Instruction Books

Wow! Anyone who is a fan of Chesley's art needs this book. Lots of great biographical info as well. Quality of lithography is top-notch. Expensive but definitely worth it.

If you were about 10 years old in 1950, there was very likely a moment of absolute epiphany in your young life. In my case it occurred in the Junior High library in about 1950. From the shelf I pulled a large dark blue book about 8 by 11 inches in size. Even the end-papers were stunning, color plates of the surfaces of Mercury and Jupiter. But, thumbing through, I actually began to tremble when I got to facing pages 132 and 133! It is safe to say I have never recovered from the sight. I now have two copies of this book, one at home which I purchased in about 1951 and one in my office, which I purchased a few years ago. It was THE CONQUEST OF SPACE, by Chelsey Bonestell and Willy Ley.

Who was this incredible artist, Chelsey Bonestell? Although I collected books illustrated by Bonestell throughout the 1950s and 1960s, I knew little about him personally until I found a trade paperback about him in the late 1970s or early 1980s, which gave a broad overview of his life and work.

The present book is a greatly expanded version of that earlier work, 256 pages versus 133 in the trade paperback. Since that paperback came out, both Chelsey and his wife have died, but I think it is safe to say Chelsey's work is more appreciated than ever. Here you'll learn of his childhood, his work as an architectural renderer and movie matte painter, and his entry into space art at an age when most men are thinking of retirement. Chesley lived to be nearly a hundred, and was able to compare many of his painted visions of other worlds to actual photos taken by astronauts and robots. But none of these photos have the incredible artistic validity of Chelsey's own vision. As many have commented, where Chesley's vision disagrees with reality, it is generally Chesley's vision which is the better.

For several generations, whenever anyone thought of space travel, or explorations of other worlds, it was Chesley Bonestell's vision they recreated in their mind's eye. Few artists have ever had or could ever hope to have such an impact.

Whether you are an old fan or are discovering Bonestell for the first time, this is a rich feast of his art, which ranges from architectural renderings to recreations of long-vanished Spanish missions of California.

"The Art of Chesley Bonestell" is an extremely high quality Science Fiction art collection that comes around once in a decade or two. The last Chesley Bonestell collection of this calibere, "Worlds Beyond: The Art of Chesley Bonestell", was published in 1983. Chesley Bonestell's art goes back to the golden age of Science Fiction of the late 1940's, 1950's and 1960's. His work was displayed on the covers of SF periodical magazines, SF paperback books, and Space Science books of that era. His style is realistic and his work is breathtaking! His concepts of other-worldly-visions are naturally realistic and have a Zen-like feeling of mystery to them. The color plates in this book are of awesome quality. I guarantee this book will increase in price, as the 1983 collection has. The 1983, "Worlds Beyond: The Art of Chesley Bonestell", sells for around $100 or more. Buy this 2001 book, "The Art of Chesley Bonestell" now, because it will only cost MUCH more after it goes out of print.

I bought this book for the space art but found out there are many other excellent paintings to go along with them. Bonestell's art makes you want to be at the places he's painted except for places like New York under nuclear attack and ancient Egypt being bombarded by comets. The space art is incredible. I only wish I could get large prints of some of the pictures to frame them. I'm even considering buying another book and cutting out some of the pictures that are barely large enough to frame.

I am among the hundreds of thousands -- perhaps millions -- of people who owe their lifelong interest in matters of astronomy and space science to a childhood discovery of the art of Chesley Bonestell. I remember vividly pawing through the pages of The Conquest of Space at the age of about ten, my mouth open as I saw the marvels of the universe displayed.

It was thus actually rather nerve-racking when I opened this new book for the first time. Could the reality of his art possibly match my childhood memories? Could all of that vividness and excitement have been magnified in my mind's eye over the succeeding decades? Was I in for a disappointment?

I most certainly was not. If anything, the fabulous art inspired and excited me even more than it had way back then.

