Imperial Carnival Glass by Carl O. Burns (1996, Paperback)

This is the first of Carl O. Burns’ eminently readable trio of books on carnival glass companies, which includes IMPERIAL CARNIVAL GLASS; DUGAN & DIAMOND CARNIVAL GLASS 1909-1931; and NORTHWOOD CARNIVAL GLASS 1908-1925. It would be difficult to imagine any Imperial carnival glass collector lasting long without this particular guide, which provides comprehensive information on Imperial’s carnival production years, 1910 through 1930. In addition to supplying a general overview of the company's early history, Burns includes essential information on Imperial’s varying early and contemporary trademarks, including NuCut and IG; and on color names particular to Imperial: peacock, nuruby, azur and helios, to name but a few. The book contains an extensive section of otherwise unpublished illustrations from Imperial Glass catalogs, which will interest any collector. This is followed by 125 pages of specific information on every old carnival pattern issued by Imperial -- many of Burns’ observations in this section about historical details behind patterns and their special characteristics are unavailable in any other source. The book concludes with a subsection on Imperial’s carnival glass lampshades. The price guide at the back of the guidebook is of course by now obsolete -- hopefully the publisher will consider issuing an updated guide that notes information on newly unearthed Imperial pieces and twenty-first century prices generally. The bulk of this book, however, is most decidedly not outdated; this remains an unequaled resource on Imperial Glass carnival.

[ADDED NOTE: This book was published by Collector books; pub date 1996; 183 pages with color photos; large format paperback – 8. 5 x 11 inches.]

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