As it says on the cover of this book it has 400 color pictures, 275 doll makers and over 5,000 dolls. 200 Years of Dolls by Dawn Herlocher is a very in depth look at dolls and doll makers of the last 200 years.

The book starts with a section on care of dolls, from fragile, vintage dolls through brand new play dolls. The care and cleaning section includes everything from how to store new dolls to prolong their beauty to how to touch up the faded features of an antique papier-mache dolls. Ms. Herlocher also gives hints and suggestions for cleaning doll clothes and cloth dolls as well as care of hair and shoes.

After the section on the care of dolls the real body of the book begins; an alphabetical list of 275 doll manufacturers. Each doll maker or company listed has a brief history, which makes for some very interesting reading. As you can imagine with that many doll makers in this book some of the best known are listed. What I found even more fascinating was doll makers and places I had not heard of, and there are a lot of them.

In each doll manufacturer's section are multiple beautiful color pictures to give a good sample of their work. Each section also includes charts with different features of their dolls and monetary values. The charts are easy to understand and use and include information on the condition of the doll as a whole as well as different parts of the doll.

The section I enjoyed reading the most was the section on Raggedy Ann and Andy. The designer of Raggedy Ann was a man named Johnny Gruelle. He and his wife had 2 sons and 1 daughter, Marcella, a familiar name to anyone who ever read a Raggedy Ann story. I 1915 Mr. gruelle registered the trademark and patented a pattern for a Raggedy Ann doll. Unfortunately in 1916 Marcella, still a child, the little girl the story had been written for, died. It's a very touching story.

Needless to say, any serious doll collector would enjoy this 200 Years of Dolls, but with all the useful and interesting information and history, all doll lovers as well a history buffs will find something in the book to enjoy.

Details
200 Years of Dolls, Third Edition by Dawn Herlocher
published by KP Books
ISBN# 0-89689-167-4
List Price $29.99 U.S.


Making and Dressing Cloth Dolls
Ebook with patterns and instructions to make 5 cloth dolls as well as chapters on general doll making techniques.The book includes 21 inch Lalena Doll, 21 inch David Doll, Bear Dolls, 9 inch Destiny Doll and 15 inch Annie Doll, all together in one handy book. 53 pages.Making and Dressing Cloth Dolls.