Review (5/5): This is a book for serious collectors
Mark Bando has set a new standard for a collector's book that reveals the reason why collectors find Third Reich artifacts such a compelling hobby. The artistry and symbology of insignia is so fascinating that companies all over the world are busily manufacturing fakes for a growing market. Bando's photographs are bold and detailed, while his text assists the novice collector in discerning real from reproduction. Mark Bando also is clear-eyed in his historical messages, blancing the fascination with the criminality that stained the ideals of that totalitarian movement. Bando should continue to research and write because the fascination will not die, and as he points out, the first collectors were the GI's who were busy defeating Nazism, and they bequeathed the hobby to their offspring. Kudos, Mark.