Product Description

Don't get heckled! Take charge of the stage and make 'em laugh every time!

Teach Yourself Stand-Up Comedy gives you advice oneverything from securing an agent and scheduling gigs todealing with props and hecklers. It is perfect for amateursjust starting in the business.

Customer Reviews (2)

Great book on the Nuts and Bolts of Comedy
This is a great book. Don't judge it by the cover photo.

Written by a working comic in London, it's understandable to Americans. The principles hold true even if I haven't heard of all the British comics.

He explains how jokes work. His key insight is the punchline comes as an afterthought.

Logan has lots of exercises for generating jokes. It's also good as therapy. Turning positives to negatives and vice versa.

I'm rereading it for the 3rd time. I learn something each time.

Smart, fast and gimmick-free. The stand-up guide you've been waiting for.
The majority of stand-up comedy guides are like the bad stand-up comics who write them: repetitive, self-conscious, and vague. Not so with Logan Murray, who quickly and clearly explains the structure of effective jokes and how to link a series of them into a workable routine. The bulk of this book (about 120 pages of it) is devoted solely to joke writing and idea-generating exercises. The remaining sections cover performance advice, comedy history, and the business side. Read the entirety of this book and skim one of Judy Carter's books for additional information on structure and you should be able to write an act. ... Read more

Product Description
An introduction to the art of sculpture, from modelling and carving to simple construction. Designed for both beginners and the more experienced, it discusses technique, materials and the practical aspects of sculpting. Various media are discussed, including clay, cement, wax, stone and wood. ... Read more

Product Description

Acquire a great taste for wine without emptying your wallet!

This unique blend of insight and information will show you how you can learn to really love wine--on any budget and in every situation. You will learn about the major grape varieties, the key countries and the essential terminology; more importantly, you will learn how to develop your tastes, and how to select and buy wines that you really like.

Not only will you develop a genuine enjoyment of wine, you will also discover the practicalities of buying, storing, and serving, allowing you to feel confident on every occasion and to enjoy your wines for many years to come.

Product Description

Tap into your inner songsmith

Teach Yourself Songwriting helps you develop your music-writing skills. It gives you advice on how to take advantage of MP3 and other Internet recording technology.

Customer Reviews (1)

Great intro to writing songs.
This is a very nice book on songwriting. I've got copyrighted songs and I have a collection of materials on songwriting and when this came out I bought it. It's very well put together and touches on all aspects of writing songs. It's small and compact and can be easy stored in a coat pocket etc.If I may, I'd like to suggest that it be offered in eBook form so Kindle users can purchase it. ... Read more

Product Description

Unleash your inner Charlie Kaufman or Sophia Coppola

Teach Yourself Screenwriting is a comprehensive, jargon-free guide for all budding screenwriters. Its aim is not just to guide you through the techniques and skills you need to write for the screen (film and television), but also to give you guidance on how to approach the industry as a whole.

Focusing on every aspect of screenwriting, from how to start the writing process and develop your characters, plot, and structure, to how to break into this highly competitive industry and make a career for yourself as a writer, this book uncovers all.

Customer Reviews (1)

Valuable information
This is a valuable book for screenwriting.A lot of the references to websites are useful too.

About the physical book, the binding breaks easily so I would handle it with care. ... Read more

Product Description
"Teach Yourself Needlecraft" is an excellent guide for beginners and an encyclopaedia of information for the more experienced stitcher. The large full-colour format makes it easy to use and refer to. By taking a step-by-step approach, the book includes projects to master the arts of embroidery, needlepoint, Bargello and cross-stitch. "Teach Yourself Needlecraft" shows you how to design your own patterns by drawing on whatever inspires you - be it an ancient work of art or the colour of autumn leaves. ... Read more

Product Description

Rock your iPod and master iTunes

Teach Yourself iPods and iTunes covers a wide range of subjects, enabling you to get the most out of your iPod. You'll learn how to import your music collection into your iPod and much more.

Product Description

Make the secrets of magic performance your own!

