This is a fantastic book on creating a wide variety of great collage projects. It covers numerous collage techniques including using paper, mixed-media, fabric, decoupage, photomontage, computer art, found and three-dimensional objects. The beautiful galleries after each collage type are sure to inspire you.

In addition to the collage techniques you also get the basics of papermaking, papier mache, marbling and batik as well as painting and dyeing fabric. There are step-by-step instructions accompanied by demonstrating photos for all the techniques and projects. Don't expect to make exact replicas of the projects since your sources and materials will vary. Rather, the author expects you will follow her assembling directions to create a unique masterpiece of your own.

Some of the sixteen projects include a gorgeous butterfly lampshade, a painted paper fruit bowl collage, a clock decorated with magazine scraps and nature objects, and a sewn fabric book cover. Another great project is an easy to make yet sophisticated looking Japanese box covered with scraps of yuzen or chiyogami papers.

This book filled with fresh and interesting ideas is sure to help you create gorgeous collage artwork.

I wanted to explore collage as an aspect of other paper crafts I'm trying to learn. I picked this one first and I really like it. Many other collage books are meant for people narrowly focused on collage who see beauty in their collages ..... that is truly not obvious to other people - so esoteric it appeals to a very narrow audience. The Crafter's Complete Guide to Collage is different. It's visually attractive. The samples of collages have much broader appeal. The excellent how-to photographs are tremendously helpful and NOT intimidating. It opened my mind up to more than paper possibilities - it discusses collages of paper, found objects, mixed media, fabric, multi-dimensional, decoupage, photomontage, even computer collage. Its a treat - I think you'd enjoy this book!

Curves on the Highway is a must read for the female and/or male getting ready to hit the road. While the book is geared toward the female traveler, I found the book informative, easy to read, and full of good, useful information. (And I am a guy)

Speculative Science Fiction is a more rare genre than the ultra fantastic so commonly seen and therefore the more fascinating and sometimes frightening! As seen in this book, bacteria acquire a new taste, which might seem harmless to the average 'Joe', but the author takes one to the megalopolis of London where we soon learn that from one little accident, mankind faces a threat to its future and a sudden return to urban anarchy. Within the 246 pages of the 1971 hardbound is found a new world underground where MUTANT-59 finds refuge and new fuels, much to the horror of those above and below ground as anything plastic begins to disintegrate. The ramifications of this will amaze you and leave a certain unease haunting your thoughts for some time to come. It could be called a quick read, but it is so well written that it could provide a crash course in polymer education, yet it is never slow or wordy but takes you right along into the investigation by its intrepid protagonist, Luke Gerrard, and even into his love life to create a three dimensional character. Will he stop the speard of MUTANT-59, or will it cause the downfall of all mankind by breaking out of England?

The author did himself a credit in this version of speculative science fiction, but this book did not originate as such; it started as an episode of the British TV series "Dune Watch" which has not yet appeared in the States, and Mr. Pedlar also wrote for the TV series "Dr. Who". It is said that this book was inspired by the movie "Andromeda Strain" which also involved, eventually, plastic-eating bacteria and the problems they brought. The book was issued in both hard and soft cover, so Amazon may be able to locate it for you. This book has been said to deal with 'a biological time bomb', but it also is a unique view into a place and time as one sees London from Carnaby street in its 'glory'(?) days to the vast underground (subways) which contained an ironic view into the past during the "Blitz" of World War II. If you like plastics and history, drama and chemistry, this book is for you!

This book,about the wife of Jefferson Davis-the President of an independent South, is an overlooked masterpiece of an overlooked heroine of the South. It is not the story of Magnolia and moonlight..but is the story of of the wife of a beleagured first lady to the President of a beleaguered and invaded nation at total war in the forlorn fight for independence.There are many commarisons to the spendthrift and mentally ill wife of The Invader, Abe Lincoln And Varina is by far the better woman. Varina's life is that of a true woman of strengh and courage both during the time of war and of defeat. This book deserves to be read by all those who claim feminism as their credo and they will learn what a woman of courage can do an be in a time that most living Americans cannot comprehend.

