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Crafts & Hobbies

These days, the word "hobby" evokes a sense of blase interest. Children have hobbies; bored housewives might have a hobby or two; the rest of us can scarcely be bothered. The original connotation was much different, however—a person's hobby was their avocation, not a primary sense of income, but certainly the focus of passion and interest.

To put it in perspective: Rene Descartes was a mathemetician by trade, but his hobby or avocation was philosophy. Not everyone with a hobby is going to change the course of Western civilization, but the point is that Descartes' hobby wasn't a mere back-drawer doodad he pulled out when he was bored and lonely, it was a motivating force in his life.

We're not suggesting hobbies need to take over your life, like robots in some creepy sci-fi movie. Just the opposite, in fact—hobbies should keep us from surrendering to the doldrums of existence, make us excited, provide an opportunity to exercise our creative talents and explore our interests. They shouldn't be simply a way to pass the time, because that's just another name for boredom.

At the same time, making your hobbies (whether they include cooking, weaving, woodworking, book-binding, or origami) the focus of all your attention is just as harmful. If you find yourself only working to fuel your interests, your hobbies (however harmless they were to begin with) have become your idols and you need to put them aside and learn to prioritize. Still, you need to have interests outside of work, and they need to be cultivated and not just casually dabbled in from time to time.

Why do we take hobbies so seriously? Because what we spend our free time doing reveals a great deal about who we are. If your primary activity when you aren't at work or cleaning the house or whatever is buying clothes, then clothes are what's important to you. The same is true for playing video games, watching reality TV, and bare-knuckle boxing.

It's important to choose hobbies that are constructive. As Christians, we're to do everything to the glory of God, and while some activities done in moderation might be fun, doing them all the time is more a sign of selfish addiction than simple enjoyment. Hobbies should be relaxing, of course, but they should be good for something, and good for other people.

The books you'll find below won't tell you what your hobby should be. They will, however, help you develop the skills related to certain hobbies so you can pursue them to the best of your ability. In a world that excuses lack of excellence and even defends poor quality, we need to work even harder to do our best, whether in our vocations or our avocations.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he is a husband and father, teaches adult Sunday school in his Presbyterian congregation, and likes weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.

 

