Reference Books

The Unofficial LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Inventor's Guide

David J. Perdue

Amazon Price: $19.77 List Price: $29.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: No Starch Press Amazon Marketplace: 33 new & used starting at $18.31

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Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Computer Science -> Artificial Intelligence -> Computer Mathematics
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Computer Science -> Artificial Intelligence -> Robotics
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Computer Science -> Artificial Intelligence -> Theory of Computing

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 15 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Fantastic manual to the Mindstorms NXT 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

I'm a coach of a FIRST LEGO League team and I bought this book to help my son "get to the next level." I am making this book mandatory for every team member next season! It is informative, yet easy to read. It covers all the bases from good robot design to programming explanations. I can't recommend it enough!

Fun, helpful, informative for beginner and intermediate 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

I've had NXT for about 10 months and have three other books. I wish I had know about this first. My strong point is programming, my weak point is gearing and this is the only book that really shows how to build gear trains. I love rover bots and have designed many but he has several fresh takes on the genre. His ball caster is much more elegant than mine and his bumper is quite sturdy. (My method of picking a random angle for a turn is better than his though: random block set for 0 to 6 wired to a switch block with 7 conditions, the equivalent of 45,90,135 degrees left and right and 180. save the whole thing as a myblock to use with all your rovers.)
I highly recommend this book if you are starting out or if you want to get some new ideas for rovers.

The Big-Ass Book of Crafts

Mark Montano

Amazon Price: $13.57 List Price: $19.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Simon Spotlight Entertainment Amazon Marketplace: 41 new & used starting at $11.48

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Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Crafts & Hobbies -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 25 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

The Big-Ass Book of Crafts is packed with ideas for sprucing up your living space; concocting fabulous, all-natural body products; designing your own unique stationery; and creating countless other crafts that will convince your friends and loved ones that you're the secret love child of Martha Stewart (only much, much cooler).

Forget crocheted doilies and itchy knit sweaters -- TLC's While You Were Out top designer Mark Montano has created stylish and imaginative projects that range from a Warhol-esque Ultrasuede iPod case to photo-adorned boxer shorts to African mask patio chairs to wooden night-light boxes. Divided into sections that include Outdoorsy (ideas to enhance your backyard), Dishing It Out (decorating plates using different techniques), You've Been Framed (innovative picture framing ideas), and Can I Have a Light? (creating and decorating lamps, lanterns, and chandeliers), it's as entertaining to read as it is endlessly inspiring. With more than one hundred and fifty inventive and fun projects, The Big-Ass Book of Crafts is the perfect activity book for readers of every mood, budget, and skill level.

Taking Flight: Inspiration And Techniques To Give Your Creative Spirit Wings

Kelly Rae Roberts

Amazon Price: $15.63 List Price: $22.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: North Light Books Amazon Marketplace: 11 new & used starting at $15.35

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Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Psychology & Counseling -> Creativity & Genius
Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Crafts & Hobbies -> Reference
Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Crafts & Hobbies -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 56 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Stretch Your Wings * Learn to Soar * Take Flight

In Taking Flight, you'll find overflowing inspiration--complete with a kindred spirit in author and mixed-media artist Kelly Rae Roberts. Join her on a fearless journey into the heart of creativity as you test your wings and learn to find the sacred in the ordinary, honor your memories, speak your truth and wrap yourself in the arms of community.

Along the way you'll be inspired by:

• Step-by-step techniques--learn the most-loved mixed-media methods of the author and seven talented contributing artists, and combine them in fresh and unexpected ways.
• Thought-provoking prompts and quotes--along with encouraging stories, insights and gentle guidance for finding your bliss, whatever your art or craft.
• Plenty of eye candy--pages and pages of the author's endearing artwork, along with the varied works of the contributors.

Of course, learning to fly isn't entirely a step-by-step process--sooner or later, you just need to take a deep breath and spread your wings. With Taking Flight as your guide, there's no doubt that when you do, your creativity will soar.

Sneaky Uses for Everyday Things: How to Turn a Penny into a Radio, Make a Flood Alarm with an Aspirin, Change Milk into Plastic, Extract Water and Electricity ... a TV with Your Ring, and Other Amazing Feats

Cy Tymony

Amazon Price: $8.79 List Price: $10.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Andrews McMeel Publishing Amazon Marketplace: 43 new & used starting at $4.29

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Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> General
Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> General AAS
Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Crafts & Hobbies -> Reference

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 21 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Do you know how to make something that can tell whether the $20 bill in your wallet is a fake? Or how to generate battery power with simple household items? Or how to create your own home security system?Science-savvy author Cy Tymony does. And now you can learn how to create these things¿and more than 40 other handy gadgets and gizmos¿in Sneaky Uses for Everyday Things. More than a simple do-it-yourself guide, this quirky collection is a valuable resource for transforming ordinary objects into the extraordinary. With over 80 solutions and bonus applications at your disposal, you will be ready for almost any situation. Included are survival, security, self-defense, and silly applications that are just plain fun.You¿ll be seen as a superhero as you amaze your friends by:¿ Transforming a simple FM radio into a device that enables you to eavesdrop on tower-to-air conversations.¿ Creating your own personalized electronic greeting cards.¿ Making a compact fire extinguisher from items typically found in a kitchen pantry.¿ Thwarting intruders with a single rubber band.By using run-of-the-mill household items and the easy-to-follow instructions and diagrams within, you¿ll be able to complete most projects in just a few minutes. Whether you use Sneaky Uses for Everyday Things as a practical tool to build useful devices, a fun little fantasy escape, or as a trivia guide to impress friends and family, this book is sure to be a reference favorite for years to come.

