Woodworker's
Central
Woodworker's Gazette
Gazette Archive 12/28/00
A book review: By Michael Byck
Title: The Art of Intarsia
Author: Garnet Hall
Published by: Sterling
Publishing Co. Inc. &
Tamos Books, Incorporated
387 Park Avenue South
New York, NY 10016-8810
ISBN 1895569664
Price Softcover: $17.95 (Canada $25.95 )
96 color pages
Why do we read woodworking books? If it's a good book you're after, most of us would rather choose to read a novel than flip through page after page of endless text all the while squinting at a few fuzzy photos looking for clues to what they're getting at. This is not one of those books
Right from the cover this author and woodworker shows us not only the beauty of his work and the art of Intarsia, but also the beauty of a well thought out and executed "how-to book".
Starting with a short history of Intarsia, we then move into sections on safety, dust concerns, wood selection, and tools. Each of these is well written and sticks to the necessary points relating to getting that first project up and going.
From here, Mr. Hall dives right into the technique section. Every aspect is covered in a huge amount of detail with large color photos showing what, how and why. In fact there is enough information that one comes away from this section feeling like they've already made the flower pattern he used in the examples.
The rest of the book is comprised of 20 patterns of ever increasing complexity, each with a detailed walk through to help with new and/or difficult techniques.
This book is a winner from start to finish and a prime example of how to write a book for those of us who like to see what you're saying. Evert photo is in color, high quality and is placed next to where it is needed. In fact, it may be possible to get so caught up in the pictures you forget to read the text. Mr. Hall offers a world of information throughout the text, gathered over his 4000 piece career that should not be missed.
A must have for those interested in " The Art of Intarsia "
Editor's Note: Sterling Publishing has graciously donated several books for review which are passed on to our members free of charge in exchange for thoughtful, honest reviews. Thank You! And you can usually find their titles at a discount from Barnes And Noble