Insider's Guide to China Doll Collecting: Buying, Selling & Collecting Tips (Insider's Guide Series)

Rating:
Summary: Great beginner book!
Review: Jan Foulke knows her dolls and provides interesting information about chinas. A great variety of chinas are presented, broken down by decades, from 1840's through 1930's. Photos provide side-views of fancy china heads for comparison of hairstyles. Basic information about manufacture, characteristics to look for when collecting and things to watch out for. A section is devoted to frozen charlottes. She also mentions Clear dolls and Ruth Gibbs dolls. Most photos are close-ups of the face/head, not full-view with clothing for those who are looking for costuming ideas. The only complaint is that the book is just too short!! Nice basic beginner book for the new china doll enthusiast.

Rating:
Summary: A Must for Every China Doll Lover
Review: What a wonderful book! Jan Foulke has outdone herself in this guide to china dolls. As a collector who is just tip-toeing into the world of these beautiful dolls, I was delighted to come across this helpful book. Ms. Foulke's book is filled with loads of details on identifying and dating your chinas, as well the most incredible photographs. The close-ups and comparisons of hairstyles of the various periods are invaluable to the new as well as the experienced collector. Having collected antique dolls for over 20 years, I was very familiar with the basics of china doll collecting. This book however, educates the collector in the fine art of collecting the china doll. If you don't absolutely love these dolls when you open the book, you will definitely want at least one for your collection by the time you finish!