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79 Decorative Alphabets for Designers and Craftspeople
by Carol Belanger Grafton, editor
2001 reprint from Dover Publications
for Adult
in Crafts & Hobbies (Location: SS-CRA)
$5.50 (1 in stock)
Adorable Crochet for Babies and Toddlers
by Lesley Stanfield
from Collins & Brown
for 6th-Adult
in Sewing, Knitting & Crocheting (Location: SS-SEW)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
All New Square Foot Gardening
by Mel Bartholomew
3rd edition from Cool Springs Press
for Adult
in Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)
$24.99
America's Knitting Book
by Gertrude Taylor
from Charles Scribner's Sons
for 8th-Adult
in Sewing, Knitting & Crocheting (Location: SS-SEW)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
American Patchwork & Quilting
from Better Homes and Gardens Books
for Adult
in Sewing, Knitting & Crocheting (Location: SS-SEW)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
American Ship Models and How to Build Them
by V. R. Grimwood, foreword by Howard I. Chapelle
from Bonanza Books
for 9th-Adult
in Nautical History (Location: VIN-NAUT)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Art Flick's New Streamside Guide to Naturals and Their Imitations
by Art Flick
1983 Edition from Nick Lyons Books
Fly Fishing for Adult
in Hiking & Outdoor Adventures (Location: NAT-HIKE)
$5.50 (1 in stock)
Art of Manipulating Fabric
by Colette Wolff
from Krause Publications
for Adult
in Sewing, Knitting & Crocheting (Location: SS-SEW)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Backyard Homestead
by Carleen Madigan
from Storey Publishing
for Adult
in Self-Sufficiency (Location: SS-Self)
$18.95
Beginner Book: Warfare by Duct Tape
by Steven Erickson
from Chinquapin Press
for 4th-Adult
in Dangerous Books for Kids (Location: SS-DAN)
$11.95
Better Homes and Gardens: Annuals Perennials and Bulbs
from Meredith Corporation
for Adult
in Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Big Book of Geometric Designs and Illusions to Color
by Koichi Sato, Spyros Horemis
illustrated edition from Dover Publications
for 2nd-Adult
in Abstract & Mosaic Coloring Books (Location: COL-ABS)
$7.95
Bob Toski's Complete Guide to Better Golf
by Bob Toski with Dick Aultman
from Atheneum
for Adult
in Hiking & Outdoor Adventures (Location: NAT-HIKE)
$35.00 (1 in stock)
Bumper Book of Nature
by Stephen Moss
1st edition from Crown Trade Paperbacks
for 1st-Adult
in Hiking & Outdoor Adventures (Location: NAT-HIKE)
Caddisflies
by Gary LaFontaine, illustrated by Harvey Eckert
from Nick Lyons Books
for Adult
in Hiking & Outdoor Adventures (Location: NAT-HIKE)
$75.00 (1 in stock)
Calligraphic Ornaments
Dover Clip Art
by Kiyoshi Takahashi, designer
from Dover Publications
for Adult
in Crafts & Hobbies (Location: SS-CRA)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Camping for Special Children
by Thomas M. Shea
from The C.V. Mosby Co.
for Adult
in Special Needs / Learning Disabilities (Location: HSR-SPEC)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Casting and Fishing the Artificial Fly
by John W. Ball
from Caxton Printers, Ltd
for Adult
in Hiking & Outdoor Adventures (Location: NAT-HIKE)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
City Gardener's Handbook
from Random House
for Adult
in Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Classic Guide to Fly-Fishing for Trout
by Charles Jardine
from DK Publishing
for Adult
in Hiking & Outdoor Adventures (Location: NAT-HIKE)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Clothing for Women
Lippincott's Home Manuals
by Laura I. Baldt
1922 Printing from J.B. Lippincott Co.
for Adult
in Vintage Nonfiction (Location: VIN-NFIC)
Complete Book of Birdhouse Construction for Woodworkers
by Scott D. Campbell
40th edition from Dover Publications
for 7th-Adult
in Crafts & Hobbies (Location: SS-CRA)
$1.00 (1 in stock)
Complete Book of the Bow & Arrow
by G. Howard Gillelan
from Galahad Books
for Adult
in Hiking & Outdoor Adventures (Location: NAT-HIKE)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Contained Garden
from Viking Press
for 10th-Adult
in Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Crafts and Hobbies
from Reader's Digest
for 9th-Adult
in Crafts & Hobbies (Location: SS-CRA)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Cut & Assemble the Mayflower
