Some years ago Tom wrote a book called Carving the Civil War. The book met with great success, but left a hunger for more. One of the figures in the gallery was a beautiful realistic horse, and it wasn't long before requests for a horse book started coming in. Well, here it is! Tom brings his teaching and carving skills to realistic horses. This new book takes the carvers through the steps of carving a frisky colt. Using hand and power tools Tom creates the form, detail, and musculature that brings the horse to life. Included are gallery photos and patterns for the colt's sibling and sire, as well as those for several other horses. For fans of Tom Wolfe or those who have struggled to carve realistic horses, this book is a must-have for your carving library.

With clear, concise instructions and 345 detailed photos, Ron Hampton takes the reader through every step required to turn and finish wooden works of art on the mini-lathe. Eight separate projects are turned and finished here, including a cherry goblet, several mushrooms, a turquoise bowl inlay, potpourri pot, leather Indian pot, stone bowl, Hawaiian bowl, and an ornamental bird house. A gallery of other designs is provided for inspiration. Every tool required is listed and explained along with a variety of tool rests. Tool sharpening techniques are discussed and valuable safety tips are provided. This book is perfect for the beginning and intermediate wood turner and will provide valuable ideas for those more advanced.

From the ancient Chinese to St. George to Dungeons and Dragons, these mythical beasts have had a place in the human imagination. Now, with his own imagination running rampant, Tom Wolfe turns his artistry to the dragon. As always, he brings creativity and skill to the task, along with a desire to share the joy of carving with his readers. All steps to carving a dragon are illustrated in color photographs, with concise descriptions of what to do and what effects you are trying to achieve. In addition there is a gallery with patterns and photographs of three other dragons that can be carved using the same techniques. These are dramatic carvings that will challenge the carver and delight those who see the final product. Tom uses both traditional hand carving tools and rotary tools to get the effects that make these dragons so realistic. The carver will find the insights into the techniques for using all these tools quite instructive.

Debbie Barr captures the lighter side of women's daily lives in her carvings, lives filled with triumphs and travails. Debbie takes her readers step-by-step through the process of transforming a block of basswood into a lively caricature with concise instructions, sound advice, and over 250 color illustrations. Once the carving is complete, instructions are also provided for painting the figure. Eight patterns accompany the text. A photographic gallery rounds out the presentation, displaying additional figures sure to provide inspiration and insight to every carver. This book will present satisfying challenges to beginners and will be a joy to the more advanced carvers.

In this wonderful folk carving book, Shane Campbell takes you step-by-step through the process of carving two attractive wooden figures. The first is an articulated angel named Ruby and the second is a whirligig figure named Angelene. Project patterns and over 260 color photographs accompany the straightforward directions. Shane also provides instructions for both painting folk figures and for aging them using a method that is delightfully simple and effective. A color gallery rounds out the book and provides examples of additional folk figures sure to provide every reader with new ideas. This book has something to offer everyone from the beginner to the most advanced wood carver.

Donna Hefty's folk carved nativity is so special it will delight the collector and be a real treasure to hand down from generation to generation. Adults and children alike will find it charming. Donna makes carving approachable and simple for all ages. Not only are there eleven highly defined patterns, but Donna will take you step-by-step through the process of both carving and painting. Each step is illustrated with a color photograph and an easy-to-follow description of the technique. A gallery shows the finished figures. The result is a wonderful project for carvers of all skill levels.

An" Economist" Book of the Year

Costa Book Award Winner for Biography

Galaxy National Book Award Winner (New Writer of the Year Award)

Edmund de Waal is a world-famous ceramicist. Having spent thirty years making beautiful pots--which are then sold, collected, and handed on--he has a particular sense of the secret lives of objects. When he inherited a collection of 264 tiny Japanese wood and ivory carvings, called netsuke, he wanted to know who had touched and held them, and how the collection had managed to survive.

