Radios

The two Philip Collins radio picture-books, "Radios Redux" and "Radios: The Golden Age", are both ABSOLUTELY BREATHTAKINGLY STUNNING. I have never seen radios look so good, and I am a collector. You will want to rip every one of the pages out and frame them. These are mainly of the tabletop marbelized colored-plastic radios of the 1930's and 40's - the most good-looking of all the table radios, Ever. Catalin, bakelite, plaskon, and whatever other brand names they had for the plastics of the day - all seem to be represented. Both of these books are equally, truly, EYE CANDY.

"This book of postcards pictures extraordinary radios of the thirties, forties, and fifties. Philip Collins's superb collection of the colorful gizmos includes many that are drop-dead beautiful and not a few that are deeply peculiar. "In only eleven years, between 1930 and 1941, an estimated 71 million home radio receivers were sold in the United States. The designs featured here are a cross section of three decades of radio cabinet aesthetics. Their elegance and occasional whimsy are uniquely American. Vintage-radio collecting has mushroomed in the United States. There are specialists now who enjoy comfortable careers as restorers and manufacturers of replication parts, such as knobs, dial glasses, trims, handles, and cosmetic adornments that time has not treated well. "Pomegranate's books of postcards contain thirty top-quality reproductions bound together in a handy collection. Easy to remove and produced on heavy card stock, they also make great little books. This convenient compilation offers a wide selection of gorgeous cards to choose from, making it easy to find the perfect postcard to send to any friend, family member, or casual acquaintance. ISBN: 0-7649-2039-1; size: 4 3/4 x 6 7/8". See also: Radios Poster."--© Pomegranate

If you have one of the antique radios shown in this book, you will want to display it open next to your radio. The photos are absolutely stunning. The book also provides some help in identifying rarely seen radios and how they should look if you have one that's not in good condition.The author includes some resources and contacts, but the beauty of the subject is reason enough to have this now out-of-print classic. A MUST for antique radio collectors.