*I received a copy of this book from Members Giveaway in exchange for an unbiased review.*

I've been wanting to get into woodworking and the like for awhile now, but wasn't really sure where to start. The things I had questions about always kept me from getting started; there is so much about woodworking that I don't know or understand just yet. The topic itself for me can be intimidating because it is very detailed and precise, and I don't understand so much of it. That brings me to this book. One of the largest things I didn't understand was the actual joining of the wood and how to do that securely. The book went into very thorough detail, some of which had pictures or illustrations, about different joining methods and the tools required for each type. For someone under the beginner level like myself, this was probably the best-case scenario as I wouldn't have understood any of it without the visual material to accompany it. I liked that the steps, as long as you have the tools, were easy to follow along with and a photo of the anticipated end result was included. In explaining the different kinds of joining methods, the book also went into detail about the different types of wood used for these methods, which was very useful for someone like me who wouldn't know certain differences between various types of wood. Those differences heavily impact the end result of the project, and I like that the book made sure to highlight that alongside showing the techniques. There is a lot of variety in the types of joinery included, so I think the book can appeal to those experienced with woodworking but not a lot of experience with different kinds of wood joinery.

I don't have many suggestions for improvement, but quite a few of the pictures throughout seemed to have lesser quality than some of the other photos, like most of the instructional photos in the Beginner Projects section of the book. I would have also liked if there were photos of the various types of clamps. The other tools and types of wood had a photo to accompany them so the reader could differentiate, but other than the photo with the pile of clamps, there wasn't much about them beyond a brief explanation. A quick Google search would answer all of those things quickly so it doesn't take anything away from the book, but I wish they'd been included as with the other tools and methods discussed.

I found this book very informative, and a huge source of help for me with trying to dip my toes into woodworking. I found it educational, easy to follow, and will be making it a reference book for the future once I get started. Thank you to the author for allowing me to review a copy!