Essentially Candles: The Elegant Art of Candle Making & Embellishing

Rating:
Summary: Boring, and not much help to beginners
Review: "To waken interest and kindle enthusiasm is the sure way to teach easily and successfully. " Tryon Edwards (1809-1894)
This quote,(pun intended), describes Essentailly Candles to a "T". Starting with the history of candles,then proceeding to choosing the correct wax, wick and additives, then to the projects and great photos, Bob and Kate McDaniel have done an excellent job of teaching basic and advance skill in candlemaking. The book is easily read, the projects are illustrated with great photos and it is packed full of information useful to either the novice or more experienced candlemaker. I found the infomation on color, blending techniques, wax quantites for molds and differences and uses of various waxes to be most informative and helpful. I have made candles for over 20 years and still learned many new and useful things from this book.There are many books with pretty pictures and directions for projects. Essentially Candles not only gives the projects and the step-by-step directions but also offers the foundation information necessary to explore other possibilities. A must have for anyone wishing to know the why of candlemaking.

Rating:
Summary: Boring, and not much help to beginners
Review: De. Bob should stick to soap. His candle making book is not for a beginner who just wants to know the basics in simple terms and get started. Although I am sure some of the information will be helpful to the more advanced, it was not what I was looking for to get started.

Rating:
Summary: Essentially Most Useful
Review: I was first struck by the photo content. It seems that procedures to make every common type of candle (and several uncommon ones as well) are fully illustrated with lots of photos that make reproducing the results extremely easy to follow. Not only that but the authors helped to dispell my bewildernment over the many, many ingredients available on the market which are useful (or not) for producing special effects. For instance, the suggestion to forget gloss ingredients and use higher temperatures in making the candle is simple and highly practical.
I own or have looked through almost every candle book on the market, and I think this one is clearly the best resource book available. I just wish it were longer.
Finally, to my surprise, I discovered that this is the only book that is recommended by my primary ingredient supplier. They seem to agree that it is the most factual and accurate book on the market suitable for those getting started as well as for those needing more info as they scale up.

Rating:
Summary: Best value!
Review: Ingredient selection for candles can be baffling, but Dr. Bob covers the gamut and tells which work or when there is a better way to do things. Lots of projects with easily available equipment as well as how to use fancy molds, or even make your own molds! Over 250 beautiful color pictures make procedures and results easy to understand. The section on how much wax is needed for a particular mold is invaluable, and I personally love the section on wax characteristics.
The FAQ is quite complete and look for tips on the best ways to make or avoid mottled candles, glossy candles, and which special ingredients can be replaced by the right technique. This is a valuable book for scout leaders, first timers, and experienced candlemakers alike. But then, what would you expect from the authors of Essentially Soap.