The Encyclopedia of Early American Sewing Machines: ... (ISBN 1574324160)

Great book!:
This is an outstanding book. It replaces the first edition, which has been the standard reference for early sewing machines for the past several years. I am not a serious collector, but I had a couple of Ca. 1910 sewing machines whose maker I wanted to identify. Not only does the book identify the maker, it also gives an indication of the approximate value. I tend to disagree with the author's assertion that the values for 20th century machines are "at the low end of the scale." Perhaps he is comparing their value with much earlier machines (1850 - 1900) - the area which is the main focus of this book. an interesting chapter on the history of the sewing machine is included. And if you want to restore a machine, one short chapter takes you thru the restoration process. Though short, this excellent chapter details exactly what one needs to do to restore a 100 year old sewing machine (or for that matter, any antique consisting of wood and metal). There is a chapter on toy sewing machines; for some reason, the author included several German examples (I thought this book was about American machines). Also, several other related appendices are present - the last one is cute. It contains early photos of sewing machines and their users, & many are quite amusing. All-in-all, this has to be the absolute best book on the topic, despite a few shortcomings.

Encyclopedia of Early American Sewing Machines:
Excellent resource book - in new condition. Very thorough!