Miniature Books

Gorgeous, intricate ribbon embroidery patterns. The book includes instructions for each of the blocks. The finished quilts made from these patterns are stunning!

I love this book! I have compleated six squares now, and I have never been frustrated with the instructions. (I can't say that about many craft books) Not only is it a really beautiful project, but it is also a thourough education in silk embroidery. And a great chance to brush up on other embroidery skills. If you are looking for an heirloom project that you can actually finish, this book is for you!

I saw a quilt made from this book before I ever read it... the results were beautiful, and speak for themselves!!

Lovely book, great pictures, full color. Great period houses and shops, which were inspirational. The author is obviously a great lover and builder of miniature houses and shops. I enjoyed the layout of the book, lots of information on tools, ideas and decorating ideas for each period house. The building patterns were clear and concise. Wish there was a modern pattern in the book which would have made it complete for me. It stays in my collection of books, no thought of selling or giving or lending it. :^)

I've recently begun my first project from this book. The book has progressively more difficult projects in this scale, starting with a very simple room and ending with a very large Tudor house. My project is with one of the more advaced houses, the Georgian townhouse. While I like the way this book is organized, as with most how-to books there are mistakes. I have found a couple of places where the measurments or diagrams don't match or don't add up. But so far none have been too difficult to correct. It would be advisable to spend some time looking at the photos of the house you are working on before building it, especially on the the more advanced projects.

His books are so well written...for the beginner to the advanced miniaturist. The book is full of wonderful ideas. It is hard to believe they are in miniature, much less 1/2" scale. The instructions are very easy to follow. The photos alone are more than enough to get the ideas flowing.

This book is a must for any mini library. Even if you never build anything in 1/2" scale, it is so much fun to read over and over again. Bonus: these ideas will translate well into 1" scale. It's like getting 2 books in one!

With no embroidery experience, I have been able to recreate some beautiful period pieces from this book. We are presented with an excellent range of Georgian items; from firescreens to stair carapets to samplers. They are surprisingly easy to do; just a little time consuming. I urge everyone to abandon any plan to buy a ready made carpet for your dollhouse; creating your own will be so much more satisfying!
I did have a problem finding the suggested monocanvas (18) in Australia, but substituted 22 with no real problems. Maybe they are a little larger that is strictly authentic, but I am very fussy with my dollhouse and it hasn't bothered me!

This is my first time order the miniature books from here , normally , I read the miniature books from Japanese issue . But after I received the books from here . I changed my mind at all ! Especially this book give me many many wonderful idea to make the quilt , rug , carpet ..etc I love it at all ! Don't miss it ! U will love this book ever !

Given that the Regency period (Australian Colonial where I'm from) is my favourite, perhaps my opinion is completely biased. But out of all of Warner's excellent books, this one is my favourite. I believe it has designs of greater variety than her others and they are truly beautiful. They are also versatile - I have items made from this book in all of my houses, which include an 1830s Sydney mansion, an Australian Victorian decorated to the Federation (1900) era, a modern Melbourne townhouse, a San Francisco Victorian with Arts & Crafts interiors and an English Georgian mansion! The projects range from simple crewelwork cushions that will take an hour to gorgeous carpets that may take months to complete.

Warner uses DMC threads, popular amongst most miniaturists - except for me, and I have found the patterns straightforward to adapt to my preferred Danish Flower Thread, Gumnut Yarn Daisies and DMC Medici, as Warner does not use an enormous colour range of similar hues. She does, however, use enough colours to maintain the detail and give a convincing miniaturisation of full-size items. This also means that most stitchers with limited experience can attempt these patterns assured of turning out a quality piece of needlework. Although sizings are given for fabric of different counts, I have found the carpet designs don't work as well on the 32 (or finer) counts I prefer - the finished carpets end up the size of mats, rather than the area rugs the designs are quite clearly meant to be. So if you are comfortable working in, say, 20, 22 and 24 count, these patterns are perfect for you. The wide variety of projects - curtains, bed and wall hangings, cushions, carpets and footstools are some - means that everyone is bound to find something they feel confident to tackle.

