From Barbara Crews,
Your Guide to Collectibles.
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Mar 6 2007

Timeless Toys is such a cool book that it's hard to find the right words to convey how much fun it is to read. It doesn't matter what age you are, toys really are timeless. And this book proves it.

From the 1900s with Raggedy Ann, Lincoln Logs and Crayola to the decade of 1980s - 1990s with Beanie Babies -- everyone can relate to these toys and this book. We had them under the Christmas tree, asked for them as birthday presents and if we're lucky enough we still have a few of our childhood dolls and games stored in the closet.

Although it's definitely attractive enough to be a coffee table book, it's also chock full of excellent information with lots of historical tidbits. Want to know who produced the Mouse Trap or Operation (Marvin Glass)or more about how the Hula Hoop craze started? It's all here, along with chapters on Slinky, Silly Putty, the Super Ball and Simon.

The best part of all is finding out those fun facts that shaped the toys we love today. An example is two men bumping into each other at the Oregon Caves National Monument. A year later the View-Master was born.

Walsh is the author and, as such, made the "Rules of the Game" as to how he choose which toys to include. He relates that to be included toys had to have sold at least ten million copies and been on the market for at least ten years, as well as being invented by an identifiable person. He also chose toys that had personal significance to him.

Bottom Line:
A five star book that deserves a special spot on the bookshelf of anyone who has cherished a toy or spent hours playing a favorite game -- which covers just about all of us.

From Andrews McMeel Publishing:
Timeless Toys is one of the finest documentaries and displays of modern toys ever written. Filled with over 420 color photos of classic toys and 130 additional images of vintage ads, drawings, and archival photos, Timeless Toys tells the stories of the creation of Slinky, Lego, Tonka trucks—just to name a few. In-depth timelines of toy history, insider profiles, and rare interviews with toy icons make this book the ultimate toy guide. Any reader of any age or background will become wrapped up in its insightful stories and personal memories, guaranteed to generate nostalgia.