Dolls have had a major role in domestic life for centuries. In addition to being children's toys, they reflect the various cultures, lifestyles, and customs of any given civilization. This chronologically arranged book has been designed to give the collector, or the casual reader, an authoritative evolutionary history of dolls as playthings from 1680 to the present. Primary emphasis is given to the European (French and German) doll manufacturers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries (e.g., Bru, Steiner, Jumeau, and Kestner). Goodfellow describes the construction and use of all types of dolls (wooden, wax, ceramic, bisque, composition, cloth, clothespin, dollhouse, fashion, and homespun), and noted doll authorities Dorothy and Evelyn Jane Coleman provide an excellent introduction. Beautifully designed and illustrated, this is an irresistible selection for serious doll collectors and researchers;

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