Amateur Books

Marie Browning has the Midas Touch when it comes to crafting. On my most cerebrbally challenged "daze" (I have a huge family, toddlers under three!) I can go to any of her books and choose a project that is both challenging and creative, add my own panache and have soemthing that is uniquely "Alouette." Look at her basic pocket accordion book! She has two different examples (business card and stamps) that give way to more inspiration. She is elegant, she is whimsical. Some of her ideas are very masculine, others are delicate and lady-like. (Crafters often get stumped when coming up with ideas for guys-- she has no shortage of masculine ideas!)

I have not yet started my project, but am confident that this book provides good instruction. The pictures are great, and helpful for sparking new ideas. The instruction is detailed, and there a variety of different techniques displayed. I would have liked a list of sources, instead of just "available fine art stores", but overall this was a good purchase.

I had bought another book in Amazon about scrapbooks and journals and even if it had good pictures of the final projects it lacked photos of the different passages. I have Browning's book now and really you can't go wrong. DIfferent techniques, plenty of explanations, great ideas from the simple "messages" note pad to the more complicated seeds book! I can't wait to try her ideas that I consider as a starting point for my own creativity!

I think this book is an excellent start for beginners. I have never made anything before (book, album, etc.) and once I read through the book one time I was able to make an open spine book in one day. Instructions and photos are great.

Of all the manuals that I have seen on handcrafted books, Marie Browning's is the absolute best! Her instructions are precise and easy to follow. She sets out a basic formula for making a book and goes individually through each material necessary. She illustrates the spectrum of materials that can be used for different parts of the process. A must-have for book artists!

My family has been caught up in the home improvement craze for years, but our children have gotten in on the act too since becoming fans of one of those "home makeover" shows. So when we took our teenager to pick out paint chips for his room last summer, we shouldn't have been surprised when he chose a "moon rock" green hue, embedded with grains of sand and flecks of glitter. OK...we invited his involvement in the project, so we were going to have to live with the results! Had I read the new book by Laura Jensen Walker, I would have approached this project and others around our home with a little more wisdom and a lot more patience. This Old Dump: Renovate Without Decking Your Mate, (Revell, September 2004, paperback, 156 pages) offers fun and humorous suggestions for surviving your home improvement projects without destroying your marriage in the process. Laura blends hilarious home improvement tales with practical tips and solutions. The book is a fun, helpful and enjoyable read and offers some great ideas. Highly recommend!

Funny lady Laura Jensen Walker does it again. She has a way of taking any subject, adding a humorous twist, and helping us see ourselves through her hilarious stories and keen observations. After trying to wallpaper with my husband years ago I vowed to never do any home improvement with him again. Thanks to Laura's book This Old Dump I feel like maybe we can buy a fixer upper and still stay happily married.

When I picked up "This Old Dump," I still had paint stuck under my fingernails and wallpaper paste in my hair. I found my sense of humor again, as well as many friends in Laura Walker's book--and recommend it for anyone who's hooked on HGTV or who's known by his or her first name at Home Depot.

Stop! Back away from the paint brush and no one will get hurt. That's the recurring theme of Laura Jensen Walker's delightful book about remodeling your home without wrecking your marriage. Using funny but factual real-life stories, Walker reminds the reader that there are as many decorating techniques as there are colors of paint. Unfortunately, many of them don't mix. This Old Dump is not so much a "how-to" as a how-NOT-to. That is, if you value your marriage. Considering a serious home make-over? Stop! Buy the book first. You'll need the comic relief.

This book is as much about maintaining your marriage as it is about maintaining your house. The perfect book for any couple contemplating a home repair project. The life you save may be your own!

I very much enjoyed this book for many reasons, not just that it provides information you will never find anywhere else. The book covers many sites that I was familiar with and many that I have heard of and didn't know were accessible and many that I have never heard of. I will definitely take it with me on my upcoming trip, my 18th to London.

I like the style of the book, just casual enough to let you know the authors are real people (and have really been to the sites), but not overdone, which can get annoying with other authors. In fact, I skimmed through the entire book at one sitting, reading many parts entirely, as I found it interesting.