Amy Butler's In Stitches: More Than 25 Simple and Stylish Sewing Projects

Amy Butler

Amazon Price: $24.95 List Price: $24.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Chronicle Books Amazon Marketplace: 20 new & used starting at $9.97

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Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Crafts & Hobbies -> Needlecrafts -> General AAS
Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Crafts & Hobbies -> Reference
Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Crafts & Hobbies -> Sewing

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 49 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Celebrated designer Amy Butler brings her fresh, modern style to the timeless craft of sewing. In this lavishly illustrated collection of patterns, she presents more than 25 charming projects ranging from cushy floor cushions to smart aprons to stylish handbags. Our innovative packaging makes for easy use—pattern sheets are neatly tucked into a folder on the inside cover of this full-color, lay-flat spiralbound book. Lush photographs inspire, while how-to illustrations and straightforward text (minus the confusing sewing lingo) make it a cinch to achieve beautifully finished projects. In addition, Amy offers thoughtful tips on finding and treating new or vintage fabrics, an easy-to-navigate techniques section, and a glossary and resource guide at back. Whether it's chic placemats and napkins for the kitchen, a luxurious kimono-style robe for the bath, or handy organizer baskets for the home office Amy Butler's In Stitches makes it easy to create beautiful accessories for every room and every mood.

The Complete Book of Sewing New Edition

DK Publishing

Amazon Price: $26.40 List Price: $40.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: DK ADULT Amazon Marketplace: 18 new & used starting at $21.49

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Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Crafts & Hobbies -> Reference
Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Crafts & Hobbies -> Sewing
Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Crafts & Hobbies -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 42 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Great Reference Book! 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I'm a novice in the world of sewing. This book has been pulled from the shelf many times when I've been trying to figure out new things: buttons and buttonholes, different hand-stitches, zipper installation and more.

If you're looking for a reference book with great information (and LOTS of it), this is a good one. I am glad I chose this one.

Great for visual learners like myself 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I looked at several other books trying to decide what would be "THE Sewing Book" and I decided this one is absolutely the best for me. Instructions are easy to follow and I got a lot of new ideas as well. This book would be great for the novice as well. Photographs take you through the techniques in clear colour.

I just bought a Janome sewing machine and started sewing again so this was a really good refresher course for me because I lost a lot of techniques from years of no practice. When I was in high school back in the stone ages I took a lot of home economics classes and did really well. Then life happened and I forgot a lot. So I'm getting my old knowledge back and then some from this book. This is a one stop guide for every technique I needed to relearn. If your taking classes, this would be a great accompaniment because if your classroom book doesn't explain the technique well this one would fill in that missing info with the pictures and the clear instructions printed in the book. If you're gifting someone with a new sewing machine, this would be just the right book to go with it.

Editorial Review:

An authoritative and comprehensive guide to all sewing techniques and tips, The Complete Book of Sewing provides a fresh, clever update to this modern classic. Packed with modern computer-aided designs, cutting-edge advice on tools, supplies, and fabrics as well as a new, inspirational fabric gallery, and hundreds of specially commissioned full color step-by-step photographs, the book maintains its original appeal, while enticing a whole new generation of readers.

Lotta Jansdotter's Simple Sewing: Patterns and How-To for 24 Fresh and Easy Projects

Lotta Jansdotter

Amazon Price: $16.47 List Price: $24.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Chronicle Books Amazon Marketplace: 36 new & used starting at $13.89

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Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Crafts & Hobbies -> Reference
Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Crafts & Hobbies -> Sewing
Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Crafts & Hobbies -> Textile Arts

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 46 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

I love this book! 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

My friend Chassity and I got this book to teach ourselves how to sew and absolutely love it! The projects are modern, simple, useful, and well designed. I haven't had any trouble deciphering instructions and I'm loving the finished items. My favorite project so far has been the All Day Tote, I'm on my third one! These projects make great gifts too!

Editorial Review:

CHRONICLE BOOKS-Simple Sewing. Internationally celebrated designer Lotta Jansdotter collects 24 of her most popular sewing patterns into one irresistible collection. The innovative packaging makes for easy use reusable pattern sheets which are neatly tucked into a folder inside this full-color lay-flat spiral bound book. Patterns include: handy tote bags smart aprons chic bed linens and much more. Each project is paired with step-by-step instructions charming photographs inspiring design ideas and helpful hand- drawn how-to illustrations everything you need to make whimsical pieces for the home and beyond. Best of all there is nothing complicated about the projects. Never has simplicity looked so sophisticated. Hardcover Spiral-bound: 144 pages.

