I'm way behind on my emails and just saw the brief discussion about Alden
Amos' new book from earlier this week. I just wanted to add my comments.
Alden asked me to do a technical read of the book last summer -- that is, to
go through the text and check everything that wasn't related to grammar,
spelling, and other things that copy editors take care of. Things like
terminology, consistency, his equations and examples, etc. So I had a sneak
peak at the text and a chance to add lots of little blue annotations along
the way: "Wait, what about fleece that you're intending to comb? Would you
still wash it this way?" or "Hmmmm, is this a typo? Last time I checked, 2 +
2 still equaled 4."
It was alot of work. It's a very long book. But I had a blast. And I learned
SO MUCH along the way. In my opinion it is an absolutely definitive text on
the art and craft of handspinning. You don't have to agree with Alden about
everything -- heck, I don't agree with Mabel Ross or Peter Teal about
everything, either. But no matter what your interest in spinning -- from
being a simple beginner with a spindle to wheel-building to production
spinning, there's something there of value.
The chapter on combing, for instance, was a revelation to me. His chapter on
plying has THE best information on an often-overlooked part of our craft.
His footnotes are a treasure. While the text is written in a conversational,
somewhat neutral tone, the footnotes are where he offers nuggets of research
findings in long-forgotten texts, or even better, extremely funny anecdoes
about his decades of experience in the field told in his best wry, dry wit.
Yes, this is an admittedly a somewhat biased endorsement since I am Alden's
friend and had a hand in the book's creation. But I wouldn't feel free to
come online and praise the book without genuinely feeling that it's a
worthwhile addition to any spinner's library.
Elaine
--
Elaine Benfatto, Cambridge MA
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.urbanspinner.com/
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