by A. G. Smith
2020 Reprint from Dover Publications
for 6th-Adult
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Cut and Assemble a Crusader Castle in Full Color
by A. G. Smith
from Dover Publications
History Reference/Art Project for 7th-Adult
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Cutting Garden
by Sarah Raven, foreword by Penelope Hobhouse
from Reader's Digest
for Adult
in Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Dangerous Book for Boys
by Conn & Hal Iggulden
from William Morrow & Company
for 3rd-Adult
in Dangerous Books for Kids (Location: SS-DAN)
$22.99
David Hicks Garden Design
by David Hicks
from Routledge & Kegan Paul
for Adult
in Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Dazzling Designs - Coloring Book
by Koichi Sato
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-Adult
in Abstract & Mosaic Coloring Books (Location: COL-ABS)
$3.99
Deviously Difficult Mind-Bending Puzzles
by Ivan Moscovich
from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 9th-Adult
in Brain Teasers & Puzzlers (Location: LOG-PUZ)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Dolls' House Fireplaces & Stoves
by Patricia King
from Guild of Master Craftsman Publications Ltd
for 8th-Adult
in Crafts & Hobbies (Location: SS-CRA)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Double Dangerous Book for Boys
by Conn & Hal Iggulden
from HarperCollins
for 3rd-Adult
in Dangerous Books for Kids (Location: SS-DAN)
$24.99
Down & Dirty
by Ellen Zachos
1st edition from Storey Publishing
for 7th-Adult
in Gardening for Kids (Location: SS-GAR)
$19.95
Eleventh Hour
by Graeme Base
from Scholastic Inc.
for 5th-Adult
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Encyclopedia of Flower Arranging
by Rona Coleman & Sylvia Pepper
from Wellfleet Press
for Adult
in Hospitality (Location: SS-HOS)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Encyclopedia of Origami & Papercraft Techniques
by Paul Jackson
from Running Press
for 9th-Adult
in Paper Crafts & Origami (Location: ELE-ORI)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Encyclopedia of Paden City Glass
by Carrie and Jerry Domitz
from Collector Books
for Adult
in Crafts & Hobbies (Location: SS-CRA)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Encyclopedia of Sewing Machine Techniques
from Sterling Publishing Co.
for Adult
in Sewing, Knitting & Crocheting (Location: SS-SEW)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
English Garden
by Laurence Fleming & Alan Gore
1980 2nd Printing from Mermaid Books
for Adult
in Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)
Essential Outdoor Gear Manual
2nd edition from Ragged Mountain Press
for Adult
in Hiking & Outdoor Adventures (Location: NAT-HIKE)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Fiendishly Frustrating Brain-Twisting Puzzles
by Ivan Moscovich
from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 9th-Adult
in Brain Teasers & Puzzlers (Location: LOG-PUZ)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Floral Borders on Layout Grids
by Stefen Bernath, designer
from Dover Publications
for 6th-Adult
in Crafts & Hobbies (Location: SS-CRA)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Folk Toys Around the World
by Joan Joseph, illustrated by Mel Furukawa
from Parents Magazine Press
for Adult
in Crafts & Hobbies (Location: SS-CRA)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Ford Treasury of the Outdoors
by W.D. Kennedy, Editor, Head of the Ford Publication Department
from Simon and Schuster
for Adult
in Vintage Anthology Collections (Location: VIN-ANTH)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Garden Almanac
by Penelope O'Sullivan
from Hearst Books
for Adult
in Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Garden Flowers Iron-On Transfer Patterns
by Claire Bryant
from Dover Publications
for 6th-Adult
in Sewing, Knitting & Crocheting (Location: SS-SEW)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Geek Dad
by Ken Denmead
from Gotham Books
for Adult
in Dangerous Books for Kids (Location: SS-DAN)
$18.00
Get Crafty
by Jean Railla
from Broadway Books
for Adult
in Crafts & Hobbies (Location: SS-CRA)
$6.50 (1 in stock)
Getting Up and Down
by Tom Watson with Nick Seitz, introduction by Jack Nicklaus
from Random House
Golf Techniques for Adult
in Hiking & Outdoor Adventures (Location: NAT-HIKE)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
