5 comments about Beginning Glassblowing.

1. I though this book was about glassblowing, its more about working in a hot shop. Not helpful unless that is what you want to do.



2. Edward Schmid has created an excellent book that not only thoroughly covers the subject of glassblowing, but is a work of art unto itself. The entirely hand-written book is filled with artistic flair, from stylish emphasis of text to beautiful and fun full-page illustrations of key concepts. The book's consistent informal and friendly tone ensures that the learning process is as painless and enjoyable as possible.
   
   My only complaint is that there doesn't seem to be enough detail about how to shape the glass. Mr. Schmid seems like the type to simply suggest lots of experimentation, but some more inexperienced readers may have difficulties thinking of ways to do so.
   
   Contrary to an earlier review, this book most certainly does cover glassblowing.



3. This book arrived the day before I set foot in a local glassblower's studio to take my first class in blowing glass. Right after the first lesson I went home and read the first 40 pages of Beginning Glassblowing. EVERYTHING Schmid said was useful, to the point ,and made the stuff I learned in the studio have a stronger impact. It is an incredibly clear and user friendly book. I learned from the illustrations, and I was able to remember things from the book the next time I stepped into a real studio. This book has been an excellent companion, an inspiration and handy reference. Get a copy if you want to get into hot glass.



4. This is a Great Book for Beginner Glass Blowers. It is Fun as well as educational. It is in the form of a Journal. When I took my first class on Glass blowing this book helped me big time! Ed drew little pictures that were VERY helpful. I learned so much from this book and my work improved greatly from it!



5. I got this for my teenage son who had expressed an interest in glass blowing. He tells me it is a really interesting book, and also fun to read.

1 comments about Easy Victorian Florals Stained Glass Pattern Book (Dover Pictorial Archive Series).

1. For the price, I am happy with this book and the number of patterns it provides. Many look to be quite attractive however you have to visualize your own color combinations. There are only a few colored examples on the cover.

1 comments about Full-Color Art Nouveau Stained Glass Designs CD-ROM and Book (CD Rom & Book).

1. A very neat book. what with the CD-ROM it is easy to transfer a design to a real life blow up to a window or art project.

2 comments about Glass Notes, a reference for the glass artist.

1. Working with hot glass as an amateur, I find this book more than useful. The author has the ability to transfer know-how on dry subjects and many details in this book are exiting to explore. (even for a pro) A good mixture of design, pictures, hints and step by step instructions. Written in an easy to read, humourous style. It is worth every dollar. Higly recommended! Wish I had many books of this quality.



2. From building an annealer to a blowing bench to a crucible kiln, this book is your road map to a great hot shop. Easy as A B C.

5 comments about Standard Encyclopedia of Carnival Glass Price Guide (Standard Carnival Glass Price Guide).

1. This book is useless if you do not know a lot about carnival glass. I was very disappointed, it was a waste of money for a beginning collector!



2. I had no problem finding any of the patterns that I was looking for. Having only been collecting carnival glass for about three years, I found the book to be informative and a great referance to fall back on if I was unsure of something. This book was one of the best purchases that I have made when it comes to referance books.



3. The cover on the books says it all. It is a price guide but I was looking for a picture book.



4. From tumblers and bowls to advertising pieces, specialty items from glass workers, and notes on manufacturing credits and oddities, Standard Encyclopedia of Carnival Glass, eleventh edition is an outstanding survey of carnival glass makers and their products. Identification of pieces is the focus here; each piece accompanied by a small yet clear color photograph, and a separate price guide offers no photos but plenty of pricing details. A superb choice for collectors of carnival glass.



5. The book title is a bit deceiving. The cover does say, "Standard Encyclopedia of Carnival Glass". What part of 'encyclopedia' did I miss? This is nothing more than cheap paper with a long list of designs. If you ever hope to identify anything, this is not the book for you. Personally, I thought an 'encyclopedia' might help me identify, but not a single picture. My book now resides at the paper recycling dump. It really is that worthless.

3 comments about Victorian Stained Glass Pattern Book (Dover Pictorial Archives Series).

