section in the back on makers and their hallmarks. If you collect uniforms or wings, this is a 'must have' for your library!"