No comments about Complete Flooring (Stanley Complete).

5 comments about Back to Basics: How to Learn and Enjoy Traditional American Skills (Second Edition).

1. Until I checked this book out of the library, I had rarely given a thought to getting "back to basics," that is learning how to be more self-sufficient. After I read the book, I soon bought it, because it opened my eyes to the many ways that I am almost entirely dependent upon others for my basic needs. "Back to Basics" is a helpful guide for those who want to get away from it all and live totally independently on a farm, and even those like myself that live in town, but that want to become more self-sufficient, and less dependent on expensive fossil fuels and foods that someone else has raised or grown.
   
   "Back to Basics" is a colorful, easy-to-understand encyclopedia of basic skills. There are hundreds of color photos, and most lessons are laid out step-by-step, making the concepts very easy to learn. The book is divided into six basic parts:
   
   I. Land: Buying It - Building on it (how to choose land, build a home, develop a water supply, create a sauna, etc)
   
   II. Energy from Wood, Water, Wind, and Sun (making your home more efficient, how to use wind energy, setting up a solar-powered house, etc)
   
   III. Raising Your Own Vegetables, Fruit, and Livestock (how to properly grow all sorts of fruits, vegetables, and grains, how to farm fish, beekeeping, butchering an animal, etc)
   
   IV. Enjoying Your Harvest Year Round (canning, preserving all kinds of foods, making cheese and wine, etc)
   
   V. Skills and Crafts for House and Homestead (making natural dyes, weaving, woodworking, stenciling, soapmaking, making homemade perfumes, etc)
   
   VI. Recreation at Home and in the Wild (camping, canoeing, kayaking, celebrating holidays, etc)
   
   This book definitely has the potential to help all of us live more self-sufficiently, learning to do the things that our grandparents probably learned growing up. However, one possible drawback is that becoming self-sufficient takes a lot of work, and in the case of switching your home over to some type of alternative energy, a lot of money as well. Most readers are probably not going to have the land, time, and money to make some of the more significant changes suggested. However, the book still offers a lot for the rest of us, and at the least, educates us as to what it takes to live in a self-sufficient manner. Another possible drawback is that the book tries to squeeze a lot of information into 456 pages. This means that while you are getting a very concise, and surprisingly detailed, overview, you may need to consult more detailed sources if you need more help than what the book offers.
   
   Overall, this is an interesting and useful book that offers practical ways to become more self-sufficient, something that is highly relevant in these times of rising energy and food prices. My family has already used some of the ideas, starting our first garden this year.



2. This book starts with selecting property for building a home and continues through construction to maintenance and entertainment. It contains much detailed knowledge and each subject is well explained. Graphics and illustrations are good and well formed. I would recommend this book for any home builder, farmer, do-it-yourselfer or alternative urbanite.



3. This book will teach you best tips and tricks for raising your own food, and a whole lot more. I purchased it as a replacement of my original book that I bought in the early '80s. I was so thankful it is still around! I wore the cover right off my old book and passed it onto a friend in need of this knowledge.
   
   If you are into living off the land and need advice on how to do it, get this book!



4. One of my top ten books. I am an avid outdoorsman and believe in being prepared(Boy Scout Motto) to take care of one's self "off the grid". This book might as well be my bible. It does skim a little on some subjects but on the whole it gives a thorough enough explanation of all the skills one would need to scout out, build, propagate, and flourish on a frontier farm. Excellent illustrations to accompany all the subjects.
   
   My only thing to change about it would be a slightly larger thickness of stock for the pages. I know this would make this rather large book even heavier but the pages have a tendency to bunch and fall midway through the book. A slight qualm about an otherwise flawless book. Read it flat to avoid this problem.
   
   If you want to learn about how to be completely self sufficient I highly recommend this book.



5. We have found this resource wonderful. There's more in this book than I could have asked for gardening, preserving, how to chop would, how to make tools... Our 10 year old son enjoys reading it too and learning about how to really make items that he would use. We were looking for a resource to help us "survive" if need be on our own, also we were looking for items that were more cost effective in this hard economy. Great resource!