I have a few minor criticisms. (I'm still giving a five-star rating, especially since there is no other book quite like this, so invaluable.)

A few things people should know in advance: there is one general map at the beginning -- the authors state you need to pick up a map in London as this is not an easy city to navigate (I use London A-Z) -- and there are no floor plans of the sites. This is good (smaller size and price) and bad (toting and flipping from book to book or purchasing high-priced on-site guides). I'm sure it would be impossible to locate a floor plan for some of the more obscure buildings, so really can't blame the authors.

My main complaint (not major) is there is not a rating system, formal or informal, for sites. I know a lot of what is "worth seeing" depends on a person's individual interest, but, well, just because a site exists doesn't mean it's worth taking time out for if you just have a week or so in London. There's a big difference between "don't miss this hidden treasure" and "seek this out if you are in the neighborhood" or "best for those with a special interest in Edward IV, or stained glass windows, or gothic arches, or whatever."

Once again let me state that a major plus is the feeling that the authors have really been there and know what they are talking about.

By comparison, many years ago I bought a guide to London by a very well known guidebook publisher. I made a bed-and-breakfast booking on their recommendation of a charming hotel with a bright, cheery breakfast room. I won't tell you the full horrors of the place, other than to mention the tiny rooms with plywood walls and door, and the very dark basement breakfast room done up like a dungeon, complete with instruments of torture on the walls. And one shared toilet per floor, which sometimes actually flushed. I didn't just check out -- I escaped. It was very obvious that the authors of that other book had never set foot in the place, and I have more or less ignored mass-produced guidebooks ever since.

I've never known a lot about medieval and Tudor history, but a friend gave this book to me to help me plan a trip to England. Now I can't wait to see the places described in the book. These authors have a fan in me.

I've never known a lot about medieval and Tudor history, but a friend gave this book to me to help me plan a trip to England. Now I can't wait to see the places described in the book. These authors have a fan in me.

For anybody who wants to know more about the history of places they want to see in England, this is the guide book for them. I learned alot of interesting things and had alot of fun reading this book. I like the authors' style very much. They make the history easy to read and understand.

Travellers on the trail of history in London know how frustrating it can be to locate Tudor and medieval places still in existence in that busy, crowded, vibrant, thoroughly modern city. Last year we spent a week with this guide in hand, feeling a bit Sherlockian in our quest. Even with the detailed directions provided by the authors, finding most of these hidden, nearly forgotten sites was a challenge. But with persistence and patience, our efforts were rewarded. What fun! Couldn't have done it without this guide. But if you aren't particularly interested in the places, the era, and the difficult pursuit, better not bother.

I do more sewing and tailoring of regular clothes than costumes (which is a hobby). And I use this reference all the time. For example, when taking measurements or doing fittings for family and friends, I pull this out. It actually helped me to understand patterns better, and my tailoring skills have increased dramatically.

I also found it useful when finishing our basement and creating my dream sewing space.

I'm also using it for my research for a class on fabrics and fibers.

I recommend this book as a great resource for anyone making clothes.

I am a former student of Rosemary Ingham's, now graduated and working as the Costume Shop Supervisor for Signature Theatre in Arlington, Va. I use her book almost everyday. Her instructions for sewing, altering, and patterning are easy to understand, clear, and concise. Plus there are great visuals to go along with the words by her writing partner Liz Covey. I can't wait until the next edition is complete. This best thing about it is that you don't have to be a professional costumer to use this book. A must for all sewers.

This book is wonderful. I got the book when I was in school and it has been in my tool box ever since. I recently had the pleasure of working with Rosemary and found her working style to be as informative and educational as her book. It has helped me with many projects, both professional and personal, and should be in every costume technician's library.

I am a free-lance costumer that travels around the country a lot for my work. This is the one book that travels with me as a basic reference for whatever the directors might throw at me. Most of the information is presented on a basic level (ie pattern blocks are for slopers, not finished garments), but a book would have to be the size of an encyclopedia to include detailed information on how to construct everything and would still miss something. This book gives you enough information to get you started and you can figure out the rest.