And so begins this extraordinarily moving memoir and detective story as de Waal discovers both the story of the netsuke and of his family, the Ephrussis, over five generations. A nineteenth-century banking dynasty in Paris and Vienna, the Ephrussis were as rich and respected as the Rothchilds. Yet by the end of the World War II, when the netsuke were hidden from the Nazis in Vienna, this collection of very small carvings was all that remained of their vast empire.

The carving of religious figures is a tradition that is thousands of years old. In earlier books Helen Gibson has shared her techniques for carving the nativity and the figure of St. Francis of Asissi. Now she turns her attention to one of the most dramatic figures in religious history: Moses. This strong, authoritative figure lends itself wonderfully to carving. Helen's friend, Harold Enlow, drew the pattern and Helen leads the reader step-by-step through the carving process. Each step is illustrated with a color photograph. The result is a rewarding carving experience and a great deal of enjoyment.

Learn to create delightful wooden Santas destined to be treasured family heirlooms. With a combination of over 280 color photographs, a minimal set of carving tools, and easily followed instructions, Paul Bolinger carefully guides the reader step-by-step through rough and detail carving techniques. Camille Bolinger, Paul's wife, demonstrates the oil painting techniques used to bring the carved Santas to life. The text is followed by a gallery of the Bolingers' heirloom Santas destined to fire the imagination of every carver who sees them. Novices and old hands alike will enjoy this book.

Cleve Taylor takes to the road, steering readers effortlessly through every step needed to carve an impressive and humorous caricature of a motorcyclist and his bike. Over 225 color photographs illustrate Cleve's clear, concise instructions. When this basswood figure and his bike are complete, instructions are also provided for painting and aging. Patterns are provided for both the figure and the bike. The gallery photos at the back of the book feature additional biker figures by both Cleve Taylor and some of his carving students. For additional inspiration, three color illustrations by caricature artist Bruce Day round out the presentation. This book is sure to be inspiring for beginning carvers and a real pleasure for experienced carvers.

Many wood carvers have attempted and failed in carving the nativity, thwarted by the myriad details of so many figures. Now, Lynn Diel brings a refreshing simplicity to the scene. He uses flat plane carving techniques on basswood to create a beautiful tableau that even a novice can successfully complete. Using over 250 color images, 4 patterns, and clear step-by-step instructions, the reader is taken through all the steps necessary to carve and finish each figure in the nativity: Mary, Joseph, Jesus and His creche, an angel, shepherd, the three kings, a camel, donkey, ox, and sheep. All of the easily obtained materials and tools needed for these projects are listed. Once the techniques are mastered, the reader will be able to create many nativity sets sure to be treasured by family and friends for years to come. This book will be inspiring for the novice and a joy for the experienced carver.

Here is a new and exciting aspect of wood turning, similar to traditional style turning except for gaps left between each segment. Step-by-step instructions and color photographs illustrate a basic vase project that can be completed in a weekend. You won't need any special turning equipment or tools other than an easily constructed jig. Wood selection and preparation, jigs, glue, turning tools, finishes, and advanced techniques are all explained and illustrated. Combine various woods and patterns to produce beautiful vases, boxes, and sculptural pieces. With practice, you can create some really spectacular work!

For the internationally renowned artist and wood turner Ernst Gamperl, the dialogue with the exceptionally vital material of wood is a source of creative inspiration. He works it with a technique bordering on magic and embraces its natural drying-out process in the design of his pieces, giving rise to impressive, powerful forms. Ernst Gamperl's most extensive work in wood to date was created from a 230-year-old oak tree uprooted by a hurricane. In an ongoing process lasting 10 years - the Lebensbaum (Tree of Life) project - he transformed this mighty tree into a unique ensemble of 97 differently formed vessels and objects, one of which was awarded the famous LOEWE Craft Prize in 2017. The publication is an impressive documentation of the artisanal-artistic work process as well as the Lebensbaum project in its entirety. Text in English and German.

