The Complete Cookie Jar Book
by Mike Schneider

Publisher:  Schiffer Publishing
ISBN:  0764308262

Many Cookie Jar books are available for collectors, they all have their strengths and good points. If you are a serious collector, the price of all the books combined would be less than the price of one good jar and I feel they all should be on your bookshelf. But, if you are a new collector or just want to know more about Cookie Jars in general, the book to have is The Complete Cookie Jar Book by Mike Schneider.

Schneider, a free lance writer from Ohio, has written several books on collectibles and every one of them appears to be very well researched, with good pictures, great resources, and excellent information.

The first edition of this book was published in 1991 as a hardcover and the price scared many away, although the book was definitely worth it. Now with the revised and second edition now available at a much lower price, there is no reason not to add this to your library.

The second edition is soft-covered, prices are updated, and some new jars were added. Another difference from the first book is the prices are now shown with the jars, no more flipping back and forth from the picture to the back of the book.

Schneider's book is laid out in several sections and the most important ones are:

Section One
This section's titles are "A History of Jars," "Types of Ceramic Jars," "Decoration," "Prices," "Condition," "Counterfeits, Reproductions and Fakes," and "Problems of Collecting." This section is worth the price of the book alone and answers many general questions asked about jars, how to care for them and different things to watch out for.

Section Two
Titled "The Cookie Jar Giants," this section includes information about McCoy and American Bisque jars. Each chapter has a short history of the company along with timelines. The pictures of the various markings on jars are the most important part of this whole book. Schneider devotes many pictures showing the bottoms of the jars. When you are confused about markings or a new collector, this is extremely important.

Section Three
This section explores other major American producers from Abingdon to Twin Winton. Again, brief histories, time lines and markings make this, along with the numerous jars pictured, an invaluable resource.

The other section titles are "Other American Producers," "Cookie Jar handlers," "Character Cookie Jars," "Studio Artists," "Foreign Cookie Jars," "The Mystery Cookie Jars," and "Non-Pottery Cookie Jars." The Appendixes in the back include Sources, Ceramic Mold Companies (a terrific resource), and McCoy Cookie Jar Designs by Year.

If you are a new collector, wanting to know more about the companies and producers of jars, this should be the first book on your shelf! If you are a longtime collector and do not have this book, you will be pleasantly surprised at how much information is here.

Barbara Crews, your Guide for Collectibles