If you love both Navajo textiles and well-designed art books, this is the best of both. The text provides an educational overview of the history of Navajo weaving from 1650 to 1920, explaining dying techniques, tribal uses for each style and the eventual marketing of them. Blomberg, a curator at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (or at least she was when the book was first published in 1988), also describes how their weaving was influenced in later years by relocation and the switch from native use to trading company sales. Regardless of how you feel about William Randolph Hearst's collecting style, his quest for traditional pieces at the turn of the century has become part of the history of the weavings and makes for an interesting story. The textiles are the main feature, of course, and they are beautiful. The 200 prints, illustrating pieces from about 1850 to 1890, are of excellent quality and displayed large enough to take a good look at. With only one print per page, each stands out to full effect. Reading this book is a lot like walking through a gallery exhibition; you can start at the beginning knowing next to nothing about the craft, examine the changing patterns and styles (ponchos, child's blankets, chief's blankets, saddle blankets, transitional styles), and come out with a new appreciation of Navajo design. In the absence of such an exhibit, I'm really happy to have this book.

This book is simply the best. It has nature activities in all areas of science. Trees, birds, insects, reptiles, amphibians, astronomy, animals, etc. A how-to guide for the amateur naturalist.

I combined a review of this book with the author's first book, "Behind Numerology". Both books are exceptional and for the serious student of numerology interested in advanced study. Please refer to the review for Behind Numerology for specific details and kudos on these two books. Highly recommended, with much gratitude to the author for taking me to a whole new level of study and insight. I believe these books are out of print, but worth the effort to track down through the online resources.

For anyone interested in this facinating subject...this book is the "bible!" Thank you Betty Monkman for updating this history and for letting "fans of the White House" like me - be able to learn so much! I truly dream of someday having dinner off some of this china!

An informative, beautifully pictured, detail instructional how-to make paper book. Whether for a hobby that is clear enough for a juvenile, or if you're a weekend or master crafter, you will want this for your craft library. I've been crafting for twenty plus years and just never tried this papermaking craft thinking it would be too difficult--wrong answer. This book has picked my crafting business to new levels. Whow, what a tremendous source of fun this New Crafts Papermaking book has for me and it can be for you! Order it right away and start making paper for fun or profit.

Paper mache is *not* just covering a balloon with newspaper! I never dreamed of all the things you can do with it. This is a great book with projects that are inspiring, beautiful, and useful. This is a great craft because it's probably about the cheapest arty thing you can do - basically just cardboard and newspaper. I HIGHLY recommend this book!

Peter M. Pringle: Master Decoy Maker by William C. Reeve (Professor, Department of German, Queen's University) and organizer of a showing of Pringle decoys for the Canadian Decoy and Outdoor Collectibles Association in October 2001) is impressive and biographical study of the late Peter Pringle, a truly gifted decoy maker for duck hunting. Chronicling Pringle's life through his death in 1953, and following the fate of Pringle's effective and artistic creations through extensively researched text and enhanced with both color as well as black-and-white photography, Peter M. Pringle: Master Decoy Maker is a highly enjoyable reading experience, and is especially recommended reading for dedicated duck hunters and appreciative connoisseurs of the specialized art of decoy making.

Betsy articulate approach to the topic combined with the beautiful detailed step by step photography made my purchase of one hundred books for gifts to my garden club members a smash. A MUST READ!

An absolute necessity for any new relief carver. Very comprehensive and instructive. Outstanding photos and illustrations.

I just bought the book and normally with (ANY) book I read, Especially HOW-TO books such as "Secrets of Surf Fishing at Night" I will just flip through and only read what interests me.

I read the Preface and before I knew it I was 33 pages into the book reading everything and a few times even re-reading paragraps just to make the info SET-IN.

A nice feature in "Secrets of Surf Fishing at Night" is that at the end of each chapter there is a numbered list to recap everything you just read. You could simply list the recaps as reminders while you are out fishing at night!

I have a website on the internet; Search for "MANUEL Z" to find it. I noticed that William A. Muller uses common sense answers just like I do to answer most questions.

BUY THE BOOK YOU WON'T REGRET IT!
**Manuel Z**