I would never sew a tailored jacket without this book. The techniques are timeless. It really is possible to sew a blazer in 8 hours following the instructions. I didn't rate it 5 stars because some of the information, such as the interfacing chart on page 24, are dated. The good news is that they are dated because fusible interfacings have greatly improved since 1983.

Palmer Pletsch published "Jackets for Real People" in March 2006. I don't have the book and will not buy it. However, based on the blurb at http://www.palmerpletsch.com/store/index.htm I think they have updated the information & added information on altering commercial patterns for a custom fit. I custom draft all my patterns, so that information doesn't interest me. If I still used commercial patterns, I would definitely buy the new book. ( )