The Directory of Inshore Craft: Traditional Working Vessels of the British Isles -

The Craft of Strategy Formation: Translating Business Issues into Actionable Strategies Customer Review: superb, practical and not just for strategy projects
this is a superb book, well paced. one of the best points is that it covers aspects that are not covered by more academic tomes: it covers the practicalities of day to day project life. it feels like i have a very senior consultant on my side and giving me some great advice. i’m not yet done with the book and it’s already helping side-step some pitfall.

i’ve used a couple of lines from this book to impart wisdom to peers, to great effect. even if you don’t work on strategy, there is so much wisdom and practical sense in this book that you ought to get it. and let’s face it, more and more of corporate life is articulated around projects and initiatives now (run-the-bank vs change-the-bank, b.a.u. vs initiative etc.).

this book is definitely one of those “i wish someone had given this to me sooner.

final point: also admirable is that the fact that while the author is attached to a specific company OC&C, and is open about this, this is pretty much unadvertised throughout the book. it gets mentioned in the preface when the context is set out, and towards the end for wrapping up. the rest of the time, there is next to no mention, and where it is mentioned it is appropriate and unobtrusive.
Customer Review: Highly recommended
Lots of books concentrate on implementation of strategy, but few, if any give attention to strategy creation. This step by step guide is very useful and easy to read. Excellent guide to the tricky process of strategy making, from one of the world’s best strategy consultancies.

The Wicca Bible: The Definitive Guide to Magic and the Craft -

Top Knife: the Art and Craft of Trauma Surgery: The Art and Craft of Trauma Surgery Customer Review: Perfect introduction to trauma surgery
This book is an easy and complelling read for surgerons interested in trauma. It provides the reader with “one correct way” of doing things. Therefore it is not comprehensive nor a balanced account. However it delivers the message very effectively to those who want to learn the most important principles of trauma surgery. I you haven’t read any trauma texts previously this book is the perfect place to start.

Look What You Can Make with Newspapers, Magazines, and Greeting Cards: More Than 80 Pictured Crafts and Dozens of Other Ideas (Craft) -

Arts and Crafts Architecture Customer Review: Craftsmanlike publication
This is simply the best book written on Arts & Crafts architecture. In structure it is broadly chronological, but essentially each chapter is devoted to either a single architect (e.g. Voysey) or region outside Britain (USA, northern Europe, and Germany) or, in the instances of cities and gardens, to a theme. Peter Davey is intelligent, witty, writes well (increasingly a rarity these days), giving an analytical coherence to the study that I thought was impossible, and is a good man (in the postscript Davey’s own socialist sentiments become fully apparent).
If it is pictures you’re after, this is a Phaidon publication, so there are plenty. While the famous buildings get the full colour treatment, and often images we’ve seen before (especially in other Phaidon publications), there are many small black and white snaps (most by the author) that offer the well-read enthusiast numerous new pictures of unknown houses.
I must have fifty or more books on Arts and Crafts architecture, design and furniture and not one comes close to this in value for money (it is ridiculously cheap).

Cabbages and Roses: Vintage Crafts - 35 Charming Projects for the Home and Garden (Cabbages & Roses) -

Celebrating Birch: The Lore, Art and Craft of an Ancient Tree

Decorative Wrought Ironwork: Projects for Beginners (Dover Craft Books) -

Parchment Craft Customer Review: A beautiful & very useful book for beginners and others.
This book is a delight to browse through and inspiring to work from. Like other books from Search Press, it is well laid out, with beautiful illustrations and good patterns for a wide assortment of cards and some bookmarks. Instructions are clear, and cover a wide variety of techniques which include embossing, piercing, lace work, colour techniques and adding inserts. There are additional pictures which can be photocopied and and enlarged to make additional patterns, and suggestions for making one’s own patterns. I have done some parchment craft before, but still found a lot in this book to help and inspire me. I consider it to be excellent value.

Making Silver Chains: Simple Techniques, Beautiful Designs (Jewelry Crafts): Simple Techniques, Beautiful Designs (Jewelry Crafts) -

The Victorians (Craft Topics)

A Building Craft Foundation: Level 1 & 2 (Nelson Thornes Construction NVQ): Level 1 & 2 (Nelson Thornes Construction NVQ) -

Kyuuto! Japanese Crafts! Amigurumi (Crafts) (Kyuuto! Japanese Crafts) Customer Review: Very cute indeed
These are delightful patterns. I really like the way the patterns are presented but have a criticism: There is no explanation on how to start (you have to crochet into the slip knot and pull it tight but ther is no explanation how to do this) and the first pattern I followed (small teddy bear) had a mistake in it. For an experienced crocheter no problem but for a novice of the crat offputting - which is a shame because the results are just adorable. I hope they iron out the mistakes in the next edition!
Customer Review: Cute teddies
This book is presented well and the charting used is easy to follow,however I have several complaints about this book.
Firstly it did not explain how to start the loop to begin the crochet rounds and I had to refer to another book to work this out.
Secondly the little teddy pattern has most of the pattern missing for the arms and legs so I just had to make it up to finish it, not great for a beginner! I will conceed that the finished teddy is extremely cute and has both my daughters fighting over it. Time to make another one!

The Craft of Quilling -

The Craft of Scientific Writing Customer Review: Excellent way to improve your writing skills
This book is an excellent way for you to improve your scientific writing. He works through everything from Introduction, Structure, Language and Illustrations by first stating his points and suggestions and then illustrating them with examples. This is a very good way to present his views and ideas, when you read an example of weak and strong writing you realise immediately which one is the better although it would take quite some effort to describe in writing what makes the difference. He offers many hands on tips and hints to improve as well.

This book is a good reference to look up things later on. I have learned a lot from this book, and I can recomend it.

Customer Review: amazing book
this is a cool book. this is “The Elements of Style” by William Strunk Jr for scientific writing. heck, even science fiction writers could benefit from the material!

Complete Home Crafts -

Wicca Craft: The Modern Witch’s Book of Herbs, Magick and Dreams (Library of the Mystic Arts) Customer Review: Ok
This is my first book from the author and I have found some things that bug me about it. For example, when she shows symbols, she shows the pentagram pointing down. Many of you know that a inverted pentagram is Satanic and has nothing to do with Wicca. But overall, it was alright.
Customer Review: Nothing Special
I’d have to disagree with the great majority of the online reviews of this book…Basically, while I found this book fairly accurate, it’s nothing that you can’t find in every other book or a good website on Wicca. There’s nothing that makes it stand out from any other “Wicca 101″ book on the market. Ms. Dunwich also seems to get too caught up in the outward forms of Wicca (tools, spells, magical uses of herbs, etc.) and doesn’t pay nearly enough attention to the really important, inward focus of the Craft…ritual design, exercises in meditation and visualization, etc. It’s a decent book, but I think there’s much better out there that are more deserving of your time and money. Something by Scott Cunningham, Silver Ravenwolf, or Ray Buckland (among many others), would provide the same information and much more.

String of Lies (Craft Corner Mysteries) -

The Egyptians (Craft Topics)