This is one of the best books on the Civil War era in that it not only tells a part of the story from each "side," it tells it from a woman's point of view. The two first ladies of the time were in some ways very much alike and in other ways very different. I came to care about each of them, but must admit that I felt very close to Varina Davis because she was so REAL. I get the impression that she could make a person feel comfortable, that she did not use her status for personal gain or "look down her nose" at anyone. I will not forget when she walked in the mud carrying a child so that her nurse, who was ill, could ride in the wagon. Varina blossomed from a shy, young and beautiful (second) wife of a very influential man to an outgoing, personable, gracious first lady who remained "human" all the way. She suffered greatly both in her personal life and with her country. I have borrowed this book twice since it has gone out of print. Now I have Amazon tracking it down for me. It's a great read!

This is a collection of the scripts from Season 12 of Doctor Who, Tom Baker's first season. When one encounters this sort of material, it's worthwhile to see how much value-added there is. Is this just a simple reproduction of the scripts, or is there a significant amount of additional material? I am pleased to report that there is. For starters, the scripts themselves indicate the changes between the camera scripts and what actually made it on the air. But besides that, there is a season overview that discusses the casting of Tom Baker, the addition of Harry Sullivan as a character, and how the season was planned.

Then, with the individual scripts, the book provides background along the lines of the DWM Archive features, covering the development of the scripts, the production team, the production details, and a brief critique.

There are also numerous footnotes associated with the scripts, and my chief complaint with the book is that these are stuck at the end of each episode rather than at the bottom of individual pages, necessitating either a lot of flipping back and forth or a good memory if you choose to wait until after reading the episode to see what the footnotes say.

However, that's basically a quibble on what is an excellent book and a significant addition to my Doctor Who collection.

Alot of people ask "why a script book?" I wondered myself until I got it.
It includes the complete shooting scripts including dialog & scenarios not used in the finished product.
It also gives behind the scenes insight to the filming of Tom Baker (Doctor #4's) First Season as the Doctor.
If you are a fan of the show, I would highly recommend it to you!

Not so much another retelling of a year of "Doctor Who" as the ultimate reference guide to Season 12 of the series, "Doctor Who: The Scripts, Tom Baker 1974/5" tells virtually everything you could want to know about the production and execution of "Doctor Who" in the first year of Tom Baker's tenure as the Doctor. Included here are the scripts (complete with changes made during shooting) for all 20 episodes across the 5 stories of the year, story histories, production notes, casting choices, transmission information, music notes, prop histories and inventories, scene sketches and maps, reproductions of newspaper clippings, notes on potential but unmade stories, changes made for American TV, audience reaction polls, and a ton of footnoting for just about every reason imaginable.

More than any other behind-the-scenes science fiction book I've read, this one really tells you what tough choices and concessions had to be made, why they chose person A over person B, what got cut for budgetary reasons (a common problem with Doctor Who) and what concessions (or lack thereof) were made for continuity. This book is a massive undertaking, and, indeed, authorship is spread between numerous people. If there is a question you want answered about Season 12 of Doctor Who, the odds are really good it's in here somewhere.

While I find it hard to recommend this book to the casual Doctor Who fan, it's invaluable to the die-hard Whovian or the student of film or TV production. This is simply the finest production book I've read and I dearly hope to see them tackle other seasons in the same way in the future.

In this adaptation of the script he co-authored, Gerry Davis takes a story long regarded as a classic in the life of the series. Not only is it, perhaps, the archetypal second Doctor story, but 'The Tomb of the Cybermen' is the first thing I remember watching on TV. Scared me enormously at the time!

The TARDIS arrives on the planet Telos where the Doctor, Jamie and Victoria meet with an archaeological expedition. The archaeologists are on Telos to dig up the last remains of the Cybermen, and the Doctor refuses to leave because of them.

Despite being called 'The Tomb of the Cybermen', the silver giants are not dead but merely frozen. Some members of the expedition are not interested in a scientific discoveries but in using the power of the Cybermen to conquer Earth.

The adaptation is good, and better than many. Mr. Davis sticks to the original story and uses a larger word count than most novelisations to tell it. While it is still possible to see the original serial on video, you get the additional bonus of not having to see how poorly 1967 special effects have aged.

The first appearance of the Cybermen. The last Hartnell story. The last Ben and Polly before the arrival of Jamie. The introduction of Troughton. The first regeneration story. The holy grail of the destroyed episodes. This should have been--NO--it had to be a much better book than this but it isn't. A thoroughly pedestrian and lackluster affair. In fact, I'm still not even sure of some of the basic plotpoints. The first chapter of John Peel's POWER OF THE DALEKS which acts as a recap and epilogue to this story is more effective and better written than the novel The Tenth Planet itself. One of the most important DOCTOR WHO stories ever and we get this. Arrgh! There was so much potential here. Davis could have added so much back story on earth history, could have added real sadness to Hartnell's farewell, told us so much about the Doctor's great adversaries The Cybermen(one of this reviewers favorite series monsters). Instead we get connect the dots writing. Still, it is a book all Who fans must have. Sigh.