Accomplished carver and teacher Cleve Taylor takes to the hills, carving mountain men of years gone by. With clear, concise instructions-illustrated with over 225 color photographs, Cleve guides wood carvers through every step and tool needed to make these popular figures from the past. Once the basswood figure is carved, instructions are also provided to paint and antique the completed figure. Patterns are included with the instructions to carve both the mountain man and his long rifle. The mountain man presented here is a challenge for the carver with a course or two under the belt and a delight for the more advanced wood carver.

Among the most popular of Tom Wolfe's carving books is Tom Wolfe Carves Dragons. From the day it came off the presses Tom has received letters asking for a Wizard book to go with it. What good is a dragon without a Wizard? one reader asked. Well, here it is! These fanciful figures let the imagination run wild. You can make them friendly or sinister, young or old, comic or deadly serious. Tom gives patterns and step-by-step instructions illustrated in full color. The gallery has a coven of Wizards, in both full-figure and bust forms. But that is only the starting point. From there a change in costume, setting, or facial feature can lead to an infinite variety of figures. As a companion piece or by itself, this is an exciting new project for carvers. Enjoy.

Nationally known carver Bob Lundy shares the techniques of relief carving in an easy to follow book. Amply illustrated, it takes the reader step-by-step through two carving projects and offers the information needed to carry out even more. With everything carved by hand, the book is written for both the beginner and for the veteran. Bob Lundy approaches his work with an eye for the personality of the carving. He will instill that sensitivity to the reader, giving the carver a feeling of closeness and intimacy with the figures that come to life from the wood.

Headrests from Southern Africa - The architecture of sleep presents the subject of southern African headrests in a fascinating new light. The book, richly illustrated - often with in situ photographs, offers unique historical and personal information collected from many of the original owners and carvers of the headrests. So, for the first time African headrests are brought to life with detailed information and the stories of their creation, ownership, use and significance. The 438 headrests from the collections of Bruce Goodall from Cape Town and Frederic Zimer from Paris are presented according to 3 geographical areas: KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo (where the Ntwane people live) and Eswatini (formerly known as Swaziland). Since 2003, Goodall has made numerous field trips collecting, as well as interviewing and photographing the owners and carvers of headrests. In 2017, Goodall's collection grew substantially with the purchase of a comprehensive collection of headrests from the Msinga area of KwaZulu-Natal. This collection had been assembled and meticulously documented by the late Anglican priest Clive Newman and his friend and assistant, Mavis Duma, between the late 1980s and the mid-2000s. The Zimer collection has been built up since the 1990s through his many travels in Africa, and his acquisitions from collectors and African art dealers around the world. This publication not only offers insight into the personal and historical dimensions of this important southern African tradition through the text written about the headrests and their owners by Bruce Goodall, but includes essays by Newman, Nel and Leibhammer and a text about collecting by Duma. Together these facilitate a penetrating understanding of these valued items as well as a respectful appreciation of the cultures and individuals who made and used them.

In 1428, a devastating fire destroyed a schoolhouse in the northern Italian city of Forli, leaving only a woodcut of the Madonna and Child that had been tacked to the classroom wall. The people of Forli carried that print - now known as the Madonna of the Fire - into their cathedral, where two centuries later a new chapel was built to enshrine it. In this book, Lisa Pon considers a cascade of moments in the Madonna of the Fire's cultural biography: when ink was impressed onto paper at a now-unknown date; when that sheet was recognized by Forli's people as miraculous; when it was enshrined in various tabernacles and chapels in the cathedral; when it or one of its copies was - and still is - carried in procession. In doing so, Pon offers an experiment in art historical inquiry that spans more than three centuries of making, remaking, and renewal.

Dramatic social and political change marks the period from the end of the Late Bronze Age into the Iron Age (ca. 1300 700 BCE) across the Mediterranean. Inland palatial centers of bureaucratic power weakened or collapsed ca. 1200 BCE while entrepreneurial exchange by sea survived and even expanded, becoming the Mediterranean-wide network of Phoenician trade. At the heart of that system was Kition, one of the largest harbor cities of ancient Cyprus. Earlier research has suggested that Phoenician rule was established at Kition after the abandonment of part of its Bronze Age settlement. A reexamination of Kition s architecture, stratigraphy, inscriptions, sculpture, and ceramics demonstrates that it was not abandoned. This study emphasizes the placement and scale of images and how they reveal the development of economic and social control at Kition from its establishment in the thirteenth century BCE until the development of a centralized form of government by the Phoenicians, backed by the Assyrian king, in 707 BCE."

