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Rating: 
Summary: Great for beginners & experts Alike
Review: Alden Amos calls himself opinionated, and he is. If you want to know all about spinning on a traditional (preferably Ashford) wheel, this book will help. If you are interested in alternative techniques and/or are not using a standard wheel, you will not get much help. I am always wary of authors who know the one true way to do anything.
Rating: 
Summary: Lots of info but hard to get through
Review: Alden Amos should have used a ghostwriter. This book is about 3/4 useful information and 1/4 commentary intended to show that Mr. Amos is one of the "in crowd." He uses cutesy terms like "Princess Twinkle" in lieu of Sleeping Beauty or "Oil of Oompha" for Oil of Olay. This in itself grates, but can be overlooked. Also, he implies that only mental defectives and klutzes use double treadle wheels. Throughout the book he makes several snide references to spinning amateurs and the mistakes they have made in his presence or while dealing with him. There are many, many mathematical calculations in this book. I have never been good at math and this whole section daunts me. I simply spin a yarn that looks like what I want, without making any calculations, and so far have never been disappointed. There are also several diagrams for making spinning accessories like niddy noddies, spindles and so on. If you are into this sort of crafting, the book would be useful for you.
Rating:
Summary: Spinning Yarns With A Twist
Review: I couldn't resist the pun, sorry. I'm new to spinning, but I'm already in love with it, and so my curiousity about the subject is endless. When I picked this book up at a friend's house, the heft of it told me I might have found a book that could answer all of my questions.
Truly, it's an amazing work. There's some VERY technical stuff in here, that I'm not sure I'll ever use. If I ever need to calculate the ypp of a plied yarn made from handspun singles, then I know what page to turn to.
This amount of technical information can overwhelm people. And so can Alden Amos's conversational tone throughout the book. He's a man of strong opinions and he doesn't hesitate to share them. But, given the title of the book, the manner in which he only expresses his ideas on various topics should be expected. It's his book after all.
This book will serve as a resource, and as a humorous source of inspiration, for me for many years to come, I am sure. I have yet to find such a complete (and readable) treatise on spinning anywhere else.
Rating:
Summary: Cool--Waaaaay too much Information
Review: I read this book last week at my friend's house, and had to order one for myself. Any handspinning book that contains a recipe for a quench to harden steel is a book I had to have. No matter what I looked for, it was there: how to make cotton punis, how to make a coin tahkli, why to use a top-whorl spindle, spinning silk, and how to estimate the quantity of flax you need to grow to yield one skein of spun flax. In fact, way, way, too much information, for example, the calculations for the ratio of twist to gage in spun fiber. And there are marginal jokes, a few recipes, and how to temper steel. Oh, and quite a bit about handspinning, from someone who has made it his life's work.
Rating:
Summary: Cool--Waaaaay too much Information
Review: I read this book last week at my friend's house, and had to order one for myself. Any handspinning book that contains a recipe for a quench to harden steel is a book I had to have. No matter what I looked for, it was there: how to make cotton punis, how to make a coin tahkli, why to use a top-whorl spindle, spinning silk, and how to estimate the quantity of flax you need to grow to yield one skein of spun flax. In fact, way, way, too much information, for example, the calculations for the ratio of twist to gage in spun fiber. And there are marginal jokes, a few recipes, and how to temper steel. Oh, and quite a bit about handspinning, from someone who has made it his life's work.
Rating:
Summary: Great for beginners & experts Alike
Review: This is an excellant choice for someone who is looking for background information as well as the basics. I have read this book cover to cover several times and find something new each time. A must have for the handspinner whether by wheel or spindle.
Rating:
Summary: Bound to be a classic
Review: Whilst the writing style can be slightly overwhelming at times this book is one of those "Must Haves" that everyone will wish they had purchased once it goes out of print. I'm still only 1/5th of the way through (it has 500 pages!!!), but I've already come across much information that I wish I had known before and have applied it to my spinning technique with great success. One of the most interesting sections of the book contains schematics for making your own tools (niddy noddy, nostepinne, drop spindle, among others). Now I just have to find myself a woodworker to make them for me!
Rating:
Summary: A good visit with Alden...
Review: You can use this book several different ways. You can look up information about specific subjects -- or read it through like a really informative journel. Personally, I would encourage you to read it through and then come back to reread specific sections. This book is rather like spending a really good visit with Alden (with Stephanie adding commentary in the background). He talks about everything to do with spinning (along with a few other topics like forging and making beer). He will explain how to make a good worsted yarn, how to sort and scour your wool, and how to figure out the grist of your yarn. If this isn't clear to you -- then you need this book.
Rating:
Summary: A good visit with Alden...
Review: You can use this book several different ways. You can look up information about specific subjects -- or read it through like a really informative journel. Personally, I would encourage you to read it through and then come back to reread specific sections. This book is rather like spending a really good visit with Alden (with Stephanie adding commentary in the background). He talks about everything to do with spinning (along with a few other topics like forging and making beer). He will explain how to make a good worsted yarn, how to sort and scour your wool, and how to figure out the grist of your yarn. If this isn't clear to you -- then you need this book.
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