A Practical Illustrated Sourcebook of Techniques and Projects

Not really written for a casual hobbyist. Has a section about the ideal workspace and unless you either are super rich or live in a giant house it's unrealistic. Otherwise, good information. Wish there were more beginner projects.

I was somewhat disappointed in this book. There are s few good pieces of reference in here but overall I felt it was a waste of money.

I was expecting more step by step instructions. Although there are a few diagrams and pictures, the book does a poor job of walking you through the process.

I mainly purchased this book because I needed help making pockets on bags. The section on pockets is only two pages long and has a couple of diagrams with very little detail. It wasn't helpful in the least.

I have the Al Stohlman books and thought this could be more of an updated companion, but it was not the case. If you don't have the Stohlman books, I'd say start there. They have plenty of illustrations to help you along.

Excellent introduction ! Would be of interest to people who want to make finer leather goods. The Stohlman books are good, but not everyone wants to be a saddle-maker. Of all the intro books I have seen for intro to leatherworking, this would get my vote for a must-buy. Recommended without any reservations !

The book has so much information! The directions are very clear, the accompanying pictures are great. I can tell this is going to be my "go to" book. I should have purchased it long ago. If you are learning leather work, buy this book

This book is excellent for the novice leather worker. It is written in a clear concise manner and covers the basics of leather working tecniques. I am going to get great use out of this book. It is just what I needed to get started making bridles and tack.

The book is a very good introduction to working with leather, but it didn't have the details to answer all of my questions, and I am now in search of a better book. The information seems adequate, but once you visit an actual leather supply store (or even consult an online catalog) you'll find you have a thousand questions that this book doesn't confront. A larger glossary would improve this book immensely.
Unfortunately, the guys who run the local leather supply store here are only helpful if it's obvious you're going to spend lots of money. Otherwise they pretty much look down their noses at you. So unless I find some friendlier people to ask questions, I'm stuck with finding the right book. I'm sorry to say that this was not that book.

This book is excellent for the novice leather worker. It is written in a clear concise manner and covers the basics of leather working tecniques. I am going to get great use out of this book. It is just what I needed to get started making bridles and tack.

The book is a very good introduction to working with leather, but it didn't have the details to answer all of my questions, and I am now in search of a better book. The information seems adequate, but once you visit an actual leather supply store (or even consult an online catalog) you'll find you have a thousand questions that this book doesn't confront. A larger glossary would improve this book immensely.
Unfortunately, the guys who run the local leather supply store here are only helpful if it's obvious you're going to spend lots of money. Otherwise they pretty much look down their noses at you. So unless I find some friendlier people to ask questions, I'm stuck with finding the right book. I'm sorry to say that this was not that book.

not current or very complete. Written and originally published in U K and they are definitely not cowboys or Yanks. The sewing section drops the reader into the description assuming you have prior knowledge or have been otherwise instructed and is not complete. The section on masks was a total waste.

This is an excellent source for just about anything leatherworking. From the basics of what is leather to designing your own patterns, this book has excellent information. However, there is only a brief mention of tooling leather.

There are excellent illustrations and photos to supplement the written instructions. I would highly recommend this for anyone getting started making their own leatherworking projects.

I have been very interesting in making purses and other items where building a case is critical. I found this book to be excellent in answering many of my questions. I have found no one book can answer all your questions. A lot depends on reading and working to develop more understanding. This book attracted me because it uses molds to shape form leather into cases. I found the other information in the book very helpful with my projects and developing my skills and ideas.

This book is a welcome addition to my leatherworking library. Particularly since the the styles are similar to my own tastes - very plain, but elegant. Very different from the typical US type of leatherworking with lots of tooling, buckstitching, etc. Not that I don't appreciate that style also - I have a huge stack of Ann & Al Stohlman's books that I regularly re-read - but it is nice to see something *different*. The techniques, also, are a bit different in some cases, which I also appreciate.
As the author is British, some of the terms and tools may seem unfamiliar at first. However, there are either the "American-English" equivalents listed, or it's clear what is meant from skimming the text.
A definite addition to any leatherworkers'library.

This book stands out from the general run of leathercraft books by not being "crafty" (i.e., about making junk) and presenting truly fine workmanship - not the equal of commercial products, but better. It is superbly illustrated and very much to the point. It presents tools, techniques, and projects in order of difficulty. The project items are worthwhile, beautiful, even elegant. No digressions on philosophy or history, no segues into other crafts, no lists of out-of-date websites and suppliers, etc. Buy it. It will elevate your vision as to what's possible.

I had in mind a project that needed two particular leatherworking skills - box stitching and moulding leather - and had found many many books which told me in great detail just how to do a thousand other things, much rarer and more complex.
Then I found this book - clear, informative, and reassuring. Bravo!
Richard Byrne

As a beginning leatherworker, I refer back to this book a lot. She gives very straight-forward explanations of basic techniques... the saddle stitch is perfectly clear. Some of the projects will take a lot of practice to get to the level of finish that you see in the illustrations. That's not really a problem... just something to work towards.

I found this handbook disappointingly superficial.It makes to many assumptions that the reader is an experienced leather-worker, and is very short on instruction.
This writer has had some expert tutelage from master craftsmen, but I still found a considerable deficit in detail.A pity, as the projests are interesting, but, in most instances, too complex for a beginner.
I could not recommend this book!