Customer Rating: 
Summary: A Great Little Book, If You Want An HP Collectibles Summary
Comment: The amount and variety of Harry Potter merchandise never ceases to amaze me. Rather than collect much of it, just buy this book. The pictures are detailed and printed on high-quality paper. Want to see what some foreign editions look like? It's in here. Want to find out some basic info about J.K. Rowling? It's in here, too. Sure it resembles a catalog, but what book of collectibles doesn't? Its biggest flaw is being out of date, thereby leaving out quite of bit of recent merchandise, but it's a good start. The focus is on items based on the books, not the movies, which is okay by me. I'm late to HP fandom, so I get to see what I missed out on.
I also had the advantage of seeing this book in a store, so I knew what I was getting. It would be nice if there were an updated second edition, as this one only scratches the surface of HP collecting.
Customer Rating:
Summary: This book will please fans, and irk collectors
Comment: The book definitely has an entertaining value, but as far as a book for collectors, it isn't up to par. Most of the sections on Harry Potter collectables are not up to date, and they feature very vague values or prices. I think the reason is that Harry Potter merchandise is fairly new, and so it is hard to calculate an item's worth when it just came on to the market.The book also includes several interesting sections on the upcoming movie, JK Rowling, and England, which are mildly entertaining. The thing that I thought was the most appealing in the book, however, was a section on Harry Potter around the world. I found it very interesting to see the covers of the Harry Potter books in Germany, France, Japan, and many other countries. Out of everything, I would say that that section helps redeem this book, which is otherwise a failure.
Customer Rating:
Summary: do not read this "book"
Comment: this "book" is the worst book i have ever read. the reason is because the "author" is putting 101 advertizements for harry potter mechandise. i reapeat myself, DO NOT READ THIS BOOK!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Merchadising Madness, Editorial Crisis
Comment: My previous review of this product was removed by Amazon after receiving 54 of 58 "helpful" votes, with the remark by the editor to me that "It is not clear from reading the review that you have read the book you commented on." I don't see how so many of Amazon's potential customers could disagree, and I assure you all that I have indeed read this "book" and that my comments below are thus informed.To even consider that this is a "book" is misleading. It is much more of a magazine format, and although it does contain some articles, they are obviously filler for what is otherwise an advertisement for Harry Potter merchandise, of which this book is one. The articles contain nothing that is not readily available elsewhere--much of it available on the net for free. This book seeks not to inform or entertain, but to part you from your hard-earned dollars with the least amount of effort on the publishers. If the "book" were half the price or less it might be a reasonable value. But since the Collector's Value Guide is as expensive as it is, beware of the information included--obviously the "authors" have no true sense of worth.
Were this truly a Collector's Value Guide, there would be some discussion of value, and what value might actually mean when the market is flooded with cheap garbage like pieces of colored plastic that are supposed to be "magical stones" whose real purpose is to enrich their makers, not entertain children. But of course, no such discussion exists. Granted, not every Potter "collectable" is a monstrosity, but how terribly unfortunate that the real value of Harry Potter, the delight of a child, has been eclipsed by the soulless and almightly dollar. The Harry Potter phenomenon is amazing, and I'm delighted to see so many kids interested in reading, and engaged in the worlds of fantasy and imagination, but this "book" is not about that at all. Instead, the "writers" of this "book" have managed to make a "collectable" from a "book" about "collectables." Clearly the world is not the way I'd have it...
Customer Rating:
Summary: Not very good....
Comment: I liked the books that CheckerBee Publishing have done in the past like beanie babies, but this book did not have the information I expected. I would not waste my money on this, unless you want to keep track of everything you have bought, but it is not even current....
