Books about collecting marbles are the mainstay of the hobby. Most collectors want each and every one eventually--I own and love them all. Each of these books has given its own unique and priceless contribution to our hobby. I am working to make this a comprehensive list of books, and will add more information and better reviews as time permits. Hover over, or click, the book title below to see if I have a link to an Amazon.com or other site listing for the book. Amazon has more information about each book, including the publisher's description, and sometimes reader reviews. You do not have to buy the book, even if you click the Amazon link. I have a few books not listed here yet, because they are not widely available anymore. I'll add them when I have a few moments, with or without links.
I have only listed the most recent edition of each book. For many books, I have added a review or comment. In most cases, I plan to add a more extensive review when I have time. Many of the books have gone through several editions, as you can tell by noting the edition number below. Amazon and other sources often list the older editions. If you are looking for price history data, many of the older editions contain older prices.
BOOK LIST:
Barrett, Marilyn; Aggies, Immies, Shooters & Swirls: The Magical World of Marbles; Little, Brown & Co.; ( 2000) RMM Review: A fun book, but not much help in identifying marbles.
Bavin, William; A Pocketbook of Marbles; Outline Press; (1994)
Baumann, Paul; Collecting Antique Marbles; Krause Publications; 4 edition (December 15, 2004) RMM Review: Fabulous book, a great identification aid.
Baumann, Paul; Price Guide to Collecting Antique Marbles; Wallace-Homestead Book Co (June 1976) RMM Review: The best older price guide.
Block, Robert; Collecting Early Machine-Made Marbles: The M. F. Christensen & Son Company and Christensen Agate Company; Schiffer Publishing (June 2003)
Block, Robert; Marble Collectors Handbook; Schiffer Publishing (July 2005) RMM Review: The best recent price guide.
Block, Robert - Marbles: Identification and Price Guide, 4 Rev Exp edition; Schiffer Publishing (2002)
Block, Robert; Marbles Illustrated; Schiffer Publishing; 3Rev Ed edition (October 1999)
Block, Robert; Pictorial Price Guide of Marbles; Schiffer Publishing (August 30, 2002)
Block, Mark; Contemporary Marbles and Related Art Glass; Schiffer Publishing (January 2001) RMM Review: Respected book in the contemporary art marble world.
Block, Mark; The Encyclopedia of Modern Marbles, Spheres, & Orbs; Schiffer Publishing (August 30, 2005)
Block,
Block, Stanley;
Antique Glass Swirl Marbles; Schiffer Publishing (August 30, 2001) RMM Review: Fabulous coffee table book
Block, Stanley - Marble Mainia - 1998 - Schiffer Publishing RMM Review: Fabulous coffee table book
Block, Stanley and Payne, Edwin M.; Sulphide Marbles; Schiffer Publishing (July 2001) RMM Review: Fabulous coffee table book
Boy Scouts of America; Cub Scout Sports Marbles; Boy Scouts of America (June 1985) RMM Review: Great book on playing; shows up on Amazon, used
Carskadden, Jeff and Gartley, Richard; Chinas Hand Painted
Marbles of the Late 19th Century;
Castle, Larry and Peterson, Marlow; Collectible Machine -
Made Marbles;
Castle, Larry and Peterson, Marlow; Marbles: The Guide to Machine Made Marbles; Utah Marble Connection; 2nd edition (June 1995)
Castle, Larry and Peterson, Marlow; Marbles: The Guide To Cat's-Eyes Marbles; Utah Marble Connection, Inc (1998); Contact to purchase directly: 3387 Polk Ave., Ogden, UT, United States; (801)393-8131; RMM Review: Wonderful little book, THE cat's-eye book, and a must-have for any cat's-eye collector
Chevat, Richie; The Marble Book (Includes
Marbles Classic Games); Workman Publishing Company (January 4, 1996) RMM Review: Perfect book for children, includes actual playing marbles (probably Marble King), a marble bag, and a small book detailing lots of regional marble games
Ely, Bill – The sulphide marble: A Handbook; Bill Ely (1985)
Ferretti, Fred - The Great American Marble Book; Workman Pub Co (December 1973)
Gartley, Richard; Colonial period and early 19th century children's toy marbles: History and identifications for the archaeologist and collector; Muskingum Valley Archaeological Survey (1998)
Grist,
Grist,
Grist,
Ingram, Clara; The Collectors Encyclopedia of Antique Marbles; Collector books (1972)
Randall, Mark; Marbles as Historical Artifacts; Marble
Collectors Society of
Runyon, Cathy; Knuckles Down! A Guide to Marble Play; (1985). Right Brain Publishing 4th edition (1999) RMM Review: Great book for kids, by a terrific expert
Six, Dean and Metzler, Susie, and Johnson, Michael; American Machine-Made Marbles; Schiffer Publishing (August 30, 2006) RMM Review: A must have book for every collector
Six, Dean and Metzler, Susie, and Johnson, Michael; Popular American Marbles; Schiffer Publishing (November 4, 2006) RMM Review: A must have book for every collector
Webb, Dennis; Randall, Mark E. - Greenberg's Guide to Marbles; Kalmbach Pub Co; 2 edition (November 1994) RMM Review: Love this book
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
Steph's Study Hall Book List: Very good reference material on the subject of marbles, this is a group of posts on the forum, MarbleConnection.invisionzone.com. This appears to have the entire Al Rasmus list, which was posted by Al. Al is a forum moderator at LandofMarbles.com, another great forum, and a well known expert on marbles.
