Arts and Crafts Books

This is really a wonderful book. Makes you want to jump right in and try it.

If you're a Letter Geek ( and you know who you are) then this book is for you! Lisa takes you from basic calligraphic lettering to this awesome, modern,funky, fresh and down right liberating lettering! You will not be able to put this book down! She offers sections on Tools:Surfaces and Materials for Lettering, The Basics:Techinques and Getting Started, Old School:Classical Italic and New Variations, Scripty:Vintage Copperplate Writing and Variations Using a Pointed Pen, Raw Brush:Pointed Brush Letters,Scrawly:Rough and Edgy Letters from Everyday Pens and Brushes, Tricky & Funk-tional:Play with Your Letters, Stitched:Lettering with Fabric and Stitchery, Street:Breaking the Rules with Urban Style and Cool Tools, Flourish:Swirls, Twirls and Sparkly Things, Gothic: Basic Blackletter, Mixed Media and Letterforms:Design Techniques Explorations. The book is filled with spectacular samples from a variety of artists and also offers a brief bio about each one and thier work. Included is a Resource section with tons of helpful web addresses and telephone numbers. Lisa also has an instructional DVD ( Hand Lettering on Fabric - A Bali Latern Workshop) from Creative Catayst Productions (www.ccpvideos.com) that is AWESOME! You will learn how to hand letter AND apply it to a wonderfully festive Bali Latern. A true must have for the calligraphy loving fiber artist! Lisa also has a cool blog (www.lisaeletters.blogspot.com)that you can visit as well. I highly recommend this wonderfully written book...you will not regret this purchase!

What a magnificent book! It isn't often I get lost in a book. Call it an occupational hazard, but when you handle hundreds of books a month, you have a tendency to become immune/jaded/whatever, but this book is so rich in color and content and visual stimulation, I actually put it down so I could digest the yumminess taken in thus far, picking it up later to continue. The overload was fabulous, but it overheated my brain, and the poor thing needed time to cool while the images swirled about before I began reading again. I still have not absorbed it all (dare I hope that will happen?) as I see it as a delightful meal or vacation to be savored for as long as possible. It is also a book I will return to again and again and again. It is like sitting in Lisa's classroom or having a conversation with her. Absolutely delightful and totally stimulating! It gives one wings, just as she hoped!

If you have EVER had the pleasure of seeing Lisa's work in person or taken a workshop from this MEGA TALENTED artist you would not walk BUT RUN to purchase this book. Her vision is always fresh and her style is timeless!

Calligraphers buy lots of books. Most of us own a copy of Johnston's Writing and Illuminating and Lettering. We look wistfully in our bank accounts and decide we can't really justify the facsimile edition of the St. John's Bible, a unique calligraphic wonder of our time. I have over two shelves just with calligraphy books. Some of them are straightforward how-to manuals (a boon for people who live far away from good personal instruction); others are more exemplars.

Then along comes Mark Making... It has been years since I've been so bowled over by this kind of audacity. Placing graffiti artists somehow on a par with medieval scribes, and exhorting us all to bust out and have more fun (check out the section on fabric!), without ever bypassing the need to get a firm foundation, Engelbrecht gives us the new "must-have" for our shelves. It's a bit like Danny Gregory's Creative License for calligraphers. Bravo to Lisa Engelbrecht, and thanks for the permission. I might just go and roll up my sleeves...

Up until a few years ago, I knew next to nothing about Amercian jewelry modernists, yet I have shared their passion for manipulating metal for decades! My then limited knowledge changed when I received this fabulous book. Ms Schon's extensive knowledge of these modernist jewelry makers' work and bios, makes this reader and jewelry maker feel as if the Modernists have come to life! This book is a must for collectors of vintage and contemporary Made in USA signed studio jewelry. What a joy to own this book. Buy it, own it and enjoy it for decades ahead!

This book undertakes an interesting era in jewelry and brings information together in an interesting and easily understandable style. Lots of pictures which always makes a book more interesting for me. I recommend it for people who want to learn more about contemporary jewelry from the 1940's on.

