1 comments about Modern Cabinetmaking.

1. I have nearly always gone to school, but for the past several years I've rather lost my sense of direction with respect to educational goals. Recently, though, I was browsing through a catalogue for a local community college and discovered a cabinetmaking degree. I've gotten rather burned out on nursing--not enough to give it up entirely, but certainly to have doubts about working many shifts at the bedside once I'm past 62! But I'm also a bit of a workaholic; that is, I definitely need to feel like I'm doing something constructive. A career in cabinetmaking seemed to fit the bill, so I've registered for two night courses (out of 17 required) so that by the time I'm ready to retire, I'll have Plan B in place!

   For both courses the recommended text is Umstattd and Davis's Modern Cabinetmaking. It's a beautiful, well written, and thorough book on the cabinetmaker's craft, and covers everything from design, drafting, forestry and milling principles, wood types, non-wood products (glass, plastic, ceramic), hardware, processing wood for products, discussions of tools and techniques, finishes, and furniture design, to the employment opportunities available in cabinetmaking. It's such an exciting and informative volume, that I got almost 1/3 of the way through the 854 pages of the book within a couple of days before my classes even began.

   Tonight it's Basic Woodworking Fundamentals, tomorrow it's POWER TOOLS!!! (Boy, if anyone had told me when I was a little girl I'd be this excited about a trip to the hardware store, I'd have thought they were crazy.)

1 comments about Mini House Now.

1. Made me feel like a glutton after buying an 1200 sq. foot condo... what a waste of space! An excellent book showing you don't need an 8,000 square foot mansion to live comfortably. The book is also great for anyone interested in minimalism interior design as many of the homes don't allow for much clutter or adornment.

4 comments about Strawbale Home Plans.

1. I bought this book seeking inspiration, and I was not disappointed. Evident here is the continuing evolvement of strawbale house design and construction. In this book, you can see what can be done with strawbale. Included are comments and suggestions from the owner/builder of each house. For anyone considering building a strawbale structure, these comments would be especially useful. One owner/builder in the desert, for example, says rain gutters should have been installed when the house was first built, not added later on. Photo quality is very nice, and the overall layout and design of the book is quite good. The title of the book is a bit misleading, and I would have liked to see more in the way of actual plans (all you get is a floor plan), but overall this is a nice book, and offers much in the way of ideas.



2. i was very impressed, this book is beautiful, the pictures, and floor plans inside give us so many ideas for the home we want to build in the future, i recommed it even if its a coffe table book.



3. This product is short on plans but I love it anyway. It provides one diagram, or layout for each ofmany sterling examples of this construction method,
   A good value for that strawbale builder who finds themself somewhere between a dream and the plan coming together...or just wondering where to get started making the dream a reality.



4. I keep this book around on my couch for all my friends to check out and i go back to it, daily, in searching for beautiful ideas for my soon to be breathable abode! The people in the book appear so serene and i know why! what glorious fotos and floorplans this book provided! great work!

5 comments about Art Of Japanese Joinery.

1. I found this book to be very thoughtfully arranged a bit of experience mixed with the heart concerning how joints are made and for what reason.



2. The photographs and many diagrams in this book (most of the book in fact is gorgeous glossy photos of the different joints described) expose and beautifully illustrate the Japanese people's many intricate forms of joinery. The author explains the basic concept behind each joint but does not provide details on how to make the cuts that form it. The joints illustrated here are those most commonly used by Japanese "carpenters" and provide an excellent basic overview of what the joints look like and how they fit together. Readers looking for a how-to book will prefer "The Complete Japanese Joinery" by Hideo Sato and Yasua Nakahara.



3. An excellent insight to Japanese Joinery containing inspiring photographs of brilliantly crafted examples



4. Dear Sirs,
   
   The books arrived in a good condition and are more interesting than I thought.
   
   Thank you.
   
   I.Henriette



5. Excellent historical and technical information.
   Very well illustrated with photographs and drawings (orthographic projections).
   Table of contents, no index.
   
   This book should appeal to many individuals with a very wide range of construction interests, including architect, designer, carpenter, cabinet maker and artist. In fact Japanese woodworkers guilds, again refining ancient Chinese practices, have created a practice that is as much art as technology in designing and making both joints and the tools to create them. Information on the tools is brief but the variety alone would necessitate another complete book.
   
   This presentation of Japanese joinery represents fully only a few (48) of the many joints created by Japanese woodworkers since 200 BC (perhaps 400 remain "common"), however each presentation includes sufficient pictorial, historical and descriptive detail to understand the incredible skills that were necessary for this evolution of useful joinery.
   
