Collectors will delight in acquiring the first and only Black dolls book that is completely published in Full Color! Author Debbie Garrett has written an extensive book of reference on vintage, modern, fashion and artist Black dolls. Featured in this book are Black dolls made from cloth, bisque, celluloid, composition, rubber, wood, and hard plastic. Fashion dolls, modern artist dolls and other doll categories are covered. This long overdue, insightful book includes a price guide and tips.

Part of the popular Famous series, Famous Dolls celebrates dolls in film, TV, cartoons, books, comics and comic strips, as well as toys such as Hamble in Playschool. It also explores the world of celebrity dolls including stars such as Shirley Temple and Mae West, pop star dolls including Michael Jackson and Cher, and dolls representing royalty. Written by leading doll expert, Susan Brewer, the author of British Dolls in the 1950s and British Dolls in the 1960s, the book starts with a series of essays setting dolls in context and exploring their role in popular culture. The main part of the book is an impressive A-Z of famous dolls, with symbols to show in which field they became famous (e.g. cartoons, toys or comic strips). The stories behind each of the dolls are told, including the tragic tale of Raggedy Ann and how a little girl inspired one of the most iconic character dolls of all time. A must-buy book for everyone who has ever own or collected dolls or is interested in popular culture. Did you know? - The author of Raggedy Ann, Johnny Gruelle, was a vehement anti-vaccination campaigner after his young daughter died when she was vaccinated at school without his consent - Angela Rippon created the Victoria Plum doll series based on a plum tree in her garden - Holly Hobbie is an author and illustrator who named the famous patchwork-wearing little girl after her. It became a popular doll in the 1970s

This scholarly study of the centuries-long history of fornicatory dolls examines the enduring obsession with creating an idealized, silent female sexual object and the manifestations of this desire through the ages in mythology, literature, art, philosophy and science. This particular sexual impulse has been expressed in a great variety of forms such as statues, mannequins, sex dolls, and gynoids (robots). In particular this study focuses on the evolution of the sex doll through its original incarnation as a sack cloth effigy, through the marketing of inflatable dolls, to the current elaborate cyber-technology figures, in an attempt to discover the hidden drives and desires which fuel this ongoing fantasy of creating a perfect, powerless, silent partner.

The creative process begins with that most ordinary of items: a vinyl play doll, available anywhere. But when it’s made over with a touch of color and other embellishments, it becomes a realistic-looking display piece--a work of art that often resembles a real baby and may even remind the creator of her own child, niece, nephew, or grandchild. The craft has become a hot new thing, and here’s the secret of designing these "reborn dolls.” It covers all the steps, from preparing the base doll to coloring, from adding eyes and hair to producing various types of cloth bodies and accessories from the included patterns. Inspiration comes from the numerous examples of finished dolls, created by both the author and other artists.

A treasure trove of all-new stories exploring the dark side of dolls, puppets, mannequins and more—featuring Joyce Carol Oates, Jeffrey Ford and others. The seventeen original stories in this anthology feature everything from life-sized clockwork dolls to all-too-human Betsy Wetsy-type baby dolls. Moving past the cliches of the doll trope, each one delves into the uncanny creepiness of these bizarrely lifelike objects. Master anthologist Ellen Datlow has assembled a menagerie of beautifully terrifying stories from critically acclaimed authors such as Seanan McGuire, Carrie Vaughn, Pat Cadigan, Tim Lebbon, Richard Kadrey, Genevieve Valentine. The collection is illustrated with photographs of dolls taken by Datlow and other devoted doll collectors from the science fiction and fantasy field. The result is a star-studded collection exploring one of our most primal fears. Stories in this anthology by: Stephen Gallagher, Joyce Carol Oates, Gemma Files, Pat Cadigan, Lucy Sussex, Tim Lebbon, Seanan McGuire, Carrie Vaughn, Stephen Graham Jones, Miranda Siemienowicz, Mary Robinette Kowal, Richard Bowes, Genevieve Valentine, Richard Kadrey, Veronica Schanoes, John Langan, Jeffrey Ford

Tells how to investigate the history of furniture, silver, jewelry, clocks, toys, and books, and how to select an appraiser

The author focuses on the marketing perspective of the topic and illustrates how women's roles in society have shifted during the past century. Among the key issues explored is a peculiar dichotomy of American advertising that served as a conservative reflection of society and, at the same time, became an underlying force of progressive social change. The study shows how advertisers of housekeeping products perpetuated the Happy Homemaker stereytype while tobacco and cosmetics marketers dismantled women's stereotypes to create an entirely new type of consumer.