I am a collector of American mid-century jewelry and this is the most informative book to date! Marbeth Schon is an authority on topic and has generously shared her knowledge with us. View of signatures of artist in back of book is also a great reference!

Finally, we have a compendium of history, facts, photos, and values. Marbeth Schon has done the research for us, and now we can put this wonderful information to work. For collectors and dealers, this is a must have work of beauty and scholarship. The organization makes it a valuable reference source, while the photographs make it an invaluable reflection on the 'Art Movement' of 'American Modernism'.

From the well known to the obscure 'Modernist Artists', their works and their place in history has now been beautifully documented by this wonderful research author.

My wife makes me read most of her dozens and dozens of jewelry books so I can help her out occasionally, but this one didn't need more than a quick browse to get me started.

Modernist Jewelry, it seems as though there has never been enough information. Christie Romero's Warman Jewelry and Messengers of Modernism were great aids. The Author's online Modern Silver Magazine has provided insightful information on dozens of Modernist artists, as as her webpage.

Now we have the most complete source of information available anywhere. Studying the art, the histories, the influences, and especially the artists has finally become possible from this scholarly work. The photography is top-notch, the values are reasonable, timely, and well researched, and the writing is clear and concise. All-in-all it is simply a Masterpiece!

Even though this book was written in 1969, the practical ideas and observations it offers are just as valid today as they were then. If you were marooned on a desert island and you had only one book to read, this would be the one I would pick. I enjoy reading this book and I highly recommend it.

Read this book before you make your PowerPoint presentation and you will not regret it. The irony is that PowerPoint hadn't been invented yet when this book was written.

"Moving Mountains" is about the real world of making presentations in business and academia. The author really knows what he is talking about. His insights into the psychology of presenters and audiences go way beyond the superficialities of many of these books, written by consultants who never really had to keep alive a crucial project. One of the best features is that Boettinger wrote before anyone was using personal computers with PowerPoint, so he concentrates on the real and permanent issues of presentations, not the unimportant features of a specific tool, and it's easy to use his insights with modern technology. It is worth buying this book even at the high prices charged in the used market, and it should be a prime candidate for a reprint edition.

This is a must-read book if you ever plan to make a presentation, even if it's just a presentation to yourself as it will help you clarify your thinking. The book is nearly 40 years old now, but don't be fooled. The language is a tiny bit archaic, but the ideas and suggestions are golden and timeless. It contains ideas for presentation of ideas, organization of projects and critical thinking. The last chapter on generating ideas alone is worth the price of admission.

I've read books on public speaking and making presentations for 40 years. I've been a priest, trainer, speech coach for Microsoft, speech writer for a Supreme Court Chief Justice in Washington State, and coach of people who appear on television. Moving Mountains is so insightful that I have passed on Boettinger's ideas for the past 20 some years. No one source has more insights into human nature, graphics, and persuasion and is written in lush, practical language. Simply the best book I have ever read. Period.

Seek this book. I've read books on presentations for 40 years and teach public speaking across America. This is the most insightful book, in fact the very best book I've ever read, period. The psychological savvy into groups, the chapter on graphics and visuals, the hundreds of little tips and techniques is unmatched. His emphasis on meeting the audience's needs is brilliant. I've been using Boettinger's ideas for more than 20 years they've helped me earn more than a million dollars and still no author has matched his fluent style, novel-like descriptions, and breath of knowledge. Search and purchase.

Because I could preveiw this book on Amazon, it met my expectation when it arrived. It was shipped quickly and arrived in excellent condition. Really easy to do business.

This book is excellent for describing technique. It's easy to follow and do. There are lots of interesting patterns and techniques you would be hard pressed to find elsewhere.

There is nothing traditional about what is described here. These are techniques for modern dodads and keychains. Still, it's great fun.

I came upon this gem while searching for ideas for using a packet of porcupine quills which a friend had purchased for me during his travels. I ordered the book online, based solely on a review which sounded promising. Little did I know what a treat I was in for!

