Machines Books

I am so happy with this selection. The designs stitch out very nicely. I am glad I saw someone with this and ordered it for myself.

As expected the Donna Dewberry designs embroidered as well as your painted designs - I am very pleased with this first set of designs and look forward to more from her in the future.

I love this book and have truly enjoyed using the embroidery designs. They sew up beautifully and will be a wonderful addition to my embroidery library.

This is a lovely book both for the beginner as well as the experienced machine embroiderer. It is not a large book, but nevertheless is chock full of information. There are great ideas for using the embroideries on the enclosed cd, as well as providing inspiration for substituting one's own favorite designs. I used the "Pansies" design in creating an envelope pillow for a friend, coordinating the thread colors with the pansy tapestry fabric used in the pillow body. It turned out absolutely beautiful - the design stitched out gorgeous - much nicer even than the illustration in the book. I would recommend this book to anyone.

I was well pleased with not only the content of the book, the shape the book was in when received. I see great potential for utilization of these designs. Would recommend to any machine embroiderer that this type design appeals too.

New to the subject, what I appreciated about this book is that there are a variety of authors, so each chapter was wrtiien by an expert and I was not limited to one view point. Very readble. I learned lots!

Although I have been quilting for years, I am self taught and only started free motion quilting bout five quilts ago. I did find many useful tips in this book and well worth the price.

I would recommend this book for anybody who is looking to be inspired to machine quilt on their domestic sewing machine.

I Love this book! It was so helpful not only with machine quilting tips but also hand quilting. I recommend it for any level quilter.

The book is well layed out, especially if you have little quilting experience. A lot of good information and gives very detailed instructions.

email me, I'll let you know...

It's okay, I had to read it for a class. He raises some good questions but he's long winded. A lot of us have already thought about these questions. Talbott feeds you some good food for thought though.

Once being an engineer, a scientist, a professor of Electrical Engineering, etc., etc, now I'm watching this world amazed by its reality and its beauty. My soul is awaken. The wonderful book by Stephen Talbott tells us who we are and to where we do belong

This book is well written, provocative and covers a lot of ground in a very short space of time. The author presents a well-reasoned argument for reversing the usual cause and effect critique of the evil computer, and his suggestion that the problem is in the way we think about technology is right on.

This book should be read by all those who live with the Internet and technology. While not exactly a Luddite (Talbott uses computers and the Internet a great deal), the author presents many reasons why we should not just accept the promises of a technological paradise without reflecting on its consequences.

This is an excellent history of the subject, especially of its genesis and earlier years. I could have wished for more on the later years and for more upon European and Russian contributions during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. However, that is probably just my bias as a contributor to the scene during the last two of those decades. Certainly, these are but minor quibbles concening what must be the definitive work on the subject for a long time to come.

An excellent book bringing to life the trials and tribulations behind the history of flight. This book is an easy read, because it sounds like the author is talking directly to you.

This book is very good read indeed. Anderson sets out in meticulous detail the history of aerodynamics leading up to actual flight by the Wright Bros and then proceeds through the periods of World War 1 and II and jet flight. There are very few equations to deal with and the book is both descriptive an instructional. Although the book is a bit Americo-centric it does cover much of the early aerodynamic development elsewhere in the world with some notable exceptions for later periods. The book becomes a little unstuck when it starts to make unfavorable comparisons on the basis of efficiency between early European WWI fighters and the American WW I Jenny for example, a comparison which is really in the chalk and cheese category. The book also largely ignores roll moments of inertia (i.e. the basis of maneuverability) but seems to concentrate on aspect ratio and wing shape as its main yardstick in its comparisons, and this is a major weakness. It is also a bit weak on actual worldwide historical development and appearance of jet aircraft outside of America. Nevertheless, the subject matter is very engaging and overall it is well worth the purchase price and is strongly recommended for aviation buffs despite the niggling flaws.

In this important overview, senior aerospace engineer John D. Anderson Jr., explores one of the most critical areas of flight, the evolution of aerodynamics. And the result is a significant work that goes far toward capturing the essence of this field. It will find a place in both aeronautical engineering and history of aeronautics classes, but the greatest importance of "A History of Aerodynamics" will probably be its use as an essential reference by scholars without the technical depth of Anderson working in the history of flight.

