Toy Time!: From Hula Hoops to He-Man to Hungry Hungry Hippos: A Look Back at the Most- Beloved Toys of Decades Past

I find this to be an excellent book with great images and information about most of the toys of our past. I really enjoyed all the information about the toys and it brought me back to my childhood.However - I am quite unhappy regarding 2 errors about the most important toy of all time - a toy that has been around since 1939 and is still going strong - View-Master.The author, in his introduction to 3D, refers to the wooden 3D viewers with which we view the old stereo cards, as "Stereopticons".A stereopticon is a slide projector or "magic lantern", which has two lenses, usually one above the other. These devices date back to the mid 19th century, and were a popular form of entertainment and education before the advent of moving pictures. Americans William and Frederick Langenheim introduced stereopticon slide technology--slide shows of projected photographs on glass--in 1850. For a fee of ten cents, people could view realistic photographs of nature, history, and science themes. At first, the shows used random images, but over time, lanternists began to place the slides in logical order, creating a narrative. This "visual storytelling" directly preceded the development of the first moving pictures. A stereopticon will NOT project or display stereoscopic/three-dimensional images. The two lenses are used to dissolve between images when projected as opposed to the 2 lenses of 3D projectors which show superimposed images meant to be viewed through polarized or anaglyph glasses. All stereopticons can be classified as magic lanterns, but not all magic lanterns are stereopticons, and stereopticons have NOTHING to do with 3D!BUT by far - the more serious error comes a little further down in the narrative when the author is explaining how we view 3D and states that "Gruber (The inventor of View-Master) put 10 images on a disc........"There have been BILLIONS of these "discs" produced since 1939 - and THEY ALL HAVE 14 IMAGES - OR 7 STEREO PAIRS. Where the author came up with 10 images is beyond me - all he had to do was count!! I am extremely upset about this. Of all the toys in this book, such an egregious error for the most important toy of all is more than I could bear.How can someone like Christopher Byrne, who is widely regarded as one of the toy industry's leading experts, and who speaks regularly at major toy conferences worldwide, make this mistake?I hope a second printing is made and this error is corrected.

I don't even remember how I came across this book; I only remember that I wanted to read it, because sometimes you need those nostalgic moments that make you happy. It is not fair to recommend this book for one particular generation, because many of the toys are classics that have stood the test of time. Young, middle age, and old will recognize toys, such as Barbie and Legos. The format of this book is inviting and the author's writing style is humorous, making it an enjoyable read.

Christopher Byrne is someone who knows toys, and the colorful and beautifully designed Toy Time is the perfect conduit for him to write about the topic he knows and loves so well. The book, by itself, captures all the whimsy the toys inside it have inspired through the years. It's just page after page of fun. Not only looking at the toy themselves, but also thanks to Chris' descriptions and commentary. Even the toys you didn't have, you'll enjoy in Toy Time. It's like having a full set of Sears Christmas Wish Books from the Baby Boomer years. You won't even mind if your favorite toy is left out.Toy Time will be such a perfect Christmas gift - you can time travel back to those fun and simpler days!

I have always been interested in the culture of other times, especially the 50s-80s, and I have found that looking at the toys of the time are a good way to see it. This book is very informative and includes pictures of nearly every toy mentioned. My parents enjoyed looking at the nostalgic list and remembered toys previously forgotten. It's a lot of fun and interesting.

Toy expert Christopher Byrne now offers something for parents and even grandparents. This delightful little tome takes the reader on a fun trip down memory lane - back to the days when we couldn't wait until the Sears Wishbook showed up in the mail. A great coffee table book and conversation starter, Toy Time makes a terrific stocking stuffer or host/hostess gift. The photos of the toys we had or wish we had are wonderful and the text is chock full of fun facts to know and tell!

What a great coffee table book! I love reading the short chapters as I'm cooking or when I just need to wait a few minutes. It's a nice walk down memory lane of all the toys I remember from childhood. Plus I learn how they came to be and love bringing it up in conversation! A great book in so many ways!

Byrne does a nice survey of classic toys. There are pictures and histories of many, if not all, of the favorites of the Baby Boom.

i Love it

great

Excellent,great service and very good condition.Thank you.

Excellent ouvrage qui comporte de nombreuses photos en couleur ainsi qu'un descriptif détaillé des jouets. De plus, pour chacun des jouets, l'auteur précise si la commercialisation se poursuit actuellement ou pas, s'il y a eu des rééditions... Le format de l'ouvrage est pratique à transporter sans pour autant nuire à la qualité des photos. J'y ai découvert quelques jouets qui n'ont pas été commercialisés en Europe mais la majorité des jouets décrits ont bien été vendus à la fois aux Etats Unis et en Europe. Donc cet ouvrage, découvert par hasard sur Amazon, est une très bonne surprise et le rapport qualité/prix excellent.Nb : les textes sont entièrement en anglais.

Great book to make you remember those lost toys. Let's do a time travel in the past for you to enjoy.

A little after my time toy-wise, but interesting.