The Scrimshander: The Nautical Ivory Worker and His Art of Scrimshaw, Historical and Contemporary

From Introduction: "Once in a while, out of the woods of Mendocino, emerges a watery figure by the name of Bill Gilkerson. With gleaming eye and short black beard, he makes his way to San Francisco. He may get her by Greyhound bus, but I doubt it -- some kind of levitation seems more likely. Hanging at his side is a cowhide bag, and inside the bag are pouches, each holding a piece of scrimshaw. Illustrations of those pieces are assembled in this book for the first time. They speak for themselves as an extension of an American folk art into new beauties and subtleties."

Mr. Gilkerson is well known in the world of scrimshaw. In case you do not know what scrimshaw is...it is simply stated as carving pictures into ivory, or some medium that can be scratched and hold ink. William Gilkerson's scrimshaw work has been featured in many publications, including his own books: The Scrimshander (Troubador Press, San Francisco; see BOOKS), and Maritime Arts by William Gilkerson (Peabody Museum, Salem). All together, his scrimshaw work has earned him title as "father of modern scrimshaw" by various curators, collectors, and critics Mr. Gilkerson is one of the finest scrimshanders around. This is a fantastic book for those wanting some wonderful examples of scrimshaw.