John A. Shuman III is a lifelong resident of Pennsylvania. He taught secondary English for 35 years, plus a variety of adult courses. He avidly buys and sells, refinishes, lectures on and appraises antiques. He also enjoys photography, and attending flea markets and antiques shows. Shuman takes pleasure in traveling and researching glass, china, primitives, arts and crafts, collectibles, and assorted antiques. He owns a general line antiques shop called “Jasel” in Bloomsburg, PA. His memberships include: Smithsonian Associates, Nature Conservancy, Pennsylvania State Antiques Association, Antique Appraisal Association of America, Mount Washington Art Glass Society and The National Early American Glass Club.
He is a graduate of Bloomsburg High School, Wyoming Seminary, Bloomsburg University and Pennsylvania State University. He has visited renowned museums, well-known sites, galleries, and historical societies, both in the United States and Europe. His travels have taken him to the British Isles and 16 European countries, on seven occasions. Over three decades, he has written more than 1,000 articles published in the following: Collector News, The New York Antique Almanac, The Antique Trader Weekly, Antiques Journal, The Antique Trader Price Guide To Antiques, The Historical Review Of Berks County, The Historical Yellow Springs Catalogue and Glass Collector’s Digest. He created two videos on American and European Art Glass for Award Video and Film Distributors (Sarasota, Florida) in 1993. His weekly featured column on general antiques appeared in the Sunday edition of the WEST CHESTER DAILY LOCAL from 1988-1999. Mr. Shuman also does television and radio appearances. (In June 2003, he gave the keynote address at the eighth national convention of open salt collectors in Cherry Hill, NJ.)
This is Shuman’s ninth book; his other titles are A Spiritual Journey, Warman’s Native American Collectibles, Art Glass Sampler, The Collector’s Encyclopedia Of American Art Glass, Lion Pattern Glass And The Collector’s Encyclopedia Of Gaudy Dutch And Welsh. New titles for Spring 2006 are TV Lamps of the Fifties and the second updated edition of American Art Glass.
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Judith Izen, a doll historian, is the author of the acclaimed Collector’s Guide to Ideal Dolls, 2nd Edition, as well as the definitive Collector’s Encyclopedia of Vogue Dolls (co-authored with Carol Stover). Her over 50 articles covering all types of dolls have appeared in Antiques and Collecting Hobbies, Contemporary Doll, Doll Reader, and many other publications. She has also written for web-based publications and is the former doll columnist for Toy Shop magazine. Ms. Izen also lectures and teaches on the topic of dolls. She has been a guest curator of dolls at museums and a featured speaker at doll conventions. Ms. Izen holds the B.S. degree from Boston University and a M.S. degree from the Harvard School of Public Health. She worked in medical research for over ten years and has transferred her research skills into her hobby of doll collecting.