And there's a lot of that art here -- a real feast of it, superbly reproduced. And I discovered as I kept turning the pages, hands quite literally trembling as I discovered treasure after treasure. Even more excitingly, I found that Bonestell had worked in areas of art I'd never suspected before: fabulous landscapes, stunning sketches ... I have perused many, many art books, but I've never before reacted quite as strongly as to this one.

And it gets better. There's a long, beautifully written and utterly fascinating illustrated biography of Bonestell written by Ron Miller. It's almost as if one's getting two books in one.

An earlier reviewer (who cannot spell "Chesley") talked of this as if it were an expanded version of The Conquest of Space. He was talking through his hat. This is a completely new book covering the entirety of Bonestell's career both visually and textually; it contains a big selection of illustrations from The Conquest of Space (all the best ones), but they form only a small part of the huge and sumptuous collection on display here.

This is a gorgeous book, and an extremely valuable piece of work -- the authors/compilers deserve the highest praise for having brought this treasure to us.

I've seen some of his other works posted on the web, and he needs to publish another book!

A great collection showcasing his style, from intricate dollhouses suspended in nature, to cascades and showers of rainbow elements, to stony vines, this is a great book. Again, I've seen other pieces of his on the web which add a new dimention to his volume of work--so he hopefully will publish again!

i found myself in a world i only dreamed of when i strolled into an art museum one evening visiting san fran, i fell in love...i was trancended into architecture ,love ,hate all the emotions of something familiar,yet far away...now all i do is daydream of actually owning a piece of artwork by merriam..i hope that it doesnt stay a dream for me forever...Love you Daniel
-mykelle

I was given this book as a gift, and I was in awe. I'd never seen soo much done with water colour before. I've owned the book for a few years now, and have two tattoos based on excerpts from two of his paintings. I've been searching for another book of his art but have not been successful, so hopefully someday!

I have fallen in love with this wonderful artist. His imagination must be a fantastic place to be and you can get an insight into it with this beautifully done book. Of all the art books I own, this is the one that I find everyone loves...even children. His work is light and airy and enchanting one minute until you realize there is an underlying darkness to his work which just makes it even more interesting. His world is a fabulous place to visit.

I am an aspiring illustrator and am always looking for great art and illustrations to inspire me. When I first saw The Art of Daniel Merriam i was awe struck. It was amazing to see so much color and creativity packed into each piece. This book is loaded with images to stimulate the mind. Each piece has a story to tell in itself with so much detail and symbolism. I truly commend this artist on his style, skills, and creativity. I am always eagerly awaiting a new book by Mr. Merriam. This book takes you to a whole new world in your imagination, I suggest you take the trip...truly amazing.

There's a reason why Disneyland is so magical, and the answer can be found in the pages of these beautiful book.

I bought this for my father, Walt, for Christmas. He is a big Disney fan, as am I, and we both LOVE Disneyland. When I got this, I opened it up to look inside - and realized it has to be the last gift he opens on Christmas morning, because he'll want to look at the whole thing right away! I couldn't put it down myself. The pictures are wonderful, and make you feel like you're looking at Walt Disney's private idea book for his park.

Do you want to be an imagineer, architect, artist or animator? This book has a bit of everything combined. Celebrating 50 years of Disneyland, Jeff took the greatest times and projects from Disneyland's history and put it into one book. Being a fan of Disney architecture and an aspiring animator, this book showcases everything that Disney is known for when it comes to their parks. The book is worth every penny and makes a great coffee table book that everyone will be sure to enjoy.

Aside from the cover art, table of contents, foreword, and first couple pages, EVERYTHING in the book is printed sideways -- you have to turn the book around and flip the pages up-and-over (instead of turning them right-to-left like a normal book) as if you were at an easel.

I wish they would have just bound the book to make it wide instead of letting it look "normal" on the outside but then making you turn it around as soon as you open it. Besides, it makes the book really hard to hold when it's open.

Whoa, did that even make sense?

Well, all I need to say is that my almost 20 year old Disneyland crazy daughter just loves it.

John McNeil is a highly respected Jazz trumpeter and his book is a classic that every aspiring jazz trumpet player should own. I love this book and use it often.