I am a student costumer and I hav had nothing but good experiences with teh Costume Technician's Handbook. I finally learned to draft my own patterns from this book - a skill no teacher has ever been able to drive into my skull. This is an absolute necessity

Don't let the small size fool you, this is a complete college level introductory textbook on Astronomy!

For amateur astronomers, you won't need anything else for theory. Using it in the field, might be rather cumbersome, as it is so loaded with information, it might be hard to sift out what you want "On the Fly".

Excellent book!

This book covers the basics on a wide range of topics. The maps are nicely done and easy to read. I have read a number of astronomy books, and this book is among the easiest to understand. The pictures are well done and compliment the text nicely to assist in the particular lesson being learned. If you've had a hard time understanding some other astronomy books, you might want to try this book. I found 3 drawbacks with this book. 1.) The RA/DEC coordinates given for objects in a number of the tables are epoch 1900. More current coordinates certainly could have been used. 2.) The binding is insufficient to be used as a "field guide" for any length of time. 3.) All tables at the back of the book that give times/dates for upcoming events are out of date. They end at 2006 or before.

If you're looking for a basic book on astronomy that covers a wide range of topics AND is easier to understand than most other astronomy books, you should consider buying this book.

The one and only knock against this great field guide (and kudos to the others who have pointed out that it's NOT a children's book, but simply the best introductory handbook to astronomy ever published) is that it will fall apart with regular use within a couple of years. This is inexcusable in a field guide, but the book is so wonderful and user-friendly that it still gets my five stars. If I could split the review: the book would get 5 stars, the publisher 0 stars.

But it's so cheap compared to other guides, like the lousy Norton's Star Atlas, that you can afford another when it shreds in your hands after a couple years use at the scope.

Bottom line: great book, but should be sewn-bound!!!

This little book is a great reference that handles most any issue an amateur astronomer might encounter in his gazing exploits. There is a thorough yet concise treatment of Basic Astronomy, followed by sections on Astronomical Instruments, Stars, The Various planets, and other celestial bodies. The illustrations and charts are wonderful and there is a very thorough treatment of each constellation, many tables, a good bibliography, and index of observatories and planetariums. It amazing what has been packed into this very small book!

Great Book, GREAT Charts (the grey section), but I had to drop a star due to a lack of Messier Photos and the terrible binding. I don't know HOW the review can say "4th - 8th grade reading level". If you find a 4th grader who can absorb this excellent material, he/she's in the wrong class! This book takes you from ignorance to comprehension painlessly. It even lists wonderful items which can be seen with only a pair of binoculars. It explains everything in the charts, listing the Messier objects and describing them, ie. "9th magnitude open-armed galaxy". Includes solar system, moon, stars, and deep space. A well done book, lacking nothing as a "text book", but as a "Field Guide" the above listed deficiences are intolerable. Well worth the small price.

Working within the industry, it is painfully clear how difficult it is for people 'on the outside' to make informed decisions, know what they are getting into and understand what they should be getting out of products, contractors and procedures. This is a good compass for the journey of building or remodeling any project. It helps you get organized, think through the process before you begin and 'trains' you to remain in charge to the very end. Recommended to me by an architect who worked with homeowners who followed this book. It's beneficial for both sides of the process.

I am in the early design stages of my house ...and this book arrived none too early to help me through the rest of the process. It is a veritable primer in the process of building a house. Full of lists, tables, and all sorts of things to consider. Commentaries on product and services selection, design considerations, project management ...basically all the decisions in the design and construction process. I thought I knew a lot when I went into the process, and this book reinforced the good things I was doing. Happily, it also suggested a whole bunch of things I could be doing and thoughtful approaches to make the process go better.

I usually consider 'how-to' books facile and almost silly. I purchased this book on an impulse on Amazon (along with a whole bunch of less useful picture books), and I was really shocked how valuable it is. It is a little treasure box of information. Dollar for dollar, I think this is probably the best investment I will make in my new house ...and I am sure that I am not alone.