The photography is stunning and whets the reader's appetite for undertaking the projects. The photos of the projects in various stages of completion are very clear. There is no difficulty in counting individual beads or determining where one row ends and another begins. In addition to the photos, there are diagrams which illustrate traditional stitches, as well as project patterns. Written instructions are explicit and complete. Ms. Geary has added a beadwork glossary, again with crisp photos and easy-to-follow diagrams. This is an indispensable reference for beaders, offering information on beading topics, in general, and Native American techniques and components, in particular.

In addition to the eighteen projects in the book, Ms. Geary has provided a succinctly and elegantly written introduction to the role of beading in history and particularly among Native Americans, e.g., its spiritual, cultural, and economic significance. Each project offers a brief, but very informative, introduction on the geographical and tribal origin of the piece or technique, and suggested variations, designed to spark the reader's own creativity.

Within one week of receiving this book, I had completed three of the projects and designed a fourth, based upon one of the author's patterns. This is a resource I will return to over and over, both for specific information and as a springboard for my own imagination. In the meantime, I'll be looking for more of Ms. Geary's work!

The author has indeed educated this anglo on some very interesting Native American traditions. Her writing is superb and the photographs of the completed projects are divine, thanks to Nancy Palubniak, photographer. Instructions are precise and very understandable. The step by step illustrations are also comprehensive and easy to read. I have been a collector of Beading Books for 12 years and this is my favorite, so far. I highly recommend every officianado of Native American traditions and beadwork purchase this book for their collection.

There are some good books on techniques and materials in the shelves out there. There is also a lot of kitsch out there that makes beading look like a second class skill or hobby.

This book excels in making beading a first class art. Although the Projects and techniques say they are from the Southwest, they are universal. The symbols do focus on the San Carlos Apache tribe. The finished product would be Worthing of giving as gifts or placing on the mantle:
Sonora-weave Choker
Netted Gourd
Floral Bracelet
Bone-hair-pipe Bracelet
Leather medicine gag
Triple-strand fetish necklace
Bear earrings
Comanche-weave feather
Chile Pepper
Corn-stitch earrings
Phoenix key ring
Kokopelli amulet bag
Netted basket
Flat round peyote basket
Powwow perfume bag
Navaho bead rug
Kokopelli pin
Medicine wheel

The book also contains information on Native American beadwork from the Southwest. Native American Spirituality. And a pretty good glossary.

Of course everyone will have their favorite; mine is Netted Basket.

I never received this book ~ Wondering why? ?

I receiced the book on Native American Beadwork promply and am happy with the order. Bill

and that ain't an easy pathway to find, believe me. I love Barth's insistance on using only the most traditional methods, when there are multiple techniques that could be covered. His instructions are so clearly illustrated and explained that I've actually gotten a grip on a method that I have failed to understand for years and am presently using to cover a walking stick with - traditional style gourd stitch. Most books simply teach the two step method and don't even mention the older, three step method and when they do, their instructions tend to be so confusing that I end up with a stick wrapped in a tangled net of tiny beads and thread. But thanks to Barth, I finally get it!

The other methods he covers, lane stitch, loomwork, diagonal weaving and others, he covers with equal clarity and skill and I'm looking forward to using this book to upgrade my abilities and make my art jewelry better than ever!

In Europe, people dress up in buckskins, hang out in tipis and emulate the Native Americans of days gone more than a century and a half ago. Their attention to detail seems to be no less than compulsive, and this book is an ultimate product of this compulsion for authenticity, accuracy and completeness.

Barth has completed an instructional masterpiece of Native American Bead work that I give to experienced Native beaders to their astonishment. If you want to learn technique, buy this book.

I found the book to be one of the best sources of information pertaining the native- american -style beading, espeacially the transmontane beadwork. I have found there several hints and pieces of information I was looking for for several years. Thank you, Mr. Barth.

Inspirational...helps get your own creative ideas going when you see some of the incredible stuff other bead artists are doing. Has a small how-to section which is not very helpful, but the photographs are wonderful.

This book full of photos with amazing artworks. I was surprized what people can make with beads. You can find a lot of great ideas or you can give this book as a gift to someone who enjoys beading or just loves albums with beautiful pictures. You gonna love it!