It is important to realise that unlike many other jazz books this book does not set out to try to teach you how to improvise, nor is it a jazz theory book. You would benefit from at least some working knowledge of both these topics before you embark on this book (I would recommend something like Levine's The Jazz Theory Book if you need more background). Instead it helps you to develop the more technical aspects of jazz trumpet playing through exercises, etudes and well-written text.

The first part of the book covers the history of jazz trumpet from about the bebop era onwards, through some discussions of the musical styles of a number of key players and some musical examples.
The hard work starts with a large section on jazz articulation, in which you learn to control your placement of accents on different notes in a phrase and develop a polyrhythmic feel. He provides exercises for wide interval playing - something that is quite hard on trumpet compared to an instrument like the saxophone. Alternate fingerings are covered along with some exercises. He also discusses doodle tonguing made famous by especially by Clark Terry. This is the jazz player's way of tonguing fast passage as opposed to the multiple tonguing used by classical players. He has a useful section on tricky fingering studies which you can even practise without blowing into the horn (useful when the chops are tired).

Although I said that he doesn't try to teach you how to improvise, there are a few useful ideas scattered through the text. For example, after his first articulation study, he gives an example of how you might shift sections of it up or down a semitone at random when you are playing to get an "out" feeling. Putting some randomness into a fixed exercise helps you to exercise the parts of your brain that are needed for improvising without throwing you completely in the deep end. Another exercise he mentions is to play a 1235 or 1535 pattern around the cycle, alternating at random between 1235 and 1535 at random. McNeil describes this particular exercise in more detail in a 2002 journal article for the International Trumpet Guild entitled "Creative Pattern Practice" which is worth scouring the web for - it will give you a good taste of his writing style and his way of thinking about improvisation.

The book also comes with a CD demonstrating some of the exercises and etudes so you can hear what they sound like when performed correctly.

This book is great! The articulation studies are hip and tricky, and you can actually use them in a "real life situation". There are also some interesting articles on various jazz trumpeters. I highly recommend this book.

Without a doubt, John McNeil has done something with this book that has long been overdue. With the advent of jazz education, so much focus has been put on what to play, rather than on how to play it. McNeil presents exercises that go beyond the simple articulation of scales and puts them in real world situations. Furthermore, the author addresses technique issues that most other jazz trumpet books fail to even acknowledge exist. The section on alternate fingerings and different ways of tonging, that are so important to today's jazz improviser, are throughly covered through simple explanation and execution. Not to mention, the accompanying CD has several examples being performed by astute trumpet players who play through them with the ease of a basic stamp warm-up routine.

Quite possibly, the most important part of the book is the section on finger technique. With three pages full of finger twisters for the jazz trumpet player to navigate, the trumpet player will find more fluidity in their performance, resulting in better solos and overall better trumpet facility. This book should be required to be used by every trumpet player, commercial or not. The result will be a much more technically proficient musician, no longer hindered by a lack of technique, but rather, aided by a plethora of it.

I fell in love with it since I bought it on Amazon.com. It quite amaze me since I wanna learn more about jazz. This book would definitely take u far as being the best trumpet player u'll be. I'm also a trumpet player, and 'specially play other instruments I self-taught like the piano, keyboard, organ, harmonica, recorder, trombone, mellophone, French horn, euphonium, percussion, drums, flugelhorn, guitar, etc.

I'm not gonna say "I don't like this or whatever". I think it's a great introduction showing some basics and material work on how you 'gon be good at it. I know a lot of people don't agree what I'm saying. I believe that every trumpet player or music learner perhaps should have this along with Jazz & Blues, Arban's Conservatory Method for Trumpet, 1001 Blues Licks, 1001 Jazz Licks, Building a Jazz Vocabulary, The Jazz Fakebook, 28 Modern Jazz Trumpet Solos, Bks. 1 & 2, 14 Blues and Funk Etudes, and 14 Jazz and Funk Etudes all by Bob Mintzer.

Like this is definitely a book I should keep even tho I wanted practice some more I believe.

