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  

Softcover or Instant PDF version available 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, 226 pages 

Updated and Expanded, 2020

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, 52 pages 

Available 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

Available 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 

Available 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 

Available at Blurb.com

4th Edition, published 6-9-23

Preview available

An earlier edition published 4-1-22 available in softcover or PDF version

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 

Available  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 

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

Preview available 

• Softcover:  10×8 in, 76 pages

• Publish Date: Sep 28, 2021

• Available at Blurb.com

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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.

• Available at Blurb.com
• Softcover, 8×10 in, 188 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.

• Available at blurb.com
• 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.

Available at Blurb.com

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. 

Available at Blurb.com

Softcover, 8x10, 56 pages

Instant PDF Version

Published: December 9, 2021

Preview available

Grandmother Stover's Doll House Miniatures.  Grandmother Stover's was the world's most famous and prolific supplier of accessories for dollhouses from about 1943 through 1983. The realistic tiny treasures filled the gap created when toys were not being imported from Germany during World War II. Early items were often handmade and exhibit an artisan's touch. After the war, more of the accessories were machine made allowing the company to continue to provide affordable furnishings in wood, plaster, cloth, metal, and plastic for both children and adult collectors. This book provides catalogs and advertisements which identify Grandmother Stover's products as well as over 600 examples, most in their original packaging. 

Preview available

Soft cover, 8x10, 294 pages

Published : January 17, 2023

Available at  Blurb.com

Nancy Forbes and Donna Lee Dollhouse Furniture 1940s. The Chicago-based Rapaport brothers, David, Herman, and Meyer, made several lines of dollhouse furniture in the 1940s under the brand names Nancy Forbes and Donna Lee. Most of it was rather crude, but some of the larger scale furniture rivaled Strombecker in quality. Even the smaller items have some Mid-Century Modern charm and may be the best choice to furnish small houses of the period, such as ones made by Built-Rite, De Luxe Game Corporation, Jayline, Keystone, and Rich Toys. Much of this furniture is still findable and affordable, even in boxed sets. This well-researched book has over 130 pages, with news articles, advertisements, and hundreds of examples.

Preview available.

Soft cover, 8x10, 138 pages

Published :  April 25, 2023

Available at   Blurb.com

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Dimestore Wood Dollhouse Furniture, ca. 1940s.  Wanner, Barbara Jean, Mary Frances, Spartan, Tag-Line, and Others.  The chunky wood furniture sold in dimestores was perfect for the inexpensive fiberboard  and cardboard dollhouses made by companies such as De Luxe and Built-Rite when materials were limited during World War II. It helped entertain and comfort children during hard times, but its glory was short lived. By the end of the 1940s, lithographed metal dollhouses and plastic furniture reigned, with "old fashioned" wood items priced out of the market. However the sturdy construction makes much of this furniture still findable today. 

This book covers the smaller lesser known companies which sold inexpensive wood dollhouse furniture at the dimestores beloved by mid-century children and will bring back fond memories to many. It is a companion book to Nancy Forbes and Donna Lee Dollhouse Furniture by the same author, which covers two related companies from the 1940s. Information about much of the larger companies can be found in the sixteen other books available in this series about American dollhouses and furniture makers.

Preview available

Soft cover, 8x10, 88 pages

Published October 16, 2023

Available at Blurb.com

Vintage Upholstered Dollhouse Furniture 1920s-1950s.    Vintage upholstered dollhouse furniture mixes  well with the wood pieces made by companies such as Schoenhut, Strombecker, Menasha, Wisconsin Toy, and even Tynietoy. It can make a dollhouse seam much cozier, brighter, and more comfortable. With hundreds of photos, this book provides an overview of items made by Queen Anne/Packman, Helen Barnes and Catharine Faulkner of Lowell Massachusettes, Stuart Sachet Products, Dixie Doll Chair, Vinnie Doll House Furniture, Wee Doll House Furniture, Harco and others.

Preview available

Soft cover, 8x10, 144 pages

Published February 19, 2025

Available at Blurb.com

DE LUXE Game Corporation Dollhouses and Toy Buildings.        During World War II, when materials were scarce and many toy companies switched to military productions, the De Luxe Game Corporation produced dollhouses and other buildings of Tekwood. This laminated wood and cardboard product was sturdy but inexpensive, allowing the company to create much needed toys for children at a difficult time in our history. Advertised in the mail order catalogs of retailers including Sears and Spiegel, they were affordable for middle class families. Amazingly, many have survived to delight today's collectors with their bright graphics and All-American charm.  A section on Jayline dollhouses is included.

Soft cover, 8x10, 106 pages

Published January 14, 2025 

Available at Blurb.com

Trixy Toy  The Durrel Company & The Embossing Company  Tiny  Town Dollhouses and Furniture ca. 1928-1935.   Two unrelated companies, but with much in common, made rather quirky, somewhat Art Deco, dollhouse furniture for a brief time in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Trixy Toy furniture was constructed of layers of laminated cardboard, heavily coated in brightly colored paint. The furniture made by Tiny Town, owned by The Embossing Company, looked very much like the parent company's famous dominoes. Both companies made cardboard dollhouses to accompany the furniture, and the houses are in many ways more desirable than the furniture. But all of it has a place in the history of dollhouses and the history of the American entrepreneurs who made it along with many other toys, to the delight of thousands of young children during the Great Depression.

Preview available

Soft cover, 8x10, 82 pages

January 10, 2025

Available at Blurb.com

Dollhouse Bathrooms ca.1900-1970 .   Dollhouse Bathrooms  is a resource for collectors looking for ideas to furnish vintage dollhouses in a period appropriate way. It  includes an overview of the history of bathrooms, both human size and in dollhouses. with hundreds of examples from ca. 1900-1970.

Preview available

Soft cover, 8x10, 65 pages

January 31, 2024

Available at Blurb.com