God of the Garden
by Andrew Peterson
from B&H Books
for 10th-Adult
in Creating Culture (Location: XCU-CRE)
$17.99
Gothic and Old English Alphabets
by Dan X. Solo, selected and arranged
from Dover Publications
for Adult
in Crafts & Hobbies (Location: SS-CRA)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Great Outdoor Adventures
by Outdoor Life editors, illustrated by Ray Pioch
from E.P. Dutton & Co.
for 9th-Adult
in Vintage Anthology Collections (Location: VIN-ANTH)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Handmade Skateboard
by Matt Berger
from Spring House Press
for Adult
in Crafts & Hobbies (Location: SS-CRA)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Handy Dad
by Todd Davis
from Chronicle Books
for Adult
in Dangerous Books for Kids (Location: SS-DAN)
$24.95
Hiking the Columbia River Gorge
by Russ Schneider
from Falcon Press Publishing
for 10th-adult
in Hiking & Outdoor Adventures (Location: NAT-HIKE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Hinged Square & Other Puzzles
Ivan Moscovich's Mastermind Collection
by Ivan Moscovich
from Sterling Publishing Co.
Math Puzzles for 9th-Adult
in Brain Teasers & Puzzlers (Location: LOG-PUZ)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Home Machinist's Handbook
by Doug Briney
1st edition from McGraw-Hill
for 10th-Adult
in Dangerous Books for Kids (Location: SS-DAN)
How to Carve Wood
by Richard Butz
from Taunton Press
for 10th-Adult
in Crafts & Hobbies (Location: SS-CRA)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Illustrated Encyclopedia of World Costume
by Doreen Yarwood
from Dover Publications
for 9th-Adult
in Diversity & Multicultural Books (Location: HISMC-MUL)
$22.00 (1 in stock)
Kate Greenaway's Language of Flowers
by Kate Greenaway
from Gramercy Books
for all ages
in Poetry Anthologies (Location: POET-ANTH)
Knight Book: Warfare by Duct Tape
by Steven Erickson
from Chinquapin Press
for 4th-Adult
in Dangerous Books for Kids (Location: SS-DAN)
$20.95
Knotty Number Problems & Other Puzzles
Ivan Moscovich's Mastermind Collection
by Ivan Moscovich
from Sterling Publishing Co.
Math Puzzles for 9th-Adult
in Brain Teasers & Puzzlers (Location: LOG-PUZ)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Language of Flowers
by Kate Greenaway
from Dover Publications
for all ages
in Poetry Anthologies (Location: POET-ANTH)
$6.95
Leonardo's Mirror & Other Puzzles
Mastermind Collection
by Ivan Moscovich
First Edition from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 7th-Adult
in Brain Teasers & Puzzlers (Location: LOG-PUZ)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Lip Smackin' Vegetarian Backpackin'
by Christine and Tim Conners
from ThreeForks
for Adult
in Vegetarian and Vegan Cooking (Location: COOK-VEG)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Loopy Logic Problems & Other Puzzles
Ivan Moscovich's Mastermind Collection
by Ivan Moscovich
from Sterling Publishing Co.
Math Puzzles for 9th-Adult
in Brain Teasers & Puzzlers (Location: LOG-PUZ)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
M.C. Escher Kaleidocycles
Box from Purple Pomegranate Productions
for 6th-Adult
in Artists & Illustrators (Location: ELE-ARTISTS)
$20.00 (1 in stock)
Mary Engelbreit: Christmas Ideas
by Mary Engelbreit
from Meredith Press
for 9th-Adult
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Mayflies, the Angler, and the Trout
from Winchester Press
for Adult
in Hiking & Outdoor Adventures (Location: NAT-HIKE)
$35.00 (1 in stock)
Million Word Crossword Dictionary
by Stanley Newman and Daniel Stark, introduction by Will Shortz
2nd edition from Collins Reference
for Adult
in Dictionaries (Location: REF-DIC)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Modelling for Amateurs
How to Do It #20
by Clifford and Rosemary Ellis
from The Studio Publications, Inc.
for 9th-Adult
in Vintage Nonfiction (Location: VIN-NFIC)
$6.50 (1 in stock)
Modern Book of Whittling and Woodcarving
by E. J. Tangerman
from McGraw-Hill
for 6th-Adult
in Vintage Nonfiction (Location: VIN-NFIC)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Modern Quilting Designs
by Bethany Pease
from Stashbooks
for Adult
in Sewing, Knitting & Crocheting (Location: SS-SEW)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Monty Hall Problem & Other Puzzles
Ivan Moscovich's Mastermind Collection #12
