Let’s say you’re a jewelrymaker and you can’t figure out a way to make a hidden hinge for a box. So you write your uncle, the master goldsmith. He sits down, gets very stoned, and sends you a beautifully descriptive letter, complete with imaginative little drawings, written in a tight, clear hand. Now imagine a whole book on jewelry-making done in this very personal, friendly, and accessible way, and you have The Complete Metalsmith. The title to the contrary, this book won’t tell you much about blacksmithing, titanium, or stainless steel, but it will tell you a lot about goldsmithing, and in a marvelous way. Tim McCreight’s style is light and humorous, as well as technically knowledgeable. The book is visually and factually stimulating enough that I reread it a second time as soon as I finished it once, to try and take more of
