I'm a small-time reseller of vintage goods so I thought this might be an interesting read. It was okay. The dealer "Curt Avery" that the author profiles deals mainly in what he calls "Pilgrim-century" goods and primitives--true antiques because they're more than 100 years old. He is contemptuous of people who buy and sell the 'vintage' goods that I'm a fan of--items from the 30s to the present. He bemoans the fact that nobody wants expensive OLD antiques anymore, especially when the economy is soft--but he disregards the fact that Baby Boomers and Gen X & Y kids who are just getting some disposable income of their own are nostalgic for the relics of their childhoods, not blanket chests from the 1820s. A smart businessperson might be willing to be flexible and sell what consumers want, not what you THINK they should want.

One thing that really bothered me about this book was that the author included many of Mr. Avery's profanities along with his quotes about the antiques trade and his business. There was no need for that--I didn't expect to find a non-fiction book about antiques to be bombarded with f-bombs! She could very easily have omitted the profanities and the intent of Avery's words would have not changed.