Soap: Making It, Enjoying It (Paperback)

by Ann Bramson (Author) "HOMEMADE SOAP has little to do with store-bought soap..." (more)
Key Phrases: New York, Ivory Soap

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
How to make beautiful gift soaps at home with instructions for coloring, scenting, molding, and carving. Selection of the Better Homes & Gardens Family Book Service.140,000 copies in print

About the Author
ANN   BRAMSON Ann Bramson was recently named Publisher of Artisan Books, a division of Workman Publishing. Prior to that, she was VP and Senior Editor at William Morrow & Company. In the course of her career, she has worked with such major cookbook writers as Julia Child (Baking with Julia), Jacques Pepin (La Technique, La Methode, The Short-Cut Cook), Craig Claiborne (Elements of Etiquette, Craig Claiborne's Favorites), Barbara Kafka (Roasting, Party Food, Microwave Gourmet) and Guiliano Bugialli (Classic Techniques of Italian Cooking). She has published many chefs, bakers, and restaurateurs Ñ among them Paul Prudhomme, Larry Forgione, Biba Caggiano, Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken, Joyce Goldstein, Jim Peterson, Nancy Silverton, Amy Scherber, Jeremiah Tower, and Chris Schlesinger Ñ and has been instrumental in producing major works under the imprimaturs of such diverse institutions as Good Housekeeping and Le Cordon Bleu. 

Product Details

• Paperback: 120 pages
• Publisher: Workman Publishing Company; 2 edition (January 4, 1975)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0911104577
• ISBN-13: 978-0911104578
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #232,878 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

91 of 91 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How I learned to make soap and start a business, February 25, 2003

By	Pamela S. Black (Las Vegas, Nevada, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with this particular book.

When I started making soap around 1990, this was the only book I could find. I had only been searching for about 30 years for instructions on how to make soap at home, haahaa.

Ann Bramson, whoever she is and where ever she is, gave me a start to the most successful business I've ever owned. As a result, it has completely changed my life.

But, about this book.... It is very simple, very basic, and has a lot of information in it that will lead you in completely the wrong direction. Not because it isn't correct information exactly, it all is true for her book and her method of soap making. We soap makers have learned much since we all put our heads together on the internet. By swapping thoughts and failures we've greatly improved how to make soap at home.

Probably 90% of soap authors just copy the information in this book. So instead of buying theirs, buy this one. It is much less expensive and you will receive the exact same information.

I still love this book. It explains how to make some soap at home and isn't that what you're looking for? With this very inexpensive, no thrills, no daring to be different book, you will make your first batch of soap successfully!

I like her recipes and those are the only recipes I made for years. They do make excellent soap!

The issues I have with this book are that we do not need to match temperatures on your fats and lye solutions. You really should not use fat temperatures of 98 degrees; this is far too low. Certainly, you CAN add herbs and fruits and all sorts of things to your soap recipe. The reason she says that you cannot is because of the low temperatures she's using in her book.

With this book and some help from my web site and the internet soap making community, you can be on your way to being the happiest self employed person on the net too!

Buy this book. Even if it is just to share in my joy of getting started with MY first batch that headed me in the right career direction.
Pam

38 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great basic reference, December 16, 1999

By	Sally Reese (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

I've been making soap for a year now, and this is the first book I bought. Overall, it is a great source. I read it three times before I even tried to make a batch. I would recommend thoroughly reading this book, but do not take all Ann's advise as law. For example: she says that your temperatures must be between 95 and 98 degrees or your batches will fail. Not true! And she says you should not make batches smaller than 6 pounds. Many people make 1 pound batches with no problems. For most people, this is just a hobby and what will they do with 6 pounds of soap, especially when you want to make a few different kinds!

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's easy to see why this is a classic!, January 30, 1999

By A Customer

This is a wonderful book. Very readable, very inspiring, and also entertaining. She has a really nice style of writing -- folksy and easy to understand. This book has four basic recipes -- three are animal fat based, and one is vegetable oil based. Her instructions are clear and reassuring. I really like her comments on carving the finished soap into bars. And I love the chapter on the history of soapmaking, including 100-year old ads for commercial soaps like Ivory and Cashmere bouquet. This book really makes you appreciate soap and the process of making it.