Fellow Travelers -

I have found John McNeil's "The Art of Jazz Trumpet" to be truly helpful and inspiring. The exercises presented are tough, though-provoking, and very cleverly focused on amplifying skills that appear - to me at least - to be genuinely useful in a jazz setting. Personally, I see the value of this book less in the applicability of specific lines ("licks") to tunes, and more in improving the improviser's ability to present his/her own ideas with more propulsive articulation, fluidity, and melodic confidence.

There is, of course, a significant (in terms of wood shed frustration) cost factor here - but most players, I suspect, will feel that the improvements are deep and fast enough to fall well within our pain and patience thresholds.

Thanks John for a terrific contribution to the field, and for my (small but enjoyable) personal mini-breakthrough - it has been a long time, and I'm really enjoying the experience.

Bravo.

Jim Stagnitto
www.stagnitto.newhopecollective.com

This book tells you all you need to know BEFORE your very first lesson. This is an excellent first textbook on paragliding. I received it after my first lesson (ground handling) and was amazed that it correlated 99% my instructor's approach. This is the definitive guide to paragliding. The standard warning always applies. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO FLY A PARAGLIDER WITHOUT TRAINING FROM AN INSTRUCTOR.

This is a very well written book that covers all of the topics of interest to beginner and intermediate pilots. The pick of the books on the subject.

In short: Dennis Pagen has written THE book on paragliding for beginners to intermediate pilots. This book covers it all. Clearly illustrated, easy to read. I use this book as a 'refresher' each season before I begin flying. He covers all the nuts and bolts of the various topics that make up paragliding, from how to hook your risers to your harness to how to ridge soar. I have read most of the books out there on paragliding, and this one covers more than all the others combined. If you are a serious paraglider pilot who wants a good manual for refreshing, or prospective pilot who wants to learn all you can before you begin lessons, this is THE book to buy.

I have read all the books available here on Amazon on that were published in the last ten years (and a few older ones) and this is clearly the best. If I could own only one book this is the one. It clearly explains the nuts and bolts of paragliding with excellent text and illustrations. All the details are covered. These are typically glossed over by most of the other authors. A good example of this is the explanation on how to attach the risers to the harness for a reverse launch. I have never seen a clearer explanation.

By far the best book covering beginning and intermediate paragliding on the market today. An execelent reference and review of what your instructor covered(or should have covered).

I tend to do things without paying as much attention as I should, like buying this book without researching it's details.

I bought the book because my 5 year old daugher loves to draw, and because she's nuts over the Lion King at the moment. I figured it would be great for her to see not just finished work (like what winds up on television) but to also see sketches, concept drawing and paintings, and the like.

So I bought it. When I received it and saw it's pocket size I was so happy! It's absolutely the perfect size for a little kiddo like her, but the content is professional, serious and mature as I had expected. It's hard cover, totally full of pictures, and has glossy pages printed on high-quality paper. Some folks might have been put off by the size but for my purposes it was more than perfect!

We have great fun looking through it together and looking at all the different styles of artwork. If you or your kid likes to draw or paint, and likes this movie, You'll really be sorry if you don't buy a copy. No I don't work for Disney or Amazon. I just like to encourage and support my childs love for art any chance I get, and boy was this a great addition to her library.

Apart from the fact that my copy was close to pocket size, i thought that this book was fantastic. Not only does it come filled with amazing concepts, it also is accompanied with the Lion King Storyline. As an illustrator and student animator, it is a wonderful addition to my resources. The sketches through to the complete full colour images are for any Lion King fan, artists or just someone wanting a beautiful coffee table book. If your from overseas like myself and cannot get these kind of books in Australia, i reccommend Amazon and their associate stores. Buy this, its great.

I received this book as a birthday present last month. To say the least, I was overwhelmed with all the artwork in this book. I love it! The artwork and production animation is breathtaking! It's a really awesome book, I'd get it if I were you! You can't go wrong with "The Art of The Lion King"!!!

This book is one of the most exquisite things to come out of The Lion King. The graphics are beautiful. Most of the pictures are ones that are used for the storyboard and layout scenes. I reccommend it to anyone who loves The Lion King, or just Disney in general. Order with confidence - the book is worth much more than its price tag. It is also much more convient than the larger, more expensive version which I believe is no longer being produced.

