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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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Adventurous Boy's Handbook
by Stephen Brennan and Finn Brennan
from Skyhorse Publishing
for 4th-8th grade
in Dangerous Books for Kids (Location: SS-DAN)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
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)
Beaver the Tailor
by Lars Klinting
from Douglas & McIntyre, Limited
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Book of Perfectly Perilous Math
by Sean Connolly
from Workman Publishing
for 4th-10th grade
in Math Games & Activities (Location: MATR-GAM)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Boy Joiner and Model Maker
by E. A. Davidson
Reprint from Hope Chest Legacy, Inc.
for 4th-12th grade
in Carpentry for Kids (Location: SS-CARP)
$15.00 (3 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)
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)
Carpentry for Children
by Lester Walker
Ninth Printing from Overlook Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Carpentry for Kids (Location: SS-CARP)
CDC?
by William Steig
from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
for 7th-10th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.50 (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)
Colour Schemes for the Flower Garden
by Gertrude Jekyll, introduced and revised by Graham Stuart Thomas
1983 revised edition from The Ayer Company
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)
$7.00 (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)
Craft Academy
by Tim Imrie and Peter Williams
from Hermes House
in Crafts & Hobbies (Location: SS-CRA)
$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)
Crafts From Around the World
by B.J. Casselman
from Creative Home Library
in Crafts & Hobbies (Location: SS-CRA)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Creating with Fimo Acrylic Clay
by Libby Nicholson & Yvonne Lau
from Kids Can Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Crafts & Hobbies (Location: SS-CRA)
$4.00 (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)
DK Ready Set Grow!
from DK Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Gardening for Kids (Location: SS-GAR)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
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)
Everyday Mysteries
by Jerome Wexler
from Dutton Children's Books
for 3rd-5th grade
in Brain Teasers & Puzzlers (Location: LOG-PUZ)
$4.00 (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)
Fun with Next to Nothing
by Wesley F. Arnold and Wayne C. Cardy
from Harper & Row
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Nonfiction (Location: VIN-NFIC)
$12.00 (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 in the City
by Gerda Muller
from Dutton Children's Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
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)
Golden Anniversary Book of Scouting
from Golden Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Vintage Nonfiction (Location: VIN-NFIC)
$18.00 (1 in stock)
Great Ancestor Hunt
by Lila Perl
from Clarion Books
for 4th-6th grade
in Genealogy (Location: XFA-GEN)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Great Animal Search
by Caroline Young
from Usborne
for 3rd-7th grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$6.30 (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)
Handknits For Kids
by Lucinda Guy
from Trafalgar Square Publishing
in Sewing, Knitting & Crocheting (Location: SS-SEW)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Homesteading
by Abigail R. Gehring
2nd edition from Skyhorse Publishing
for 9th-12th grade
in Self-Sufficiency (Location: SS-Self)
$27.95
Hook a Fish, Catch a Mountain
by Jean Craighead George
from E.P. Dutton & Co.
for 4th-8th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
I Spy
by Carol Devine Carson, Jean Marzollo, Walter Wick
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Look and Find Books (Location: PIC-LOOK)
$14.99
I Spy Christmas
by Jean Marzollo, Walter Wick (Photographer)
from Cartwheel Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Look and Find Books (Location: PIC-LOOK)
$14.99
I Spy School Days
by Jean Marzollo
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Look and Find Books (Location: PIC-LOOK)
$14.99
I Spy Super Challenger!
by Jean Marzollo
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-8th grade
in Look and Find Books (Location: PIC-LOOK)
$14.99
I Spy Treasure Hunt
by Jean Marzollo
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Look and Find Books (Location: PIC-LOOK)
$14.99
Kate Greenaway's Language of Flowers
by Kate Greenaway
from Gramercy Books
for all ages
in Poetry Anthologies (Location: POET-ANTH)
Mary Engelbreit: Christmas Ideas
by Mary Engelbreit
from Meredith Press
for 9th-Adult
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Mary Frances Garden Book
by Jane E. Fryer
from Lacis Publications
for 3rd-6th grade
in Purposeful Homemaking (Location: SS-HOM)
Mary Frances Knitting and Crocheting Book
by Jane Eayre Fryer
from Lacis Publications
in Purposeful Homemaking (Location: SS-HOM)
Mary Frances Sewing Book
by Jane Eayre Fryer
from Lacis Publications
for 4th-8th grade
in Purposeful Homemaking (Location: SS-HOM)
Mayflies, the Angler, and the Trout
from Winchester Press
for Adult
in Hiking & Outdoor Adventures (Location: NAT-HIKE)
$35.00 (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)
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 Tricks
by Walter Wick
1st edition from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Brain Teasers & Puzzlers (Location: LOG-PUZ)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Painted Ponies
from Zon International
for Adult
in Crafts & Hobbies (Location: SS-CRA)
Paper Sloyd for Primary Grades
by Ednah Anne Rich
Facsimile Edition from Repressed Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Charlotte Mason Education (Location: HSR-METCM)
Paper Sloyd for Primary Grades
by Ednah Anne Rich
Facsimile Edition from Yesterday's Classics
for 3rd-6th grade
in Charlotte Mason Education (Location: HSR-METCM)
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)
Real Book About Real Crafts
by Catherine Roberts
from Garden City Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Real Books series (Location: VIN-RBA)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Secret Garden
by Frances Hodgson Burnett, illustrated by Tasha Tudor
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction for 4th-9th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Secret Garden
by Frances Hodgson Burnett, illustrated by Tasha Tudor
from J.B. Lippincott Co.
Realistic Fiction for 4th-9th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Secret Garden
by Frances Hodgson Burnett, illustrated by Tasha Tudor
from J.B. Lippincott Co.
Realistic Fiction for 4th-9th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$12.00 (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)
Vogue Sewing
Revised from Butterick Publishing
for Adult
in Sewing, Knitting & Crocheting (Location: SS-SEW)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Walter Potter's Curious World of Taxidermy
by Pat Morris with Joanna Ebenstein
from Constable & Robinson
for 3rd-Adult
in Crafts & Hobbies (Location: SS-CRA)
$15.00 (1 in stock)
Wonderful Windowboxes
by Derek Nimmo
from Ward Lock
for Adult
in Gardening (Location: SS-GAR)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
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