Collector's Encyclopedia of Early Noritake by Aimee Neff Alden (1995, Hardcover)

I decided to purchase this book because I wanted a guide to antique and vintage Noritake dinnerware that was written by an authority on the subject, that contained pictures to help identify patterns, and provide an historical perspective on the porcelain I love. This book, for the most part, did not disappoint and met by expectations with one notable exception. While Ms. Alden is no doubt an authority on her subject, the book has more recent editions available and it should be remembered that more current information on Noritake dinnerware is out there by the same author. The pictures are lovely and arranged in date order which provides the historical perspective I fancy. However, some of the pictures are in black and white and are not very helpful for ID purposes despite carefully written descriptions captioning each photograph. I found myself using the book as if it were a catalog from which I could select my next acquisitions; (if only I could simply point and click to make the items mine!) and for "eye candy." As stated previously, there are updated editions of this book but I do think this one is worth buying if it is found at a good price.