Anderson divides his subject into four key areas and attacks them chronologically. The first period, requiring nearly 100 pages in this publication, begins with antiquity and ends with the work of the Wright brothers at the beginning of the twentieth century. The second era he characterizes as one dominated by the strut-and-wire biplane of the 1900s through the 1920s. A third definable era came with the mature propeller-driven airplane that emerged in the 1930s and predominated until the 1950s. Then, a fourth era arose in which the jet aircraft has dominated. Anderson would be quick to point out that the last two eras have existed side-by-side since the coming of the jet, but that each of them present different aerodynamics challenges requiring different solutions and, hence, they deserve separate treatment.

Three major themes run through "A History of Aerodynamics" from Aristotle to the present. First, the author emphasizes the development of the discipline of aerodynamics-the change over time in the understanding of the physical nature of aerodynamic flows over solid bodies and the discovery and systemization of basic governing equations-much of which emerged independently from a variety of sources and without immediate practical application. For instance, Anderson concludes that with Newtonian physics as a foundation, numerous scientists and mathematicians ranging from Leonhard Euler to Pierre-Simon Laplace working largely individually constructed a framework for aerodynamics that included fundamental understanding of Euler's equations for an inviscid flow and the Navier-Stokes equations for a viscous flow. That effort, however, took place independently of a desire to build flying machines, and indeed many of those working on them scoffed at the idea of human powered flight.

Second, it took a group of practical inventors to apply these theoretical aerodynamics principles and build the first practical flying machines in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. These individuals, few of whom held academic posts, began the practice of applied aerodynamics. The classic example is Wilbur and Orville Wright who had no advanced degrees and no outside funders, either public or private. The research of these people went directly into the design of airplanes. As Anderson concludes, "It is remarkable that the flying machine was developed and advanced well into the beginning of the twentieth century without direct recourse to the state of the art of theoretical aerodynamics that existed in academic circles" (pp. 448-49).

Finally, Anderson traces the linkage between the aerodynamic theory being developed in the academy and its application to the design of aircraft. Whereas the linkage had been tenuous at best until the second decade of the twentieth century, it has grown increasingly interrelated and complex since. Making airplanes more efficient, safe, and effective has become the raison d'être for aerodynamics research at least since the 1930s. The basic research of Otto Prandtl in Germany and Theodore von Kármán-himself a Prandtl student-at Caltech exemplify this transformation, as it found its way almost immediately into practical designs.

There is much to praise in this volume. It provides for the first time a comprehensive overview of the subject. It also offers the best discussions available about some of the key breakthroughs in the twentieth century made by leading aerodynamicists such as Richard Whitcomb, John Stack, and Fred Weick. But for all its virtues, the overview offered here is a history written for engineers. Replete with formulae and technical detail, certainly to be expected in such a history, the author concerns himself with the linear process of aerodynamic understanding to the very great exclusion of any social or cultural factors that might have influenced the engineers.

For instance, the author concludes that the era of the modern propeller-driven aircraft was dominated by the requirement to reduce drag, and therefore enhance performance, so a "streamlining craze" emerged among aerodynamicists that fundamentally altered the direction of the airplane development. Despite many intriguing areas that might have been explored-for example, the story of the adoption of retractable landing gear explored by Walter Vincenti in a 1994 Technology & Culture article-here the progression of streamlining follows a linear pattern, with the text too often emphasizing what comes across as farsighted, preordained solutions to aerodynamics problems that led inexorably to the clean, efficient designs of the 1940s. There is little of the obscurity of choices, blind allies of research, or trial and error that might have enriched this story.

Even so, this is a massively impressive work that will be of real use to a large community. It will find use for years to come.

This book is almost sure to be the definitive treatment of this subject for many decades to come. As far as I know, it is the most comprehensive history of aerodynamics and its relationship to aircraft development. Speaking as someone who has been involved technically in aircraft design, I found it truly fascinating to learn how today's techniques and base of knowledge evolved through the interaction of theory, experiment, and engineering experience. I believe that this book will interest anyone who wants to understand how aircraft design has evolved and why airplanes were designed as they were at various times and places.

It is, as the title says, strictly about aerodynamics and does not cover many other matters of vital importance to aircraft design, such as structure, mass properties (like the inertial moments mentioned by another reviewer), propulsion, or systems. Moreover, it's about the principles of aerodynamics and does not cover many of the important aspects of its application to aircraft, such as propulsion system integration. Thus it is not by any means a comprehensive history of aircraft design and development. But it treats its one topic of the development of the principles of aerodynamics for aircraft very well.

