Amateur Books

This is THE book for everybody using CCDs for diy projects. Although the camera itself can not be build anymore without being very lucky in finding a way to get all parts, it is still very revealing about how to actually build a camera and design the circuits. A real classic!

The authors take you through step by step of how CCD's work. Then how to build your own. I loved it and built my own camera from the book. It is really easy if I can do anyone can.

The book did well to walk me through repairing my washer. It does a good job on the moving parts and a great job on the electronic parts, especially for the novice.
It could be better by going into some preventitive maintenance topics. I felt there were probably some additional things I could have done while I had the machine opened up and taken apart.
I saved between $100.00-$150.00 by fixing it myself.

This is a terrific step-by-step manual that anyone can follow. I have used it on two different washers. It is accurate and has saved me a lot of money on repair bills.

I photograph almost 45 years and now is photography as my job and I am as a member of The Royal Photographic Society in England. I had bought the photographic books as new one and in the secondhand bookstore. I have at this time maybe 2 meters long a queue of these photographic books in english, german and czech language. I know, what is important information for photographer and what is the value the information in the proper time. Okey. The book "Close-up Photography" has two parts: 1) Technical and 2) Making the Technical Practical. In total has 18 chapters. Every chapter open very interesting view at the various problem of this branch of photography. I can list e.g. chapter 3: Focusing Screens, Focusing Rail and Cable Release. Very important but very ignored theme in other books. Very interesting paragraph in this famous book is theme Lens Faults, Diffraction and Lens Flare. You can read in chapter 6 (Exposure) which is exposure compensation when you snap on film area a Dandelion Yellow or Cedark bark. The paragraph "Exposure Correction for Extension" very precisely explains exposure correction with mathematical formula. An instruction how use the second lens with special adapter for macro-photo explains the chapter 8 too. The paragraph "Exposure with Flash" in chapter 10 explains two flashes with different GN by using in shorter distance. You can see more different setups for photographing coins, plastic models of airplanes, what prepare for polarized light photography (chapter 14). Very nice chapter is chapter 18 "Nature Subjects" with 26 unique photographs. I summarize the impression from this book: I can very hard recommend this book not only for beginner but so for advanced photographer with very strong interest ybout close-up photography.

Close-Up Photography by Alan R.Constant

Every few years, someone authors a work involving the photography of (mostly) small things: insects, wristwatch gears, flower pistols and stamens, etc.

In 1999, Mr. Alan R. Constant took his turn at bat with the above titled effort. And a good turn it was, resulting in what can only be described as a home run for the lovers of macro-photography.

In any such subject, it is necessary, indeed mandatory, to delve just a little bit into the geometry of optics, such that various points may be understood as to just WHY something must be done in certain ways so as to result in a useable photograph. Mr. Constant accomplishes this both adroitly and painlessly.

The occasional formula is laid out at the appropriate time and place, and with the naturalness of a skilled photographic professional. The art of explaining without glazing the readers eyes, or occasioning a mathphobic reaction, is just one of the many virtues of the relaxed and homey style of Mr. Constant.

Beyond that, the text progresses in a smooth and natural rhythm from subject to subject, each layer building upon the previous examples and explanations. And indeed, one of the major strengths of this work, is that NOTHING is left to the reader's guesswork or imagination. Whenever a point is made or a procedure explained, Mr. Constant always goes on to show exactly WHY such-and-such is necessary, or why compensating approaches often result in what is desired, simply because a direct approach would fail and why so.

Finally, this book pretty much travels the entire gamut of macro-photography, from just getting a pretty flower to remain looking pretty when on film, to more esoteric (but always common sense) items such as his "Bug Box". All in all, the book is worth more than just the purchase price. It is a good piece of work, well done, and far more enlightening than many of the preceding volumes over the last several decades.

This helped me very much with little tasks i had to complete in my house. Very handy book. Quick transaction.