5 comments about 1001 Do-It-Yourself Hints & Tips : Tricks, Shortcuts, How-Tos, and Other Great Ideas for Inside, Outside, and All Around Your House.

1. As a single parent and homeowner, I can't tell you how handy this book has been. If you don't have a friend, relative or spouse who's a handyman, you definitely need this book. I've been able to save enough money to furnish my home. I've purchased many of the Reader's Digest books in the past and found them to be of high quality and excellent value. This book contains step-by-step procedures and instructions that are depicted in numbered color photos that makes easy work of repairs and maintenance-plus you are assured it's done right.



2. While not a comprehensive home repair guide (superficial instructions and difficult to see and poorly labeled photos and diagrams), this book is a useful addition to home repair libraries. When tackling a home repair, the book provides numerious time-saving and result enhancing suggestions on how to maket the job go more smooothly with a higher quality outcome.



3. While not a comprehensive home repair guide (superficial instructions and difficult to see and poorly labeled photos and diagrams), this book is a useful addition to a home repair library. When tackling a home repair, the book provides numerious time-saving and result enhancing suggestions on how to make the job go more smooothly with a higher quality outcome.



4. I have not bought this book...yet. I recently borrowed it from the library, and will keep renewing it until they force me to return it. When they do, I intend on hunting it down at my neighborhood bookstore.

   This book is very comprehensive for the do-it-yourselfer that is just starting out, and contains many neat tips and tricks that even the expert handyman would not have known. The book is extremely useful for everyday stuff, and even has instructions on those once a year fix-it items.

   The book is arranged in different categories, such as Lawn & Garden, Plumbing, Electrical Appliances, with subcategories like pruning, toilets, and washer/dryer. About half of each page is covered with colorful handrawn pictures that apply to the tips listed. Most tips don't have pictures, but these are usually ones that don't require them. The other half of the page contains detailed instructions on how to replace/repair/install items of importance. These instructions have real pictures of the process, and are wonderful for reference.

   I would recommend this book to anyone who owns a home. Once you buy it, read everything once so you'll know what's in there, then put it in an accessible place so you can grab it at a moments notice.




5. This book is surprisingly fun. You name it and this book has a tip on the most effective way to do it. I bought this book in conjunction with two other home maintenance and repair books and it has many items that were not covered in the other two. I only gave it three stars because I will probably only refer to this one after the other two to verify that there isn't an easier way. What would make this book better? I say combine this book with their "New Fix-It-Yourself Manual" (my top choice), and you have an ace book!

5 comments about Sheds & Garages.

1. We have found this book to be extremely helpful so far. Has easy to read instructions with pictures to show exactly how to do things. My husband stated that this was the best book he has seen so far.



2. If you do not know what a plumb bob is, or how to mark a chalk line, this book will be of great value. If you are looking for plans to build a shed, buying this book is similar to paying for an order form.

   This will show you from the ground up how to build a shed, yes. However, one must pay another 15-30 dollars for the actual plans, despite the covers boast of "special section: 33 Great New Plans!". Reason #298 why to look at the book at a real bookstore before buying, too.

   If you know how to build anything, you may see this as a waste of time/money.




3. This book has an abundance of helpful information for the novice carpenter. Lots of good building designs also. Very good reference and learning book.



4. I loved this book!!! Not only did you see ideas on how to decorate but if you wanted to, "bulid it yourself", then it gave you step by step and tools as well as land lay out you needed.
   
   Also gave you garage/loft plans to choose from. Again loved it!!



5. This book gives good step-by-step instructions that are useful for building a shed, as well as for any framing or repair work. Amazon's price is well below Home Depot's.

5 comments about Unclutter Your Home: 7 Simple Steps, 700 Tips & Ideas (Simplicity Series).

1. I found this book to be very helpful. There were many ideas that are really just common sense but you need someone to point them out to you. For example, just the idea that everything has a place and mail once opened never goes into a pile, but gets filed or thrown out. My piles are now a lot less. There are many other great tips and ideas and it is sometimes helpful to hear things over again. It is also one of those books that you can pick up when you just have a few minutes and get something out of it.



