Guilloché: A History & Practical Manual

The topic of guilloche, like its sibling ornamental turning, is not well represented in contemporary craft practice or literature. This work has the makings of a much better one, but ultimately fails to adequately represent more than an outline of that better book, instead feeling like more a draft of a student paper.What "Guilloché: A History & Practical Manual" delivers is a brief history of the art, with not much detail, and its decline in the aftermath of World War I. There are rudimentary explanations of the different styles of guilloche, and a number of older and contemporary examples. There are some pictures of machines from different eras which is something that I feel the book performed best, and while there are mentions of more contemporary machines (ie., less than 100 years old,) there is basically no evidence of them. The author includes redrawn sketches from old user guides, but problematically, they are literal translations from 19th century writers who were not especially aware how to communicate technical information in a clear manner. This blind idiot machine translation is where the book inflicts the most annoyances on its reader. For example: Cams and cam followers are not called such, they are rosettes and rubbers, even when the latter are made of leather (which, in the relevant photo in the book, is clearly not leather, but phenolic sheet,) and while "pattern bars" are not especially obtuse, referring to those and the rosettes/cams as means of programming the patterns the machine will create /might/ have been useful. In all fairness, the author of the book might not herself appreciate this, and based on comments scattered throughout the book, would likely benefit personally and professionally from reading a copy of something like "Rose's Modern Machine Shop 3rd Edition," published in 1914. (It is on Project Gutenberg, and has a chapter on programming cam driven machinery, as well.)While a great picture book to whet an appetite, "Guilloché: A History & Practical Manual" lacks substance, and the text would have been much more useful--and readable--with assistance from an editor with previous experience in technical writing.

I've been waiting on this book for some time and I certainly have not been disappointed upon reviewing it. I generally find these type of books informative and interesting primarily for their technical content. This one again does not disappoint, it does however holds your interest with a compelling story or history of the art form that somewhat explains why it has almost died out except in very small numbers of aging artists. Additionally there is priceless information in latter chapters on actual methods and techniques that are shared, something very rarely done. To say this is an Important Book is a gross understatement. If you have even a faint interest in Guilloche then this book has to be added to your library.

This a beautiful and well written book full of illustrations and clear descriptions. Worth have regardless of your skill level. You will learn something new!

This book is a lot more than I was expecting. It brims with with photographs and drawings, and has the power to grip even a fairly oblivious reader like me. I’m looking forward to some stretches with it in a quiet spot and a comfortable chair, and plan to thoroughly enjoy the ride.