This is a book primarily about woodturning. It takes the reader, step by step, through a number of projects varying in difficulty from a simple apple to rather more difficult bowls, hollow forms and boxes, culminating in quite complex sculptural pieces. Whatever the reader's level of expertise, there is something here for everyone. One of the aims of the book is to bring some awareness of the tree back into the woodturning consciousness and each project features a common British timber. Throughout the projects, Bob Chapman teaches principles of good tool control and usage, explaining, sometimes in quite some detail, how to hold and manipulate the tool to get the desired effect. Also included are discussions of workshop layout, choosing a lathe, safety and design.