The book does not assume any real technical knowledge of aerodynamics, although I imagine it could be somewhat tough going for someone who had no prior knowledge of the subject at all. There is a sprinkling of equations and a few mathematical arguments, but no one should be put off by them because (1) they are not complex (no calculus) and (2) you can skip over them if you are willing to take the author's word on what they mean. From my perspective, the author does a good job of explaining concepts clearly and correctly. He does not insult the expert's intelligence, while remaining accessible to those without deep knowledge. More technical details are given in appendices.

Of course it is impossible in any single book to cover all important developments in aircraft aerodynamics. This book is definitely slanted toward the fundamentals -- the Wright brothers don't appear until nearly halfway through the book. The author, himself an authority on modern aerodynamics, only very briefly sketches developments of the past 50 years, on the grounds that they are too much a story in progress to make for concise history.

For readers used to thinking of the US as the world leader in airplane development and manufacture, it may come as a surprise to learn how often America trailed behind in the development of aerodynamics and how fortunate Americans were to have escaped the worst consequences of their nation's past (and recent) neglect of research in this vital area. In light of the book's emphasis on this, it was a little surprising to find another reviewer criticizing it as too slanted toward US developments. In leafing through the index I see a strong preponderance of names from outside the US. In order to keep the book to "only" 450 pages of text, however, the author does often concentrate on the main theme in a given area and does not cite all of the parallel and supporting work elsewhere, leading to neglect of some non-US (and some US) efforts.

I particularly liked the way the book puts a human face on the story by giving brief biographical summaries of the people who have played key roles in aerodynamics development and sketching the times and circumstances in which they worked.

Readers hoping for a brief (and somewhat impressionistic) introduction rather than Anderson's more comprehensive approach may want to look up Theodore von Kármán's _Aerodynamics_ (1954) or John E. Allen's _Aerodynamics: A space age survey_ (1966). The standard broad surveys of the development of aircraft design and technology are Ronald Miller & David Sawers, _The Technical Development of Modern Aviation_ (1970) and Laurence K. Loftin, Jr., _Quest for Performance: The Evolution of Modern Aircraft_ (1985; NASA SP-468).

Will O'Neil

The authors are young researchers who did their Ph.D. research in this rapidly developing branch of pattern recognition. Because they are young and are at the state of the art in the filed the book has sevral advantages and disadvantages and what I see as a disadvantage someone else might view as an advantage. Anyway here is my view.
Advantage 1: Pattern recognition is a field of many disciplines. It has been studied by statisticians, mathematician, probabilists and engineering and people that call themselves computer scientists specializing in artificial intelligence. The field is old and has a long history but each discipline has developed their own jargon and many times the wheel has been reinvented. The advantage of this book is that these young scientists don't see that awful history. They have learned and mastered their subject in a basically engineering jargon but they include many concepts from statistics and statistical learning theory that are not common to engineering texts. This includes such topics as robust regression, ridge regression and spline estimation. Much of the classical statistical literature is cited. The book contains over 600 references including much of the authors own work.
Disadvantage 1: Because they are young they miss some of the important historical literature and key texts. I found it a little disappointing that the bootstrap which is a statistical tool that has played a major role in discriminant analysis (particularly in the estimation of classification error rates) was completely overlooked. Also although many important texts on pattern recognition, machine learning and discriminant analysis are cited the fine text by McLachlan is overlooked as is the recent relevant text by Hastie, Tibshirani and Friedman.

Advantage 2: This book highlights the work of Vapnik and Chervonenkis and provides nice concise descriptions that one can easily refer to when needed. The mathematics is deep and includes reproducing kernel Hilbert space and many important properties from functional analysis and statistical theory.

Disadvantage 2: The authors are more experienced at writing professional papers than at writing text books. Consequently the book does not flow well and the authors freely admit in their preface that it is best not to read the book in sequential order but rather to take the suggestions in the preface that differ based on the readers background and interest.

Having said all this, for someone like me, who is very knowledgeable about statistical pattern recognition this is a great text for getting me up to speed on an exciting new area that I know very little about. I became curious about it when I started reading Vapnik recently.

I am hoping that a careful reading of this book will give me an intuition about why this approach that incorporates kernel methods can be a powerful tool in pattern recognition and classification.

This book should be a useful reference for anyone interested in this research area. It could be used in an engineering or statistics course in pattern recognition at either the undergraduate or graduate levels depending on what material is covered.

In a recent communication with Bernhard Scholkopf I learned that his book was sent for publication before the Hastie et al. book went to press. So that is the only reason it wasn't referenced. I think that point is worth my mentioning in an editing of this review. Also on reflection I do not think the disadvantages are so great as to remove a star. So it is 5 stars for them.

