long term Smithsonian supporter and subrscriber
596471
I've been a subscriber to the Smithsonian Magazine since college days...1960's. Have always loved the institution and the mag. I was able...during my Army service to visit the museum regularly. I was stationed at Ft. Belvoir during that time. I've become a contributor in recent years and expect to continue while I also continue to look forward to receiving the mag every month.  When I've done reading the mag issues I collect them and pass them on to a local senior rehab center in my home town of Long Beach, NY. Keep alive the good principles on which James Smithson made his original bequest. A truly great institution, a jewel in the mall landscape and a national treasure. Hats off and huzzah!
1131403
This is perfect for our museum and the volunteers LOVE the "remarks" section--especially when visitors call them by name! :) Only thing I wish is for more pages.
2078352
I have been interested in the US Navy in the early years of the 20th century.  Seeing what various buildings looked like when the Naval Academy was rebuilding its plant makes the written word come alive for me.  The author has put a lot of time and money into his postcard hobby.  Thanks to him the US Naval Academy comes alive in the pictures.
659511
I consider myself a Harry Potter fan, and in fact gradually converted my muggle of a husband into a closeted Slytherin (not my first choice, but at least he's sorted now).

As much of a fan as I am, I don't really have much in the way of Harry Pottery. According to this book Harry Pottery is the term for all things that are collected by fans of Harry Potter. I have a wand and some metal house bookmarks, but this book made me realize what a wide variety of items there are out there. And I pretty much want them all. Except the posters. Someone else can collect those. But seriously if someone can give me TheMonster Book of Monstersfor Christmas I would be greatly appreciative.

This book was really informative and opened my eyes up to all the different things that could be collected, even though the chapter on posters bored me some, I was interested to know that some of the bigger movie posters are fairly cheap because it costs so much to frame them. I hadn't thought of that before, and I would probably be someone that would buy a huge poster without giving thought to the cost of framing (and then never get it framed due to the cost). I still might do it... but at least I'm informed now. My favorite pieces throughout the book were actually the one of a kind items. The work that went into most of those pieces is incredible but its also inspiring to know that Harry Potter fans can use their talents and their love of the fandom to create valuable art. I'm a collector by nature, and while Harry Pottery wasn't one of my collections this book has made me want to get started.

I received an advance reader copy of this book that I have chosen to review.
727317
This is not a how to do it book but gives a massive quantity of examples and letters through the ages.  Many of the alphabets are not complete (centuries old alphabets) but you definitely get the idea.  Fascinating and inspiring.  I am new at decorative letters and I love this book.  The price is great, too.
215601
Impressive selection of artifacts but in view of the many more significant artifacts in the Smithsonian collection I too would like to have seen perhaps even in list form some additional items. I did find a few errors in text or captions concerning firearms. Nevertheless those individuals who made the selection of what items to incorporate must have faced some very difficult decisions. A beautiful book!
3540769
This exceptional book is just what a hobbyist in the fossil field needs as a general backup. The chapters are well-written and reads easily because of the flowing nature of the authors. Basic classification is treated well and then expanded as each fossil group is presented. Prolifically illustrated, the line drawings are superb and accurate. There is a small photo gallery but the drawings are the staple of this text. This book stays beside my "Fossils of Ohio' as a quick reference to identification of field collections. It would be hard to find a more inclusive reference with its identification potential, its large number of appendices, and the rugged binding. It has survived more than twenty years of middle school students' use!
2633717
this is a great book which gives you an overview of the smithsonian natural history museum. great introduction to what this museum has to offer. i have shared this with friends who have enjoyed it too.
1315067
I discovered Zoetrope through the Best American Nonrequired Reading (BANR) series.  A significant number of the pieces in BANR are drawn from Zoetrope so I figured it would be worth checking out.  I also subscribe to the Paris Review and McSweeneys and find that I only read about half of each issue before something else grabs my interest.  But I have read the 4 issues of Zoetrope Ive gotten so far from cover to cover.
Its a steal at 20 bucks a year.  And each issue has a guest editor and a ton of great artwork and design.
I highly recommend this.
3548573
LOVE my Scientific American.  It has great articles with a wide variety of topics which I appreciate.  It allows me to stay connected to the world of science, which is always a win in my book.

I utilized Amazon's subscription service to start my Scientific American order and so far it has worked out really well, I have no plans to change the subscription service to paper based or another site.  Its also the best subscription price I've seen!
202939
In recent years Smithsonian has become an annoyingly trendy, ultra-p.c. general-interest magazine that's like NPR in print, with the relentless liberal slant that goes with it.  But there's normally an article or two worth reading, and since the organization is a nonprofit, the subscriptions it offers are pleasantly low-cost.

HOWEVER, consider: When you subscribe for "11 issues," you are NOT going to receve a year's worth of the magazine.  The small print on my subscription card reads "Smithsonian is usually published eleven times a year."  Note the word "times" instead of "issues."  It publishes one issue over the summer -- July/August -- but you are charged for TWO issues. ("Combined issues ... count as two issues," the small print reads.)  So be warned:  If you subscribe to Smithsonian for "11 issues," you are actually going to receive only 10 individual copies of the magazine -- NOT a full year.  (This little discovery is the result of an extended conversation with a starchy rep at the magazine's subscription department.)
2344251
Posted in my office.  Lots of curious (about the pictures) comments.  Very attractive & intellectually stimulating at the same time.  I hope they do one (or have one) that focuses more on banknotes than on coins for my 2008 selection.
349876
Great photos and history. Wish it had more about the personal life of M. Haskell. I love the vintage jewelry. I just wish it were not so expensive.
  I am a member of Questers, a study club about antiques, collectibles & history. As a volunteer, I often present programs to chapters. I plan to develop a program, with power point features, for the Questers in 2015. This book will be a valuable resource.
605049
This is the only recent color catalog (that I'm aware of) on Saltillo sarapes (or serapes) from Old Mexico. It's a winner. Author McCormick writes that he started collecting newer sarapes because he couldn't afford the older, Classic ones. Fortunately, his pal Mark Winter has several, and they reproduce some museum classics too. Color reproduction is excellent, and the text is intelligent and interesting. Highly recommended.