"The Lion King," Disney's 32nd animated film proved to be a smashing success, appealing to young, old, and those in between. As it filled movie houses, Disney mania swept the country again. The breathtaking visual effects that fascinated so many are brought to stunning life in "The Art of the Lion King" by Christopher Finch.

This lavish folio-size volume traces the creative process utilized in making the film, from black and white sketches to glorious full-color reproductions and even splendid fold-outs, one exhibiting the surreal beauty of the African natural world.

Actor James Earl Jones, the voice of Mufasa the Lion King in the film, contributes the foreword, while the text is by Christopher Finch, author of "The Art of Walt Disney."

Those fascinated by the art of animation and those touched by the story of Mufasa, Simba and Scar will treasure this color and fact filled memento.

- Gail Cooke

As someone who is just beginning in botanical illustration, I could not find a better instructional book. The author teaches you what materials to buy, what typse of paper to use, and leads you step-by-step through a number of lessons covering several different types of media.

I could not believe how well my first efforts turned out! I've looked through a lot of drawing books, and this is by far the best I've come across if you are interested in botanical drawing.

It is a beautiful book with easy to follow instructions arranged in a very organized way to help a student progress step by step. The spiral binding inside the traditional binding cover also makes it really easy to actually use this manual. It stays open flat on your table for easy reference while not looking cheap when standing in a bookcase. This book is actually worth buying and keeping. Unlike a lot of others, it doesn't disappoint and is truly informative rather than just being another pretty flower book.

If you want to learn to draw and paint flowers and plants from a botanist point of view, this is probably a great book for you. I have the DVD that can be purchased to go with this book and it is also great. Bente Starke King is an incredible artist with an impressive background in botanical illustration. She begins with teaching about basic form and perspective and then teaches about the use of graphite pencil in botanical drawing and how to depict a 3-D surface using 2 step-by-step demonstrations. Next, the book progresses to Pen and Ink with two stepped demonstrations. Next, you learn ink wash and again, demonstrations are given. Chapter 5 is Transparent Watercolor and 7 step-by-step demonstrations are given. Chapter 6 is Mixed Media, where watercolor is combined with other media such as pen and ink and colored pencils, along with 6 step-by-step demonstrations. The end of the book ties the loose ends by including how to choose a mat, framing,exhibiting,
copyright, etc..

This a beautiful book that can teach you a lot about drawing and painting flowers and plants. It is well-designed and written. I like the way Bente King combines the medias and demonstrates how this method enhances the richness and textures. Her DVD is excellent. I would recommend buying both the book and DVD if you want to speed up your progress. She is a wonderful teacher.

This gorgeous, well-written "how to" book for drawing and painting
beautiful botanicals is a treasure! It is spiral bound so the book won't flip closed on you. It is written by Bente Starcke King, a Botanical Illustrator who teaches at Cornell University. She covers everything from form and perspective, materials that she uses in her demonstrations, and beautiful illustrations.

She covers, with clear, easy-to-follow instructions, lessons in drawing with graphite pencil, using pen and ink, ink wash, transparent watercolor and mixed media. It's like having an instructor in a book, and you can go at your own pace.

The most fascinating aspect to me is how she layers watercolors to create her luminous color illustrations. Fabulous.
Sharyn from Portland, Oregon.

Whomever thought of the spiral binding inside the traditional binding should be knighted. That was a stroke of genius. If I am trying a new technique, I usually scan and copy a page but with this book, I just leave it open.

Bente's book would be useless (as well constructed as it is,) if it weren't for her terrific explanations. She shows the same painting in different stages, tells the reader where she or he can take short cuts and is over-all a great book for the beginning or advanced student.

The Birth of Graffiti...I will begin by saying that if you have an inner soul of graff...the curiosity of where it was conceived...of how it was back in the day...the day where you werent even thought of...THIS IS THE BOOK THAT SPEAKS TO YOU THROUGH VISION.

I have never seen a book where the images speak to you as strong as they do in this book...but that is maybe because I have a love for NY and its Graff.