Why learn the hard (and expensive) way when this book will save you from mistakes? No exaggeration to say that this is a 'must have' book for people considering a new home or extensive renovation. Sure, buy your picture books for the coffee table ...but this is the real stuff you need to know.

This book is a great overview of the process of deciding how to design and build your own house. Its charts, tables, glossary and very pointed writing style makes it an easy read. There are lots of great tips and has helped a lot as my family build our dream house

This woman is organized. Not only were the timelines helpful for each sub-job, but she also included steps I would have overlooked. I also like the physical size of the book - it's small enough for the toolbox!

- - Tom Kelly

This book is perfect for ANYONE who is building a home, looking to build a home, or remodel their current home. I have begun to recommend this book to all my clients, because it allows them to be informed of decisions and helps them to organize all of the important information needed when working on your home.

Highly Recommended!

This is a really fun book, with lots of projects for budding electronic musicians. But it goes beyond that: It's a solid intro to electronics and CMOS components. I went into this book thinking it might be too basic, yet I walked away with a lot of ideas, and some interesting new techniquess.

I wish that more electronics writers would cover the material with this author's style and accuracy. Also, kudos for providing parts sources and for using easy to find and inexpensive components. (I've seen many people, myself included, become frustrated by hard-to-find parts lists or the use of discontinued items. These projects suffer from neither of those problems.)

In the end, you'll be left wanting to know more about the components and techniques you've picked up. (You'll probably want to add Don Lancaster's classic CMOS Cookbook to your shopping cart. It will give you the details about many of these components.) Highly recommended. I'm looking forward to other books by this author.

Ah ! this book is one of the best i bought.
I just love it !!

Great great book - covers a lot of ground and is very accessible for someone with a fairly technical mind. Just enough information to spark some ideas of what could be done with this technology.

Ever since products such as GarageBand took over the low-level tasks of producing electronic music and turned us all into application users, much has been forgotten about making music with low-level electronic components. In the case of younger electronic musicians, this may be an art form they never even knew in the first place. Although there is an advantage is computer musicians speaking a common language through a common application, something fascinating in the realm of experimentation has been largely lost. This book returns to the days of yesteryear with some projects in making your own electronic music with basic devices.

The book starts with some brief information on the tools you'll need plus the author's seven rules for experimentation. Part two is dedicated to listening. He shows you how to use radios and coils to find hidden electronic music, how to use the speaker as a microphone and vice versa, and how to use piezo disks to pick up tiny sounds, among other topics. Part three, on touching, shows you how to transform a portable radio into a synthesizer, change the clock circuit in toys to produce new sounds, and use photocells and pressure pads to "play" the modified toy. Part four, Building, shows the reader how to breadboard up some oscillators along with some controlling circuitry and produce gating, ducking, tremolo and panning effects. Part five, Looking, concerns translating video to audio using commonly found devices. The final section goes into depth on mixing circuits, how to build a good but cheap amplifier, connecting sensors to computers via game controllers, and a section on power supplies.

The book is written such that you should proceed from beginning to end, since the devices in earlier sections are used to assemble the devices in later chapters. By the time you finish you should have entire experimental musical instruments that you have assembled yourself.

This is a great book if you are a electroacoustic composer, you can make cheap sensors and rare instruments... ready - if you want - to plug to Max/MSP or Ethersense...or Teabox... Thanks to Gregory Taylor from Cyclin'74.

I originally checked this book out of the library; I was quite impressed with the clearly labeled drawings, the How It Works section and the Before You Call For Help sections. I then checked out the ratings by reviewers on [...]. Then I purchased several as gifts; all of them were well received. I think that this book is a great resource and confidence builder for any individual who wants to know more about the plumbing, wiring, heating/cooling, ventilation, appliances, windows/doors &/or foundation of one's dwelling. It is very visual and it is presented in clear, easy-to-understand, brief language for the layman. Yet Mr. Wing also writes for professionals in these fields. A highly recommended resource!

