is there a book with info on vintage bear ,pearson and browning etc. recurves with manufacturing dates and serial # info and production #s and values?
Check Three Rivers Archery, they have a CD on Bear bows.
I don't know of a book for all of your questions nor if you meant collectors value or retail. I suppose you'll have to collect the different companies catalogs for the later and watch pee-bay for the first.
The CD on Bear bows is nice to have, but it ends with 1978 and does not cover what comes beyond the Grayling aera.
I have one book which may be of interest to you because it actually gives retail prices of it's time. It's a big paperback with black&white pics on typical bad quality paper. All related stuff you can think of is pictured and described: Quivers, bows, broadheads, string material, camo and even tree stands and optics. Once in a while you see it at pee-bay for almost no costs. Look out for a mainly yellow cover:
LEWIS, Jack (1984): Archery Equipment Illustrated. – 256 p., figs.; Northfield, Illinois (DBI Books).
Couple things come into play on some sort of book on old bows?...How many old bows are there??? Or better yet,how many old companys were building bows.The number may and probley will suprize you.There were about as many old companys building bows in the 1940's and 1950's and 1960's as there are bowyers today,it's pretty incredable how many old bows there were and still are working...But as for value type book.One problem would be conditon as many old bows have well hidden danage or in some cases been repaired 40 years ago.Still shootable.But value,I have records of every bow I worked on and it's still kinda tough to value everyone of them....bd