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Rating: 
Summary: Fabulous Info, Poorly Reproduced
Review: After 112 years the information in this book is still as important as it was when it was first published. However, the quality of the reproduction in the images is appalling. I also have an edition from 1910 in which you can clearly see sections of many of the embroidery images that are almost totally blacked out in the anniversary edition.The anniversary edition does contain a few more items that are missing from my older edition, so I suggest purchasing both. Buy the new edition for everyday use and buy an antique copy from Ebay for the images and diagrams.
Rating:
Summary: Every single stitch and technique in detail
Review: If needlework is a serious hobby or your occupation, you need this most authoritative guide to the art of needlecraft. It covers every single stitch and technique in detail. However, the Encyclopedia does not allow for much fun and easy reading. The text is dense and the black and white illustrations are at first glance not always that much clarifying - they need studying. The language used is a bit oldfashioned and may occasionally be hard to understand if English is not your native language. The instructions are very strict and creative variations are not promoted. Furthermore, the index does not always point to the right page. Still, De Dillmont offers us a trusted companion for sorting out the right stitches and thorough introductions to a wide variety of techniques. The Encyclopedia has also proved to be of use to historians and translators in the field of art and crafts.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent material, poor-quality reproduction.
Review: This book is over a hundred years old, but the information within still applies to all the subjects covered: sewing and mending, embroidery, applique, tapestry, knitting, crochet, tatting, macrame, and many varieties of lacemaking. Well-written and illustrated, the instruction is easily digested today -- no one will have trouble learning from these pages. My only complaint is that the original had many color plates which here have been reproduced as balck and white, and the paper on which it is printed is stark white. This makes for rather glaring, ugly pages. My aunt's edition from the 1930s is beautiful by comparison. I suppose the publisher was more concerned with keeping the cost down. Get the hardcover -- the book is quite thick and the paperback version will wear out quickly.
Rating:
Summary: Must have for needleworkers
Review: This book is wonderful for those particullary interested in historical needlework. The reproduction quality might have been able to be improved upon, but it is a great price for a good book. Some of the things do not have the copious instruction of modern books, assuming some knowledge on the reader's part. It is one book that will stay in my collection forever.
Rating:
Summary: Must have for needleworkers
Review: This book is wonderful for those particullary interested in historical needlework. The reproduction quality might have been able to be improved upon, but it is a great price for a good book. Some of the things do not have the copious instruction of modern books, assuming some knowledge on the reader's part. It is one book that will stay in my collection forever.
Rating: 
Summary: Classic encyclopedia a must for SCA'ers and historians
Review: While you may not set down to do Arabic-style embroidery or do fine handsewing, if you belong to historical recreation societies such as SCA or others, this book is an absolute must. The best chapter, in my opinion, is the one on handsewing, teaching the reader how to stitch as if they were a sewing machine. You need a cushioned lead weight to pin the piece out on--this holds it taut while you do a backstitch seam. Picking a hem, mattress stitch and other hand techniques are drawn in an old style of steel plate but very visible. While this is not a modern text, the pictures are good for those who are interested in historical needlework such as embroidery, and for those who just like reading about needlework.
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