1. The first step to my using Mr. Sibbett's designs is to scan them. He provides clearly defined, good quality images that scan well at high resolution. The quality of images is not always apparent to the naked eye. The images are large enough to duplicate well without loosing detail. For my purposes the max of three images a page at most works well. Other books may have more patterns but they loose quality when made larger.



2. This book has a relatively good coverage of Victorian era designs. The patterns are large, so photocopy and enlargment is easy and clear. Designs are also relatively simple (I would consider this book for the advanced beginner or intermediate). There are few very intricate patterns traditional of the richest stained glass panels, but you surely have a lot of very nice patterns for your home.



3. This is an alright book for absolute beginners, but not up to the standard of the many other books available. I would recommend 390 Traditional Stained glass designs by Hywel Harris as a much better choice.

5 comments about Glass Toothpick Holders: Identification & Values (Glass Toothpick Holders).

1. This is a wonderful book ... for collectors of toothpicks specifically, but also for anyone who collects and/or deals in early pattern glass. Beautiful photos, great historical info on the old glass companies, and reliable and well-organized presentation of all the information one generally seeks in a collectibles price/pattern identification guide.

   I've often used this book to identify toothpicks, but also found it great for identifying other pattern glass pieces ... The photos really show off the pattern detail, and the (many!!!) accompanying line illustrations are extremely helpful, too. Also, since it's organized by company, if I know who made something but have no idea what it's called, this is the first book I reach for.




2. This book has all the great toothpicks and pictures of the first
   book. The pictures have been redone and are brighter and clearer.
   Plus there are many new toothpicks and pictures for some that were just drawings in the first book. There is also a new contempory toothpick section and a section on foreign toothpicks.
   I think the authors would have a grandslam if they would of expanded the section on newer reprodutions by the newer companies
   and included information on how to rate the condition and how the condition affects value. Great must own for toothpick collectors.



3. I bought this book because another reviewer said it had all the good pictures of the first edition plus more, and was a must have. (I should have put more stock in her "one star" rating than in her description!) Since I didn't have the first edition, it seemed to be a good bet. It IS a beautiful book! It pictures nearly every holder listed. Some of the pictures could be more clear, but overall, it is a good job. It lists the holders alphabetically by company. Listing by design characteristics would make it easier to find and identify holders. HOWEVER, the holders listed are nearly all late 19th to beginning of the 20th centuries. There is a VERY SMALL section on foreign and modern holders. This needs to be expanded greatly to be useful. I had an entire box full of holders, but could only identify two of them, and one of those was a modern reproduction for which the authors gave no values. So I still have no idea if it is worth anything. A 5-star book if you are looking for a nice coffee table book, but not of much help to the actual collector unless you know you only have 100-year-old holders.



4. This book is a gold mine for collectors of old and reproduced American-made toothpick holders! Not only does it have excellent photos and/or drawings, it also gives a brief history of many glass makers in the late 1880s to the present time. Also lists original manufacturer, original colors, reproduced colors and the reproduction company. I've been able to verify and/or identify almost all of my thirty or so toothpick holder collection. Fabulous book, highly recommended!
   
   



5. I recently bought a 74 piece lot of toothpick holders at an estate sale. This book helped me identify several of them. The cross-referencing notes gave me a lot of info that I would not have had. I really enjoy this book.

No comments about The Penland Book of Glass: Master Classes in Flamework Techniques.

2 comments about Kiln Formed Bracelets.

1. I am new to kiln bracelet forming although not new to kiln fired glass, and was blown away with the possibilities demonstrated in this book. You will need a digital caliper to use her measurement charts. Beautiful book, colorful photos and very inspiring.



2. Being totally new to kiln forming of glass into anything I came across this book and a couple others. As I'm planning on taking a bracelet class when they are offered in the fall. I thought I would get a head start. As everything seems to have so many tools and equipment today.
   
   The book is laid out good, nice bright clear pictures of tools and equipment which are numbered for quick connect to the lists. She does cover the basics and some of the important items say about kilns which Is nice if you don't own one and can use the info when you buy one. The pictures are of a good size that you can see what procedure that she is doing. The pictures are next to the description but aren't numbered. Hence my only complaint!
   All of the pictures are tight shots of what you need to be doing. which is good as it leaves nothing to guess at. The gallery pages are placed thru the book after each section. All of the pictures are shot of the item on a white back ground. Which does each piece justice. And not the arts'y shot some use. I found this book to be way above the others that I got at the same time. The techniques in this book are what you will need and the others can stay on the shelf, other than for ideas in a couple of years after going thru this one.
   
