FUN READING:

With hundreds of Barbie reference books available, deciding which to buy can be very confusing for beginning collectors. Many are incomplete & not worth the investment, so please don't waste money on poorly written books. My personal choices for serious collectors are listed below.

Purchase "The Barbie Closet" by following this link.
Barbie doll & friends, plus clothing and accessories from 1959-1970 are highlighted in this book. The beauty of this book is that price values are based on individual pieces, rather than Never Removed From Box dolls and clothing. FINALLY, we have a realistic price guide to use! Must have for vintage Barbie collectors!! I HAVE ONE COPY AVAILABLE ON MY ACCESSORIES SALES LIST.

Purchase "The Ultimate Barbie Doll Book" by following this link.
For those of you trying to identify dolls, this book covers the period of 1959-1995. Shown are Barbie and all of her friends, in DETAIL, including markings on dolls, close up full color photos of face details, and a list of all pieces originally packaged with each doll. This is great especially for identifying dolls from the 1980's and early 1990's, when they all looked alike. Very comprehensive and a must have for dealers and collectors!

Purchase "The Collector's Encyclopedia of Barbie Dolls" by following this link.
This book is my all time favorite, being the greatest reference book ever written about Barbie. Barbie's history is covered in greatest detail from 1959-1976. Dolls, clothing, accessories, and foreign issues are all represented here. Doll photos are mainly black & white. Clothing pictures are few, but rather detailed lists of outfits produced are represented here. This book is an education in itself!

Purchase"Barbie Doll Fashions Vol. 1" by following this link.
Purchase"Barbie Doll Fashions Vol. 2" by following this link.
Purchase"Barbie Doll Fashions Vol. 3" by following this link.

If you are looking for vintage outfits for Barbie and friends, these are a must have, for helping to identify which pieces belong to which outfits. The photos are wonderful, high quality, full color, clear, and close up shots showing details of accessories and clothing. Volume I covers 1959-1967. Volume II covers 1968-1974. Volume III covers 1975-1979. The dolls that Mattel produced those years, are also shown in these books. Educate yourself with these great books!

Purchase “Barbie Doll & Her MOD, MOD, MOD, MOD World of Fashion 1967-1972” by following this link.

Included in this book are fashions produced for mainly Barbie only, from the period of 1967-1972, known as her MOD era. There are additional photos of fashions shown for Julia. Photos are full color, high quality and show nice details of clothing and accessories for each outfit. Dolls produced from this era are shown in the back of the book. A great book for the MOD collector!

Purchase “Barbie Doll's Cousin FRANCIE & her MOD, MOD, MOD, MOD World of Fashion” by following this link.

For Francie lovers, this is the book! Wonderful full color, high quality photos show Francie dolls,fashions and accessories in great detail. Absolutely the best book out there for Francie collectors.

Purchase “Thirty Years of Mattel Fashion Dolls Identification and Value Guide” by following this link.

Here is a great book for collectors of different types of fashion dolls. This covers fashion dolls made by Mattel during the years of 1967-1997. Included are: Celebrity & Character dolls, Children's line, Barbie dolls, Disney Classics and One of a Kind. A partial list includes: Friends of Barbie, Rock Flowers, Fashion Teeners, Sunshine Family, Honey Hill Bunch, Starr, Heart Family, Princess of Power, Dazzle and hundreds more of Mattel's great line of dolls. Great full color photos and information!

Purchase “Skipper, Barbie Doll's Little Sister, Also featuring Tutti & Todd” by following this link.

For Skipper lovers, this is the book! There is much more in this book than just Skipper dolls and clothing. EVERYTHING related to Skipper (1964-1971) is discussed here including dolls & clothing (U.S. & Foreign issues), Skipper cases, Structures, Paper dolls, Gift Sets, Furniture, just about anything you can think of! Another huge bonus is the section of this book that includes Tutti & Todd. This covers Tutti & Todd dolls (1966-1980) & clothing produced (U.S. & Foreign issues), their cases and structures along with other accessories. I can't say enough good about this fabulous book!