Here’s a book I’ve been waiting for for 20 years! It says it’s

“the first comprehensive survey of modern craft in the United States. Makers follows the development of studio craft–objects in fiber, clay, glass, wood, and metal–from its roots in nineteenth-century reform movements to the rich diversity of expression at the end of the twentieth century.”

Makers: A History of American is by Janet Koplos and Bruce Metcalf. I almost minored in art history in college, and took more in my brief stint in graduate school. I always wanted to take a history of craft class, but there never was one. Okay, there was one on paper, but no one ever actually taught it.

And guess what? This book can also be used as a textbook. See the book’s website for additional info. and features.

The book project has been underway since 2002 and was supported by The Center for Craft, Creativity and Design.

If you’re an instructor, note the Instructor Log in feature at the website for more good stuff.

I am really excited about this book and can’t wait to get a copy!

I’ve been reading both of the metal clay bead making books that came out last year — one from Barbara Becker Simon and one from Linda Kaye Moses.

Linda’s book shows a wonderful drying rack she made from dowel rods. I didn’t have any dowel rods handy, but I did have straws, so I made a drying rack for making one of the beads in her book.

I laughed at myself for having so many lids handy for this project. No waiting, I was able to make it right away!

Readers submit reviews of well, cool tools, gadgets, things-which-solve-problems and work great.

There aren’t many reviews of metalsmithing items, so this recent review caught my eye.

Cool Tools has published reader Scott Randolph’s review of the Beverly Throatless Bench Shear. You can read it here: http://www.kk.org/cooltools

At last there’s a book out on bronze clay! I think many readers will flip right to the trouble shooting chart. If you’re thinking Yvonne’s name sounds familiar, it’s because she’s one of the technical staff at Rio Grande, you may have met her in the Rio booth at a metal clay conference!

Lark Books is the publisher of this first book on Bronze Clay, and they sent me a copy to review. (Yes, there were already some booklets and ebooks, but this is the first physical book from a publisher.)

I’ve been working with BronzClay for a little over a year. I’ve also worked with CopprClay, Art Clay Copper and Hadar’s Clays. I’ve taken a class in Art Clay Copper. Even so, I found this book helpful.

The base metal clays are tricky, and just when I think I’ve got it, ack! something goes wrong again!

The troubleshooting section is four pages long! In a format that will be familiar to you if you buy a lot of craft books, the front third or so covers the how-tos and the back two-thirds features projects.

My one slight disappointment with this book is that it doesn’t have the many, many lush full color pictures that I’ve come to expect in every Lark book. The projects have a photo of the completed project and then a few drawings for the step by step, along with written step by step directions.

This is okay for me, as an experienced metal clay person, but it could be a drawback for someone newer to the material.

Who this book is good for: anyone who wants to work with the base metal clays. Even if you’ve already been working with bronze clay, you’ll still find handy tips in this book. I’ve found tips and reminders that are worth the price of the book already. And it’s nice to have a physical book to sit down and read, with all the information in one place, from one author.

Vickie Hallmark has a self-published book out on Blurb.com, called Copper On, Copper Off. The preview pages on blurb show full color pictures and the book is an affordable $16.95!

Many projects shown are for adding copper electroforming to glass beads, but of course the same principles apply to other ways of working.

She generously has posted some of the information on her blog, so you can get a feel for the process and her instructional style.

Her book on blurb: http://www.blurb.com/bookstore

Her site, the electroforming tutorial: http://www.vickiehallmark.com/EformTutorial1.html

I was so glad when Linda Stiles Smith gave me a copy of her book, Metal Clay Basics and Bench Reference.

Years ago, it was my goal to own every book and article published on metal clay. That has become impossible. There are so many books out now on the subject, that I consider it quite brave of Linda to dive into the fray and publish her own book on the subject. I wondered what she would bring to the topic that was new.

Here’s where Linda’s book excels:

It’s concise, clear, and gives just the right amount of information for the beginner.

You know how when you’re learning a new craft or skill, and the books and resources on the topic contain so much jargon and information that you’re just confused? Linda’s book is simple and clear without being simplistic.

It’s not a project book, but it will give you the techniques and troubleshooting solutions to make your own designs. The reference bits are also very helpful, and include both brands of clay. Color pictures are included.

Who is this book best for? It’s ideal for the beginner who wants a concise book, a place to quickly find answers that beginners commonly have.

$24.95, available from Naturescape Studios.

If you’ve been meaning to try some projects combining metal clay and polymer clay, this gorgeous book, Perfectly Paired, by Patricia Kimle, will get you motivated to do it.

Projects go far beyond the obvious “make a metal clay frame for some polymer.” The construction methods are sophisticated and polished. Doing these projects may get you to stretch, and do a technique you haven’t done yet.

The pictures are clear and helpful, and labeled with letters that refer specifically to spots in the text. I appreciate that, so that I can quickly find exactly the information I need.

Who can use this book? There’s something here for everyone, even beginners will find something to do, but intermediate and advanced artisans will find a challenge as well.

Another benefit to this book is that you might find it very helpful as hands-on how to design lessons. Doing these projects could help you get out of a rut, if you’re in one, or just help you think in a new way about how to construct a project.

If you’re not an advanced poly clay artisan, that’s okay too, there are some simple poly clay projects to make.

I really enjoyed Say Everything: How Blogging Began, What It’s Becoming, and Why It Matters by Scott Rosenberg. There was a lot I didn’t know about the earliest days of blogging, and since this is something I do on a weekly basis, I’m glad to know the history of it.

The author tells the story compellingly, and he covers the “how much to share” issue for bloggers very thoughtfully.

In these times of sending status updates from your phone, it’s nice to read a book by someone who’s put so much thought into those issues.

If you’re an artist blogger and really into it, I think you’ll enjoy this book.

A new book from Lark Books is available for pre-order now on amazon! This is the first book out on bronze clay from a major publisher. I appreciate the affordable book prices from the major publishers.

Here’s the description from amazon:

Bronze metal clay is the natural next choice for the large silver metal clay market; it’s far less expensive, so crafters can expand their creativity creating larger-scale pieces. As a member of the Technical Support Team for Rio Grande (a huge online distributor of jewelry supplies), Yvonne Padilla is an expert at answering crafters’ questions about bronze. In addition to providing step-by-step instructions for 30 projects, she explains how bronze differs from silver clay, how to work with it, and how to attain the lovely verdigris patina that only bronze has. An inspirational gallery and a trouble shooting section complete the fantastic package.

How to review a book? As I work on reviewing more books, I’m learning from Angela of The Crafty Goat’s Notes, who includes in her reviews, “Who this book is good for.” I tend to mostly review books that I love and am really excited about. Angela’s example gives me a way to talk about useful books and help you figure out if it’s the right one for you.

Marketing and Selling your Handmade Jewelry: The Complete Guide to Turning Your Passion into Profit by Vicki Lareau is a recent (2006) book on breaking into selling jewelry, particularly beaded jewelry.

The slim volume gives a nice overview of the various options for selling, this book is perfect if you’re just starting out and want help understanding the issues involved in selling at shows, and other ways to sell.

She covers all the important issues: pricing, selling retail, selling wholesale and more, each chapter is relatively short, making this perfect for you if you don’t want to be overwhelmed with a tons of information and details right now.

The book does not cover online selling, though the information on pricing and press releases will still help you if you want to sell online.

So over all, it’s a thumbs up, a good beginner’s book on selling jewelry.