The Antiques Buyer by David Dickinson was one of the first books that got me started. Some of you might recognise him on the Dickinson's Real Deal TV programme. Although he mainly covers furniture and other bigger pieces of antiques (which I'm not really interested in), he does give quite a lot of sound advice on how to get the best out of auctions, antique/collectors fairs and yes, even car boot sales. One of the most useful advice was: Have a budget and stick to it!
Where?
Bought at my local charity shop for £2... might be cheaper at a car boot sale I guess?
What?
Antiques Price Guide by Judith Miller is another good reference. As its title suggests, it is primarily a price guide, but I find the over 8500 full-coloured photos of antiques very attractive and useful especially if you want to get a sense of how some artefacts look like. Also helpful is the introduction section to each category of antiques. This often provides an adequate background of the subject matter without boring the reader with too much technical terms. There are also some tips on how to differentiate the real from the fake!
Where?
Bought this from the Vintage and Collectibles Fair (held in Durham's Gates Shopping Centre on the first weekend of every month) for £2.