2. Although a lot of these ideas boil down to common sense, (open the mail each day as it arrives and while standing next to the recycle bin, for instance) I do have to say that reading this book inspired me to do some *SERIOUS* uncluttering. I've only owned it a month and in that time I think I've thrown out, sold, or donated about two dumpsters worth of things I was holding onto for all the wrong reasons. For the first time I'm enjoying getting rid of things, and making room to actually have places to put things away. Let's just say I used to browse for costume jewely in online auctions, but now I drool over storage accessories. Sigh. (Another lifelong clutterbug bites the dust.) In short: yes, I'd have to say that the book was very helpful, at least in providing that intial kick-start that so many of us pack rats need.



3. An easy to read format with several tips/ideas on each page covering all the clutter zones with suggested systems to simplify your home.
   
   Each idea is presented in a paragraph format, about three sentences with basic details. The book consists of 176 pages of these ideas with seven to ten on each page with many being similar and pretty basic in concept. There are some tips that are used for more than one room, so when another room is discussed this tip is presented again with examples.
   
   I think if someone stopped and tried to come up with ideas for how to organize their house they would easily have the format for this book, because it read like many thoughts jotted down in sentence form.
   
   Many of the tips make sense and may be overlooked when trying to tackle the task of uncluttering years worth of collections and junk. Finish one room before attempting another, for every new item brought into the home toss out five items, plan activities around garbage day.
   
   There are a few tips and recommendations that I did not agree with or really understand the need. When going through your home to decipher what is clutter, think in terms that each item is sacrificing space. The question to ponder is do you want the space for this clutter or for breathing space. The tips are presented with suggestions, but I did not get the sense that the author has done all these steps due to the lack of personalization to these ideas.
   
   Unclutter your home: 7 Simple Steps, 700 Tips & Ideas is a quick read, good for someone who might need a push in this direction and certainly a wise investment for someone to kick in their new year resolution come holiday time. Most of this is just common sense and not too difficult to begin the process. I had time to kill while at the library and wanted to see what I might have overlooked when arranging my house.



4. delivery was prompt. book in good condition



5. Small book but packed with loads of information. Mostly common sense stuff I think but we wouldnt be buying this book if we were doing those things to keep our house uncluttered! I suggest this book to anyone! I enjoy it !

4 comments about Sauna: A complete guide to the Construction, Use, and Benefits of the Finnish Bath.

1. It's important to know before you buy this book, or his book about Underground Homes, that they use the cordwood masonry building technique, more or less to exclusion. Roy has saved this technique from oblivion but he tries to pass off his books as "complete" in the sense of including various techniques. They don't. I'm not saying not to get them, but remember that caveat.



2. I wouldn't feel compelled to write a review of this book, except for the low star rating of the only other reviewer of this book [at this writing anyhow]. This is an excellent book for building a free-standing sauna--as long as cordwood masonry building style works for you. Rob Roy is the master of this technique and written much about it in a number of books. He has an easy style and knows his material. But yes, if you're looking to build a wood-only sauna, look elsewhere.



3. When I decided that an outdoor wood-burning sauna was in my future I sought a book that would contain detailed information on sauna construction, stove usage and evaluation, and the like. Instead, Roy's book, though enjoyable, was far less than a "..complete guide.."
   
   An enormous amount of time is spent on cordwood construction (inappropriate for us living in hardwood areas) and virtually little or no space devoted to selecting, evaluating and using the many stove options that are available on the market.
   
   I am certain that Mr. Roy could write such a book. His passion for and knowledge of the sauna is apparent throughout the book. It's a disappointment that this "complete guide" fell short of my expectations.
   
   Though I don't feel that I wasted the book's purchase price (I am now more enthusiastic about my yet-to-be-built sauna than ever), I wish that Roy's book would have imparted more of his obvious knowledge about those matters that are of interest to us non-cordwood oriented neophytes.



4. 
   We bought this book hoping it would give us the basic information we needed to build an outdoor sauna (ex. materials list, basic dementions, review of different types of stoves, etc). While there was some of this information, most of the book was dedicated to Cord Wood construction. This was interesting, but not the way we wanted to build. I wish there had been a more balanced amount of information on all the different types of sauna construction (log, cord wood, conventional framing, etc.)