   It is a great book I own it have read it three times in the two days that I have had it.

4 comments about No Green Berries or Leaves: The Creative Journey of an Artist in Glass.

1. The book is a well written collection of autobiographical essays that sometimes include astonishingly honest descriptions of his life and thoughts. It describes his personal journey from a troubled dyslexic schoolboy to an internationally known glass artist. His pathway to success and international recognition was not an easy one - instead, it was marked by his relentless determination, commitment, and an unquenchable desire and pursuit for overall excellence and perfection of his work.
   
   I found the book easy and delightful to read. His stories give a personal insight into this most recognized paperweight artist and leave you feeling that you have personally known and understood him for years. Some of the stories are funny, some are touching and some explain his intellectual and artistic blossoming. His spiritual core values, work ethics and artistic integrity become clearly obvious. In this book, Paul wrote "In the studio, I promote excellence like a holy doctrine."



2. Mr. Stankard's story, at it's core, resonates with me. As a enthusiast of glass art, I expected to be interested in his journey, but I did not anticipate Mr. Stankard's level of candor and honesty. The combination of his balancing act of family, his struggle with dyslexia, and the pursuit of excellence is more than an inspirational story, it's an affirmation of life as an artist.



3. I found it very inspiring and informative to read about Paul Stankard's path as a glass artist, including his stuggles and triumphs. Not only was this an entertaining read, but I also relate to some of the tribulations Paul has faced along his path and I really connect with his love for nature. As a glass artist myself, I find it comforting to see that with perseverance, one can find the right path and eventually be successful doing what one loves to do. Thank you Paul for sharing so deeply and honestly of your experiences.



4. Paul Stankard, by all accounts one of the most recognized and successful glass artists alive today, has collected his experiences from decades of work with hot glass into a small tome of reminiscences. His memories are organized into a dozen and a half essays, loosely chronological but often overlapping, doubling back upon, and fleshing out earlier episodes. Additional materials include 32 full-color pages of photographs after the Epilogue, and an unexpected but handy Index following that. All of this is bundled within a thoughtfully-designed cover that cradles Mr. Stankard's prose in tones of green and cranberry.
   
   While short in length (183 pages, not including the Foreword and Preface), No Green Berries or Leaves is densely packed with feeling and reflection. Despite the weight of the material, it is a quick and easy read, owing to the fact that the voice which comes through is Paul's. It resembles more a story he might share over a cup of coffee rather than a piece of print. It is this quality, coupled with the way the book is broken down into small bites of his life rather than chronological chapters, that is the underlying strength of the book. No lofty phrasing or clinical assessments are found here, just plain words written with warmth, thought, and honesty.
   
   Paul gives more than just a standard re-telling of how he got here from there. History is interwoven with artistic philosophies, psychological states, and spiritual beliefs, resulting in a story rich with detail and meaning. He relates his youthful dreams, training, and creative yearnings that led to career changes, but also reveals personal struggles with a learning disability, anxiety, and nagging self-esteem issues, all of which culminate in the development of Paul Stankard the artist, family man, friend, mentor, and human being.
   
   Several themes are reinforced throughout: hard work, perseverance, the importance of continually educating one's self, harmony with Nature and its Maker, and gratitude, to name a few. Paul is forthright about the difficulties he endured, but also encourages his readers that if he was able to overcome those to become the acknowledged glass master he is, others can do the same through hard work, dedication, and faith in one's abilities. He strives to be an inspiration to others just as he was mentored throughout his career. His appreciation to all of the people who played a part in his journey flows through the pages, another prominent layer to the book and the person.
   
   For the paperweight enthusiast, this book offers a rare look into the heart of a master craftsman, delving into what originally inspired him to take up the torch to recreate those lovely handfuls of glass, what drives him to push the boundaries of the genre, and how the medium's siren call draws him ever closer into communion with its mysteries.