| Review by MsDebbieP | posted 1270 days ago | 1021 views | 1 time favorited | 7 comments |  |
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(this review was first posted in the November 2009 eMag)
When I picked this book for the book review this month I wasn’t sure what I was going find. I don’t do much on a lathe (pens and mice, actually) and I have never attempted to make a bowl. I wasn’t 100% sure that this was going to be a great book for me. What a pleasant surprise I received!
Right from the start the author had my interest – and I mean from the start! The foreword, the behind the book story, was just as fascinating as the book itself. Once I started reading I simply didn’t want to put it down. To Turn the Perfect Wooden Bowl is basically an interview with Bob Stocksdale, one of the bowl-turning gurus of all times. Within the pages of the book, we get to know Bob almost on a personal level. We are painted the picture of his childhood, his relationship with wood, and, for those bowl-turners out there, his tips and tricks to turn that perfect bowl.
In one of the quotes, Mr. Stocksdale says that he tries to bring out the inner beauty of the wood. Perhaps this is what makes him an exceptional artist. Throughout the pages of the book, we see one example after another where he seems to be connected with the wood, knowing what lies within the outer layers. As I read the book I was reminded of Michelangelo saying that, with his statue of David, he just chipped away anything that wasn’t David! That special connection that an artist has with the material he is working with takes a beautiful piece of work and makes it exceptional.
Here at LumberJocks.com our members share their personal journeys of attaining this level of connection with wood. Some of us may never reach that pinnacle but will definitely enjoy the journey, especially when we are inspired by such work as that of Bob Stocksdale and books such as To Turn the Perfect Wooden Bowl.
My Ratings of The Book
Layout and Appearance: Wonderful balance of photographs, interview questions, and quotes from letters and news clippings. Thumbs Up!
Instructions: Lots of tidbits of information tucked away in the interview. Thumbs Up!
Inspiration: “in leaps and bounds”. Thumbs Up!
Overall: Thumbs Up!
-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)
7 comments so far
lew
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#1 posted 1270 days ago
Thanks for the review, Debbie. The cover picture, alone, makes it worth a look!
-- Lew- Time traveler. Purveyor of the world's finest custom rolling pins!
mmh
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#2 posted 1270 days ago
Nice review. It looks like a very worthwhile read and candidate for shelf space.
-- "They who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night." ~ Edgar Allan Poe
MsDebbieP
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#3 posted 1270 days ago
isn’t that spectacular? It’s like a sunburst radiating around the bowl.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and have never made a bowl.
-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)
Roz
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#4 posted 1269 days ago
Very nice review, the book sounds interesting.
-- Terry Roswell, L.A. (Lower Alabama) "Life is what happens to you when you are making other plans."
Grumpy
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#5 posted 1269 days ago
Good one Deb.
-- Grumpy - "Always look on the bright side of life"- Monty Python
MsDebbieP
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#6 posted 1269 days ago
the book is fascinating! couldn’t put it down
-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)
Loucarb
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#7 posted 1269 days ago
Thanks for the detailed review. I can use all the help I can get :-)
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