Fishing Lures Get Wide Coverage

BOOK REVIEW

Collectors of fishing paraphernalia will be interested in several new rel

eases from Collector Books.

Fishing Lure Collectibles, An Encyclopedia of the Early Years, 1840 to 1940, is written by Dudley Murphy & Rick Edmisten. The authors bring a combined total of over 75 years of advanced collecting experience to this book. Individual chapters are devoted to the major companies, with lures grouped more or less chronologically within each chapter. Even more important, lures are organized by similarity of design, which is more helpful in comparing small changes of detail.

Additional chapters cover miscellaneous lures of several types, with one especially interesting one on Folk Art lures. There are no two alike in these handmade lures and they show amusing and fascinating detail.

Fishing Lure Collectibles, An Encyclopedia of the Early Years (ISBN 13: 978-57432-516-4) is priced at $29.95.

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Modern Fishing Lure Collectibles, Volume 5, concludes the series by Russell E. Lewis. It covers lures made in the United States after 1940, and ending with the closure and/or merger of most lure manufacturers in the early 1980s.

This book contains all-new material not covered in the first four volumes, with the exception of identification of earlier unknown items and the correction of a few mistakes. Some lesser known or forgotten companies are included, as well as some additional details on the more well-known ones. There is also a section on modern ice-fishing decoys.

Modern Fishing Lure Collectibles, Volume 5, (ISBN: 978-1-57432-533-1) is priced at $29.95.

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For the person specializing in the lures of a specific company, there is The Pflueger Heritage, Lures & Reels, 1881-1952, by Wayne Ruby.

The actual company, the Enterprise Manufacturing Company, was established by Ernest F. Pflueger in 1881. The first lures had been made the previous year in the family’s farmhouse workshop. The most well-known of their first lures were the Luminous Crystal Minnow, which was made of glass, and the metal Dexter Spoon. The first wooden lure was made in 1883 and called the Flying Helgramite.

The Pflueger Heritage provides a thorough discussion of the items produced by this company, as well as some interesting family history.

The Pflueger Heritage Lures & Reels, 1881-1952,(ISBN: 978-1-57432-555-2) is priced at $39.95.

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The Fred Arbogast Story, A Fishing Lure Collector’s Guide, by Scott Heston, tells the story of another lure manufacturer, this one beginning in Akron, Ohio, in 1926. (By this time, the Enterprise Manufacturing Company had also relocated to Akron, and Pfleuger would be one of Arbogast’s chief competitors.)

An easily readable text, captions for each piece that thoroughly describe each item, and some entertaining catalog reprints make this book another one that lure collectors will enjoy.

The Fred Arbogast Story (ISBN: 978-1-57432-535-5) is priced at $34.95.

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The above books are available from your local booksellers; from Collector Books at PO Box 3009, Paducah, KY 42002; or online at www.collectorbooks.com.

Donna Miller

I especially enjoy the names of fishing lures. There’s the Hawaiian Sputterfuss, Bagley’s Square Lipped Killer, the Jitterstick, the Deep Hog, the Last Word Minnow Wobbler, and the Catchumbig Bait.

DM

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Oak Furniture Made For Mass Market

BOOK REVIEW

The second edition of The Marketplace Guide to Oak Furniture, by Peter Blundell, is now available from Collector Books Publishing. It deals primarily with the 1880s to the 1930s, an era that saw furniture-making evolve from a hand-skill to an almost totally mechanized operation. 

It was  made for what was called “commercial” purposes, to be sold to the mass market. Although shunned by collectors following the 1930s, who simply viewed it as “used furniture,” the manufacturers  did need to use  ingenuity and innovation  to keep coming up with new ideas that would appeal to the wider market.

Buyers looked forward to the mail order catalogs featuring the new furniture available. This mail order purchasing also required a certain degree of standardization in furniture sizes, to keep shipping costs reasonable.

It should be noted that “oak” furniture during this era was used in an almost generic sense. The authors also include pieces made of ash and elm.

The book includes a price guide, and pieces are grouped by category. In addition to standard furniture (chairs, tables, etc.,) it includes ice boxes, kitchen cupboards, phonographs and other miscellaneous pieces. It also includes a description of woods and finishes used.

The Marketplace Guide to Oak Furniture (ISBN 13:978-1-57432-523-2) is priced at $29.95. Contact Collector Books, POBox 3009, Paducah, KY 42002 or online at www.collectorbooks.com.

Donna Miller

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California Revival Featured In Schiffer Release

BOOK REVIEW

One of today’s most popular decorating trends is known as “California Revival.” This style combines the vintage furnishings, pottery, paintings, tiles and other decorative indoor and outdoor items made and used in California from the 1920s to the 1940s. It can take the decorator in a lot of different directions, from  Ranch, Cabin and Lodge styles to Mexicana and Spanish Revival. The trend is showcased in California Revival, Vintage Decor for Today’s Homes, by Carole Coates & Annie Dietz, a 2007 Schiffer publication.

In the first section of the book, the authors visit ten homes in California, each decorated in a different way but each using vintage California furnishings in interesting ways.

The second section features the decorative arts themselves that were made from the 1920s to 1940s, by theme: ships and oceanic, Spanish, Hispanic and Mexican; mission; western; scenic; floral; birds (colorful parrots, especially, were popular); floral, geometric and mosaic. If there is one feature that stands out in all of them, it is color. There was nothing bland about the colors that were used in California decor during this period of time.

A final section gives some ideas on how to display the vintage pieces one finds, including the use of architectural features such as gates, doors, windows and even balconies.

California Revival, Vintage Decor for Today’s Homes, (ISBN: 978-0-7643-2635-6) is priced at $49.95. Note: this book does not include a price guide.)

Donna Miller

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