I have a GREAT amount of respect for Naar, and I thank him for bringing us these images of art(as we see it). He did not have to give us this gift, but he did. And the best way you can thank him is by purchasing this book AND adding it to your personal collection, as I have.

The photography is amazing...the shots are unique...and you can tell that the subject of the book IS the begginings of graff...where it all lived up to the hype that we are know. I was born in '79 and arrived to the USA in '84...so I never lived the days of which NYC was NYC...where the walls spoke in MANY voices and many ages in many languages. I have caught a glimpse here and there, but never what I have now captured with this BEAUTIFUL book of NYC-a city I love and GRAFF-the form of art I love.

If you really desire to know what it was like back in the day-on the real-how NYC really was...not no postcard propoganda stuff...GET THIS BOOK.

GREAT BOOK...take it from a cat who's introduction to graff was back in '92 seeing all the Kez5-Bruz-MsMaggs-FLone-Ench throw-ups all over Queens...

Get the damn book...you won't regret it.

NAAR...thanks man.

It was thrilling to see such a vivid documentation of early seventies New York and the graffiti of the period. The prints in this book mark an important period of graffiti's history where the building blocks of the craft were being developed for the first time on the walls, buses, and subways of New York City. Graffiti, for the first time became means of expression for a generation of urban youth in New York. The Birth Of Graffiti demonstrates the inception of style which was evolving on the walls of every borough of the city. Today the techniques and traditions pioneered during that period have been passed down through generations of graffiti writers to develop into one of the strongest and most innovative art movements of the last century. Before graffiti was on every brand of clothing, on billboard advertisements, and used for marketing schemes across the world, it appeared on, city buses, subway cars and the gritty brick walls of 1970's New York City. The youth of New York who created this work were the first innovators of this powerful craft which has now evolved into a worldwide art movement. Jon Naar's photography captures many important moments in a period of great change and turmoil for the city of New York.

this magnificent book speaks to me like no other book on graff, and i have many. aside from a nice introduction, there are no explanations about the photos, nor interviews with the writers, and none are needed. there is such a profound simplicity to these photographs. they expose the beautiful ugliness of urban blight in a sad and delicate light. you want to go there to relive a moment when things were louder, smellier and uglier but that much more innocent.(or so it seemed.) before digital, micro, macro, and the information super highway there was this; innocence, ignorance and bliss. there were no books, magazines or videos about it, there were no websites and rest of the world to share your passion with. there was just you and somewhere out there others like you. whole youthful identitys condensed into an alter ego embellished onto a steel messenger then sent to announce "you were there". unknown in the flesh but known in word and deed. we all spoke and wrote an esoteric language that only a choosen few really understood. to have been there, to have seen it, to have breathed it, ate it, sleeped it, to have known it as it was, not as it is now will remain to me always, a privlidge. how lucky we are that jon naar choose to preserve these precious moments in time as if it truly might mean something one day. i thank you sir. p.s. great review by j.son.

Birth of Graffiti could easily have been titled Faith of Graffiti 2. It is basically Faith of Graffiti with added photos from Jon Naar's archives. Some of these photos such as a The Man 550 piece and marker tags on long extinct subway vending machines bring me back to the days before a slew of talking heads with erroneous sociological and psychological theories started writing books explaining our culture. Mr. Naar's photos are striking and capture graffiti in the transitional period between tagging (single hits) and piecing. Many of the writers documented quit before piecing became the fashion , but the emphasis they put on handwriting style is more formidable than the signatures most writers throw up today. I watched this movement from birth to death on the NYC subways and was lucky enough to participate in it. Although not as visually dynamic as the work that came later, this period fascinates me more than any other. I grew up seeing the names featured in Naar's photos, wanting to meet them and follow in their footsteps. We all owe Jon Naar a debt of thanks for preserving the roots of an ever-changing culture. The book is a must have for any old-timers who want to re-live their glory days and neophytes who want to learn who the real pioneers of the culture were.

This is a really well done book - the photographs are incredible and the printing is perfect. Unlike many graffiti books, this one is very well laid out and is "arty." A very professional treatment of the rough edges of the first spray can art. If you lived in NYC in the 1970's this book will take you down memory lane. You will pick this book up time and time again.

