There are many places to find woodworking knowledge. Websites. Magazines. Talking with experienced woodworkers.
Then there are books. Lots and lots of books. Whether a classic tome reprinted from centuries ago or a volume of the latest how-to techniques, there’s something for everyone out there. And, if you can’t find what you need, rest assured there’s probably a woodworker somewhere slaving over a keyboard preparing a manuscript to fill the void.
So, this week, we want to know what you would be willing to shell out for a single book. Would you be willing to open your wallet wide for the right book, or can you pass, looking to find the information elsewhere?
[poll id=”109″]
I was goint say “nothing” I don’t buy meny books about anything. Then I rembered, I did spend $20.00 for a wood working book just last month. I got a copy of “Wooden Bowls from the scroll saw” by Carole Rothman. Some beautiful work in this one! 🙂
Rog
i tend to get a lot of books from the library. two reasons is usually my funds are limited and I like the library the whole experience of sitting, flipping through books there, to check it out, read it and finally return it. Cuts down on how much storage I have to have for the books as well. I am thinking of giving back by donating some old books to the library I check out from. Maybe some other broke woodworker can benefit from the books I bought years ago I never look at after I read them.
It depends a lot on the quality of the book, A trade paperback with quality info or a glossy “coffee table” type book are two entirely different things, purchased for entirely different reasons. I would pay big bucks for a quality artistic book given sufficient rarity and desirability. I’m also patient, if someone is charging more than I feel a book is worth, I can wait for it to appear on the used market, with a lot of books that happens quite quickly with reviewers selling off their review copies.
A couple of books I’m still waiting to see. A history of portable power tools, with copious photos. The same again with stationary woodworking machines.
It costs $125.00 a year here to get a library card here because I don’t live in the city limits and don’t pay taxes there. I’m kind a bookalcholic any way so I purchase several, maybe more ;-0, $20-$40 books a year and quite a few more that I find on sale mostly from Amazon.com .
First: I’m a book lover. A book hoarder. My collection is second only to the Alexandrian institution of yore. 🙂 And by the time I die, I hope it’s tripled in size; as well, I hope I’ve tripled my experience of the smell and heft and tactile satisfaction of books.
However: When it comes to (most) subjects technical—such as woodworking—I’ve yet to find a book that proved worth its price in coin or space, as compared to the information available on the Internet. Because as soon as I read about a technique in an “old classic,” I go to the Web to further my knowledge on the subject, and find it covered much more comprehensively, or (as is often the case) significantly improved upon, with related commentary offered by many who’ve actually implemented it.
Yes, I love books. And one day I may decide that I want to collect woodworking books. But it will be for the sheer vanity of it; not the literary ethos.
I agree with teh above post about enjoying the library experience. However, the library doesn’t have the new books and many of the books I want. I usually try half.com first to see if I can get a really low price and if it’s not there then I’ll try Amazon. If it is not there or the price is not a reasonable savings then I’ll go to the local bookstore.