Celebrity Street magicians like David Blaine have popularized the age-old art of illusionism. Written by a member of The Magic Circle, Teach Yourself Magic covers the tricks and skills you need to learn as a budding magician and offers information you can use as you gain experience to turn your hobby into a part-time moneymaker. You’ll learn all there is to know about creating illusions with everyday objects and performing tricks they would have never thought possible.

Product Description
This book is ideal as an introductory reader for people about to study Art History or thinking about it, or for people who enjoy looking at art and have a strong interest but feel they could gain more from looking if they understood more. The basic aims of the book are: - to offer a succinct, up-to-date and relevant introduction to Art History for the general reader. - to provide an accessible introduction to different ways of looking at and understanding paintings: form, social and historical contexts, representation of gender, psychology of the artist at the time of painting, etc. - to provide a reference for key terms and definitions in Art History for those new to the subject. - to offer ways of seeing and interpreting paintings in a gallery/museum context. Using painting as the basis for example and exploration, the book assumes no prior knowledge of the subject, other than a willingness to look and consider some of the ideas and perpectives it puts forward. The 16-page colour section and black-and-white images and illustrations have been carefully selected and cross-referenced to support the text.This book will encourage and guide you to different ways of exploring the visual and intertpreting art, so you get more out of any course of study or visits to galleries and museums. ... Read more

Product Description

Discover the artist within you

Teach Yourself Drawing is a user-friendly and comprehensive guide that will prove indispensiblewhether you're a complete beginner or you have some drawing experience. Clearly structured with both black-and-white and color illustrations, you will be guided step-by-step through every aspect of the creative process, from the practicalities of materials to the technicalities of perspective and the creative impulse itself. Featuring sample projects broken down into their composition stages, with exercises to tackle, and plenty of advice on line, tone, texture and composition, this is a combination of practicality and inspiration in a portable yet comprehensive format.

Product Description
Teach Yourself Calligraphy is written for the complete beginner and shows the reader how to use calligraphy in a wide range of projects. It covers everything you need to know to become confident at the craft, including the four basic calligraphy styles, and techniques such as embossing, simple book binding, making rubber stamps, and stencilling. The colour illustrations and diagrams make the projects clear and easy to follow, and the large colour spreads make the book ideal for use whilst following the projects and instructions. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

some calligraphy, a lot more on boxes, wraps and books
Teach Yourself Calligraphy by Patricia Lovett is similar in scope to another title that I just picked up from my local library called "The Art and Craft of Hand Lettering" by Annie Cicale. Teach Yourself Calligraphy is similar in that the first few chapters covers the basics of tools and materials along with a smattering of common fonts while the second half of the book focuses on projects involving wraps, boxes, and books. I'd say this book, like Art and Craft of Hand Lettering is just o.k. if you are interested in in-depth lessons you'll still end up purchasing another book.

Chapter two covers writing these fonts along with a brief history on each hand lettering style; Unicals, Serifs, English Caroline or Foundational Hand, Roman Capitals, Gothiic Black letter, and Italic.That's it. *There is no Copperplate, Engrosser's script or Spencerian.

Starting with Chapter 3 about greeting cards and bookmarks, the rest of this book is about projects. Of note, and different from The Art and Craft of Hand Lettering, there are many well presented envelope and box templates. Measurements are given in centimeters and the patterns are akin to sewing layouts each with a photo of the finished project. I can't say I liked this book any more than the other I've mentioned here mostly because I was looking for a better source for calligraphy lessons rather than projects I could attach calligraphy on to. ... Read more

Product Description

Gardening basics made easy--no green thumb required!

Designed for the complete beginner, Teach Yourself Basic Gardening Skills shows you how to turn a patch of muddy ground into an easily maintainable garden, whatever the size of your property and however busy you are. From lawn care and watering to creating patios and growing vegetables, it is packed with easy-to-follow, practical advice.

Product Description

Teach Yourself Pottery gives you examples of different techniques, from simple to advanced, for molding clay, packing and firing a kiln, decorating, and glazing.

