The author has attempted to organize the many materials to be found on doll collecting into a course which will provide a foundation of knowledge for appreciating and evaluating old dolls. The course has been divided into sessions in which old dolls will be studied by type (images, idols, and early playthings; child, doll, and social realities; wooden dolls; wax dolls; papier mache and composition; china and parian; bisque dolls, cloth dolls; celluloid, metal, leather, and rubber dolls; and doll art in America) in basically the same chronological order in which they achieved popularity in the marketplace (1800-1925). The instructor is urged to employ a variety of teaching strategies in the presentation of the material. A mixture of lecture, slides, show and tell, and much student participation is encouraged. Handouts are provided which can be given to students at the end of each session. Brief annotated bibliographies appear at the end of each chapter, as well as a selected bibliography at the end of the course. The course has been designed to introduce the beginning doll collector to the techniques employed in the manufacture of old dolls, to help the novice identify a doll of excellent artistic merit, and to acquaint the collector with some of the better known names in doll making. (Author/BP)