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Wade Books

New collectors sometimes ask me to recommend Wade books to them. With over 30 books published over the years, covering almost every Wade product ever released, there is a good range to choose from. I only own about 10 books myself, so I can't talk about them all, but I'll use this page to give a short review on the ones I have read.

The books I have for sale can be found here.

Wade Whimsical Collectables by Pat Murray Published: 1986 The first guide to Wade ever written, and now a collectable in its own right, Pat's book is a compact guide to many of the best known Wade series, including whimsies, nursery rhyme figures, Disneys, and tortoises. As a reference guide, it's only of limited use these days, and there are much more comprehensive books around now. But it still provides a very interesting look at the old days of Wade collecting. Probably most interesting is the price guide, with the alphabet train valued at £20-£25 and the Noddy set at £5 to £8 per figure. How times change!

The World of Wade Book 1 by Ian Warner and Mike Posgay Published: 1988 Only the second Wade book ever published, this is a thoroughly well researched and well written guide to the full range of Wade products. The 50 page colour section is particularly good. I've owned my now-battered copy since I was 10 years old and it's still the book I reach for when I need to find out the date or background of a particular piece. The only downside to this book is that it doesn't cover any products produced in the last 20 years. It does, however, provide a very good guide to the "old Wade" and if you can pick up a cheap copy, it's well worth getting. Visit Ian and Mike's World of Wade website

The World of Wade Book 2 by Ian Warner and Mike Posgay Published: 1994 Ian and Mike's second book includes a large number of newly-unearthed old Wade products, as well as some more recently produced items. Just as well researched as the first, and with another big colour section. Use it in conjunction with The World of Wade Book 1 and you'll have a very comprehensive guide to all Wade pre-1994. Again, it's a little dated, but for a good reference to the old Wade products, it's definitely worth getting. Visit Ian and Mike's World of Wade website

Wade Price Trends by Ian Warner and Mike Posgay. Published: 1996 The third World of Wade book is intended to complement the World of Wade books 1 and 2 by providing a valuation guide to the figures featured in those books. As a price guide, it's probably a bit dated now. However, there is also a lot of new material in here and many items are featured that weren't included in the previous two books. The colour section isn't quite as impressive as the World of Wade books, but the book is still a good reference and for a few quid you may as well add it to your Wade library. Visit Ian and Mike's World of Wade website

The Charlton Standard Catalogue of Wade Tableware by Pat Murray. Published: 2002 (3rd edition) A book that pretty much does what it says on the tin, and details almost every Wade decorative product ever produced. The book is packed full of photos and whilst the majority of it is in black and white, there are a few colour pages slotted in here and there. While this is an extremely thorough and well researched Wade reference, the main problem is that items are grouped according to type of item, rather than design. This means that the items belonging to a particular set are distributed throughout the book, and it's not always easy to identify the other items in a set. Be aware too, that the prices in the book are now out of date.

The Wade Price Guide by Stella Ashbrook Published: 2003 This book includes information on some of the more unusual Wade figures around, including a number of prototypes and colourways. However, as a reference guide it's pretty sparse and a number of sets and series likely to be of interest to collectors are not included. What you find instead are pages of colourway whimsies. It might be worth getting if you see a cheap copy, but there are much better and more thorough Wade books out there.

Irish Wade: The History, People & Products by Harry Eakin, Cardwell McClure and John Wright. Published: 2007 Written and researched by a group of 3 Portadown historians, this book is an extremely comprehensive and informative guide to Irish Wade. The book covers not just the Wade products, but the history of the Portadown Wade factory and the people who worked there since its opening in 1947. A number of important Irish Wade products are documented, including several extremely rare figures that were previously not known about. The colour photos are particularly good. The only downside to the book is that as a price guide, it can't be relied upon too heavily. Wade books often seem to include inflated market values and this book is probably the worst offender, with most prices much higher than you'd be likely to pay. That aside, it's an excellent resource on all things Irish Wade.

Wade Whimsical Collectables by Pat Murray. Published: 2007 (8th edition) One of the most popular books with collectors, Wade Whimsical Collectables contains consise listings of many popular Wade sets and series. This edition includes 24 pages of colour photos, with the remaining photos in black and white. Unfortunately, the 8th edition strips out many sets, including leprechauns and pixies, Hatbox models, and Disney blow-ups, which means you'll also need to buy Pat's Wade Collectables book if you want the full complement of Wade products.

The World of Wade Ireland by Ian Warner and Mike Posgay. Published: 2007 This recent book, authored by the World of Wade duo, Ian Warner and Mike Posgay, is an in-depth guide to the full range of Irish Wade products. The book is packed with over 540 colour photos, including tableware, decanters, ashtrays, miscellaneous giftware, leprechauns, fairy folk, Irish Song Figures, and rare wildlife animals. It's not always easy for Wade authors to guage prices correctly, but by my reckoning the book's price guide is pretty accurate. Visit Ian and Mike's World of Wade website

The World of Wade Whimsies by Ian Warner and Mike Posgay. Published: 2008 This book details the myriad of Wade Whimsies produced by Wade from the 1950s to the present day and includes over 800 illustrations (most in colour). Particularly useful is the colour comparison guide at the end of the book, which shows all the different colourways produced from particular moulds. A fairly accurate price guide is also included. Bear in mind that the book does only feature whimsies and similar-sized Wade miniatures. For other sets and series, such as Disneys and Betty Boops, you'll have to buy Mike and Ian's "The World of Wade Figurines and Miniatures". Visit Ian and Mike's World of Wade website