Puppets and Puppet Theatre (Hardcover)

~ David Currell (Author) "Puppetry and puppet theatre have a long and fascinating heritage..." (more)
Key Phrases: scenery slot, synthetic fur fabric, expanding foam filler, Little Angel Theatre, John Wright, Barry Smith's Theatre of Puppets (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Motion and performance are the emphasis in these three books. Currell, the author of several books on puppets (e.g., The Compete Book of Puppet Theatre), presents a detailed manual with line drawings and photographs for constructing and staging several types of two- and three-dimensional puppets to be used by children or adults. Some of the moving toys in the Howes's book, such as jumping figures and bobbing birds, are constructed much like puppets, but this book also includes carousels, pinwheels, and a very clever little theater with magnetic characters. Maskwork combines historical information about ethnic masks that children can make for their own performances, with performance and staging tips included. All three books would be welcome in general crafts collections. The Currell and Foreman books are also suitable for theater collections.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Whew! This overview of puppetry rushes by at road-rage speed, the author seemingly determined to cram everything into one 176-page book. London lecturer Currell, with five books to his credit, marshalls his expertise into both the how-to-fashion figures and staging information, including plenty of colorful professional puppets to gaze upon. The problem, then, lies not so much in the data but in their presentation. Drawings are usually not full-scale. The writing is unusually stilted. And no true projects or patterns exist; instead, the focus is on generic methods (foam rubber versus wood sculpting, for instance) and on universal techniques (control and manipulation, construction, and the like) to educate puppeteers in the broadest perspective possible. Barbara Jacobs

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Crowood Press (March 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1861261357
• ISBN-13: 978-1861261359
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #170,680 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Book on Puppetry Ever!!!!!!!! from a 15 year old, January 15, 2004

A Kid's Review

This book tells you everything you need to know about how to do a puppet show. If you are interested in puppetry, even just a little bit, get this book right away. Hint: if you want to use latex to make a hand puppet, sculpt the head with a open mouth.

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exceptional puppet making book, March 8, 2002

By	A. Haddad "shalizeh2" (California United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

This book is good for beginner puppeteers as well as for professional puppet makers. It is full of photographs and ideas, from puppet construction to theater and performance. Is one of those rare books that contains a great amount of useful information.

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A high quality book, January 7, 2002

By	Adriana Sautu (Panama Panama) - See all my reviews

This is a book for professional and seriuous amateurs who want to improve their technical skills about puppet design, stages, and perfomances. Sharing the experience of excelent puppetters, with excelent photos and diagrams. Also is a very well design book, hardcover and sharp quality book. We strongly recommend it, it is one of the most complete and easy to read book we had seen.