I can only hope that they will reference the work of McLachlan and Hastie et al. in their future books and research on this subject.

It is the best book on kernel methods. It covers a wide range of subjects.

The best thing is that after finishing one or two basic chapters, you can read the rest of the book in any order; most chapters are almost independent to each other. At the beginning of a chapter, the authors list the prerequistites, so a reader knows whether he will be able to understand the chapter.

For now the book still reflects the state of art. But it is a fast changing field. I hope the authors will update the book in the future.

Excellent theory on SVMs and VC dimensionality. However, I found the chapters on optimization a bit terse. Otherwise, an essential reference for those interested in using SVMs in classification and regression.

This book is at the right level if you are already strong in Machine Learning theory. (e.g. Tom Mitchell's "Machine Learning").

Note that it is already getting somewhat dated. It for example includes little information on kernels for discreate structured input, such as trees and graphs.

Great book, but a word of caution, it is not for the novice.
Book assumes a lot of background in functional analysis and
probability. True, it has extensive appendixes but they are
short-handing the relevant materials only. However, having said
that, this is a book worth struggling with even if you have not
yet got the intuitions in the above mentioned disciplines.

It is worthwhile (at least as I can tell) to read the book
skipping the tool chapters (2-6) going back to them when one has
a point where those are needed. I found that to be much easier
as it provides a concrete use of the methods putting them
in context.

I've been on LinkedIn for a while, and apparently I wasn't alone in not getting the most out of it. This book went through the many features available, but more importantly provided the succinct "next steps" needed to prod me along. Each practical section is like a lesson: here's what it is, here's how to use it, and here's what you need to do. Great advice for anyone looking to better understand and leverage the power of social networking.

The LinkedIn Personal Trainer tells much more than just how to use LinkedIn. Rather than just showing what the screens are and how to enter data, this book tells you how to effectively use LinkedIn to increase your networking. In a step by step approach, author Steve Tylock gives advice on both building a profile that will get noticed, and on building, managing and using your connections.

I would recommend this book both for new users (as I was), and also for folks who are already are using LinkedIn, but want to get more out of it.

For the novice to Linkedin, this book allows you quick access to the power of this professional social network. It allows you to make better use of your time and leads you through easy to follow tutorials. For those of you that have working knowledge of Linkedin, you will still benefit from the exercises.
Good return on invest.

"The LinkedIn Personal Trainer" is a strategic weapon every business professional needs in their arsenal to succeed in today's global economy. The clarity with which Steven Tylock presents his message is particularly valuable because the concept is frequently discussed, however often understood superficially. Finding and leveraging LinkedIn to create a competitive advantage and how to dovetail such with your own "life" aspirations is all neatly contained in this working manual.

Kudos, Steve for such a sensible handbook that I make regular reference to. The thought provoking/ goal setting aspects keep me focused on my process of continuously improving my network.

The LinkedIn Personal Trainer

I was a member of LinkedIn for more than a year before I realized it's power and efficiency for business purposes. I'm a very experienced Internet user, yet I was slow to catch onto the possibilities of LinkedIn. Since the mean number of connections of all LinkedIn members is a number less than TEN, many other people are clearly having the same trouble.

I was encouraged to do more than fill in my LinkedIn profile and wait for results, by other people. It was their encouragement that got me to build, 50, 100 and now more than 4000 first level connections. Thanks to my friends, I got good advice. Not everyone is so lucky. For the rest of you, there is "The LinkedIn Personal Trainer". It's a small book FULL of practical and useful stuff that LinkedIn users should know. Even after four years LinkedIn membership I was still able to learn a trick or two.

I run training courses on the use of LinkedIn. I can tell you with assurance that 90% of LinkedIn users don't know this basic detail. That's why their profiles look like personal resumes, and why they fail to build their networks. LinkedIn works if you work. "The LinkedIn Personal Trainer" tells you HOW to WORK. If you've got fewer that 500 direct contacts on LinkedIn, you need to read this book.

Of course if you've got endless time you can use the help section of LinkedIn, and you can search the LinkedIn forums and you can find all Steven Tylock's advice without spending a cent. However, since time is your most precious resource, I do recommend buying the book.

John S Veitch
www.openfuture.biz/

I am always pleased by the speedy service and the condition and the quailty of the merchandise.

Thanks

I almost passed this book by because I don't like the motif of hands; I thought the content inside might be too cute or tacky. I did buy it though, and I can't wait to use it. The patterns are beautiful and many and they are all Baltimore style with a quarter of the pattern, so that it fits on the page. They can be easily traced or photocopied to use in any way one sees fit.

