It includes several thousand examples of beads, beaded jewelry, and beadwork representing 30,000 years of history and drawn from every major culture and region of the world. Now largely unavailable in hardcover and still the most authoritative book on the subject, it is finally available in paperback at a very attractive price.For thousands of years, beads have played an important role throughout the world, from Japan to Cameroon. This highly unusual and innovative volume surveys the fascinating story of their evolution: beads have been used as a medium of trade, as talismans, as personal adornment, as status symbols, and as religious artifacts. They are capsules of cultural, historical, and technological information. This ambitious survey of beads and their unique contribution to history features more than 380 illustrations, most in full color, a spectacular illustrated time line of bead history, detailed maps, a chart of bead shapes, and a highly readable text by Lois Sherr Dubin.

    A Basic Stitch Guide and clear, easy-to-follow instructions are included.

    When all sword manufacture was prohibited in Japan for seven years after World War II, the age-old techniques were in danger of being lost forever. Today, in the hands of a new generation of practitioners, the craft is making a startling comeback. Connoisseurs say that the swords being produced now are the equal of anything made in Japan in the past few hundred years.This book takes the reader into the workshops of four of Japan's leading sword craftsmen. Each craftsman has a different role in the manufacture of a blade. Yoshindo Yoshihara, the swordsmith, begins with raw steel made in a traditional charcoal-fueled smelter and refines it by folding and forging, gradually shaping it into a sword with a hardened edge. Okisato Fujishiro then sharpens and polishes the sword with fine stones to reveal the color and texture of the steel. Metalworker Hiroshi Miyajima makes the small copper-and-gold habaki collar that fits between the blade and the scabbard. Finally, Kazuyuki Takayama carves the hilt and the scabbard out of a single piece of wood. Black-and-white photographs show every stage of the manufacture, while important information on history, metallurgy, and modern-day appraisal is presented in an extensive introduction.The swords made in Japan today are not, of course, intended for actual use. But their design, the quality of their steel, and the techniques used to create them still derive from the sword's historical function as a lethal hand-held weapon. A sword must be razor sharp, light, well balanced, and strong, but not so brittle it will break. In the perfect resolution of these qualities lie the beauty of the blade and the challenge of the craft.This book demonstrates how brilliantly Japan's sword craftsmen today have met this technological challenge. The impulse of the craft now is to preserve the utilitarian object and yet create an enduring art for the modern age. While many fine books on sword appreciation exist, these deal primarily with older blades or problems of appraisal. The Craft of the Japanese Sword is the first book in English devoted entirely to contemporary sword manufacture, and will thus be of enormous value to metal artists everywhere, as well as to collectors and students of weaponry.

    New projects new photography and up-to-the-minute techniques make the process more user-friendly than ever. C&T Publishing

    A unique collection of origami facts, anecdotes, and techniques.Over 300 step-by-step diagrams, from simple and easy origami to more complex projects, with easy-to-follow instructions on how to make professional looking objects.An essential source book for all origami and papercraft enthusiasts--whatever their age or level of skill.

    Though most of the samplers sold well, one sold for $1, 070, 500! All the samplers from this exceptional collection are beautifully photographed and documented, making this an important addition to any collector's or needleworker's library. The text explains the history and development of the art by State, followed by examples from that area. Naturally there are many mourning samplers and other embroideries as this was so often a subject in past centuries. There are also some examples of mourning jewelry.

    Leaf through and you will quickly discover the eye-catching appeal of each typeface: the flowing elegance of Liberty; the sturdy formality of Piranesi Bold Italic; the airy, Art Deco flair of Hannover; the monogram-like quality of Juliet; the dazzle of Boulevard Script; the classical appeal of Virginia Antique. These beautiful designs, and scores more, are reproduced in complete uppercase alphabets. Ninety-two of them include lowercase alphabets as well, and eighty-nine include numerals.In all, Script and Cursive Alphabets is an invaluable resource of typefaces that will lend a distinctive character and mood to your message. Here in this rich collection of fonts, from Back Script and Virtuoso Bold to Khayyam and Poppl Exquisit, you'll find the letter-perfect way to say it.