You can't be a serious bead artist if you don't own this book, that's all there is to it. The introduction itself--with its cogent and encompassing trace of the contemporary groundswell in bead art--is worth its price. As a source for the work of the most well-known and emerging artists this book is a museum in itself. Ms. Withers is to be commended for the beauty of her presentations as well as for her sensitivity to the deeply spiritual and downright funky satisfaction both the bead artist and the bead art owner derive from the humble bead.Diamonds may be a girl's best friend, but women prefer beads. And yes, real men do make bead art!

This book is for one thing only - inspiration! But what inspiration! I'm an actually on my second copy of this book as my first became so worn from my paging and drooling.

The pieces are shown alphabetically by artisan with a two line biography, then a brief desciption of the piece and a listing of techniques used - I love the fact that the dimensions are given with each piece! There is also included an artisan's statement giving you insight into how the artisan sees his/her work.

As this was originally published in 1992 some of the resources are out of date but a web search will remedy that. Also, don't buy this book for instructions on how to do the beadwork, this is strictly eye-candy and how sweet it is! This is the book I pull from my shelf often to remind me of how much I love this medium, how far I have to go in my explorations, and how much fun getting there will be!

Sadly this book is out of print, but if you are a serious beadworker or someone who wants to see the best that beadwork can be - spend the time and money to get a copy of this treasure.

Back in 1992, If you said "beadwork," people would think of the simply strung love beads of the 1960's, or they might consider Native American beadwork. Yet the art of serious beadwork was still alive and was growing, thanks to people like the authors of this book. Unlike today, when there are more books on beadwork than one could possibly read and still have time to actually DO some beadwork, there were no real books on the kinds of beadwork being produced by a few small pockets of artisans.

Then "The New Beadwork" was published.

It would be hard to overstate the impact that this slim volume has had on the art of beading. In the early nineties, if you wanted to buy a book on beadwork, this was it. Not that anyone buying the book would feel as if she hadn't gotten her money's worth - this book became an instant treasure. It was a major factor in elevating a certain calibre of beadwork to an art, just as a beautiful woodcarving or an ancient mosaic is art. The beadwork in this book is so far from love beads or the macrame potholder hanging in your grandmother's kitchen, it seems almost criminal to speak of them in the same breath.

Any serious beadworker, or anyone who aspires to be a beadworker needs this book, as inspiration and also to see how far we have come. If one could only purchase a half-dozen books on beadwork (which would be tragic), this would have to take a place with "The Art and Elegance of Beadwork" and "Creative Beadweaving" by Carol Wilcox Wells, "The Beader's Guide to Color" by Margie Deeb, "The Art of Beadwork: Historic Inspiration, Contemporary Design" by Valerie Hector and Lois Sherr Dubin, and "The History of Beads: From 30,000 B.C. to the Present" (Unabridged Edition) by Lois Sherr Dubin. This listing is subject to debate, of course, but most beadworkers would consider these books to be the best of the best.

It's a pity this book is out of print - but it is still available, and still fresh and useful. It is a worthy purchase for anyone who wants to raise her beadwork out of the craft category and into the realm of artwork.

I know little about Oaxacan ceramics but was immediately drawn to this book by the unbelievably beautiful photos. many of the shots are done outside using natural lighting and it gives the pieces a lifelike feel that I find wonderful. And the creativity of the pieces themselves! A wonderful introduction to one type of Mexican craft.

This is a fantastically colourful & inspiring book...and of the many, many ceramic books I own this is definitely in my Top 5. Lots of beautiful & detailed photos and interesting text. The only downside is that there isn't really any "how to" section in the book to show you how to make the wonderful folk art featured.

Born and raised in México and having a deep appreciation of its diverse and rich folk arts traditions, and guided by the reviews, I bought this book. What others say is true- this softbound book is lavishly illustrated and is a wonderful introduction to the contemporary ceramics covered, as well as the six women potters dealt with. Thise with a love of Oaxacan ceramics will likely love this book as well.

