No comments about Assembling the Absurd: The Sculpture of George Fullard (British Sculptors and Sculpture Series) (British Sculptors and Sculpture Series) (British Sculptors and Sculpture Series).

No comments about Contemporary Scrimshaw.

5 comments about How to Build 35 Great Clocks.

1. This book provides a good history of clocks, but that is the nicest thing I can say about it.
   
   The pictures are of very poor quality, the plans are incomplete - ignoring details obvious on the original shown. The author seems to think nails and butt-joints are a good method of joinery. The author shows no knowledge of wood movement in the designs. Most of the clocks allow no method for accessing the quartz movement after construction - so it is impossible to change batteries.
   
   This is a good book to browse at the library, but when it comes to actually building clocks, keep looking.



2. Joseph W. Daniele has written several books on historical reproduction woodworking. As a former editor for Early American Life, you have to believe he knows the subject matter. He does, in fact each design, no matter how simple or complex, has a history. Ask yourself, do I just want to make a clock or do I want to make a historical reproduction? Funny, some people buy a book without knowing what it involves and then write a crappy review, as if their ignorance is the author's fault.



3. I loved this book! Includes a brief history of each design, wide range of plans, from the simple plaque type clock to more complex cabinets. Easily followed directions,detailed drawings, and most importantly - construction can be done with tools from the average home workshop. PS If this isn't what you are looking for, don't blame the author!



4. I bought this book based on the title, which for me was a mistake. I was expecting drawing and guidance on making reproductions of time honored classics. While it is helpful it lacks the details about the originals that are needed to built future classics.



5. Maybe I'm crazy, but I've always considered a clock to be the inner workings - springs, pendulums, and such. This book doesn't tell you how to build those - it is merely a woodworking book that talks about the design of the cabinets that house clocks. Not for a horologist.

2 comments about Multimodular Origami Polyhedra: Archimedeans, Buckyballs and Duality.

1. After reading Tomoko Fuse's excellent book on Unit Origami I wanted to get a little farther into it. This books seemed a good place to start. It is not.

   On the plus side, there are many, many models in the book. Also, there seems to be some fundamental "theory" that generates them, which would allow a great deal of flexibility and range of design to anyone who used it.

   On the negative side, I can't for the life of me figure out how to make even a single model. The whole first 3/4 of the book consists of things like this: A line drawing of a polyhedron labelled, for instance, "Rhombicuboctahedron" and then a photo of an origami pice that doesn't seem related. Finally on page 40 (of ~75) there's a second on "Model Construction". It turns out you need paper in multiple sizes (1.6875 inches is one of them) to make almost all the models. And it still doesn't explain just how to put the units together or even how to make the units (other than "this is how to make a flat hexagon" type of instructions)!

   There's also some kind of method or technique called "gyroscoping" that I can't figure out.

   I would give this 0 stars, but the other review is so positive that I feel sure that, if one could penetrate the dense prose sections or understand the seemingly-content-free main body, great things could be done.




2. This is a book designed for constructing geometric models using small folded units or modules. A large number of polyhedra are explained in this volume.

   The beginning of the book (first 50 pages or so), talks about the different classes of figures and give detailed information about each figure, including photographs.

   There is then a short section devoted to creating different shapes of paper from squares (triangles, pentagons, hexagons, etc.).

   Finally there is a section for folding the individual units themselves. Each unit is capable of connecting to the others.

   There is an interesting feature that I would like to see in other unit books. After a particularly well-detailed unit, there was a one-page summary of the folding thus making it easier on the folder who does not memorize the unit and just needs a guide while folding the requisite number of units.

   This is a well laid out book that does an excellent job of covering the material and achieves is goal. But this is not a book for all folders. It is aimed at the serious folder of geometric solids.

   The typical low price from Dover makes this an easy volume to add to one's origami or geometry library.

5 comments about Songbird Carving.

1. I have 25 or more carving books and access to many more. This is easily the best book to own to learn how to carve birds. The author does not hung up on the use of power vs. hand tools. That is left to the student. Each step is clearly explained and shown in clear photos. Buy this book first and jump start your carving hobby.



2. It just arrived in the mail and I can hardly wait to carve another bird. This book gives the carver just what he needs--patterns from the front and side plus top and bottom views! Lots of black and white photos, but then you get color photos just when you need them--which is when you begin to paint the bird. Plus, I really like the way the birds look. If I can't produce a fine looking bird from this book it will not be from lack of direction. This beats just about any other bird carving book I have, and believe me I have bought a lot of them!



3. Rosalyn Daisey's book is a suberb example of how to author a "how to" book. It's top notch in patterns, instructions, and illistrations. You can't go wrong with any of her books. I'm impressed enough to own them all.



4. My husband, Ron, is an excellent carver and has been doing songbirds for about ten years. He brings life to his carvings by burning the feathers in with such detail nearly everyone reaches out to "pet" his birds. This past year he decided to go beyond the "natural" look and asked me to paint a robin so that the gift to our grandson would be from both of us.
   I had only worked with watercolors previously and so, having had no experience with acrylic painting, I was still able to follow the instructions in this wonderful book and came out with a robin that looked very real. In fact, when painting one day, I had to answer the door and the guest flinched, thinking I was holding a real robin. Now if I can only come up with her instructions for painting a blue bird and/or a blue herron I would be grateful beyond words.



5. My husband, Ron, is an excellent carver and has been doing songbirds for about ten years. He brings life to his carvings by burning the feathers in with such detail nearly everyone reaches out to "pet" his birds. This past year he decided to go beyond the "natural" look and asked me to paint a robin so that the gift to our grandson would be from both of us.
   I had only worked with watercolors previously and so, having had no experience with acrylic painting, I was still able to follow the instructions in this wonderful book and came out with a robin that looked very real. In fact, when painting one day, I had to answer the door and the guest flinched, thinking I was holding a real robin. Now if I can only come up with her instructions for painting a blue bird and/or a blue herron I would be grateful beyond words.

1 comments about Carving Figure Caricatures in the Ozark Style.

1. Never having tried any kind of carving before I was amazed at what I could do following the easy instructions in this book. Even my husband was amazed.If you are a very new,inexperienced would be carver, I recomend this as a good stsrter book. Love it!

3 comments about Collector's Encyclopedia of Early Noritake.

1. I inherited my grandmother's Noritake china set when she died, and wanted to know the year of production and what it was worth. The pictures of the maker's marks and patterns were very useful. I discovered our pattern was made in 1931, and was worth about $2,500! Not that I would ever part with such a sentimental gift...It's just nice to know the history of something. Thanks to the author for her research!



2. I found this book to be very useful. It's very well organized and well written. An only suggestion for the next edition is to have glossier/brighter/clearer photographs.



3. I found this book to be logical and informative. The foundation of this book is based upon the chronilogical use of each mark. The patterns are then listed alphabetically within the time period that "mark" was used. Because of this book - all my freinds and colleages think of me as a "Early Noritake Expert" - I dont have the heart to tell them that I am not! I highly recommend this book to any and all collectors and/or dealers of Noritake!

No comments about Joseph Beuys: The Multiples.

1 comments about The Figure in Clay: Contemporary Sculpting Tehniques by Master Artists (A Lark Ceramics Book).

1. The book shows well the techniques used by the ceramicists included, and is very informative.

No comments about Channel Setting Diamonds With Illustrated Procedures.