Book excerpt: If you're like most of us, the mailman's annual delivery of Sears, Roebuck and Company's Christmas Catalog was a holiday event in years past. American children watched the mailbox carefully for those wondrous old catalogs. They were full of childhood fantasies... enough toys, dolls, trains and bikes to make any kid start writing his or her letter to Santa Claus. That's probably why the nickname "Wishbook" stuck. And if you grew up during the Baby Boomer years of the Fifties and Sixties, there's big news. Those lost Wishbook pages full of wonderful toys targeted to girls have been reproduced in Girls' Toys, a new book containing authorized reproductions of the best girl-toy pages from 1950 through 1969. Girls' Toys and its companion book Boys' Toys are two in a series of Sears catalog re-issues. This 8 1/2 x 11" softcover book's 192 pages illustrate hundreds of now-collectible toys and dolls: Barbi and Ken, Shirley Temple, Lucy and Desi's Little Ricky, Betsy Wetsy and Troy Tears dolls, dollhouses and accessories, kid-sized kitchens, tea sets, dress-up outfits, bicycles, games and movie-TV-themed toys from Mary Poppins to the Flintstones. Included is a commentary on the toys, their manufacturers and historical relevance. Particular attention is paid to the manner in which young girls' toys were marketed, often perceived as negative messages in these enlightened times. Put on your Dale Evans Cowgirl Hat and settle in for hours of fond childhood memories. Girls' Toys is fun reading for anybody... male or female... toy fan or not. It's an invaluable reference source for serious collectors and history buffs, too. -- Jam-packed with warm and happy childhood memories. Hundreds ofphotographs and illustrations with accompanying commentary -- A "must have" reference volume for all toy, antique and memorabilia enthusiasts