   How serious you feel about architecture, design or cabinetry is not genuinely important to the reader of this book. All readers will acquire some new appreciation for incredible craftsmanship and a stimulated interest in the Japanese technology that remains alive in the oldest wooden structures remaining on Earth.

5 comments about Rachel Ashwell's Shabby Chic Treasure Hunting and Decorating Guide.

1. Ms. Ashwell continues to inspire me with great collecting and decorating tips. She actually shares her sources, which is refreshing.



2. I find this book incredibly useful for tips in buying things, old and new, for my home. The handwritings in this book are readable, and I am not a native speaker! And it is interesting to see how Ms. Ashwell's taste and eye get more and more refined over the years. I appreciate work by other great interior designers like Jacques Grange and the late David Hicks and my style is not very much shabby chic at all. But for everyday living, I find Ms. Ashwell's advice to be adaptable and elegant. This book does not disappoint.



3. This is my favorite Shabby Chic book. It's full of beautiful pictures with the classic shabby chic look. The ideas are clean, feminine, vintage. Although it isn't shock full of written ideas, the inspiration from the pictures and captions was enough for me.



4. Rachel Ashwell has grown 'Shabby Chic' from a decorating style to a big brand name. The ideas in the book are testimony to the fact that you do not need a lot of money to create a beautiful interior in your home. It is filled with gorgeous photographs to inspire the tentative home decorator into action. A lovely coffee table book that is beautiful to look at and filled with practical ideas that can help you create the look of luxury (minus the price tag that usually accompanies it). Full of terrific ideas for decorators with a limited budget who love comfort and style.



5. It is a lovely book, full of ideas and the photos are the best. I loved it!

5 comments about Loving Hands: The Traditional Art of Baby Massage.

1. the original baby massage book and still the best one out there.



2. Nothing compares to this book, other books or DVDs are a waste of time compare to Loving Hands. Is beautiful and real helpful, for both mother and child. Worth every single penny and much more.



3. Beautifully written, with photos to demonstrate the techniques that could be an art book in and of themselves. You get a feeling of being a part of something magical and wonderful by reading this book and practicing what's in it. I love the simplicity of this book. Highly recommend it for new moms or anyone interested in infant massage.



4. An excellent resource for mothers and care-givers of infant children. This book helps to equip the care-giver to be better care-giver. Part of the book was non-traditional in the sense of it being a resource book.



5. Really, it's Frederick LeBoyer, the Birth Without Violence obstetrician's baby massage book. Use it, and give it to friends expecting.

1 comments about Complete Tiling (Stanley Complete Projects Made Easy).

1. I have done ceramic tiling in our home off and on for forty years. Bathrooms, kitchen backsplash, Shower stalls, etc. but I am about to cover 300 sq. ft. of floor with 14 inch square tile which is quite different from my other projects. I needed a book to boost my skills in this area and after looking at several, I felt that the Stanley book offered the most detailed practical help with a plethora of photos. On receiving and reading it I was not dissapointed. I recomment this book to beginners and semi-skilled DYIs like me. It offers the basics and some very useful tips.

5 comments about Beyond Baby Talk: From Sounds to Sentences, A Parent's Complete Guide to Language Development.

1. I absolutely loved this book! I devoured the entire book, then went back and reread the section that pertained to my son's age group. It was so refreshing to hear that you don't need a bunch of gimmicks, flash cards, or tapes to help your child learn language. They really focus on what is gained from every day interaction and play with your child, and how to use daily situations to enhance language development. Loaded with commom sense information that takes you out of the competetion mind set and helps get you in sync with your child. This was the first book I have read specifically about language development, and I am so glad I chose this one!



2. My daughter is six months old. I enjoy reading the book esp. the part in dialect, effect of TV, how to choose childcare. Most part of the book can be shorter. My husband got the same feeling.



3. The information is straightforward and clearly summarizes the research out there. It's a great resource for all parents, not just those families with language development issues. This book partnered with How Babies Talk by R.Golinkoff, Ph.D and K.Hirsh-Pasek, Ph.D is a must!



4. There wasn't much practical information for what to do if your child has a language problem. This book is more a resource for parents with children with normal language development.



5. The goal of the authors is to inform parents about: how children (birth to age five) develop language, the factors that influence language development, and possible causes of language problems. They also hope to show how miraculous language development is and how important a role parents play. The book is not intended as a reference for parents of children with language development problems.
   
   The first four chapters cover the language skills that children develop in their first year, second year, third and fourth years, and fifth and sixth years. There are also chapters regarding the influence of gender and birth order, culture, and the media; language development and childcare; and where to get help if you suspect a developmental delay. There is also a reference chart showing developmental milestones from birth to age five. The focus is on spoken language, although there is some discussion on the beginnings of reading, writing, and spelling.
   