This book has everything to get you started. Great introduction, excellent section divisions, nice photos, details and pro-tips. This book will get you through all of the phases of drywalling. Personally, I leave the final finishing (i.e., top coats) up to the pros, since this aspect is the most talent intensive. I suppose with time and following the instruction, you could master all of the drywall techniques. Also, all of the other "Stanley" DIY books are great! Great price too!

BEING A NOVICE, THIS BOOK IS YOUR GUIDE TO WORLD OF MOTORCYLES. ENJOY IT.
VERY WELL WRITTEN.

This book was packed full of very useful information, and was a joy to read. I normally can't just sit down and read a book like this, I've got a very short attention span. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Motorcycles, 4th Edition (Complete Idiot's Guide to) had just enough humor packed in with all the information to keep me from being overloaded, and kept me looking forward to the next page. It took me less than a week of evenings to finish reading this, and I find myself re-reading sections every now and then.

Definitely a great book for the first-time rider. I own my own motorcycle now, and had a much better idea of what to expect thanks to this book.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I have!

Excellent book for refurbishing an existing patio or installing a new one. It features good, clear instructions with plenty of illustrations. I was able to get more landscaping ideas from this book than some of my so-called "idea" books. The suggested materials are readily available, in California at least, and there is good analysis of the pros and cons of each type.

I like this book because it has it all. If you want to make a quick patio by laying some flagstones directly into soil and letting plants grow in between them, here is everything you need to know to design it, get the materials, and put it in next weekend. If you are thinking of something elaborate, like pouring a concrete slab, cutting flagstones and embedding them in mortar on it, again, this is a great guide. In between, there is a whole range of possibilities from a round brick accent patio to tuck in the corner of your yard and set a table and chairs on, to detailed instructions for doing the traditional dry-laid stone method on base aggregate with various edgings.

Besides building patios, they have ways to spruce up old concrete slabs like staining them to make them spanking new and pretty, and treatments to make your flagstones last longer and easier to clean. All of this is shown with great, clear color photographs that make it fun to think about all the different possibilities for making your back or front yard more useable. This is a keeper.

Great pictures and ideas. Well worth the money even if you only use it for only one of the projects in this book.

This book is a great tool for the home owner. The skill level assumed by the authors is relatively low, though not zero. Like all useful books, you are assumed to have a basic understandig of basic tools and how to use them. However, special tools and techniques are explained in enough detail to be useful to the relative novice.

The projects detailed are of the most popular varieties. There is something there for you and many ideas you may not have had. Making improvements to your property and keeping it up-to-date is the best way to protect your investment. Being able to do it yourself is the best way to -maximize- your investment.

The photos provided explain most of the things you might otherwise have found mysterious.

Finally, though some of the things detailed are outside of the average homeowners skill (mine at least), there are so many things in the book, that you'll find many things you can and want to do.

As a designer, I am always on the lookout for trends and information to assist myself and my clients as we create great homes. This one is useful

This is a MUST for anyone who loves reading about Country Homes! ENJOY!

This is an excellent book for people who love to stamp! It has lots of great ideas for stamping every room of your home. Plus it also explains how to stamp on different material. A must for all stampers!

This book supplies stampers with a lot of ideas to work with. Many times, stampers find books that focus only on stamping on paper. This book gives many ideas of different thing to stamp to get your creativity flowing. Everyone serious about rubber stamping should read this book.

How do you know if you can see an object with your small telescope? This book is the answer. Deep sky objects are listed on a Sky Atlas but it do not show how bright they are. This book not only lists the objects but lists the brightness (magnitude) and provides helpful hints about oberving some of them. The book is arranged by type of object then by constellation for easy reference. This book was invaluable when I completed the Herschel 400 object list.

I found this book to be very helpful in selecting objects to observe. The book is very well laid out and objects are classified into different categories, making it easy to navigate. I particularly liked Dave Eicher's eyepiece impressions and his description of objects. A very good guidebook for owners of small telescopes!!!