This is one of those products which is true to its theme from the moment you unwrap it.Being a book about the beauty and creativity of books it has itself to be worthy, which it certainly is. It is a pleasure to hold and to explore, as the design and concept have been carefuly considered.
The examples chosen are rich and varied and are divided thematically.The problem is that so many of the books are enormously intriguing that one wants to handle them to discover their mysteries. However the descriptions are usually very good and do allow one to at least understand the concept of the creator.If you love books as art, this is a truly wonderful possession.

Turning the book making into an art can make a book more attractive and collectible. This book demonstrates a lot of outstanding examples. Readers are completely satisfied by the books in this book.

I am a mixed media artist and art teacher who has discovered a love for viewing and creating artist books. This catalogue of artist books is one of the most beautiful I've seen. Even though this isn't a how to book, it has given me much inspiration for art projects for my students and for myself.

One of the best! This book should be on your bookshelf if you are interested in the books as an art form. I would suggest it for any school or college media center. I would not include it on a list for coffee table books but if you have a serious home library which leans toward the book arts,artist journals and sketchbooks; by all means, put this out on the reading table.
The next best thing:Visiting the Museum in person!

This book is wonderful! It features many artists and their foray into the world of book arts. The photos are splendid and the background information on the artists is excellent. It arrived in shrink-wrap which protected it nicely. Great book!

Excellent! The proof is in the pudding. I plan to build the T-2, one of the proas covered in detail. Only the book is needed to complete several proas from start to finish, including sails. Each boat also has options as to material and rig. There is plenty to ponder including the author's website and links. I was looking for something light weight, fast, and different. An outrigger should attract some attention on the boat ramps here in Maine. Paul

If you're interested in building a sailing outrigger or have simply always wondered how these somewhat mysterious boats work, this book is a "must have" and contains a tremendous amount of information, especially for the price. People who have read my book (Canoe Rig) know that I place great value on plenty of top-notch illustrations. Gary's book is crammed full of them and does an excellent job of showing you exactly what he's talking about in the text. They also inspire the reader to build one (or maybe even all three) of the boat projects illustrated, just because they're beautiful boats. Toss in the bonus that they're light, fast and relatively easy to transport and store in the off-season and the become even more attractive. The "Ulua" design, in particular would also make a great paddling hull in case you aren't interested in sailing all the time. Building procedures and options for all three designs are well documented and discussed. This is, after all, a boat building book, not just an explanation of the types and principles of outrigger canoes (though you'll learn a lot about them as you read and build). In short, this book will be a great addition to any conoeist's library and any or all of the boats illustrated should be a very nice and unusual addition to your fleet.

Todd Bradshaw
Addiction Sailmakers

Congratullations to Gary Dierking for a great book in the art of boat building a pacific sailing outrigging. There is enough writing and a lot of pictures to clear any issues a person may have. This is a great reference book for any amateur or experienced boat builder.

As a sailor, builder, and designer of multihulls, and collector of multihull related books, this one is unique! Dierking presents three simple and attractive designs, from a hard chined plywood outrigger for a first time builder or for a class project; to a strip built asymmetric hulled proa that is also simply described and laid out for a first time builder.
The book also details the construction of amas, akas, spars, and foils; everything is covered. If you are inclined to purchase plans from Dierking, this book would be the perfect primer. Actually, it's a great primer to anyone interested in building a small sailing craft.

Well written and illustrated. Three different designs and their variations are presented. Since I am rabid about proas I read it cover to cover and enjoyed it immensely. I don't think it's enough for a beginner to build a complete canoe just from the tables of offsets and parts diagrams but perhaps an experienced craftsman could pull it off. I still think it would be better to buy the full plans if you're serious about building. The plans will have the construction sequence, tips, instructions, etc. that the book lacks. Thus this book is a long advertisement for Gary's plans but I don't find fault with that. I wish there was more about actually sailing the canoes. I liked reading a little more of Gary's history building and designing canoes. In the end this book is exactly what the title says.