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Title: Lionel: A Century of Timeless Toy Trains by Dan Ponzol, Bill Milne ISBN: 1-56799-966-2 Publisher: Freidman/Fairfax Publishers Pub. Date: 01 August, 2000 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $35.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4 (7 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: A Good Picture Book for Those in Need of Toy Train Nostalgia
Comment: This book is for everyone who always wanted a Lionel set, and never got one. The photographs accurately capture the marketing appeal of the sets and take you back to when you were eight years old and a Lionel train set was what you wanted for Christmas. The book commemorates 100 years of Lionel trains.
For those who know Lionel as a company and as a product well, this volume will probably prove to be disappointing. It is an "overview of the company's development and the way its products reflect the eras in which they were produced." Now, there's nothing wrong with that, but those who know Lionel well already have that perspective. So if you are an expert, I suggest that you avoid this book.
The strength of of this book lies in the photographs by Bill Milne. He has done a fine job of capturing the child's eye view of the cars and accessories. You can almost feel the rug pressing against your cheek as you remember lying sideways to get a closer look at ground level of someone else's new set.
Many of the pieces I had not seen before, especially from the 70s and on. If I had a place to put a set, I'd almost be tempted to make a belated start.
I was pretty familiar with Lionel over the last 50 years, so it was the early years that added to my knowledge. The founder, Joshua Lionel Cohen (later changed to Cowen), was interesting to me. He had a good technical background for toy trains, having been educated at Cooper Union and partially completing degree work in engineering at Columbia. His first job was for Acme Electric Light Company, which made many small electric appliances. He developed a way to ignite magnesium more evenly, and used that to found his own company to make fuses for the military. This led to a light for illuminating plants, a fan, and finally a battery-powered train. The rest is history.
The text comes across like something out of a fan magazine more than as a legitimate history. As an "authorized" version, undoubtedly the people at Lionel had some influence. I graded the book down one star for lack of insight into what all of this history means.
Think about how toys create aspirations and lives. What toys created what aspirations in you? Did an erector set cause you to take engineering courses? Did a microscope help establish a career in biology? If you had a toy train, how did that influence you?
What gifts should you give your children and grandchildren this holiday season to make for the best aspirations in their lives for the years ahead?
Rating: 2
Summary: Lowbrow puff piece does Lionel no Justice
Comment: This "licensed" Lionel book has been corporately washed and shoved out the door. The photography is stylish, but hardly informative. Lionel buffs want the real story of Lionel's rise and fall, rise and fall with real people behind the pictures. For a Lionel fan, this book is a big disappointment. A better book just came out entitled "Lionel: America's Favorite Toy Trains" by MBI Publishers. It is everything this book isn't - and cheaper.
Rating: 5
Summary: The ultimate guide to Lionel
Comment: This is the best book I have ever read about Lionel trains. It is complete with pictures, history, and popularity. This is a must for all train collectors young and old. I'm a model train expert and I learned some things I didn't even know from this book! My hat is off to this auther because he did such a wonderul job.
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Title: Greenberg's Guide Lionel Trains 2004 Pocket Price Guide (GREENBERG'S POCKET PRICE GUIDE LIONEL TRAINS) by Kent L. Johnson, Roger Carp ISBN: 0897785258 Publisher: Greenberg Pub. Co. Pub. Date: 01 September, 2003 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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Title: The Art of Lionel Trains: Toy Trains and American Dreams by Roger Carp ISBN: 0871162024 Publisher: Writer Pub. Date: 01 October, 2003 List Price(USD): $29.95 |
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Title: Lionel: America's Favorite Toy Trains by Gerry Souter, Janet Souter ISBN: 0760305056 Publisher: Motorbooks International Pub. Date: 01 September, 2000 List Price(USD): $29.95 |
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Title: Lionel Trains 2004 Calendar ISBN: 076885136X Publisher: Meadwestvaco Pub. Date: 01 August, 2003 List Price(USD): $11.99 |
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