There is but one, very significant problem: the title is, to me, completely misleading. The book actually covers two villages- Octolán de Morelos, and the reigning family of potters, as well as Santa María Atzompa and two of the many potters who work there. San Bartolo Coyotepec and the creator of world-renown black pottery, Doña Rosa Real de Nieto, and her descendants, for example, have no coverage in this book, nor do older more traditional forms.

Oaxaca is an incredibly beutiful state, with many traditions and crafts. This book covers a small fraction of them- and in my opinion misleads with a title implying it covers all the ceramics of Oaxaca. With that caveat, I highly recommend (and give a restrained five stars to) this book, within the scope of its limitations.

Having been to Oaxaca approximately ten times in the past 20 years, I can appreciate the quality and beauty of this fine book. The reasonable price of this "paperback" belies its perfect format/size and its gorgeous photography, text and printing quality.

I've rarely been satisfied with "crafts" books, but this one has been so perfectly written and executed, that it makes me want to jump on a plane and immediately fly to Oaxaca, to find and meet the fantastic artists presented here.

I met one of these women several years ago (Angelica Vasquez), and this glorious book will create an urge in many of its readers to meet her and the other artists that are included here.

I love this book. I have been to Oaxaca several times and have visited most of the potters in the book. On my last trip, I asked each of the women to sign my book near her picture. This is now one of my most treasured posessions along with my memories of Oaxaca. The photographs are great and the stories are beautiful.

I have read many books on filmmaking and I have a film school degree (from CalArts, as it happens, where Mackendrick once taught). You can't learn filmmaking from a book or from school, only by making films. Nevertheless, "On Film-making" comes as close as any book I've ever found to explaining precisely and beautifully the work of a film director. Whether you want to make films or are simply a film fan, this book will be an immensely rewarding and illuminating experience.

Great book by a great filmmaker and a great teacher. Anyone serious about how to create meaning in the cinema by using the "grammar," the form, should read this book. Ditto for the creation of story along classical lines --

Too intelligent to be a director, to make compromises in the craft of film making with the studio system of his time, Alexander Mackendrick only left us a glimpse of his own potential in his body of work. He did however pass his vision and passion for creativity onto the next generation in his teaching. In this book his voice is loud and clear, without being dogmatic. It's like having a drink with a friend in a bar and having him sort out all your problems with scripts, actors and life. No director should be without a copy. From the beginner to the established star everybody can find something in this book and all conveyed in the manner both intense and unpatronising that was uniquely his.

When Sandy MacKenrick told my CalArts MFA Thesis committee that my thesis film script was, "long, much too long, and very much too long" and, "doomed to never be completed", I was shocked and terrified.

Sandy was one of the most brilliant and irritating people ever to tell a story or to browbeat an egotistical young film student. His films and lectures convey that contradiction -- his every work is a pearl.

If you were not lucky enough to get Sandy's notes while at CalArts, you must buy this book.

Odds are good, you won't have the genius of Sandy MacKendrick, but you will appreciate how much you could grow as you strive to attain what he found so simple.

I was proud to invite Sandy to the first screening of my thesis film, "Pirate's Dagger", and it still hurts that he was too ill to attend. I wouldn't have gotten it done without his special form of encouragement.

Unlike most how-to directing and writing books, Mackendrick was an accomplished director with decades of professional experience. He speaks from hard-won experience, not dubious armchair notions of what makes a successful film or director. He is wise enough to know there are no "secrets" or immutable laws of storytelling, only rules of thumb. Every time I go back to it, I learn something new, and with every film I make, I am struck by points in the book which ring ever more true. This book will not make you a great director by reading it, but Mackendrick has the good sense and candor to know that a book or a course never will, only lots and lots of hard work and dedication.

Don't have time to write a long review. This book is well worth the money. Best writing book I have bought since "Writing Down the Bones" over 20 years ago.

Susan M. Tiberghien draws upon her years of experience and expertise as a veteran writing instructor, writers' conference speaker, and graduate school lecturer in "One Year To A Writing Life: Twelve Lessons To Deepen Every Writer's Art And Craft". A gifted writer in her own right, Susan Tiberghien covers journal writing, personal essays; opinion and travel essays; short stories (included the 'Short-Short'); dreams and writing; dialogue; folklore, fairy tales, and contemporary tales; poetic prose and the 'Prose Poem'; memoirs and biography; rewriting; and more. Of special note are her chapters on 'The alchemy of Imagination' and 'Writing the Way Home'. Enhanced with a specialized bibliographies and a comprehensive index, " One Year To A Writing Life" is as informed and informative, as it is inspired and inspiring -- making it strongly recommended reading for all novice writers and aspiring authors.