   The basic message of this book is that language is developed, not taught. That is, parents and caregivers should rely on everyday interactions with their children, not lesson plans and flash cards, in developing a child's language skills. Parents should follow the child's lead in play and conversation, provide age-appropriate models of language, and show respect and understanding for what the child says.
   
   Apel and Masterson are experts in their fields and they are very passionate about children and language development. Their passion is contagious and I found myself reading "Beyond Baby Talk" eagerly and with great interest. I was even able to overlook their generous usage of exclamation points.
   
   Apel and Masterson wanted the book to be easy to read, but in my opinion they went a little overboard. Each chapter is filled with preview, discussion, summary, review. It was tiresome to read the same information over and over again. However, upon skimming back through the book, I realize that I learned more than I thought and that it stuck pretty well. Still, I would have liked less preview and review and more examples and specifics.

5 comments about The Woodbook: The Complete Plates (Taschen 25th Anniversary).

1. This spectacular edition reprints and extends a book first published in 15 volumes, staged across the end of the 19th and start of the 20th centuries. 354 North American tree species appear, including "trees" like palms and suguaro. A few paragraphs describe each species briefly, including habit of growth, characterization of the lumber, and uses of the tree. Uses include edible nuts, tannins for processing leather, and traditional applications of bark or roots. Descriptions appear in English, German and French. The photos across the fold of each two-page spread really make this book, though.
   
   Each wood, with very few exceptions, show the wood as it appears in transverse (end grain), radial (quartersawn), and tangential (plainsawn) sections. These specimens were provided by Kew Gardens in the UK, and add a little information of their own: the UK-English name of each tree (in addition to the US-English), German and French again, and in Spanish - often different the different names used in different Spanish-speaking regions. In many cases, the tree's leaves, flowers, and fruit or seed are also illustrated in line drawings taken from Sargent's magnum opus from the same era, "Silva of North America."
   
   Since the descriptions are now over 100 years old, usages may look odd. Acorns, for example, no longer find wide use as human food, and only sugar-maple's sap still has much use in cooking. A few notes are painfully up to date, though. Many species were described as diminishing because of over-harvest even then, and the loss of old-growth forests was already a concern.
   
   Other books give better descriptions of how the wood accepts machining, glue, or fasteners, and potential health risks in handling the wood and its sawdust. No matter, this is an outstanding resource and a visual delight. I recommend it to anyone passionate about wood and its beauty.
   
   -- wiredweird



2. The Woodbook is another welcome Taschen addition to our design library. Long overdue this compilation delivers to the point easy to compare notes and images in varied cross cut and with the grain directions. Even suitability and durability is covered. Brilliant!



3. Excellent Value. I am an advanced hobbist woodworker and this book is an a great reference for a multitude of common & somewhat rare or unusal North American wood. If you buy your wood from one-man or small sawmills, this is very good reference for identification. Additionaly, shrinkage data, 3 view pictures of grain & surface, and application data make this book very important reference work for your personal library.
   
   I could also see where environmentalists and outdoorsmen would find valuble.



4. This is a beautiful book -- almost coffee table quality. It opens with an interesting history of American forests and their trees, albeit from a "we destroyed the beautiful forests and the environmentalists saved them" perspective. The pages associated with each tree variety contains a very limited bit of information about the variety and three nice photos of the grain, one in each orientation -- longitudinal, transverse, and radial.
   
   While the three grain perspective photos are useful, I had hoped for something with more that just a couple of lines of information about each species -- more like Hoadley's two excellent books, the USDA "Wood Handbook" or Peters' "Woodworker's Guide to Wood".
   
   Each opening chapter and each information page is printed in three languages.



5. This book was a birthday gift for my brother, a talented wood worker who built his own home, decks and remodels all over the northeastern US, tables, jewelry boxes, domino boxes, and spectacular bowls. He was delighted with the book.

2 comments about The Caricature Carvers Showcase: 50 of the Best Designs and Patterns from the Caricature Carvers of America (Woodcarving Illustrated Books).

1. This book maintains the excellent quality that I expect from Fox Chapel books - more quality color photos than you can count. The showcase of CCA caricature carvings is amazing. These guys are the best you can find, and they certainly did not get skimpy on variety. There are a LOT of patterns to try also. As a caricature carver, this book is inspirational. It is a cool coffee table book, and a great gift.



2. I am a woodcarver, and am interested in this type of book. Lots of patterns and information. It is more than one experts patterns and you also learn a little about these people. I think the book is between good and excellent. You have to measure the patterns pretty carefully, they tend to have different measurements. They are a lot of fun to carve.The Caricature Carvers Showcase: 50 of the Best Designs and Patterns from the Caricature Carvers of America (Woodcarving Illustrated Books)