The Art of Inlay: Design & Technique for Fine Woodworking

This book is instructional in nature with alot of beautiful inlay work completed by the author and from other inlay artist. It teaches alot of inlay techniques and how to do quality inlay work. This book is for the beginner and then some. The pictured work is inspirational and worth the price alone. --rb

I'm beginning to build guitars and wanted to do inlay work which was a little more intricate than simple pearl dots. The writer explains the process completely. The book also has many photos showing incredible inlay art which serves as inspiration for detailed guitar fingerboard art as well as inspiration for inlay art not associated with instuments. I've never even wanted to build a jewelry box with inlay and marquetry. Now I'm inpired to do just that. Good book.

I should start out this review by confessing that I'm biased. I own a custom guitar on which Larry Robertson did the inlay work. Since I'm one of those people who gets very involved in the design of anything that interests me, Larry and I had quite a few talks about what I wanted and how things would be done. This was an educational experience that was worth the price of entry itself, and the result never fails to amaze me.What convinced me to approach Robinson about the work was the content of this small, but impressive volume. It is one thing to know that a craftsman is a master by reputation, and another to see the evidence in print before you. In my opinion Larry is the U.S.'s premier master of inlay, only surpassed on this continent by Grit Laskin, a Canadian Luthier who does it all, and very well.The technical portion of this book is excellent. Robinson's written style is so straightforward that my first reaction was that he was leaving something out. But he really doesn't. Between the text and the illustrations, there is enough information and inspiration to last through more than a rack full of guitars. Whether you are a luthier trying to make something special, or a connoisseur of the guitar and its relatives, this book belongs on your shelfs.

This book is unquestionably a fine collection of the author's work, which is beautiful, and a fantastic book for giving you a start on the process of inlay. Robinson's writing is excellent, as clear as you could get. And his sequence of coverage makes a lot of sense, too. This is a very good introduction to the possibilities and the process of inlay and if that's what you are looking for then it is worth buying. But I gave it 4 stars because the book focuses only on his own work and because the promise of "design and technique" is not fully actualized. It's just that one would appreciate somewhat more depth of coverage, adding information on "pitfalls" in addition to "process", as well as a more comprehensive look at other people's possibilities in design. And, I would have really loved to have had some very close up photographs of inlay details, and even photographs of "bad" work and mistakes for reference. In that case, this would be a classic on the topic. It's probably more work than his intention of writing this book, but I wouldn't hesitate to buy a new edition if that were the case, and as a fellow artisan I would truly appreciate it. How about it, Robinson?