P. Allen Smith's Bringing the Garden Indoors: Containers, Crafts, and Bouquets for Every Room

Gustie L. Herrigel

Zen in the Art of Flower Arrangement: The Classic Account of the Meaning and Symbolism of the Japanese Art of Ikebana

Japanese masters have developed the techniques of ikebana over centuries and, while many different styles have evolved, they all share the same fundamental principles. The art embodies aesthetic considerations, knowledge of the natural forms of plants, and a profound understanding of the space around them. This book explains these principles by describing the lessons learned from master arranger Bokuyo Takeda and the underlying Zen symbolism in the art of ikebana. Readers will learn that training in ikebana is a process of achieving spiritual enlightenment and that the craft of arranging flowers is a form of meditation. These lessons provide a perfect escape from the stresses of everyday life and the incomparable satisfaction of creating beauty in the home.

Todd Triplett

The Complete Guide to Small Game Taxidermy: How to Work with Squirrels, Varmints, and Predators

There are plenty of books on taxidermy, but none covers small game with the learning and depth of THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO SMALL GAME TAXIDERMY. Drawing on generations of experience, the author covers all aspects of the art. From proper field care and tanning to crafting life-size mounts, this book will help any individual to approach master status. Chapters cover topics like basic base building, making a life-size bobcat mount, and more. The author relates a lifetime of invaluable tips on the subtle arts of the ear and mouth--when to choose open and when to choose closed--and why field care is where good taxidermy starts. Whether the reader is pursuing taxidermy as a hobby or a profession, THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO SMALL GAME TAXIDERMY will prove an invaluable guide.

Nancy Arthur Hoskins

The Coptic Tapestry Albums and the Archeaologiest of Antinoe, Albert Gayet

Vibrant tapestries of beribboned birds, cantering centaurs, and Dionysian dancers, woven in Coptic Egypt more than a thousand years ago, were artfully arranged in a handsome pair of albums in 1913. Some of the fabrics are shown in unique collage compositions. Sandals, spindles, and a mysterious lock of hair are assembled in a shallow box at the back of one album. Many textiles in this important collection, housed at the Henry Art Gallery at the University of Washington, were once joined by warp and weft with those from the Musée du Louvre and other major museums.Nancy Hoskins deftly interweaves the creation of the textiles in the Greco-Roman city of Antinoé, Egypt, with their discovery by the charismatic French archaeologist Albert Gayet (1856-1916). Gayet staged stunning exhibitions of the pieces in Paris at the turn of the century and ultimately gave them to museums or sold them. One collector, Henry Bryon, had his 144 fabrics bound into the two albums featured here.The album pages and covers are illustrated in glowing color, along with archival photographs from Gayet's expeditions. The style, structure, and iconography of each tapestry, tabby, and tablet-woven textile are ...