Imagine the friendliest of a neighbor, who happens to be a professional artist and extraordianry teacher, is helping you
create unique and personal artifacts as gifts or for your home. That's Hope Eastman taking you step by step through many simple and a few challenging projects in Painted Treasures.
This book is littered with photos that clearly demonstrate the techniques so beautifully described by Hope Eastman as well as the necessary supplies and finished project as expressed by Hope. Yours will be different or at least it should. There are projects you could do with your kids in one afternoon and projects to challenge the experienced decorater. Get this book and it will inspire you to express yourself.

This is one of the few books I have read, then reread portions of several times. O'Brien and Wood have done more than justice to their subject; they have created a new direction through their serious consideration of archaeological systemics. I especially appreciate the strong thread of honesty and humility that runs through the entire text. This is particularly evident in the introductory chapter, "Time, Space, and Form in Americanist Archaeology" and the final chapter, "A Further Consideration..." I have long suspected that we know a whole lot less about prehistory in general than the public imagines or scholars would like to believe, and I am frustrated by the plethora of virtually meaningless labels and conjectures in other works. In between the first and last chapters,is the mass of knowledge these gentlemen share. Their story of the peopling of America is fresh and open with consideration for truly iconclastic possibilities. They view the Dalton tradition probably the immediate successor of the Clovis tradition in mid-America, and the discussion is well thought out, but leaves open minds for so much more to be discovered and understood in the future. They bring the reader through the ages in the pivotal state of Missouri by clearly and objectively looking at the evidence. This book is well worth your examination whether you reside in Missouri or elsewhere.

Michael Elkan begins with a three page story of his background in the clothing and fashion industry, telling how he walked out of his job on the 47th floor of the Empire State Building to move to the forests of Oregon. Then he starts to tell us about wood.

His skill at taking a piece of maple burl from the forest and transforming it into an organic sculpture is seen from the early pages to the last. The book is filled with colour photos of his work, every piece more luscious than the previous one.

His work majors on skillful use of the bandsaw to cut layers from the burls which he picks up from the forests, and to carve them into extraordinary profiles. He then reassembles them into a highly carved block of timber with landcapes, cityscapes, castles, aztec carvings, palm trees, and hidden compartments.

Elkan shares the philosophy of the subtractive artist; that you must learn to read the wood and take away the unnecessary layers to reveal what is waiting inside. H! is imagination to do this well is evidenced in the book.

There are several pages of instruction dealing with two of Elkan's boxes and his intricate bandsaw carving technique. This is easy to follow, and once again the wood used is inspiring to look at even if you don't intend to make anything.

A bonus is several pages showing how to make Ken Altman's mysterious dovetail boxes, which have dovetails on all four sides, and seem impossible to make when looked at. Ken Altman is an associate of Michael Elkan and his work is very different and perhaps more skilful than Elkan's.

I give this book five stars for doing everything it set out to do. It highlights the work of a master craftsman. It gives clear instruction to those wanting to make similar projects. And it has photography which is inspiring just to look at.

As someone who works privately with dissertation students, I recommend this book. When students in the business and management contact me, I recommend that they use this book as reference. The authors anticipate and answer many of the questions that students have about dissertations in business and management.

After "The Tourist", by Dean MacCannell and Valene Smith's edited book titled "Hosts and Guests", in the mid-1970s, the field of the Anthropology of Tourism was flung wide open. A large number of writers focussed their attention on this topic which rapidly increased in importance. In this 'new wave' of anthropological writing, Picard and Wood's edited volume on tourism, ethnicity and the state in various societies in Asia and the Pacific stands out for its quality. Wood's introduction is followed by seven well-written, informative chapters, each written by different authors. There are a number of maps, charts, and even black and white photographs, all of which enhance the text. The areas covered by the book include Guizhou in southwestern China, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Bali and Sulawesi Selatan in Indonesia, and Hawai'i /Western Samoa. The authors chose their own directions and followed their own interests, but unlike many other such compilations that I have read, this one really hangs together in excellent fashion.