This is definitely not a cut and paste dog book. Most everything you could wish to know is included in this book...the history of the dog, it's personality traits, gait diagrams, obstacle track training (!), and famous past show dogs. Plenty of references for further reading, pictures, and some weblinks. The most impressive thing for me was the pain the author goes through to make sure you know what you're getting into purchasing a Min Pin. The breed is high maintenance and very high strung. A cherished pet, but comparable to a toddler who never grows up. It is an important fact. My Min Pin is a rescue from a family that merely felt the breed was 'cute.' This is an excellent book for those who already own, but should be required for those considering a first-time Min Pin.

I recommend anyone thinking of buying a min pin, read this book first. They are not just your average house dog, and this book tells you several things you should take into consideration. Although I purchased it after buying a min pin, it really helped me learn about their history, nature, showing qualifications, as well as other things.

I have read this book twice, and refer to it as needed. It certainly outlined the characteristics of the breed and all have proven to be true. If there is a downside to this book it is all the information about showing, since my Min Pin is a pet. But then even that provided some good information.

I liked the book and would buy it again.

Great for the new MS owner and those interested in grooming their own dogs. Newman's section on grooming is VERY helpful!

The autor, who is a recognised British breeder, guide us into a comparision of the different breed standars (KC, AKC, FCI). Mr. Newman emphasise on the development of the mini schnauzers into the United Kingdom, includes a section on grooming plenty of photos, show training, and others. Also a review of the most influential British kennels is included. It is a good complement for the Kiedrowski's Book.

This book, as is often the case with this kind of book, emphasises on winning dogs in Britain and a few other countries. But the part of the book that is really really excellent is the grooming and training-part. If you read and study this groomingmanual well than you'll be able to strip and groom your schnauzer all by yourself! Have fun doing it!

"Courtesy of Love Romances"

Delightful! Suspenseful! And just plain fun.

That's a miniature review of the newest book by Ms. Kinman, featuring the pre-teen Super Sleuth, Alison Leigh Powers. Alison enters the world of miniature book collecting when her mother offers her an after school job helping her catalog a very expensive and impressive book collection. However, it soon becomes apparent that several of the mini books are missing. The only problem is that nearly everyone has a motive... and the means to steal them.

Alison sets out to find the culprit and systematically searches for clues. Along the way, she meets with a few surprises and learns some interesting things.

Written in the first person, The Mystery of the Missing Miniature Books takes the reader into the mind of 11 year old Alison. She is an engaging character, with a sense of humor as well as a lot of good old common sense. Like most eleven year-olds, Alison has a best friend, a strict teacher and a dream. The nicest part of this book is that the readers will experience the adventure and suspense through Alison's eyes.

This reviewer was also pleasantly surprised to find out that miniature books actually exist. In fact, the author belongs to The Miniature Book Society. Alison and the reader will learn a bit more about these fascinating books and the lure of collecting them.

It's no mystery to this reviewer that Ms. Kinman has written a thoroughly entertaining book. The author's talent is evident, as well as her creativity. Miniature book collecting is certainly a unique subject for a mystery. The characters are believable, the plot is engaging and the ending is perfect. Don't miss reading The Mystery of the Missing Miniature Books. It will give any reader maximum fun and pleasure.

Reviewed by Joyce Handzo

Alison Leigh Powers, an eleven year old middle school student, wants to buy a horse. To make money to fund her desire, she offers to become her mother�s assistant in cataloguing miniature books. In her efforts to sort them Alison learns that miniature books, all less than three inches, are fascinating. As Alison discovers more about the books, she finds herself looking forward to working with them, and getting to know the book owners.

When Mrs. Powers notices that a book she has already made notations on comes up missing, she is horrified. Alison finds out that more than one book is gone, and is determined to find the person responsible for putting her and her mom�s jobs in jeopardy. As she looks for clues, she hates to point the finger at any of her new friends, but knows the books must be found. When Alison finds out who the culprit is, will she tell on him, or find a way to get him to return the books?

