(We interupt your normal reading and ask that you pause briefly as Mike Bloomquist, Senior Editor of Notes From The Net and a frequent book reviewer for WOM, mounts The Soap Box: . . . . )
In the current issue (#36), Wood Carving Illustrated (WCI) did something that really corrects a pet peeve of mine. It really grates on me when WCI magazine, published by Fox/Chapel, promotes a Fox/Chapel published book by repeating the book's contents as an article in the magazine.
If you have the book already it just seems like you paid twice for the same material. In this issue, instead of just printing an excerpt from the book Antique Style Duck Decoys, they promoted it by printing additional material that is added value to the book. The majority of the Decoys book is about carving a wood duck drake.... the magazine article in this issue has steps for carving the hen. In fact this promotion was so subtle; they didn't even splash the book cover in the article, which I think Tom Matus deserves. Yep, I can hear folks at Fox/Chapel now... "Hmmm, damned if we do, damned if
we don't"I was almost going to write a "yeah-but", because the hen article had no painting guide, yeah-but when I read it more carefully I discovered the painting instructions will be in the next issue. Now those of us that have the book and a WCI subscription feel we have a complete set rather than redundant material.
Five thumbs for one brilliant idea! Bravo Fox/Chapel Publishing, and kudos to Tom Matus for producing the extra material required!
(We pause again as Mike dismounts The Soap Box . . . . You may now resume your normal reading of WOM.)