I started out as a hand appliquér. When I decided to learn fusible machine appliqué, I took this book off the shelf time and time again to refresh my memory on the steps, tips, and tricks involved, including how to get around corners and handle points. Sue's book is an excellent reference. Plentiful, detailed illustrations show exact needle positions and what the stitches should look like. Thanks Sue! You are my go-to gal for raw-edge machine appliqué.

Kay Mackenzie
Author, Teapots to Appliqué

I am a relatively new appliquer and I haven't read many books on applique. After reading this book, my applique was revolutionized! I learned how to use freezer paper and fabric glue to machine applique (why didn't I think of that!).

Until now I have only appliqued by hand or using the fusible method. I don't like the raw-edge look, however, so I really gained a lot of value from Sue Nickel's insights on using glue.

If you haven't tried the iron-and glue method using freezer paper for machine applique that looks like it was done by hand, this book will inspire you!

There are lots of templates to try out her different methods and you can create a very traditional looking quilt from her patterns.

I first saw Sue Nickel's on "Simply Quilts" with Alex Anderson, demonstrating her techniques. This method of applique looks as good as the kind you turn under the raw edges, but it takes alot less time. Sue also has a technique where you remove the inside of the fusible web so the applique isn't so hard. If you want a book on all kinds of applique techniques, then I would recommend Harriet Hargrave's "Mastering Machine Applique". I like Sue's approach to applique the best.

I have been looking for this book and I have finally found it. I read this book when I was in the fourth grade and absolutely loved it. Now I am getting it for myself and my 10 year old nephew (does that date me or what?!?) I would highly recommend this book to anyone girl or boy. It's a great adventure story.

ISBN 0064402223 - Not the best thing I've read in kids' books lately, but good enough to hook some of the reluctant readers, especially boys.

Steve and Max are best friends, which is a good thing, because otherwise Max might have killed Steve by now. Who could get away with convincing you to eat a dog treat, if not your best friend? So when Steve comes to the clubhouse with a $2.50 time machine, Max isn't surprised. He doesn't take it seriously, but he's not surprised at all. After some explaining, he agrees to go with Steve to the year 1250... even if the contraption doesn't look like it's going to go anywhere. When Steve thinks Max is getting cold feet, he flips the switch before Max knows what's going on and they find themselves in the bodies of Sir Robert, a medieval knight, and his horse!

Stunned that it worked, thrilled with their success, the boys learn how things work in the Middle Ages. From quack doctors with potions to romance with an Earl's daughter, they're enjoying themselves quite a bit. Now all they have to do is hope the time machine brings them back before one of them is killed!

This is the kind of book that could easily translate into a series, with the boys travelling through time. Since the inventor of their machine, Professor Flybender, went off in search of Atlantis, never to return, there's a story to be told there - and if they tell it, I'll read it!

This is a fun, funny adventure book that no parent should pass up! The authors' quick wit, inside jokes and genuinely funny dialogue make this a great book to take turns reading aloud. The boys get themselves in and out of trouble with clever plans and a healthy sense of humor. Give it a try!

very funny easy read novel following two friends as they travel back in time to the middle ages where they find themselves in the bodies of people/animals who lived at the time.

I remember reading this book when I was young.. and I have read it several times since. It is fun, witty, charming and covers everything from time travel to jousting to courtly love. It's great for boys or girls! A definate must!

Another beautiful piece of vintage Eric Frank Russell. I first read it as a ten year old in 1958, and three of the four stories were quite old (first published 1940-42) even then. Yet they have aged surprisingly well. The technical purist in me winces a little at the thought of a spaceship keeping its rockets burning all the way to Venus (where on/off earth do they keep all the fuel?) and falling into the Sun if they break down, but that was about par for 1940 sf. And Russell surely makes up for it in having a negro as his Ship's Surgeon, even if he does feel obliged to offer a biological justification for this. I don't know if Sam Hignett was the first Black sf character, but there can't have been many before him. This is great for the period.

MM&M is a sort of halfway house between a short story collection and a novel. We keep the same set of characters throughout, but the four sections can be read separately, as indeed the first three were published separately for magazines. The first and shortest, "Jay Score" , is a simple disaster in space yarn, though with a lovely twist at the end which I have no intention of revealing, and serves mainly to introduce us to the cast. The rest of the book is divided between three voyages of exploration, to the planets Mechanistria, Symbiotica and Mesmerica. The titles hint at the nature of the problems encountered by our intrepid heroes, as they meet malevolent aliens who attack them by methods mechanical, biological and psychological respectively

But by no means all the aliens shown are malevolent. The Martians of the title are both friendly and resourceful, and in two of the stories, the human characters might well have perished without them. Again, a very advanced attitude to "race relations" for the time of publication.

