Albert Jackson

Very similar at first sight to the Reader's Digest Complete DIY Manual, published around the same time; but, the Jackson & Day edition approaches the same subject matter in a subtly different way.
Whereas the Reader's Digest book uses mostly photographs, giving their DIY Manual a glossy 'magazine' style step-by-step feel; the Collins book goes to the trouble of illustrating the same steps with Magic Marker style drawings and a far more 'scientific' feel throught; with far greater emphasis on show more planning with tutorials on choosing colours and tones, textures and manipulating space. They also utilise a colour coded index system on the leaf edge margin of each page making quick access to the information you need in a hurry quick and easy - handy if you are looking for how to fix a burst pipe in a panic! show less

I'm just a beginning woodworker, but this is a great resource.
It's full of huge, gorgeous shots of wood, cuts, examples and tools. It covers the wide range of methods and materials with great detail but remains accessible.

I checked this out from the public library and am considering purchasing a copy for reference.

What it could use - coverage of how to begin. What's the best set of tools to buy first? What are the essentials? What are the best first projects to tackle to build your show more repertoire?

I've seen reviews of other books where the recommended alternative is this book, and I can understand why. show less

This is probably the best home improvement book. I constantly refer to it when working on projects at home. It doesn't contain project plans, but it contains a lot of information on how to do improvements and maintenance.

As it says on the title - concise. Its got some useful information in, for some topics, some of the time.