For generations, the much-anticipated arrival of the Sears gift catalog signaled the start of the holiday season. This faithful facsimile of the retailer's 1942 Christmas edition offers a nostalgia-inducing chance to relive those bygone years, when turning the pages of a catalog could excite young minds with dreams of a shiny toy truck or a new doll under the tree. A unique collectible, The 1942 Sears Christmas Book also provides an interesting look at how merchandise has evolved over the years. In 1942, Sears shoppers could purchase toys as well as housewares, clothes, furniture, candy, and gifts to send to servicemen (all at prices that now seem astonishingly low). The wartime catalog even includes information about the importance of saving scrap metal for munitions and encourages readers to buy war bonds. A new Introduction by Ben B. Judd, Jr., PhD, the former chair of the University of New Haven Department of Marketing and International Business, provides thought-provoking insights into the catalog's importance to rural America and the recent downfall of the retail giant.

This facsimile of the Sears, Roebuck and Co.'s 1945 Christmas catalog offers a nostalgic look back at consumer goods of the era, from dolls and toy trains to housewares, clothing, furniture, candy, and much more. Also reproduced here is an insightful poem, "Christmas Peace," included in the original mailing to commemorate the end of the war.

"A dazzling trove for students of Americana." Time...

If you're like most of us, the mailman's annual delivery of Sears, Roebuck and Company's Christmas Catalog was a holiday event in years past. American children watched the mailbox carefully for those wondrous old catalogs. They were full of childhood fantasies... enough toys, dolls, trains and bikes to make any kid start writing his or her letter to Santa Claus. That's probably why the nickname "Wishbook" stuck. And if you grew up during the Baby Boomer years of the Fifties and Sixties, there's big news. Those lost Wishbook pages full of wonderful toys targeted to girls have been reproduced in Girls' Toys, a new book containing authorized reproductions of the best girl-toy pages from 1950 through 1969. Girls' Toys and its companion book Boys' Toys are two in a series of Sears catalog re-issues. This 8 1/2 x 11" softcover book's 192 pages illustrate hundreds of now-collectible toys and dolls: Barbi and Ken, Shirley Temple, Lucy and Desi's Little Ricky, Betsy Wetsy and Troy Tears dolls, dollhouses and accessories, kid-sized kitchens, tea sets, dress-up outfits, bicycles, games and movie-TV-themed toys from Mary Poppins to the Flintstones. Included is a commentary on the toys, their manufacturers and historical relevance. Particular attention is paid to the manner in which young girls' toys were marketed, often perceived as negative messages in these enlightened times. Put on your Dale Evans Cowgirl Hat and settle in for hours of fond childhood memories. Girls' Toys is fun reading for anybody... male or female... toy fan or not. It's an invaluable reference source for serious collectors and history buffs, too. -- Jam-packed with warm and happy childhood memories. Hundreds ofphotographs and illustrations with accompanying commentary -- A "must have" reference volume for all toy, antique and memorabilia enthusiasts

If you're like most of us, the mailman's annual delivery of Sears, Roebuck and Company's Christmas Catalog was a holiday event in years past. Most American children watched the mailbox carefully for those wondrous old catalogs. They were chock full of childhood fantasies... enough toys, dolls, trains and bikes to make any kid start writing his or her letter to Santa Claus. That's probably why the nickname "Wishbook" stuck. And if you grew up during the Baby Boomer years of the Fifties and Sixties, there's big news. Those lost Wishbook pages full of wonderful toys targeted to boys have been reproduced in Boys' Toys, an exciting new book containing authorized reproductions of the very best boy-toy pages from 1950 through 1969. Boys' Toys and its companion book Girls' Toys are two in a series of Sears catalog re-issues covering the spectrum of toys, dolls and other popular collectibles of the Fifties and Sixties. This 8 fi x 11 softcover book's 192 pages illustrate hundreds of now-collectible toys. All the best are represented: Lionel trains, Marx playsets, Remco's "Toys for Boys" G.I. Joe, Matchbox cars, Tonka trucks... all the way to Sixties space-age robots, rockets, and flying saucers! Included too, is a year-by-year commentary on the toys, their manufacturers and historical relevance. So put on your Davy Crockett coonskin cap and settle in for hours of fond childhood memories. Boys' Toys is fun reading for anyone... male or female... toy fan or not. It's an invaluable reference source for serious collectors and history buffs, too. -- Jam-packed with warm and happy childhood memories. Hundreds of photographs and illustrations with accompanying commentary -- A "must have"reference volume for all toy, antique and memorabilia enthusiasts

Take a hundred-year excursion into the past when all your wishes and whims could be found within the pages of a Sears, Roebuck, & Co. catalogue. Whether you lived in Manhattan, New York, or Manhattan, Kansas, a new camera, a grand piano, and even the latest medical supplies were only a mail order away with your Sears catalogue. Florida Water, Liquid Skin, hammer-less revolvers, bankers’ shears, travelling bags, bridging telephones, and the Acme Triumph Six-Hole Steel Range (which was the “The Wonder of the Stove World” according to the ad copy) could all be had for reasonable prices. In this compilation of the best collectibles from the 1905 through 1910 Sears catalogs, readers will find everything the early-twentieth-century American needed to outfit home, office, medicine chest, or craft workshop. A useful resource for artists, antiques dealers, and history buffs, this title is certain to make any reader feel nostalgic for simpler times. From the department introductions and the descriptions of Sears’s warehouses and factories to the hundreds of merchandise-filled pages, readers will find treasures on every page of Sears, Roebuck, & Co.: Best Collectibles from the 1905–1910 Catalogues.

A facsimile edition of the 1902 catalog for the retail chain displays the manners, customs, necessities, luxuries, and cost of living of an America at the turn of the century through the products Americans bought.