(With this art form, once a mark is made it is almost impossible to return, so careful thought and planning is essential: this book encourages that kind of awareness.) Finally, the book is full of some wonderful examples of the author's and other engravers work. If you have ever wanted to learn wood engraving, this book has easy to follow instructions. It has much that you need to know. However for a beginner, I found there was not enough basic knowledge and samples here. This book is strong on samples of finished pieces by master engravers. Whilst this is a good handbook for anyone following an educational course, I don't think it is enough on its own for beginners. This review first appeared on Karen Platt's book review website.