In China, Singapore and Indonesia, "ethnic tourism" both reflects state policy towards national ethnic groups and is used by the state to further policy. Tourist development does not operate outside state controls, so we read about showcase visions of ethnic diversity in which ethnicity itself is commodified according to government guidelines. In Bali, tourism has become so much part of the culture that it can no longer be considered an outside force. The author can write of the "culturalization" of Balinese society in which the arts emphasized by cultural tourism have become crucial to Balinese identity. In Thailand, neglect of national minorities and their culture reflects the state policy of trying to 'iron out' differences between small ethnic groups and the large Thai majority (to the detriment of the former). The Malaysian case reflects not so much on ethnic policy in the country as on using tourism and tourist 'precincts' to foster a particular view of national history and culture. The study of Hawai'i and Samoa may be the most diffuse of the seven, plus, the capitalist environment of the "50th State" precludes the state interference found in China and parts of Southeast Asia. Thus this final chapter does not mesh so neatly with the others, yet the author also introduces useful points to show how tourism is intimately linked with ethnicity and how the state used a certain image to foster both tourism and domestic harmony (despite the patent untruth of that image). In short, this is a most useful book for those interested in the anthropology of tourism, in politics (state interference in tourism, state manipulation of ethnic images, ethnic rivalries over tourism receipts), and in the constant revision of what "culture" and "history" really mean in any one society. If I were teaching a course that touched on any of these issues, I would definitely use this book. If I were writing a paper on some aspect of tourism, I would have no qualms about turning to this book for its excellent case studies.

When I first saw a bowl turned out of green wood, and it was so thin, you could almost see through it, it caught my attention. That is what interested me in this book. The author does an excellent job of explaining how to work green wood, and it is well illustrated in the photographs.
When I saw a bowl at the woodworking show, and the artist illuminating the inside with a light bulb, so he could determine just how thich each part of the wall was. It all made sense. This book will give you everthing you need to know, and get you started on your own translucent bowl creation. Tools, lathe settings, and choosing your wood is covered. Highly recommended, and a sure fire way for guests to ask you about your creations.

The collection that the Masons have built out of a love of art, craftmanship and wood turns into a real gift to those who do not have the luxury to study these pieces first-hand. The photos of their home shows that their attraction with creation is not limited to wood but to light, paintings and melding life with art.

The photos display the pieces so well that some just seem to glow and brighten on the page. It makes it difficult to look at a tree or salad bowl without imagining the possiblities.

I highly reccommend reading this book! I especially found the Voice Of Experience movies very helpful! It was as if the authors were sitting next to me while I was programming!

This is truly a book that deserves a 5 star rating! The Woodfinishing Book covers every coating material you can imagine. With the in-depth details, you can learn so much. I really believe it's a must-have book for your workshop.

The book does a great job of outlining all of the finish materials available, both old time favorites and the latest break-throughs. Personally, I've found descriptions of the old time methods the most interesting.

The author does a great job describing "why things work" as well as "how to make things work." It's a comprehensive collection of wonderful information in a single source. Who would have thought someone could write over 200 pages on this subject?

As a long time reader of Fine Woodworking magazine, I've learned that their published books are well-written and useful. The Woodfinishing Book is another great addition to their collection.

The Robin Wood deck is my first and so far only set of Tarot cards (these things are expensive!). Although I have outpaced its illustrations, I can still recommend it. In particular, I like the black and white candles behind the Magician, and the non-traditional presentation of the Devil and Judgement cards. This set is also far more detailed than the Rider-Waite deck, which I have seen in books and which left me rather cold. On the flip side, the Hierophant is portrayed as an archbishop or pope -- blatantly Christian in an otherwise Pagan deck. I also found the accompanying booklet unhelpful to a beginner. However, the Robin Wood deck, when properly paired with an explanitory book of your choosing, is an excellent introduction to the Tarot.

I appreciate this deck because of its Pagan symbolism. I will admit that up front. I also appreciate the artwork, which others have criticized. I find the artwork to be quite good, and more importantly, very true to the traditional symbolism of the Tarot. As a result, this deck is pleasing to my eye and to my mind, which makes readings more fruitful.

I fail to understand the criticisms leveled by some that the art is not "dark" enough. Certainly the Ten of Swords still holds its power. The symbolism of The Devil, of course, has no horned boogeyman with ridiculous medieval overtones, and maybe that's what some of these people are referring to. However, the actual symbolism of the card, the idea of being in bondage to something that is negative, is still intact.

Overall I find this deck eminently useful and very well done. I would recommend it highly as a first deck, or as an addition to a collection. Either way it is highly commendable.

I don't yet own this deck, it's next on my purchase list as soon as college life gives me $20 to spare. I own 3 decks, and when I looked at a friend's Wood deck I realized that it could very easily and quickly become my favorite. While similar to the common Waite deck in much of its symbolism, the effect is much deeper here... the basic meaning of each card leaps off the cardstock and straight into your conciousness, and yet if you take the time to dig (or get the companion book) you find that every minute detail has meaning, enriching the entire deck. Without even giving a reading with it, I can tell that the deck is extremely intuitive, especially if you have any prior Tarot knowledge.