by Ivan Moscovich
from Sterling Publishing Co.
Math Puzzles for 9th-Adult
in Brain Teasers & Puzzlers (Location: LOG-PUZ)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
My Family Tree Workbook
by Rosemary A. Chorzempa
from Dover Publications
for 4th grade-adult
in Genealogy (Location: XFA-GEN)
$2.50 (2 in stock)
NOLS Cookery
by National Outdoor Leadership School
from Stackpole Books
for Adult
in Miscellaneous Cookbooks (Location: COOK-MIS)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Old Ways
by Robert Macfarlane
from Penguin Books
for Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Old-fashioned Silhouettes
Dover Clip Art
by Carol Belanger Grafton
from Dover Publications
for 5th-Adult
in Paper Crafts & Origami (Location: ELE-ORI)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Op Art - Coloring Book
by Jean Larcher
First Edition from Dover Publications
for 4th-Adult
in Abstract & Mosaic Coloring Books (Location: COL-ABS)
$4.99
Open Door to Independence: Making Money from the Soil
by Thomas E. Hill
from Hill Standard Book Co.
for Adult
in Vintage Science & Math (Location: VIN-SCI)
$23.00 (1 in stock)
Optical Illusions - Coloring Book
by Koichi Sato
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-Adult
in Abstract & Mosaic Coloring Books (Location: COL-ABS)
$3.99
Orchard Mason Bee
by Brian L. Griffin, illustrated by Sharon Smith
1st edition from Knox Cellars Publishing
for 10th-Adult
in Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Painted Ponies
from Zon International
for Adult
in Crafts & Hobbies (Location: SS-CRA)
Peerless Probability Problems & Other Problems
Ivan Moscovich's Mastermind Collection
by Ivan Moscovich
from Sterling Publishing Co.
Math Puzzles for 9th-Adult
in Brain Teasers & Puzzlers (Location: LOG-PUZ)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Perfect Piecing
Rodale's Successful Quilting Library
by Karen Costello Soltys, editor
from Rodale Press
for Adult
in Sewing, Knitting & Crocheting (Location: SS-SEW)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Plain & Fancy
for Adult
in Sewing, Knitting & Crocheting (Location: SS-SEW)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Play the Forest School Way
by Jane Worroll and Peter Houghton
from Watkins
for Adult
in Hiking & Outdoor Adventures (Location: NAT-HIKE)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Pulled Thread Embroidery
by Moyra McNeill
1993 reprint from Dover Publications
for 8th-Adult
in Sewing, Knitting & Crocheting (Location: SS-SEW)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Puzzling Optical Illusions
Dover Game and Puzzle Activity Books
by Thomas Crawford
from Dover Publications
for 7th-Adult
in Optical Illusions and Magic Tricks (Location: LOG-PUZ)
$3.00
Quilting School
by Ann Poe
from Reader's Digest
for Adult
in Sewing, Knitting & Crocheting (Location: SS-SEW)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Rock Gardens
Master Gardener
by John Kelly
from Ward Lock
for Adult
in Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Samplers & Motifs in Cross Stitch
by Angela Davidson
from Merehurst
for Adult
in Sewing, Knitting & Crocheting (Location: SS-SEW)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Secret Garden Notebook
from David R. Godine
for 7th-Adult
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Shoelace Problem & Other Puzzles
Ivan Moscovich's Mastermind Collection
by Ivan Moscovich
from Sterling Publishing Co.
Math Puzzles for 9th-Adult
in Brain Teasers & Puzzlers (Location: LOG-PUZ)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Simple Foods for the Pack
A Sierra Club Outdoor Adventure Guide
by Claudia Axcell, Vikki Kinmont Kath, Diana Cooke
3rd edition from Sierra Club Books
for 9th-Adult
in Miscellaneous Cookbooks (Location: COOK-MIS)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Simply Handmade
by Carol F. Dahlstrom
from Meredith Corporation
for 9th-Adult
in Crafts & Hobbies (Location: SS-CRA)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Singer Quilting by Machine
Sewing Reference Library
from Cy DeCosse
for Adult
in Sewing, Knitting & Crocheting (Location: SS-SEW)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Small Garden Planner
by Graham Rose
from Simon and Schuster
for Adult
in Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
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