Glass Notes : A Reference for the Glass Artist (2006, Paperback, Revised)

This book was recomended to me by a profesional glass blower that makes her living as a glass artist. I asked her for a good reference book to get started as a hobiest on my own, without someone there to "hold my hand" thru building my own mini studio- this was her number one recomendation. After first flipping thru it, I understand why! After reading thru it, there is enough info in here to build almost all your own studio equipment and use it safely. I have several other glass blowing books, and will leave them on the shelf from now on- this is the only one I will need to open. Given this book, time and practice, I believe a person could open their own studio. After building the main studio components, I plan to go back to the Blower that recomended this book and take some classes from her to learn first hand how to get the maximum usage from my new home studio. I believe anyone planning on working with molten glass should have a live person looking over their shoulder until they get comfortable.
Let's face it, no matter how good the book is, and it is, molten glass IS dangerous, and nothing beats a live person helping you thru a dangerous undertaking the first few times. Be safe, have fun, and read thru the book several times before starting anything on your own!