Not Good, Not Good!

I don't do this usually, but I did send it back. Don't judge a book by its cover!

This book is a way of just printing money. Someone interested in Shoji screen panels for dividers, doors and window lites might buy it in the hope of being inspired but the reality is the most unimaginative presentation of a fine craft and art. Words would have made a difference, as would some additional drawings depicting the corner joints and the union of kumiko in different points of contact. Instead, it left me feeling that I had just bitten into a rotten apple -- cheated of the expected delights of knowing just little more about a cultural craft. Rubbish, really.

When I opened the pages and flipped through them I thought it was one of those low-grade children's colouring books you used to get for the kids when you went on holiday, to occupy them on wet days and car journeys. Not that I was looking for colour or even texture, just a nice presentation and a resource of information that might be helpful for anyone looking to make a Shoji. For £22 I did expect much more. The cost of printing and publishing would be under a pound or two max. No, not a single idea about proportion or measurement, stock section size or profile anywhere, not a single word outside of the intro page and even then just three very short and uninformative paragraphs. I thought it to be insulting at best and then too the result of lazy publishing so I thought I should perhaps mention it here to prevent disappointment for others elsewhere in the globe.

So this is my review.