5 comments about Marvelous Murals You Can Paint.

1. I purchased this book in the hope that it would provide instruction to create the murals illustrated on the first few pages. Unfortunately, although there are very beautiful murals pictured,instructions are included for only a few. Perhaps my tastes differ from the authors but it seems that most garish and ugly murals were the ones that included "how to" instructions. It leads one to wonder if perhaps they do not want any competition in producing the more tasteful murals pictured! I also purchased the companion video and was disappointed for the same reasons- the instructions were only for projects I would not want to do.



2. This book has alot of good information that both novice and pro alike will love. There are alot of techniques covered in this book and the authors cover them extensively. If you're thinking of making a carreer as a muralist, or just want to spruce of your own home, this is the book to start with.



3. Although this book was visually nice to look at I found it lacked in teaching me how to paint murals. I have stumbled across a great site that has free tutorials on it. The site is [...] I hope you find this helpful.



4. I think Gary Lord does wonderful work and these murals are amazing. However, unless you are an artist or have invested in some equipment, this isn't for you. It has great ideas that one might hire done.



5. this is an older book and the work simplistic I prefer his latest 3 books:The House That Faux Built,Its Faux Easy With Gary Lord and his latest mural book just coming out

5 comments about Home Theater Hacks: 100 Industrial-Strength Tips & Tools (Hacks).

1. Home Theater Hacks is the perfect book for anyone in the planning, building, or improvement phase of their home theater. This book really covers everything that has to do with a home theater: from selecting the right components, to component configuration, to cabling, to making your theater look awesome. This book is a must read before you start your home theater.
   
   The book begins with a very thorough and impressive discussion of how and where to buy home theater components. The author discusses receivers (both audio and video), DVD players, TVs (both HD and standard), as well as the ins and outs of buying online versus at a local store. This discussion naturally leads to a very large section on "configuration", which includes such things as how to install and configure a terrestrial television antenna, how to match your subwoofer to your room, and everything you ever wanted to know about cables. I particularly enjoyed the author's discussion of the modern myth of expensive cabling. He provides a very good explanation of what "good enough" means (you wouldn't put gold water pipes in your home, why spend $100 on a gold cable?).
   
   As mentioned, this is a very interesting and useful book for anyone planning or currently working on a home theater. It dispelled a lot of myths I had heard in the past, and provides clear explanations as to why many of these myths are false. Additionally, I found that the book provided sound advice in the purchase and configuration of home theater components.



2. This book covers it all. Very well written and easy to understand. He covers everything from TV's to recievers, amps and speakers. A must for any home theater enthusiest.



3. This is a good choice to learn about home theater, and the author has a number of great ideas to get you started. I recommend the book, but I was disappointed with several aspects. 1) It seemed to be aimed more to the high-end user; no information about home-theater-in-a-box or virtual surround sound was given. I can imagine the author's opinions on these subjects, but he should have at least addressed them. 2) Some information is rapidly becoming outdated, especially in the video processing and connectivity sections. This book should probably be updated once a year. 3) Too much unnecessary detail in some areas. For example, a large section on antenna construction should be shortened, since most people probably use either cable or satellite anyway. And while the long section on user service codes is good, most of it will be out of date by the time the book is published. 4) Too much emphasis on projection displays, and not enough detail on flat panels (e.g., mounting issues, care/maintenance issues). 5) I would like to see more information about wiring strategies: different ways to hide wiring, the status of wireless speakers, etc.



4. Saw this at my local bookstore and checked with Amazon.com and was happy to purchase it online for a substantial discount here. This book is great for anyone beginning to setup their own home theater and for those that really like to get into the meat of this hobby. The pages are easy to read with good, clear black and white photos spread throughout.
   
   What this book offers are those uncommon tips and tricks that big name electronics stores don't want you to know about. This book alone will save me hundreds of dollars from all the information provided inside. It's doesn't have too much techno-babble but it won't feel like a crash course booklet leaving you wanting more. Intelligently laid out and highly recommended.



