Encyclopedia of Rawhide and Leather Braiding.

Rating:
Summary: The complete information source for this art
Review:
The best of the post WW2 books on the subject, and based on its best and closest competitors, which were also written by Bruce Grant (unfortunately listed as being written by B. Grant here on Amazon.Com). Not the easiest to use, or the most gracefully written, but clear, solid, correct, extensive, and exhaustive.

The people that Grant consulted in adding to his own Newsman/Cowboy/Texas store of information on braiding and leatherwork, and their insight into the meaning of the information taken from historical sources that Grant found or that they pointed out, simply aren't available now. Additions to what Grant has to say on the subject will have to be genuine later innovations, or based on improvements in materials. The appearance of good new examples of either will come slow.

In a way, if your interest in the art is mild, this might not be the right book. You will find it hard to let the book go, whether you use it or not, and the many possibilities it presents may reproach you if you don't make a run at mastering a few of them. A lifetime book. Tops. Plain and good. Helpful and fascinating. Useful.



Rating:
Summary: The best teaching aid for the experienced and beginners
Review: Bruce Grant shared his genius with the world by writing the "Encyclopedia of Rawhide and Leather Braiding. This book has text and illustration, for how the knots and plaits are constructed. Patterns also included for items that may have been lost forever if he never wrote them down.

Rating:
Summary: This is THE book on the subject
Review: During a one year stay I had the good fortune to stumble across a second hand bookstore where the library of Bruce Grant was for sale. Among the joys for a knot friend where the Ashley book of knots, the Encyclopedia of Knots and fancy ropework, Whips and Whipmaking, and more notably Leather Braiding and The Encyclopedia of Rawhide and Leather Braiding, both by Bruce Grant. To get your first impression of the subject by the authors own copies of the books is of course a trip in itself, but as the delicious shock subsided, the books continued to shine on their own. Using drawings, rather than photographs, is a superior way to guide the reader through apprenticeship of the art. This book serves the important purpose of preserving an old craft, and it does it well; the text is clear, and the development from the simple to the more complex eases the reader over all obstacles. This is the Ashley of leather braiding.

Rating:
Summary: Knot Lovers Will Knot Be Disappointed
Review: I rate this book a close second to The Ashley Book Of Knots,as a must-have for serious knot enthusiasts. Less pleasing artistic- ly, this book nevertheless delivers instructions for construct-ing truly beautiful and functional things. From rings, to brace- lets,to hatbands to belts--they're here. Need a quirt, a whip, a lariat,a horses headstall--they're here. How about a pair of "galooses?"--they're here. For me, the woven buttons are the most fascinating of all. Intri- cate and beautifully symmetrical, these knots are easy to make by following the ingenious method that Mr. Grant explains. (I copy the pattern, match and tape the ends to produce a cylinder, then I slide the cylinder over a rolled piece of cardboard or lino- leum and pin the bites with carpet tacks.) If you like this book, and I know you will, you might want to get Mr. Grant's two other books on the subject: Leather Braiding and How To Make Cowboy Horse Gear. Enjoy. Happy birthday.