Firecrackers: The Art and History

I'm not a big fan of firecrackers (though I LOVE fireworks). I got this book b/c it looked interesting when I saw it at a Firecracker museum. I'm only 1/2 way through reading it, but I am very pleasantly enjoying this book. The historic photos of people, culture and manufacture of fireworks are well chosen and add a lot of depth to the content of the book. Add to that, the printing is beautifully done and high quality (I've seen that from Bicycle Press before). Finally the firecracker art itself is lovely to behold.So far I've learned a lot and it's way more interesting and engaging than I expected. The writing style is inviting and it seems the content was deeply considered. It's a charming and beautiful book.If I happen to change my mind when I'm done reading the book, I'll come back and edit this. I don't think that's going to happen though. I've looked ahead a bit.11/3/2014 - I finished reading this book and my enthusiastic endorsement stands. As an additional note of interest, the last chapter is all about tips on collecting and resources to pursue the hobby. Also there is a nice glossary AND an index - both of which I consider an appreciated "added value" to any book.

My husband was looking for a book on firecrackers and I tried the local book stores, i.e. Barnes and Nobles, Bookmart, Books a Million, but no luck. I browsed the internet and the reviews on firecracker reference materials were few and far between. Finally I came across this book on Amazon and took a chance it would please him.....he's quite picky about his reference library. This soft-cover book is GREAT! It is packed with beautiful, vibrant full color photos of the common labels all the way up to the very rare. The book layout is dotted with photos and the glossary is helpful to even the intermediate collector. The section "Interview with a Collector" gives a nice insightful look into the pursuit of fireworks labels. The history of firecrackers is also discussed, giving the collector a great back-story to the industry. No price guide, but that is fine with my husband, as it tends to date a book after a couple of years. This is an informative addition to the Hubby's library......he's happy and I'm glad.

this is the larger size 'firecracker book' that author Warren Dotz did after the success of the smaller little hardcover book he did for younger novices on label collecting.This much bigger & larger edition has a huge amount of new graphics,historical information,some photos of impressive artwork done by the talented chinese label makers.Firecracker label collecting has been around for years,some are worth $200,000. to $1.00.

EXCELLENT book - in all ways! Generous amount of wonderful color photos of firecracker label art as well as the factories (& factory workers) from where they come. VERY informative reading on this nearly lost art! I am MOST pleased w/ this book purchase from Amazon - and the price was a genuine bargain, which is ALWAYS a good thing! It's for all the above reasons that I return to Amazon.com whenever I'm sourcing ANY book!

I always wondered if there was something like this out there for those of us who are interested in the culture of firecracker label collecting. This is a comprehensive guide to the history, process, artwork, and grading of firecrackers. It's everything you've ever wanted to know but until now may not have been able to find. Highly recommended.

Great price for this book. It's a must have for all collectors! Excellent shape for a used book price. Like new condition. Will deal with again and highly recommend. A+++

Bought this as a Christmas gift for my boyfriend. He is a pyrotech and absolutely loves this book! It has a lot of great pics and info.

I purchased this to give as a gift. What a great book for firework enthusiasts! Arrived a few days after order placement.

Very informative.