Abundant color photography--on virtually every page--provides inspiration for:

• Selecting materials and tools
• Accomplishing suggested projects
• Developing original ideas
• Mastering skills and techniques

Product Description
Flower arranging is easy. You don't need to have artistic talent, a large garden or plenty of spare time. Whether you want to create a simple bowl of flowers for the home, a gift for a friend or an arrangement for a special occasion, the easy, step-by-step instructions and full illustrations will enable you to create the effect you desire. Discover how to: select the materials you work with; choose and buy top quality flowers; create modern and traditional designs; make seasonal gifts and decorations; and make your arrangements last. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Very Helpful
This book is Very helpful.It takes things one step at a time which is perfect for first time floral arrangers.b

flower3
enjoyed book was very helpful just wished for more information. Seemed a little outdated and reasources limited.

Good introduction of fundamentals
This book does a good job teaching the basics of flower arranging. I am now able to read other books about flower arranging that I didn't understand before

A good solid beginning
This isn't the longest flower-arranging book in the under-$20 category, nor the most profusely illustrated, but Judith Blacklock's TEACH YOURSELF FLOWER ARRANGING has considerable merits of its own.The British series of TEACH YOURSELF books covers everthing from learning Afrikaans to practicing Zen, and this is a worthy, relatively short (120 pp.) work that doesn't stray too far from its promise to teach just the basics.

One aspect of this book I noted in particular -- and I wish the several other flower-arranging books I own had tried to do as well -- is cover the guiding principles of form, balance and symmetry when it comes to fashioning any particular arrangement.Other books in this price range roll out the technique and sometimes mention that such-and-such a bouquet embodies such-and-such a principle; but this isn't as useful, IMO, as Blacklock's considerate approach that teaches the theory first and then immediately puts it into practice.This is not to say that TEACH YOURSELF FLOWER ARRANGING is hung up on "the rules"; photographed arrangements run the gamut from a simple flower-and-eucalyptus setup in a vase to a boundary-pushing and quite striking display of a field of roses perched atop a regiment of identically red chili peppers.(In this case it's the texture, not any color differential, that lends drama.)

Since I am a firm believer that one must know the rules even in order to flout them, I appreciated the Blacklock approach.I really did "teach myself" the beginning techniques of the art, and better yet, learned to think for myself.Those looking for strict floral "recipes" should go elsewhere.
... Read more

Product Description
This practical, yet up-to-date guide to knitting covers everything from the most basic techniques to the latest and more advanced methods and materials, giving you everything you need to become an experienced knitter, creating fun projects for family, friends, and for your own wardrobe. Designed to address the needs not only of the complete novice, but also of the more experienced knitter, it offers a step-by-step guide, firstly to mastering the most basic techniques, and then applying them to exciting and diverse projects. It is fully illustrated with diagrams and patterns for everything from beanie hats to mobile phone covers, and also features instructions for setting up your own knitting group, and joining the rapidly growing online knitting community. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Good book for a beginner's library
I've checked this book out many times at our local library.I'm a self-taught knitter, taught from books, and learned from a variety of books including this one.Having said that, I think when one is ready to learn, there are many books out there a motivated person can learn from!
It covers basic information in the beginning, and has some nice, easy projects in the back.There is a small section of knit stitches, and I especially like the Betty Martin stitch which I hadn't seen other places.
I have better books in my knitting library, but I occasionally check this one out to this day.I like the pattern for a beachbag or large shopping bag, knit in chunky cotton yarn.
I also like the simple explanation of knitting cables, and the few easy cable stitches listed.
Nice little book. ... Read more

Product Description
The most important thing to remember when you teach arts and crafts to your toddler is that young children are naturally creative. Toddlers love to do arts and crafts, especially...

Written by experts in the field, Quick Easy Guides share little-known trade secrets and helpful hints to get you moving in the right direction.

Quick Easy Guides gives you books you can judge by the cover. Our books are short, sweet and cheap. You can see for yourself.

We specialize in publishing books in the following categories: Business, Marketing, Careers & Work, Consumer Tips, Finance & Real Estate, Computers & Internet, Electronics, Cars & Auto, Hobbies, Food & Drink, Education, Health & Safety, Sports & Fitness, Fashion & Personal Care, Religion & Spirituality, Family & Relationships, Home & Garden, Pets & Animals, Holidays & Festivals, Travel.

Quick Easy Guides -- helping people achieve success and happiness.

http://www.quickeasyguides.com ... Read more