'The Tenth Planet' is one of the most important Doctor Who stories. Not only does it introduce one of the Doctor's most popular foes, the Cybermen, but it also introduces the concept of regeneration, and important factor in the series longevity. It is adapted by one of the co-authors of the original script, Gerry Davis.

The TARDIS arrives on Earth in the year 2000 (a departure from the original script, where it was set in 1986!) at the Antarctic. They are captured by troops from the nearby space base, Snowcap, where a space flight which is being monitored is off course for no apparent reason. And then the reason is sighted: a new planet, a duplicate of Earth, is seen in space...

Mondas is inhabited by the Cybermen, once human who have replaced their limbs by plastic and steel, and their brains by computers. (A handy guide to the creation of the Cybermen appears before the story starts.) They are seeking to invade Earth for reasons that become plain towards the end of the book.

The book isn't bad. It is archetypal B-grade science fiction, much like many of the stories in the second Doctor's era, but as long as you aren't expecting highly original science fiction you'll be fine.

The Highlanders was last historical Doctor Who story. It introduced Troughton's main companion for his tenure as the Doctor-Jamie McCrimmon. And it is one of the serials destroyed by the BBC. The novel is readable and Ben and Polly--particularly Polly come off well. She wasn't a very nice person-was she? And this book really brings it out. The story is fun and one can imagine Troughton having an absolute field day with this one-part bluffer, part clown, part clever plotter and adventurer. The problem, like with all of the Target books, is it really should have opened up a bit. It is 1746, the battle of Colloden has just been fought and Scotland is in turmoil. The reader should be introduced to the history and customs of the period along with having a riveting adventure. John Lucarroti did so with THE MASSACRE and it should have been done here as well. The thrill is there. The fun is there. But with just a little bit a finese--ah well. Incidentally, has anyone noticed how many of The Doctor's adventures, once he hooked up with the sailor Ben, were sea related? Interesting and fun, since it puts a companion on more familiar territory than the Doctor. Ben is a good character and, in both this adventure and the next THE UNDERWATER MENACE, he and the Doctor work quite well as a team. The book's only other problem and it is a significant one, is it's haphazard use of Jamie. Why does he really go with the Doctor back to his Tardis? And why would an eighteenth century Scotsman willingly enter a time and space machine that looks like a blue police box? A novel could have done something with this but no we can't have any imagination on the writer's part. Still, a decent read.

'The Highlanders' is a novelisation of a Doctor Who series set at an important point in the show's history. Doctor Who was in the process of reinventing itself: a new Doctor was in place and this story saw two further significant changes. It is the last of the truly historical stories, and it introduces Jamie, one of the Doctor's most popular travelling companions.

Set just after the Battle of Culloden in 1746, the Doctor, Ben and Polly emerge from the TARDIS and encounter a small group of highlanders escaping from their defeat at Culloden. The obviously English accents of the TARDIS crew result in conflict, which escalates when English soldiers arrive.

This story is one of trust and betrayal. The TARDIS crew are all fairly well-served by this story, but some of the Doctor's antics (adopting numerous disguises) seem quite light compared to the story's serious tone.

Gerry Davis was the script editor at the time this show was made, and produces a straightforward adaptation. Like many such, we don't get into the character's heads too much.

As a (more or less) straight historical, casual science fiction readers should probably leave whatever copies of this book can be found to Doctor Who enthusiasts.

The original tapes of this story have been destroyed, but the soundtrack has recently been released by BBC. It is available at Amazon's United Kingdom site.

'The Celestial Toymaker' is a Doctor Who story which has something of a strong reputation based on the eponymous villain. Sadly, the Toymaker is really the only worthwhile element in this story.

The story features the TARDIS crew, captured by the Toymaker, and forced to play against the Toymaker and his servants in a series of games. If they lose, they will become the Toymaker's playthings.

The games are largely English school games and while this may have worked on-screen, the description of them is pretty unengaging. Unfortunately, most of this story no longer exists in its original form (and the one episode I have seen is pretty boring, too) so this may be the only way to enjoy this story.

The Toymaker has been popular enough to return (in written form) a couple of times: you might want to read 'Nightmare Fair' or 'Divided Loyalties' to see him in a better story.