OCTOBER JLC 2000
Building is a hands-on experience and any book on the subject
a pale substitute, so I approach carpentry tomes with
skepticism. There's no way anyone's going to get it all between
two covers, let alone get it right. Leafing through the 795 pages
of Modern Carpentry: Building Construction Details in Easy-to-
Understand Form by Willis H. Wagner and Howard Bud Smith
(2000; Goodheart-Willcox Publisher, 18604 W. Creek Dr.,
Tinley Park, IL 60477; 800/323-0440; www.goodheartwillcox.
com; $50) is by no means a complete waste of time: There
are loads of good color photographs
and illustrations, and
introductions to many of the
tools and materials of the
trade. Organized into 7 sections
comprising 25