A number of well-produced guides explain how to make all sorts of candles, but few if any have the elegant European flair that distinguishes some of the designs featured here. Thorough instructions and beautiful photos give all the standards their due: dipped, molded, container, decorated, and beeswax candles are explored, along with interesting variations not commonly found in other candle making books, such as granite and marble effects, sculpted sunflowers, rubber-stamped designs, and a plate full of miniature candles made to look like delicious chocolate candies. Each project helpfully indicates the required skill level (mostly beginner and intermediate), though the instructions can occasionally be a bit hard to follow since they are presented as full, sometimes fairly involved paragraphs rather than short numbered steps, and at least one omits an important explanation (the paper candle shade must be placed on a metal support, which is pictured but never mentioned in the materials list or directions). Overall, however, this is a worthwhile and attractive book, particularly the concluding section of "artistic candles" designed by French and Italian candle artists.
--Amy Handy