5. I was excited to get this book since while being fairly technical (mechanical engineering), I really did not know that much about home theatre. It's a very in depth collection of general, specific and ecclectic tips and tools from which the novice will glean about 20% useful information. Those more experienced A/V hobbyists will relish in this comprehensive industrial-strength expose of information that ranges from the practical to the sublime. Like many other technical subjects, this book let's you take your home theatre system as far as you pocketbook is deep, but does offer practical advice as to how to get the best bang for your buck. But be prepared to understand a lot of technical mumbo-gumbo that the mainstream installer would probably fair better using the services of a pro. If you found your self wanting from "Home Theatres for Dummies", this book is for you.
   The best advice the book had to offer for me was to visit your local big box A/V retailer and talk shop with them, something I was reticent to do without some intellectual backup. This book makes that visit less challenging, you can walk in the door and communicate and understand things better, and get a chance to see and hear what the book is talking about. As with many books in this field, info is a little dated (true with the Dummies edition too). Certain advances in technical quality that the book warns of (e.g., burn-in on plasmas) have been on the large part addressed by the manufacturers in the three years since this book was published. It's a good text for those prepared to do their homework. Considering the cost of the book versus what you could spend finding this stuff out the hard way, it's a very small investment (<0.1-1%). That is to say, you'll save this much buying your first cable.

5 comments about Painting Secrets.

1. Great book. However, one of the pictures had been neatly cut out.



2. Our nieghbor hasa this book and it came with a DVD by Santos, atached to the inside front cover. The book I received did not have the DVD. It was not advertised as having one, but I assumed it would. The book is still very good.



3. I learned some things from this book, but it will not turn a complete clumsy painter into any kind of a wizard. Much of the glowing praise delivered by other reviewers is true. I actually read the entire book and enjoyed it. However, I think it only merits a rating of "okay" or "good," not excellent.
   
   Two things that plague me when painting (and which I hoped this nearly 5-star book would clear up for me) are catching drips and cutting in. But there is nothing about avoiding making drips (usually a furniture problem) and nothing about what to do with one when you find it later. (Well-dried drips can be carefully planed off with the plane set to "barely there," although you still risk cutting right down to the wood - oops! Drips can also be removed with a chisel held at a 90° angle to the piece and drawn straight along the drip, although this technique sometimes goes into "washboarding." Maybe Mr. Santos knows some other technique he might have told me.)
   
   The section on cutting in says to do it, do it first, and use a tool which Santos sells. (I cannot see how the tool actually delivers paint right up the edge of the adjoining surface.) Because cutting in can make or break a room (and doing it well can help you keep your temper), additional photos of someone holding the brush the right way, at the correct angle, chasing that little bead of paint (and no more than a little bead) right up the intersection, and keeping all the bristles of the brush under control (instructions for this one, please) would have improved the book and maybe earn it another star.
   
   I'm sure there are other things I would have liked to see in greater detail, but I'll leave it at that. Gotta go finish painting the bedroom.



4. I have seen Brian Santos in person a few times. He is fantastic and has wonderful tips and shortcuts for painting and wallpapering. I was thrilled to see this book. he has consulted on at least one other one but this has more of his wonderful personality.



5. I've seen Brian's live demos. His book captures the spirit and the techniques well. I just finished a substantial painting project -- couldn't have done it otherwise.

2 comments about Spa Design.

1. Gone are the days when the Spa was a bare utilitarian swimming pool or perhaps a fitness center with rows of equipment designed by the Spanish Inquisition. This is a book showing the untimate in today's Spa's from all over Europe, all over the US, and from selected locations in India, Thailand, Japan and other countries.
   
   To be sure, the Spa is still very water oriented. Here are the pools you'd expect, the hot tubs, thermal baths, but also reflecting pools, fountains -- And yes, even some of the inquisition equipment.
   
   More important though, here are the most advanced building designs, artistic but still waterproof, lighting that is a part of the design, all arranged to create an ambiance that serves to relax and invigorate the visitor. All of this is depicted with supurb photography, high quality printing on heavy weight paper, and traditional sewn binding with headbands. This is an idea book based on today's most advanced designs.



2. This book was delivered within the time frame given and it was in perfect condition. I was very satisfied.