ARTISTS OF HANDCRAFTED FURNITURE AT WORK

Four talented craftspeople are shown creating furniture, from choosing designs, materials, and tools to displaying the finished pieces. The inspiration may be the sweep and line of a traditional design--a shape glimpsed in the street or on the beach--or even the unexpected, like a newly harvested onion. The results can be beautiful, or striking, or funny; but all show the dedication and pride of their creators. Part personality-profile and part description of a time-honored craft, the book gives insight into the richness and diversity of the creative process. The photographs are beautiful, and beautifully printed. Some of the furniture is so original and unusual as to be startling, underlining the value of individual vision--as well as providing interest for young readers. More on the structural details and construction methods used would have been welcome, but this is not a ""how-to"" book; on its own terms, as an exploration of the creative process, it could be a revelation to a talented child.