This book is not by Barbara Foster, but is a reprint of a book written by Norma Benporath in 1952. Ms. Foster wrote a short, historically inaccurate introduction and contributed two patterns of her own; the rest of the hundreds of patterns in this book were developed and tatted by Ms. Benporath (and all the embroidery was by her mother), and she should have been given full credit as she was still alive when this book was re-printed in 1994. The original color plates are here reproduced in black and white, and the quality of many of the photographs has deteriorated almost to the point of rendering them useless. Still, you would be very lucky to obtain a copy of the original outside of Australia -- and there lies the value of this reprint. Ms. Benporath's designs are beautiful, and her own introduction to her work is lively and informative (where else can you obtain information on how to make a tatting shuttle from an actual tortoise shell?). Her tatting is photographed against the backdrop of her own, tasteful home and is a delight to see. I'd just like to see a better, quality reprint of this venerable book on tatting.
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