The companion workbook to Toplin & Walker's By Hand & Eye takes you through illustrated and explained (by a rather sarcastic dog) exercises all using basic geometry and simple tools to design furniture. The tools include pencil, dividers (or compass) straight edge and a sector. There is no ruler in that list, as it is all about proportions and rhythms.

If you liked the ideas of By Hand & Eye but were a bit frustrated or lost by the brief descriptions, or just haven't had much luck trying to apply the ideas, then this workbook is for you.

I also think it is a great thing for the kid that takes geometry and say "but what GOOD is any of this?" If they have any kind of a bent towards making things, out of legos, drawing, wood, 3-d printers, whatever, this can help with design ideas and seeing the patterns behind so many designed things, and the important part geometry plays in that realm. ( )

I've heard or read about the golden ratio any number of times, and how it can or should be applied to designing almost anything. But in the course of my own attempts to design and build furniture, I never really got it until I was reading this book. Unfortunately along the way, a lot of the geometric constructions were described a little superficially, and in a manner that I didn't really "get". I ended up working through several variations myself, and scrounging up old geometry books and examples online. That's good, because I really got it once I got it, but its bad, because the book didn't really help me that much.

All in all, it's not a bad book, but you have to be really into the idea of designing by hand and by proportions, without CAD, without precisely accurate to the 1 mm measurements. And like anything from Lost Art Press, it is an incredibly solid, well made book that is going to last. Even if you have it bumping around in your shop. Reportedly Walker and Toplin are creating a follow-up workbook in 2015, which should be a big help to for anyone looking for more practical than theory. ( )

There are glowing reviews out there which you should read. Here is mine: Walker's part is the introduction to the great design book which should have followed, but instead we have Tolpin's half, which is fine, but it feels so disconnected, part two would have been good in a spiral bound workbook (think "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain"), but there just wasn't enough material here for one book, let alone two. Recently, I needed to do some design work, and I picked up "The American Vignola", which reminded me to review By Hand & Eye here. Possibly I'd never have read The A.V. without Walker's articles. I wonder if the authors had trouble getting it out the door? Lost Art Press: I was really anticipating this book, but after all the build up it was disappointing. Sorry for the critical review, please give me a 4 or 5 star second edition! (I promise I'll buy it again) ( )