In The Mystery of the Missing Miniature Books, Alison, a wonderful main character with an inquisitive mind helps bring the reader to the right conclusions as she searches for clues. Her insight to finding out the hidden secrets makes for a wonderful story about an eleven year old sleuth. This reviewer, having grown up on Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys, fell in love with a new generation of mysteries with Ms. Kinman�s stories.

The Mystery of the Missing Miniature Books comes packed with facts that will make the reader think about books, boxes, and any other items they may have considered collecting. Alison learns not only about work ethics, but about the cost of a horse, and the time needed for upkeep. This novel is full of adventure and learning for any middle reader. Ms. Kinman has created the perfect mystery for both girls and boys with her series about Alison Leigh Powers, and this reviewer would recommend them as a gift to any child who enjoys books!

�Angie Dobson

The Mystery of the Missing Miniature Books
Author: Gay Toltl Kinman
Publisher: Amber Quill Press
Available At: www.amberquill.com
Publishing Date: Available Now
Genre: Middle Reader Mystery
Format: Ebook download in PDF/HTML/LIT
Price: $5.50
ISBN: 1-59279-133-6
Author Website: www.gaykinman.com/index.htm
Reviewer: Melissa Parcel

Alison Leigh Powers, an eleven-year-old girl who loves to solve mysteries, wants to make some money to buy a horse. When her mother, who is a librarian and book conservator, is hired by Mr. Smith to catalogue and repair his miniature book collection in order to prepare it for sale, she asks Alison to help. The job goes well at first, but soon, some of the books turn up missing.

Who is responsible for the missing miniature books? The books are quite valuable and Alison's mom will be held accountable unless Alison can get to the bottom of the mystery. There are many people who might want the books, either for the money they will bring or because they are collectors. Can Alison figure out what happened to the books?

The Mystery of the Missing Miniature Books is another fun mystery featuring girl sleuth Alison Powers. She is bright, inquisitive, and ends up learning quite a bit during the detective process. The information included about miniature books is fascinating, something that many readers will probably never have heard of before. Young readers will be entranced by The Mystery of the Missing Miniature Books. Parents will make a wise choice with the purchase of any books from Ms. Kinman's Alison Leigh Powers series.

I'm not sure the original had as many verses as this- but the number makes for a good bout of goofiness and lots of fun illustrations.

We start out with the bare cupboards- bare because the mice had dined in the pantry, complete with a waiter, and the dead dog. Poor Mother Hubbard tries to do right by her dog by immediately dressing in black and buying a coffin, but the darned dog had tricked her and wasn't dead after all! phew! Instead, Mother Hubbard goes shopping everywhere for her dear dog- to the barber, the the tailor, the cobbler, the fruit stand, the tavern- but always, when she returns home, the dog is doing something else and doesn't need coffin, the coat, the shoes, the fruit, the wine. But we do get to see the silliness of the various shop owners and Mother Hubbard in an amazing amount of finery including a fantastic cowgirl outfit all "little old ladies" should consider wearing. At least now and then.

A classic childrens tale redone into a great piece ofliterature for any young child! Great pictures! END

This is one interesting version of the classic poem, "Old Mother Hubbard." One interesting detail for the verse, "But when she came back the poor dog was dead" is that the picture shows that the dog wrote a note saying he couldn't live without a bone. An interesting comment on the picture for the undertaker verse is that the coffin is shown wrapped up like a present. In fact, it looks to me like a gift box of chocolates. James Marshall has extended the classic poem to include his own verses(well, it is an easy poem for which to make up your own verses).

This is a good book on this subject. But, I'd like to suggest a very good source of Persian (Farsi) books on the net: www.iranibook.com & www.iranibookshop.com You will find any Farsi books in this feild.

