5 stars (very good introduction) - The book has a lot of useful tips, tools, methods and so many other things. I am satisfied. Remember there is a version with some video orientation that is more expensive but could be useful if you dont have a teacher. 5 stars (Update Your Complete Metalsmith) - I've had and used McCreight's original "Complete Metalsmith" for years and wasn't sure I needed the new version. After owning it for several months now I couldn't be happier. The author assumes that the reader is as interested in WHY things happen as he is. This is not a step-by-step project book, but a bench tool. Do you need to know how to score metal to make a sharp corner? How can you tell when a piece of metal is annealed? Have you been bezel setting stones and are now ready to advance to a prong setting? Ready to make a hinge? Casting? Fusing? Repouss?#? Need to know what the Precious Metal Clay craze is about and how to start? It's all in here and the information is presented in a format made for the beginner or the experienced jeweler. He even covers how to photograph your work. I love that McCreight shows several ways of doing things so that if you don't have the equipment or tools, you can still proceed. In his typical style, the author has thought of everything. He's even made a smaller and less expensive version of the book for the "starving artists" and students among us. I have the version with the CD and use the software on my Palm regularly in my metalsmithing classes. This book is a worthy successor to the old version and should become as much a classic. 5 stars (Review of Complete Metalsmith Revised....) - It is with the highest recommendation that I encourage any metalsmith, be they beginner or advanced, to have this book on hand. It is chalk full to the brim with resourceful information, much of which can be used on a daily basis. I had the priviledge of learning under Tim McCreight's instruction at MECA for 4 years, and learned so much from him. ... Brynmorgen Press :: HOME REFERENCE - REMODEL&RENOV TRD PB :: Crafts & Hobbies & Metal Work :: Metal Work :: Hobbies&Crafts :: Crafts & Hobbies :: Crafts & Hobbies :: Tim McCreight :: :: Complete Metalsmith- Professional Edition