For the last seven months, since I suggested our writers' group work, learn & write our way through Susan Tiberghien's One Year To A Writing Life, our group's commitment has solidified with each chapter of her book. Each bi-weekly meeting finds the six of us (writers, poets, academics)gathered to read & review our exercises from each chapter, copies for all and with reference to Tiberghien's "text". Recently, as a response to the growth in our writing and our awareness of that growth, we have re-committed to returning to particular chapters so that we may explore them once more in even greater depth, based on both the pleasure of the process and our personal learnings as writers. As the convener of our group, I would suggest a group approach to One Year To A Writing Life is an ideal
process to apply to Susan Tiberghien's wise & illuminating guidance.

This is a wonderful book. I have been using One Year to a Writing Life as a textbook this semester in my Creative Writing course. The book is very well conceived so my syllabus follows the twelve lessons, week by week, with extra weeks for longer in-class writing. The book provides clear guidance, great examples and it inspires! It inspires me to both teach and write and it inspires my students. Before I chose One Year to a Writing Life as a textbook for my class, I surveyed many texts that are on the market and not a single one comes close to this great book. Thank you, Ms. Tiberghien, for helping all of us who write and who teach writing. Jelena S. Bankovic, Ph.D.
Professor of English, Oakton College, Illinois

Tiberghien's new book on the writing life is a must read for all writers, at any stage of writing, embracing the Creative Mosaic in both our life experience of dreams, journals, prose poems, memoirs and envisioned by noted published literary ones. The richness and thoughtful spirit of these twelve lessons is inspiring and meaningful as any mentor could recite prayers of meditative instruction. I have been a student of
Tiberghien's workshops; here's the five-star creme de creme.

java rose

I agree with all the other reviewers so far. The pics in this book, all glossy detailed photos except for the necessary B&W drawings, are gorgeous to just page through. You don't need to read any text to appreciate the book. But the text is so well-written that you will want to devour that as well. While actually stitching the designs is somewhat daunting, I want to give it a try because of the beauty and artistry.

I couldn't recommend this book more highly.

This is a very beautiful book with information on the stitches of Chinese embroidery that will enable a serious embroiderer to begin to learn how to practice this craft. The book includes a description of the frame that is used by Asian embroiders and suggestions are given for using canvas stretcher bars to make your own. Instructions are given for stretching the fabric on the frame and for transferring patterns.

Each of the stitches are described, illustrated with line drawings and one or more historic textile examples is shown. The covered stitches include satin stitch, satin stitch with padding, long and short stitch, seed stitch, outline stitch, mat stitch, well stitch, star cross stitch, couching stitch, water weed stitch, chain stitch, counted stitch,holding loop stitch, weave stitch, and bullion knot stitch.

There are nineteen projects at the end of the book that are very tempting; the instructions are extensive.

I have purchased three of these books at 3 separate times. Two I gave to friends, and the last was for myself. One of these friends was with me in Suzhou, China, as we wandered through small, chilly shops where women clustered together to sew these beautiful paintings on large wood frames. Those we talked to had done this since childhood. My friend wanted to buy some silk thread to experiment with on her own, but we found the range of colors to be overwhelming. Of course, I gave her this book. She is still in China, and can bring this book into the shop, point to the project color charts, and get the thread she needs without speaking a word of Mandarin. (I purchased several "paintings," but I use this book to relive my favorite day in China, and learn more about this beautiful art form.)

I love this book, I have found it to be very informative and having shown another friend who loves needlework, she can't wait to get her own book.
The pictures and details are lovely, it is well written and easy to understand,

I have the 1979 version of this book. This book inspired me to pick up a needle and for the last 25 years, strive to create my own needlework masterpieces.