The catalog was published and is for sale by the McCormick Gallery for $55. That's the price pencilled into my copy, which I probably bought from co-author Mark Winter in Santa Fe, at the Antique Indian Arts show. Which is another reason to visit Santa Fe in late summer.

Also see&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/The-Saltillo-Sarape-An-Exhibition-Organized-by-the-Santa-Barbara-Museum-of-Art/dp/B0006CYX1O/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">The Saltillo Sarape: An Exhibition Organized by the Santa Barbara Museum of Art</a>&nbsp;-- which I should buy too. [Edited 9/30/16]. I did. And if you know of good museum displays of these remarkable textiles, please comment!

Happy reading--
Peter D. Tillman
740965
I bought this kit and the American Educational General Fossil Collection, which I also like, as supplemental material for an introductory course on historical geology.  This box has some very detailed but small specimens.  One of my favorite things about it is that the specimens come unlabeled, but there are stickers in the box that you can affix yourself.  Since I'm an adult and can be trusted not to lose the pieces, I'm leaving the labels off - you can see more of the specimen that way, plus there's a photo-identification guide glued into the box lid.

The actual fossils included are a good representation of what's in the fossil record, especially for small things you can put in a box for a relatively low cost.  It's got three different kinds of shells, a coral, a shark's tooth, a couple of stems, petrified wood, and a fern frond in slate.  I expected this kit to have a lot of overlap with the American Educational one, which has 15 fossils, but I was pleasantly surprised that there were only a few that overlapped:  petrified wood, the shark's tooth, a bivalve, and the crinoid stem.

The non-fossil parts are good too - a sturdy storage box, full color identification sheet, and nice little guide to fossils generally, with short descriptions of what's in the box.  If you, or a school age kid in your life, are interested in fossils, this kit is a fun and educational place to start.
2068721
For fans of newspaper comics, book collections and "treasuries" are an invaluable resource, allowing us to read an archived collection of our favorite comic without having to dig through years' worth of newspapers or cross our fingers that the cartoonist has his strips online somewhere.  And as an added bonus, some of these treasuries contain valuable extra information -- explanations and back stories behind various strips, how the strip was created and developed over time, bonus information on favorite characters, etc.  Gary Larson gave us a phenomenal anniversary collection with&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/The-PreHistory-of-The-Far-Side-A-10th-Anniversary-Exhibit/dp/0836218515/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">The PreHistory of The Far Side:: A 10th Anniversary Exhibit</a>, which is chock-full of preliminary sketches, backstory, and never-before-published cartoons; Bill Watterson, likewise, published an insightful and valuable (if someone spare and preachy) anniversary collection with&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/The-Calvin-and-Hobbes-Tenth-Anniversary-Book/dp/0836204387/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">The Calvin and Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Book</a>.  I love both of these comics, and these books are an invaluable part of my book collection.

Where does Garfield's 30th anniversary treasury fall on the list?  Well, I would put it a step below Larson's "Prehistory," but a step above Watterson's "Tenth Anniversary."  While this book isn't nearly as full of "extras" as Larson's treasury, it does something Watterson's treasury didn't -- chronicle the development behind the comic, and track how it evolved over the years.

"Garfield" seems to be a "love it or hate it" sort of comic, and seems to have gathered quite a hate following on the Internet, but I quite enjoy it.  The art style, while not masterful, is unique and appropriately goofy, and the writing never pretends to have an agenda or any sort of commentary but exists purely to be witty and funny.  Garfield, despite talking and walking like a human (at least in more modern strips -- his early strips had him strictly a quadruped as well as much fatter), is pure cat, arrogant and disdainful of the human and dog he shares house with, lazy and self-centered but also at times inventive and affectionate.  Odie, despite being mute and brainless, makes a happy-go-lucky foil to Garfield's cynicism and provides a good deal of the comic's slapstick humor.  Owner John, something of a loser, is at turns as goofy as his animal friends and the strip's "straight man," wondering if he wouldn't have been better off raising gerbils instead.

This treasury, in addition to showcasing some of the best strips so far, includes quite a bit of behind-the-scenes information.  Jim Davis, through strips and commentary, shows how "Garfield" and its characters have evolved over the years, both visually and story-wise.  He talks about how he got his start in cartooning, reader reactions, how success and evolving technology have changed the strip, and his own personal thoughts on both his work and his characters.  He also includes his personal favorite strips in the back, and the inside covers of the book contain "rough draft" sketches of some of his comics.  While not quite as informative as Larson's collection (though to be fair, Larson was almost insanely thorough in his collection), it's informative, insightful, and provides a look at the man behind the strip.  And whether or not you like Garfield, it's hard to hate the man behind him.

A fun comic collection and a unique look at Garfield and his creator, this book is a must-have for Garfield fans and comic-strip aficionados alike.
1891427
I am two issues into my subscription and I have really enjoyed it so far. The first one I received (Jan/Feb) was ok but Mar/Apr was fantastic. The articles were wonderful. I hope that they keep getting better and better. I will probably continue my subscription once this yr is up.