Stuart Cary Welch is an art historian (I think he taught at Harvard, but I'm not sure) who loves his work, and it clearly shows in this volume. The pictures are exquisite, the reproductions are beautiful, but the best part is the commentary: his only goal is to make the work -- and the stories the pictures tell, for they are all essentially book illustrations -- as much a pleasure to the audience as it was to him. He could not wear his learning more lightly nor with more enthusism, and yet it is clear he must know everything there is to know about this culture. Right after you get this, you'll immediately go right back to Amazon to get a copy of the Shah-Nama, the marvelous epic Iranian poem that so many of the splendid miniatures in this volume illustrate.

Mention the words "Safavi" or "Safavid" to people in the West and you will most likely get a blank stare in return, but this Iranian dynasty presided over a great cultural flowering in literature and architecture as well as in art. Stuart Cary Welch produced a beautiful introductory guide to some of the beauties of that era, taking illustrations from several famous books and collections of the 16th century height of Safavid glory. While the political history of the time in Iran, Central Asia and Afghanistan (all parts of the Persian world in a cultural sense) was full of battles, massacres, sieges and sudden changes of rule-very much like Europe at the same time-the delicacy of Persian art knew no bounds. Brilliant, jewel-like colors, striking designs, and bold displays of mythical heroes touched in gold and surrounded with the miniature figures of the Persian court world appear on the pages of this book that is guaranteed to satisfy. Chinese-style rocks and trees mingle with Islamic calligraphy and Persian legends. While this book reproduces the illustrations both in full and in detail, the text is only the slightest of introductions to what can be a consuming study for any lover of art at its greatest. Buyers of this book will want to look further. May I suggest Anthony Welch's two books "Artists for the Shah" and "Shah `Abbas and the Arts of Isfahan", "Persian Drawings" by B. W. Robinson, and "Persian Painting" by Basil Gray. Another related volume, a treat for anyone interested in Persian art, would be "Isfahan: Pearl of Persia" by Wilfred Blunt and W. Swan.

I'm quite happy with this score which was given to me as a Christmas present(!).

Despite the small print size, it is completely legible apart from a couple of places where the staff lines are a bit faint - but still discernible. The printing is better than some other Dover reblications I have encountered (and some Eulenburgs also).

NB: This score was first published in Moscow in 1912, by Editions Russe de Musique. Hence it is the 1911 version not the 1947 one.

Petrushka is arguably the best ballet Stravinsky ever wrote. If you liked The Rite of Spring or The Firebird, then you will love this score. Stravinsky was a brilliant composer and Petrushka is an example of one of his finest works. The story is about a Russian puppet show, but the music can be interpreted in so many ways, there really is no way to review the ballet based on what one person thinks it should have been. Therefore, I will tell you just that the music is wonderful even if you would have interpreted the ballet itself otherwise.

I got this score because the orchestra I belong to was going to play this piece and thought it'd give me a better understanding of it. This score has a clear description of each tableau and detailed stage directions whenever the mood or musical theme changes, and has been a great help for me to understand what's happening in this ballet. However, this is an original score and while very helpful as a whole, since my orchestra was playing the revised edidtion, there were many differences between them in instrumentation, sometimes in a number of measures and even time signatures, and sometimes it was very confusing. Although I was glad that I had this score while practicing this piece, I did wish if I'd gotten the revised version. Beware of the type of edition you want to read!

