American Pickers Guide to Picking

September 15, 2011
Famous professional pickers Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz have a motto that serves them well on their annual thousand-mile road trips to discover hidden gems: Pickin', diggin', junkin', livin'. As many dedicated antiques connoisseurs already know from watching the pair's History Channel reality show, American Pickers, a picker is someone who sifts through other people's forgotten or discarded rubbish for collectible and resalable treasures. Cowritten by veteran fashion writer Callaway, this affable handbook offers constructive tips on searching the places mostly likely to yield interesting and valuable items, from vintage tools and bicycles to folk art and offbeat taxidermy. It also provides invaluable advice on the tricky art of haggling, with Wolfe and Fritz emphasizing the importance of staying interested in the history behind any given antique. Readers are also treated to some of the team's quirky adventures, including their unlikely rescue of priceless memorabilia from a waterlogged, abandoned home. An entertaining and informative guide for both veteran pickers and newcomers looking for a captivating and profitable new hobby.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)