All in all, a great read. My only gripe about MM&M (as about Russell's later book, "The Great Explosion") is that there simply isn't enough of it. I should have loved to follow the "Marathon" on a dozen voyages into the unknown, rather than three. Still, I shall be forever grateful for what there is. Enjoy

I grew up in Turkey. I bought a Turkish translation (titled Uzay Cocugu --> Space Child) from the local mom-and-pop store when I was 11 (on my mom's credit). I fell in love with this book and read it many times over the years. Unfortunately, I lost my copy when I was in college. Recently, I ordered a used copy (in English) and fell in love all over again. This is the book that opened my imagination when I was a child and I have been an avid sci-fi reader since then. Now that my son is 11, I will pass my copy on to him with the hope that he will find it as extraordinary as I did.

A couple of years ago I had the luck of finding a hardcover edition, (in pristine condition I might add) to replace my badly worn paperback copy. Our narrator is sergeant at arms aboard the merchant spaceship Upskadaska City, known to seasoned spacers as the 'Upsydaisy', making regular voyages between Earth and Venus until holed by an errant glob of space debris that sends the Upsydaisy hurtling directly into the sun. The ship survives thanks to her captain's navigating, the skill of her rather unusual emergency pilot and the grit displayed by all hands. As a reward captain and crew are given the new interstellar explorer ship 'Marathon' and sent to explore 'strange new worlds' all of which prove somewhat inhospitable to aliens. Our band of brothers is augmented a staff of government experts and a smart mouthed official photographer. And includes a Martian repair crew, goggle eyed ten tentacled beings who frequently complain about thick air, human odor and want to play chess at the most inopportune times. Dispite frequent interspecies bickering and banter when the chips are down Terran and Martian alike know they can depend on each other to the bitter end.

I got a copy of this book when I was about 9 yrs old and have probably read it so often that I've nearly memorized it over the last 30 yrs. What draws me into the book are the unforgettable characters---Jay Score (was he the inspiration for Mr. Spock?), Capt. McNulty, the chess-fanatic Martians---Kli Yang, Kli Morg, Sug Farn, et al, and the narrator, the sergeant at arms who is never identified by name. The stories are told in the first person and in a way it lets the reader become that character. The only downside of the book is that, as far as I know, Russell never wrote any further stories about the crew of the Marathon.

Outstanding blend of humor and serious space opera. Four linked long stories involving the crew of the exploration ship Marathon. One story, SYMBIOTICA, inspired my earliest interests in ecology, and eventually my novel MIDWORLD.

I surely enjoyed this book and read and re-read it upon receiving my copy. the directions, list of sources, and photos were fantastic.
I would recommend this for anyone considering using these techniques in their artwork.
linda

Absolutely love the art in this book. It isn't a how-to book, but gives you so many ideas and inspiration, that if you've done mixed media for a little while you probably can get a lot out of it.

I use it all the time to try new things and for inspiration.

This is a wonderful raw art book. It has some great textures in it with instructions. It is truly a mixed-media book. There are sections on fabric, paper, metal, and how to combine techniques. There are some techniques in there that I have never tried. I have and they turned out great. I do a lot of raw art collages. I was able to glean a lot of ideas from this book. The colors and textures are great eye candy. What I liked most about this book was that it showed you what you could do with the technique once you tried it. I think that is something that every art book should do since a lot of us artists are visual learners. I think that newbies can learn from the techniques and see what are some of the possible end pieces. More experienced artists can try different techniques and glean ideas from the picts.

Had to work today, so I took this book into the gallery with me. This book is enticing, enthralling, and full of that extra effort and creative spirit -- it's my paper muse.

Delicious!

Additionally, it seems very approachable for someone new to paper arts (as I am) and yet was also enjoyed by someone who has taught paper arts.

i really thought that despite the beautiful cover and the name Maggie Grey, as she is quite the name when fabric is around, this book would be eye candy but not inspiring for me to "work on".
oh boy was i wrong! Ms. Grey's techniques for changing paper to metal and metal to stitch is quite fun! i thoroughly enjoyed just savoring every page the first time around and then i started actually playing. this is a terrific book for inspiration, teaching, learning, doing, and of course, her handiwork is quite the eye candy. i will have this book on my shelves for many years to come.