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• Bird Decoys of North America: Nature, History, and Art-NS

  $40.00 $24.00 0 review(s)

  
  

  Bird decoys, which were first fashioned by Native American hunter-artists at least 1,500 years ago, are the only major folk art form to originate in North America. Today, decoys made during the heyday of decoy carving--roughly from 1840 to 1950--rank among the most avidly sought of all folk art collectibles, with some rare and outstanding examples fetching upwards of $8000,000 apiece at auction. These humble hunting tools, intended to deceive wildfowl by luring them into shooters' range, are now appreciated on many levels: as compelling works of sculpture, as exacting portraits of living and extinct species, and as irreplaceable historical objects. Successful decoy carvers of the past knew their prey intimately--spending countless hours observing game birds in the wild and then bringing their accumulated knowledge of different species' appearance and behavior to the carving bench. Because the works these artisans created were meant to attract avian eyes--conveying the essence of a bird's plumage, form, and attitude at a glance--older handmade decoys are deeply observed symbols of living birds that no merely decorative object, no matter how photographically accurate, can match. In this definitive, lavishly illustrated work, folk-art expert Robert Shaw chronicles the now-vanished era in which the great decoy makers pursued their craft. Shaw traces the natural history of North American bird species--more than sixty of which are represented in antique decoys. He relates the history of wildfowl hunting on this continent, detailing the excesses of nineteenth-century commercial hunting and the rise of a conservation movement aimed at ensuring bird species' long-term survival. He examines the distinctive forms produced in each major hunting area, from the Maritime Provinces of Canada to the Chesapeake Bay to the bayous of Louisiana and beyond. And, with a storyteller's gift for the entertaining anecdote, Shaw puts us in touch with the lives and circumstances of the decoy makers themselves.

• The Art of Whittling [LSI]

  $9.95 $5.97 0 review(s)

  
  

  One of the earliest guides to traditional whittling, this reprint of a 1930s classic preserves all of the original projects and text. This manual is still sought after by whittlers because it explains how to carve many items popular in American tramp art and more complicated items that are not included in most whittling books, such as continuous wooden chains, hand tools, puzzles, balls inside spirals, swivels, entwined hearts, and buildings inside bottles.

• OAK: THE FRAME OF CIVILIZATION

  $24.95 $19.95 0 review(s)

  
  

  The story of oak is at the root of everything we know. The oak tree is everywhere in the temperate zones of the world: knowing how to use it has made an astonishing difference to human history. From religious rites to heating, ink, war ships, casks, and homemaking, oak has had a dramatic impact on our world. This is a highly readable work on a very interesting subject. Published at $24.95 Special $19.95.

• BUILD LIKE A PRO: PAINTING AND FINISHING

  $19.95 $11.97 0 review(s)

  
  

  This is a practical approach for the homeowner. Dresdner covers choosing paints and finishes, surface preparation, and application methods. Both interior and exterior painting and finishing are covered. Dresdner offers many tips and shortcuts gleaned from years on the job. This is a step-by-step guide to accomplishing the major finishing tasks around the home. Kitchens, baths, built-ins and paneling, doors, moulding and trim, furniture, siding, decks, porches, fences and patios.

• Woodworking 101: Skill-Building Projects that Teach the Basics

  $24.95 $14.97 0 review(s)

  
  

  For absolute beginners looking to become confident woodworkers relatively quickly, this self-teaching guide will do the trick. Woodworking 101 combines the best material from the four books in Taunton’s Getting Started in Woodworking Series (Getting Started in Woodworking, Your First Workshop, Projects for Your Shop, and Furniture You Can Build). Highly visual and easy to follow, the book includes detailed step-by-step photos, illustrations, shop schematics, and exploded drawings. Readers will learn how to set up and maintain their own shop, work with basic tools, and finesse their skills building a chair, a table, a bookcase, a bench—even a simple bed. With the basics mastered here, there’s no end to what new woodworkers will accomplish for years to come.

• For Pros by Pros: Building Decks, revised

  $24.95 $14.97 0 review(s)

  
  

  This essential reference for pros and passionate amateurs is back with a fresh design and new content. Written by respected builders from all over America, this completely revised and expanded edition collects 11 new deckbuilding articles from the pages of Fine Homebuilding magazine, covering every aspect of deck design and construction, from the pros and cons of the newest decking materials to recent changes to the building code. Building Decks guides the reader through the entire process from first footings to final finishes, sharing insider secrets that only the pros know.