Great Toy Books

Here are a few of the available books that have information on wooden toys, including market prices. Consider the market prices cautiously - most wood toys are so rare that a significant market does not really exist. Most books will have the authors list of values since this will help sell the book. Use them as general guides but don't let them limit your purchases too much. For authors: If you have a book that you want me to consider for inclusion here contact me. To get more information about a book from Amazon.com, click on the book's image. I hope you will order any of these books through me to help offset the costs of maintaining this site.
	O'Brien's Collecting Toys is now in its 12th Edition. I think this is a must have toy collector's book. Covers Schoenhut well, Rich Toys, Reed and a few other wood toy companies. The 12th Edition includes an updated chapter by me on Old Wooden Toys. Don't miss it!

	Under the Bigtop with Schoenhut's Humpty Dumpty Circus by Evelyn Ackerman. If you collect, or want to collect Schoenhut's circus toys, you must have this book. 170 pages of photos and descriptions of just about everything made for the circus and Teddy Roosevelt's adventures. Photos from some of the great circus collections including those of Keith Kaonis and Andy Yaffee. Click on the book cover at left to buy a copy.

	Collector's Guide to Tinker Toys is a very fine guide to one of America's best wood toy producer. An extensive company history, beautiful color photos of nearly all of the toys that the company made, and nice descriptions of each toy are included. Over 200 pages. Also value guides.

	Collector's Digest price Guide to Pull Toys is a 120 page booklet of photos of various pull toys from many manufacturers. I contributed some photographs including the one in the lower right of the front cover.

	Composition & Wood Dolls and Toys - I contributed about 50 photos for this book to Michele Karl. Nice photos of many wooden toys. Chapters on The Ted Toy-lers, Kohner Brothers, Hustler Toy Co., Jaymar, Schoenhut, and others. Good book

	American Antique Toys is an absolutely lovely antique toy book! Photos by one of the great antique toy photographers - the late Bill Holland. Covers the 19th century toys that every toy collector wants.

	The Treasures of Childhood is a great book on early toys and games and books. Wonderful photographs.

	A Connoisseur's Guide to Antique Toys - I have not reviewed this book but will do so as soon as possible. Its title sounds interesting.

	Fisher-Price 1931-1963 - I have this very nice book. Great photos and company history. I don't collect Fisher Price but this would be a good book for anyone who does.

	Antique and Collectible Toys, 1870-1950 - I am not familiar with this book, but the period covered would include wooden toys.

	The Story of American Toys - Richard O'Brien compiled this fine story of the development of the American toy industry. Starts from very early times and continues to the 1980s. Company histories. Nice photos of representative toys. Mostly metal toys but some wooden.

	Toys : Antique and Collectible - I am not familiar with this book but will try to check it out as soon as I can.

	Collecting American Made Toy Soldiers is a very comprehensive list and price guide for American toy soldiers. Primarily metal soldiers but some wooden. My husband has a small collection of lead toy soldiers.

Click here to see my list of great out-of-print old toy books.