I'm a book geek, a connoisseur of ideas. And i'm not one of those book geeks who is also very practical or handy about the house or with home repair. This book includes a visual dictionary (label + illustration)along with its plain explanations. I'm glad I bought it.

highly recommended. contains clear text and very detailed illustrations of the major systems of a house. i came upon this book while looking for explanations of the causes of excessive dust in a home (e.g., whether it's the contents--furnishings, linens, clothing, etc.--in a room or whether it's old walls, floors, and porous ceilings). this book doesn't answer my question, but it does offer a useful, step-by-step guide to systems like plumbing, wiring, heating/cooling, structure, and large appliances. for new homeowners or, better, folks who don't see themselves as diy'ers, this book will give you the information to do some things yourself. at the very least, you will be able to figure out where/why a system underperforms, and what to do about it. along with amy johnston's book on building and renovating a home, wing's book covers most issues. excellent resource or reference.

EVERY homeowner should have a copy of this invaluable resource. Particularly helpful are the "Before calling for help" sections. The book is simple and straightforward enough for anyone to understand and the diagrams are visually uncomplicated and clear. Before picking up the phone to call a professional be sure to check this wonderful resource and you just might save yourself a service call and a lot of money!

I have numerous reference books but this is the first one to actually describe to me how the device functions. The "Before calling the...(technician)" feature was a brilliant idea and a potential money saver for most homeowners.

My son-in-law teaches middle school science and will be using this book for its wonderful schematics. My other reference books are stashed away on a bookshelf - this one stays on my desk where it is good and handy!

For fourteen-year-old Myx Amens, a walk down a city street is a sensory experience the likes of which Ken Kesey never approached with his notorious Acid Tests. Myx, however, requires no psychoactive substances to experience synesthesia - the sensory cross-wiring that results in seeing music, smelling colors, or tasting words. All he had to do was die a couple of times.

Myx has so carefully ordered his life in the Massachusetts town of Miracle that he can literally come and go as he likes, anywhere, any time. He knows a lot more about the residents than they know themselves, in some cases. Most especially in this case - the murder and mutilation of a small-town high-school bitch queen.

In his first novel, Dave Diotalevi presents a neatly-plotted mystery, as well as the most wonderfully disorienting first-person POV since Robert Montgomery's film noir classic, Lady In The Lake.

As a life-long synesthete, I can assure readers that Diotalevi's evocative prose offers a convincing authenticity. For example, my non-synesthete husband was taken utterly by surprise by the Big Reveal at the end of the book, while Myx more or less told me precisely what it was by the middle of the story. In addition, my husband experienced none of the sensory out-of-kilterness I felt. He's a pretty literal kind of guy. He was, however, as enthusiastically engaged as I was by this tale. Diotalevi deftly inserts clues in more forms - literary and pop cultural references, as well as more archetypal and iconographic images than John Campbell could shake a Jungian stick at.

Hints of a richly-textured backstory and foreshadowings of Myx's future activities offer hope for follow-up novels.

I can think of only two complaints about Miracle Myx. First, I was distracted by the frequent product placements. Myx's eidetic memory could register traits other than brand and model or style of food, clothing, and electronic gear. Some segments read like the novelization of an M. Night Shyamalan film. Second, the book was too short. I want more Myx!

I just love Myx, the sneaky, fascinatingly quirky, frightfully intelligent young man who takes on the mystery of some grisly murders in his small Massachusetts town. Somehow Dave makes us like this fellow who stops at nothing to learn all he needs to know about people.

And I not only love Myx, but I love the storytelling! Dave weaves this tale in a way that keeps us thinking, wondering, and laughing. Every page is interesting and fun!

I received this book in the mail yesterday. Started to read it almost immediately and could not put it down. Finished in one day. Very entertaining, kept me guessing all the way to the end. Recommend it to everybody I speak to.

Diotalevi hits the ground running with Miracle Myx.

