RESOURCE BOOKS & GUIDES for Dollhouses and Dollhouse Furniture

KAGE DOLLHOUSE FURNITURE 1938-1948:  Kage Dollhouse Furniture 1938-1948 is a 40 page book with over 115 color photos documenting the style changes of this company from Depression era Art Deco through the more cozy traditional style popular during World War II. Kage furniture is still findable and perfect for furnishing vintage dollhouses such as Rich or Keystone.

Softcover 8x10 in, 40 pages or instant PDF version at Blurb.com

Published September 22, 2016
Preview available

 THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO STROMBECKER DOLLHOUSES AND FURNITURE 1931-1961:  A complete guide to all of the dollhouse items produced by one of the most prolific toy makers in America. This book documents the style changes over three decades from the first furniture introduced in the Great Depression through Art Deco to Mid-Century Modern pieces sold with contemporary dollhouses. There are 158 pages with over 360 photos including boxed sets, catalog pages, and advertisements.

Softcover 8×10 in, 158 pages or instant PDF version at Blurb.com

Published Jan 24, 2017

Preview available

SCHOENHUT DOLLHOUSE FURNITURE 1928-1934: A complete guide to the often misidentified dollhouse furniture made by the A. Schoenhut Co. of Philadelphia from 1928-1934.

Softcover 8×10 in, 56 pages or instant PDF version at Blurb.com
Published May 17, 2017
Preview available

AMERICAN ART DECO DOLLHOUSE FURNITURE of the 1930s Lincoln, Miniaform, Jaymar, and Toy Tinkers:  This book is a guide to dollhouse furniture made in the Art Deco and Moderne styles by four American toy companies. Unpopular at the time, but rare and desirable today, this furniture runs the gamut from fantasy pieces to copies of 1930s tubular chrome furniture. Making this furniture during the Great Depression was a bold move by these manufacturers. Would American children want such ultra modern, unorthodox furniture? The answer then was "no' - but we know you will!

Softcover 8×10 in, 42 Pages  or  Instant PDF version at Blurb.com  

Published June 11, 2017

Preview Available

RICH TOYS Buildings 1935-1962:  Rich Toys Buildings is a guide to the miniature buildings made for children by the Rich Toys Company in Iowa and Mississippi. In includes forts, garages, service stations, train stations, airports, barns, and even a barbeque stand, documented by catalogs and advertisements. It is a companion to Rich Toys Dollhouses by the same authors.

Softcover 8×10 in, 48 Pages at Blurb.com

Published June 11, 2017

RICH TOYS Dollhouses 1935-1962:   Rich Toys Dollhouses 1935-1962 is a complete guide to collecting the more than one hundred different models and variations made by one of America's most prolific toy makers. There are 224 pages with over five hundred photographs, including exteriors and interiors of each design, as well as advertisements, vintage photographs, and documentation from the Rich company. Patty Cooper is the author of several books on collecting dollhouses. JoAnn Belanger is an expert on restoring vintage dollhouses. Iowan Rita Goranson has been researching and writing about the Rich Toys Company for decades. 

Softcover 8×10 in, 224 Pages at Blurb.com

Published July 05, 2017

Preview available

R. BLISS MFG. CO. DOLLHOUSES FURNITURE & BUILDINGS also NEAR BLISS & GUTTER: This book is a comprehensive guide to the lithographed paper over wood dollhouses, furniture, and toy buildings made by the R. Bliss Company over more than three decades. It includes dollhouses made by two other companies which are often misidentified a Bliss.

Softcover 10×8 in, 150 Pages or Instant PDF version at Blurb.com

Published Sep 10, 2017

Preview available

Dollhouse Furniture made by WISCONSIN TOY COMPANY and MENASHA WOODENWARE 1920s – 1930s:  During the 1920s and 1930s, two Wisconsin companies made dollhouse furniture which is highly sought by collectors today. This 74 page book, with over two hundred photos, is the first complete guide to the furniture made by each company.

Softcover  8×10 in, 76 Pages or Instant PDF version at Blurb.com

Published July 06, 2018

Preview available

RESTORING Vintage Masonite DOLLHOUSES:  If you are a collector of vintage Masonite dollhouses, especially Rich Toy Co. or Keystone of Boston, this book will give you some ideas about how to restore your dollhouse to look more attractive when ready to be put on display.

Softcover 8×10 in, 24 Pages

Published Mar 28, 2017

Preview available

Available at Blurb.com or DollhouseWonders Etsy Shop

American Soft Metal Dollhouse Furniture :  American Soft Metal Dollhouse Furniture ca. 1890-1920 identifies the fragile but detailed furniture which is often shown with lithographed cardboard rooms. Some of it was sold as souvenirs of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Several companies made similar furniture, but the author has found documentation which provides positive attribution for most pieces.

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  • Softcover:  10×8 in, 78 pages
    Publish Date: Sep 28, 2021
  • Preview available

Dolly Dear Dollhouse Accessories, 1928 - 1961:   Dolly Dear Dollhouse Accessories is the story of Rossie Turner Kirkland, a talented artist, living in a small Tennessee town, whose kitchen table business expanded during the Great Depression and World War II to sales in major department stores across the country. The tiny items she created were intended to complement dollhouse furniture sold by companies such as Schoenhut, Strombecker, Tynietoy, and Lynnfield. They are highly collectible and findable, but were difficult to identify until the publication of this book which contains more than 350 examples, most in the original packaging.

• Softcover, 8×10 in, 186 pages
  
• Publish Date: Sep 08, 2021
• Preview Available

Menasha Woodenware Tyke Toys Dollhouse furniture, 1934 - 1936: 

During the 1930s, the Menasha Woodenware Company briefly ventured into the dollhouse market as a way to keep its woodworkers employed during the Great Depression. Their "Tyke Toys" furniture is a delight to find and mixes well with the lines made by other companies of the time, such as Schoenhut and Strombecker. It fits perfectly in vintage dollhouses made by Rich Toys and Keystone. This book is a complete guide to the hard-to-find and often misidentified Menasha furniture.

• Softcover, 8×10 in, 28 pages
• Publish Date: Jun 26, 2019 
• Preview Available
• This book is an update of the one published in July, 2018.

Wisconsin Goldilocks Dollhouse Furniture, 1921 - 1936:  The Wisconsin Toy Company, was a small, family-run operation in Milwaukee, but produced furniture of a quality that rivals Tynietoy and Lynnfield. Their furniture works well with Depression Era dollhouses made by companies such as Rich Toys and Keystone. With complete copies of two Wisconsin Toy Company catalogs, this book provides a way to identify the highly collectible furniture.

Softcover, 8x10, 102 pages

Publish Date: June 11, 2021

Preview Available

This book is an update of the one published in July, 2018

Stuart and Karoff Perfume Novelties for Dollhouses, ca. 1935-1950. In the 1930s and 40s, several companies began using a new approach to marketing inexpensive perfumes, packaging their products in containers which sometimes resembled dollhouse furniture. Although this was not the original purpose, most dollhouse collectors eventually encounter some of these items in Depression or World War II era dollhouses or in mixed lots of furniture. Perfume novelties definitely have their place in dollhouse history. This guide introduces you to the many items that are available to add just the right touch of coziness or whimsy to a vintage dollhouse. 

Softcover, 8x10, 58 pages

Instant PDF Version

Published: December 9, 2021

Preview available