One of the very few books describing American Flyer Toy Train sets in detail including the AF accessories. Lots of color photos. Very useful to the collector and dealer. A huge amount of research went into writing this book. Thanks.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
If you collect S, HO, or prewar Wide gauge, you will find this book to be just fine. However, if you collect prewar O gauge like I do, you will find the book to be woefully inadequate. It is like the author ran out of time or interest when he got to the O gauge section. The section offers the barest of information in comparison to the other sections of the book. So NO, I can't recommend it.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
Why not excellent? Although I rate it "only" a Good, I could and do highly recommend it to every AF fan and collector for its basic data and the consistently great photographs alone. But this comprehensive and wonderful guide to all of American Flyer still falls a tad short in several areas, but if supported by collectors and historians, holds additional promise for future editions. First, some additional cheers. The value of the inclusion of Gilbert/Flyer HO, and (Chicago-based) American Flyer Standard Gauge and O scale in the same volume as S scale is huge. For the historian and anyone trying to differentiate between a pre WW2 or postwar accessory, the ability to compare information will prove of enormous assistance. And it is just plain interesting to this Gilbert era fan who was hazy on what had gone on before. Plus the relationship between Gilbert HO and big brother S Scale becomes apparent and S Scale collectors might have fun realizing the collectibility of corresponding models in HO as well. Although initially my eyes glazed over when reviewing each page as they were so busy to the eye, I stuck to it and soon became accustomed to the layout and quick way of presenting the information and estimated values. The values per condition are clearly indicated and condition is linked to the TCA grades. One might quibble with the TCA value scale as I do, for example C-8, a car in "like new" price levels should not include boxes, only levels above C-8 like mint-in-box should have the box included, otherwise, why does TCA call C-8 LIKE new? Not new in box, but LIKE it. This book is different from the comprehensive Greenberg Guides which provide much additional encyclopedic information on the history and development of each model. There are differences between books on certain models, and this new guide seems to sort out some confusing information in Greenberg, such as offering a logical chronology between the progression from decal stripe to painted stripe on the 922 boxcar, for example. The valuable HO section needs to be reorganized and firmed up. I am pleased with the initial effort, as this to my knowledge is the first widely published information on Gilbert HO, but I would like to see the section reorganized by by car type and chronology, as is done for S Scale production. Simple inclusion of the years of introduction of each model is needed (and possible) as the author, by evidence of the illustrations, has access to the HO catalogs, which many of us do not. It would also help to have a little more detail on the differences between say, the Varney tank cars made for Gilbert and the later Gilbert production. The work should be expanded to include all HO accessories, as, for example, I could not find the modern Osgood Bradley Coach version of the HO "Bradford Diner" nor the rubber Gilbert HO roadbed. It is my sincere hope that each subsequent edition is updated and improved upon (instead of carbon copying the first edition) for then we will have a new valuable guide that we can all learn from and look forward to purchasing each new edition. So, even though it is not yet perfect, I would recommend any American Flyer fan and collector purchase a copy. But do not throw away the Greenberg's, either. "Registered American Flyer Owner" you ask? In early 1955 Gilbert sent out certificates signed by old AC himself (well, rubber stamped by a secretary) to owners and this then AF kid still has his!Read full review
I had a copy of this book a few years ago and sold it. So now I decided I wanted to replace it and found this affordable copy. There is a difference, however, in some version - not in content, but in the paper. My earlier one had high quality glossy paper and sells for $100 or more. This one, in the $30-40 range, has a lower grade of paper, flat finish, and photos and printing not as sharp as the original. There is no indication of being a second (or other multiple) printing, but there are two ISBN numbers if that means anything. This does not detract in any way from the content itself which is what those of us in the American FLyer collector community are looking for. But it was a surprise to discover there are two versions of this book floating around.
This is the first comprehensive book I have seen that documents with both pictures and written descriptions the various different models and/or parts. The book is easy to understand and the photography is quite good. I especially like the information that the author provides on subtle differences within the model numbers produced by Flyer I did note however that the predicted sale prices for some of the items may be lower than what a person may have to pay for an item on the open market and especially on Ebay. But then, as the book says, sometimes price is determined by the size of the billfold of the buyer. Something that is a factor on many purchases when buying items that are of collector quality.