Product Review

This wonderful new resource, featuring more than 525 color photos of over 1,500 dolls, traces the history of commercially made miniature and dollhouse-size dolls - families, household help, community professionals, nationally costumed, and storybook characters. Dolls made of wood, cloth, china, parian, all-bisque, painted-over bisque, paper, cardboard, plastic, rubber, composition, celluloid, and vinyl are pictured, many with dollhouse miniatures appropriate to their period. Special emphasis is given to the dolls and doll makers of the Great Depression, WWII, and the Baby Boomer Era, including many examples from Germany, the United Kingdom, Japan, Scandinavia, the United States, and elsewhere around the world. New research, some based on interviews with relatives and friends of mid-20th century artisans, is featured throughout. The place of these dolls in their historical context is explored to explain how their fashions, hairstyles, and subjects evolved. A richly detailed bibliography guides collectors to source material, both traditionally published and on-line. Current estimates of value accompany the photo captions to reflect current market pricing. The wide range of dolls, manufacturers, and dollmakers discussed and pictured make this an indispensable identification guide for all who cherish miniature dolls.