400 Wood Boxes: The Fine Art of Containment & Concealment (500 Series) [Paperback]

Lark Books (Editor)

Book Description

Series: 500 Series | Publication Date: March 28, 2004

Featuring 400 outstanding works that range from traditional to wildly contemporary, this superb gallery celebrates the art of the wooden box. The wonderfully wide variety of styles includes traditional jewelry and keepsake, turned, and tool boxes; miniature treasure chests; and sculptural work. Each one has been personally chosen by renowned boxmaker Tony Lydgate, and appears in an exquisite color plate; many of the boxes also come with detailed images that reveal important construction secrets. The selection includes pieces by a distinguished group of artists.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"If you are looking for ideas for a project, an excellent source is Lark Books' 500 Series. While this series covers many craft media, woodworkers will find the most inspiration from 500 Cabinets, 500 Tables, 500 Chairs, 400 Wood Boxes, and 500 Wood Bowls. Even if you are not looking for ideas, there is much in these books to appreciate and enjoy. You will probably do lots of nodding, plenty of eye widening, some jaw dropping, and, naturally, some wincing. Each book delivers a huge quantity of outstanding work." — Rob Porcaro, Heartwood: Inside the Woodshop

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Lark Books (March 28, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1579904599
• ISBN-13: 978-1579904593
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #309,533 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful book, May 28, 2005

By 

Book lover (Lexington, KY USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: 400 Wood Boxes: The Fine Art of Containment & Concealment (500 Series) (Paperback)

What a wonderful and varied collection of boxes! This is a treasure for wood-lovers or for anyone who loves beauty. As with 400 Polymer Clay Designs, it has so many beautiful images, I was not able to view it in one setting. The pictures made me smile and "wow," and made me want to pick up, feel and explore the boxes. Don't expect box-making instructions - this book is a gallery only, but of the highest order. I can't recommend it too highly.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Little boxes, little boxes..., March 17, 2005

By 

Marc Ruby™ "The Noh Hare™" (Warren, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

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This review is from: 400 Wood Boxes: The Fine Art of Containment & Concealment (500 Series) (Paperback)

Whether woodworker or collector you be, this is a must book. It displays some of the finest examples of modern box making I've seen under one cover. It is in artist by artist order. The photography and reproduction is professional, and the work represented covers the range from the traditional jewelry boxes of Roy Tsumoto to the incredible concoctions of Po Shun Leong. I like this heterogeneous approach because each time I start looking through the book I find that my tastes and understanding get a bit broader. This is a tremendous source of ideas.

Being a maker, I wish there were more technical details. On several occasions I found myself struggling to see how the artist created the box. In other words this is more about design than it is about engineering. But there is no curse without its blessing - making myself think of a way to carry out a design is good exercise. In any case, this book is invaluable for understanding the fine line between craft and art, one enclosed space after another.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars First true box-making compendium., June 30, 2004

By 

Alan Ladd (Colrain, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 400 Wood Boxes: The Fine Art of Containment & Concealment (500 Series) (Paperback)

This book is the first true compendium of box makers working in wood, with a total of four hundred pieces displayed in full color. The photos were submitted by the caftspeople themselves, and most of the photos and the work as well, are of professional quality. Many of the best pieces are actually by amateurs, which is not surprising given the labor-intensiveness of a quality wood box. The book is refreshingly themeless, and the work runs from classical to whimsical, with a decided tendency towards unconventional design. Only the bare minimum of information beyond the photos --size, material, a few artists comments, and in back, contact information. This is a great resource for the professional or aspiring woodworker, or even for an amateur looking for a full beadth of inspiration,or for the collector or decorator looking for a veritable encyclopedia of wood boxes.