Myx Amens is an astounding and addictive character that you'll immediately like and find yourself caring and cheering for. His synesthetic memory, two near death experiences, (I think he really died twice) and natural curiosity propel Myx into the realm of the next great fictional hero.

Diotalevi's rich writing style makes for a read that you can't put down.

Miracle Myx starts with Myx Amens, just finishing his last adventure and one quickly learns of his near supernatural powers through Diotalevi's intricate character development.

The author weaves an old world whodunit with an inexplicable modern day adolescent hero into one great read.

I highly recommend this book. When does the next book come out?

"I learned that nothing is yours until it's yours, and that you make it yours by taking it, protecting it and hiding it," says Myx Amens, a uniquely talented 14-year-old foster kid living in Miracle, Massachusetts. In Dave Diotalevi's debut novel, Miracle Myx, we encounter 42 hours in the life of Myx as he investigates a series of murders.

There's a seminal chapter in this twisty mystery of hidden secrets where Myx is in jeopardy from several thugs at the estate of their boss - a powerful Italian business man. Myx artfully escapes from the thugs and finds himself in the company of the boss' wife, Mama. Suddenly, Myx's intuitive mix of synesthesia offers up a song, for which he quickly scribbles onto paper. In Italian, no less. Mama reads it and recognizes it as her mother's homemade gnocchi recipe - written in her mother's handwriting. This isn't the first or the last time Myx uses his talents to tease out what someone needs at the moment they need it. And to this reader's point of view, this scene tells us much of what we need to know about the heart of this unique man/boy character whose primary desire seems to be easing the way of others. Particularly, if they are female.

One will read this book as much for fast-action, 42 hours in the life of Myx as they will for the poetic turns of phrase such as "My hand sang the music of its curves as I wrote," and "Air currents made the flames and shadows move in interesting ways. To me, they felt pliable and sounded like the wind in a field."

This smart, sexy novel from Dave Diotalevi may be his debut, but it is clearly not his first try at beautiful prose, evocative language, and moving storytelling. Let's hope there's more to come from this author.

I was always looking for a book that told me what to do in easy to read language about my home. This is that book. Lou Manfredini has a new book coming out I cannot wait to get that one as well.

I'm a single woman homeowner and my mother got me this book for all the questions I have around my house. It's easy to understand, no muss no fuss. It's like having a big brother who's a home builder. You're going to love this book too.

I was looking for a book that was not full of small type and line drawings to teach me a little about my home. I am a first time home owner and this book has already help me with several projects...Thanks Lou we love the book

Brought to us by the good folks at Ace Hardware this is a must have for any home owner. Mr. Fix-it is, indeed, the man to go to with any home related question. Here in this book you will find the answers to all your home needs. Lou Manfredini tells you how to fix that leaky faucet, how to put in that new over head track lighting, what to do if your walls need some touch up, what kind of caulk to use in that crack along the outside wall and how to take care of just about every other project you may consider. There is even a chapter on how to find a good contractor for those jobs you just can't do on your own.

The book is separated into chapters concerning interior repairs, exterior repairs, plumbing jobs, electrical jobs, mechanical system maintenance, and choosing a contractor. Each chapter contains commonly asked questions and Lou's answers to those questions. His writing is short and to the point. Each answer is given in easy to understand language and leaves the reader with no doubt as to how to go about solving the problem at hand. Where needed there are easy to follow diagrams but most of the explanations in this book are so clear the no further information is required.

This is, by far, the best do-it-yourself book I've found and I've been working in the hardware and home improvement industry for over ten years. I've read them all and this one stands well above the rest. Simply put, if your questions aren't answered by this book then the task at hand is probably one which you should leave to a professional anyway. Having said that I will still say that 99% of your home related troubles will be solved right between the pages of this book. You wouldn't go sky diving without a parachute and, likewise, you should not own a home without this book.

This book is a must have for every home. Lou Manfredini is able to make anyone feel like they can handle any job around the house.

After reading this book, you will be more handy around the house. It's informative, lighthearted, fun and a terrific gift for the wife or husband