Twelve-year-old Mandy Hope is eagerly anticipating the arrival of her father's - veterinarian Dr. Adam - supposedly stupendous new exercise machine, that is supposed to make exercising quite a bit easier, and a lot more fun. So when a large package arrives at Animal Ark, Mandy doesn't hesitate to sign for it. The box is quite a bit larger than Mandy expected it to be, and, upon seeing it, Dr. Adam agrees. The only thing left to do now is open it. However, once the crate has been cracked, instead of finding a disassembled exercise contraption, a tiny Miniature Horse comes trotting out. With Christmas just weeks away, Mandy is delighted at the new arrival. The little black and white horse is everything Mandy could hope for. But, alas, he's not intended for Mandy. The Miniature, whose name is actually Gabriel - Gabe, for short - was delivered to the wrong address. However, Mandy and Dr. Adam, along with Mandy's best friend, James, can't seem to figure out who the package was intended for. The label is addressed to a Tania Bens-, but there is no one in Welford with such a name. The only thing left for the Hope's to do is to keep tiny Gabe at their home until the intended owner is found. Mandy doesn't know how on earth it will be possible to locate Gabe's real owner, until a true Christmas miracle comes true, when a girl named Tania Benster is introduced to Mandy's class. Tania is a twelve-year-old newcomer to Welford, who seems angry with everyone and everything around her. She refuses to speak to her classmates, and has a perpetual scowl attached to her face. Mandy is convinced that Tania is Gabe's true owner; but when she inquires about him, Tania does nothing but get angry, and deny Gabe's existence. Adding that she absolutely hates horses. Mandy and James just know that Tania is lying. After all, she was caught drawing horses on the cover of her notebook; and, she just happens to be the original owner of Welford's very own poor little rich girl, Imogen's, new pony, Star. With Christmas so close, Mandy wants to ensure that four-year-old Gabe will have a proper home, with a caring owner by the holidays; but convincing Tania that Gabe truly needs her proves near impossible. Tania is extremely upset over her parent's recent divorce, and the fact that she was forced to move to a new place on such short notice, leaving her friends, school, home, and even Star, behind. Mandy and James notice that Tania is being extremely selfish. However, they know better than to push her into accepting Gabe as her own. Instead, the two have come up with a plan to illustrate just how special little Gabe is, and how much Gabe could bring happiness and joy back into Tania's life. James and Mandy have no idea if their plan will work. But, with a little Christmas magic, and a lot of gentle handling, they may just be able to convince Tania that she needs Gabe, and Gabe needs her, before all hope is lost, and the tiny horse is sent back to his original owners.

I have been reading the ANIMAL ARK series for close to ten years, yet I never get tired of Ben M. Baglio's delightful tales, and the character of both Mandy and James, along with Dr. Adam and Dr. Emily; as well as all of their wonderful friends and neighbors. PONY IN A PACKAGE is no exception. Not only does it take place around my absolute favorite holiday - Christmas - but it tells the tale of one very special Miniature Horse, whom you can't help but instantly fall in love with. Mandy is her usual caring, generous self, extending her time and hard work to take care of Gabe, and provide him with a loving home until his true owner steps up to the plate; while James is, as always, his well-known can't-get-out-of-bed lazybones self. Together, their passion for animals is catching, and truly gives the reader hope that Christmas miracles do come true. Tania is a character who is truly hard to like. Her perpetual attitude, and refusal to think of anyone but herself makes you dislike her on the spot. However, as you learn more about her situation and personality, you realize that she's simply trying to adjust to a rough time she's going through; and, in all actuality, isn't really as bad as she originally appears. While James' wild Labrador, Blackie, isn't present within PONY IN A PACKAGE, he's replaced by two very lovable horses - namely Gabe. Gabe is a prime example of a Miniature Horse. His loving nature, and constant snuffling for treats makes you want nothing more than to throw your arms around him, and shower him with kisses; while his passion for bringing people and animals together illustrates perfectly why the Miniature Horse is known as the Ambassador of Goodwill. Gabe's friendship with the hard-to-tame Star is adorable; and the way each of them blossoms into their own skin is enjoyable to view close up. Baglio has penned another irresistible addition to the ANIMAL ARK series that is utterly impossible to put down. A holiday adventure that will make you click your heels in joy!

Erika Sorocco
Freelance Reviewer

A package is shipped to animal ark. It's a small black and white pony. It was supposed to be given to a young girl. She doesn't want the little horse. Can Mandy convince her of how much love a pony can give?

This book is a real page-turner! I read it in one day. It's about a miniature pony named Gabriel. She gets accidentally delivered to the Hopes' house instead of the exercise machine that Dr. Adam ordered. Many is aloud to keep Gabriel until they find out who she belongs to. Then they find out who the owner is but Mandy also is told that the girl is upset by a divorce and the selling of her horse to a girl in the area named Imogene Parker-Smyth and wants nothing to do with the pony. Read this book to find out where Gabe ends up and what happens to her owner!