Once again, Dick Sing makes his mark with his high quality, beautiful pens and pencils. Sharing his skill and expertise at the wood lathe, he teaches you how to make something more than a mere instrument for writing-this is art, a keepsake, a great gift, something to make the turner proud. In his first book on pen turning, Sing provided basic instructions and lots of helpful tips. This book also provides the basics, adding new kinds of pens and variations on some of the old favorites. Tips are given for ways to work with challenging materials or grain alignments to create spectacular results. Dick details methods which make beautiful pens time after time. More than 260 photographs and detailed instructions advise the turner on more than a dozen variations, plus there are sections on the special equipment he has modified to make pen turning easier and improve the quality. A gallery of pens provides inspiration for variety and creativity.

Create beautiful, lifelike wildfowl cane handles with power tools. Over 145 clear color photographs illustrate each step, from carving the blank and setting the eyes to texturing feathers and painting the completed handle. Every tool necessary is described and displayed in detail. Patterns are provided for fifteen cane handle projects: including the American Flamingo, Bald Eagle, Brown Pelican, Cardinal, Cooper's Hawk, Great Blue Heron, Horned Puffin, Leghorn, two Mallards, Red Breasted Merganser, Ring-Necked Pheasant, Sandhill Crane, Tundra Swan and the Wood Duck. Instructions appear for procuring, sizing, and fastening shafts to the finished handles. This book will be a challenge to the novice and a joy to the expert carver

Four hundred stunning color pictures of world-class carvings accompany an authoritative series of interviews with the world's finest wood sculptors. An indispensable addition to the libraries of novice and expert carvers; certain to become a collector's item.

A comprehensive survey of the intriguing misericord carvings, setting them in their religious context and looking at their different themes and motifs. Misericord carvings present a fascinating corpus of medieval art which, in turn, complements our knowledge of life and belief in the late middle ages. Subjects range from the sacred to the profane and from the fantastic to the everyday, seemingly giving equal weight to the scatological and the spiritual alike. Focusing specifically on England - though with cognisance of broader European contexts - this volume offers an analysis of misericords in relation to other cultural artefacts of the period. Through a series of themed "case studies", the book places misericords firmly within the doctrinal and devotional milieu in which they were created and sited, arguing that even the apparently coarse images to be found beneath choir stalls are intimately linked to the devotional life of the medieval English Church. The analysis is complemented by a gazetteer of the most notable instances. Paul Hardwick isProfessor in English, Leeds Trinity University College.

Mr Sparrow traces the development of the inscription as a literary form in Renaissance and post-Renaissance Europe. He defines the 'literary' inscription as 'a text composed with a view to its being presented in lines of different lengths, the lineation contributing to or enhancing the meaning, so that someone who does not see it, actually or in the mind's eye, but only hears it read aloud, misses something of the intended effect'. Mr Sparrow attributes the Renaissance concern with the visual presentation of words to the profound interest in epigraphy aroused by the rediscovery of classical inscriptions. This interest was felt mainly by scholars and writers, but it extended to architects, painters, sculptors and designers of monuments - all of whom incorporated inscriptions in their work.

Internationally known carver Pete LeClair turns his attention to the caricature bust. This classic form lends itself to wonderful interpretations, but is also a great way to learn more about caricature carving. Pete shares a great number of techniques and secrets in this volume, paying attention, as always, to the minute details that make the difference between a good carving and a great carving. Every step is illustrated with a color photograph and a clear explanation. Patterns and a gallery, showing all sides of the works, are included to help the carver even more. For those who know Pete's previous works, this will be a welcomed addition to their libraries. For those who do not it is an opportunity to learn the joys and intricacies of caricature carving from one of the best.