Living the Creative Life: Ideas and Inspiration from Working Artists

Rice Freeman-Zachery

Amazon Price: $15.63 List Price: $22.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: North Light Books Amazon Marketplace: 43 new & used starting at $10.99

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Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> History & Criticism -> General AAS
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Instructional & How-To -> General
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Reference -> Study & Teaching

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 47 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

How DO they do it?

If you could ask your favorite artist or crafter only one question, chances are you'd ask about creativity: Where do your ideas come from? How did you get started? What are your tricks for overcoming blocks?

In Living the Creative Life, author Rice Freeman-Zachery has compiled answers to these questions and more from 15 successful artists in a variety of mediums--from assemblage to fiber arts, beading to mixed-media collage. Creativity is different for everyone, and these artists share their insights on the muse (if you believe in her), keeping a sketchbook (or not), and prioritizing your art, whether you aspire to create solely for your own pleasure or to become a full-time artist.

* Try your hand at creative jumpstarts straight from the pros.
* Glimpse the artists' innermost thoughts and works in progress as you peruse pages from their journals and notebooks.
* Share textile artist Sas Colby's triumph over creative block during an exotic art retreat.
* Learn how internationally acclaimed artist James Michael Starr uses experience from his former "day job" to fuel his creation today.
* Explore the work of Michael deMeng, Claudine Hellmuth, Melissa Zink and the other artists right alongside their insights.

No crafter or artist should live the creative life without Living the Creative Life! The inspiration is contagious.

The Complete Guide to Sharpening

Leonard Lee

Amazon Price: $15.61 List Price: $22.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Taunton Amazon Marketplace: 37 new & used starting at $12.00

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Subjects -> Entertainment -> Puzzles & Games -> General
Subjects -> Entertainment -> Puzzles & Games -> General AAS
Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Crafts & Hobbies -> Reference

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 33 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

A toolworker's complete guide, but .... 4 out of 5 stars.
3 of 6 people found this review helpful.

You have to admire the author. He packs a huge amount of detailled and easily read information in this book. The electron photomicrographs, showing various sharp (and not so sharp) edges using various abarasives are excellent. Leonard also seems to know everything there is to know about the history of steel making, and abrasives. There are excellent chapters on just about every kind of woodworking tool imaginable, with plenty of excellent photographs. If I were a woodworker I would regard this book as being the one and only complete reference text.

BUT... my personal interest is in sharpening kitchen knives. And the chapter on knife sharpening is the least informative in the book, and really tells the reader nothing new that is not already available on many web sites. In fact the Mr Lee actually says he only included this chapter because nobody would take his book seriously if it didn't have a chapter on knife sharpening. As a result, the chapter is not not very good. and in fact contains some wrong advice. eg using plastic book binders as edge guides: - Sorry Mr Lee, but they just do not work.

For a complete knife book, you would be far better off with Chad Ward's new book "An Edge in the Kitchen", far better than this book by Mr Lee.

I don't mean to disrespect the author, or this book. But it is really for woodworking tools, not kitchen knives.

Editorial Review:

Lee, a well-known tool manufacturer, covers the practical and technical information to sharpen tools quickly, efficiently and safely. Descriptive photos, clear line drawings and step-by-step instructions show exactly how to improve the performance and safety of any cutting tool. 255 photos.

The Handweaver's Pattern Directory: Over 600 Weaves for 4-shaft Looms

Anne Dixon

Amazon Price: $23.07 List Price: $34.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Interweave Press Amazon Marketplace: 39 new & used starting at $21.64

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Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Crafts & Hobbies -> Reference
Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Crafts & Hobbies -> Weaving
Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Crafts & Hobbies -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 20 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Color galore 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

An excellent guide to weaving and 600 patterns. The first part of the book is dedicated to weaving terms and techniques, with illustrations. The bulk of the book is treadle and heddle diagrams and color photos of the patterns created. A beautiful, lush and textural book.

Weaving- 4 shafts 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

An excellent book, for all stages, for weavers using 4-shafts.
Clear diagrams with photographs of the actual weaving item.
A must-have book at one's elbow when weaving.

Editorial Review:

A comprehensive introduction to the tools, equipment, fibers, and yarns used with four-shaft looms, this reference features patterns for 600 different weaves, including twill, zigzag, diamond, herringbone, and block. Color photographs and large-scale drawings allow weavers to closely examine the details, and the compact size and lay-flat binding is convenient for keeping near the loom. A handbook that is essential for all four-shaft weavers, this manual includes weaving basics, specialized projects organized by degree of difficulty, finishing techniques, resources, and a glossary of terms.