Beginners can easily jump right in and turn out very good-looking candles with the clearly presented instructions in this guide. Nice color photos illustrate both finished products and every step along the way as we learn how to create marbled, layered, aromatic, embedded, appliqued, chip, and several other variations of candles. Most project designs are fairly standard but are nevertheless attractive; a few are more innovative, such as the stacked candle or the lantern candle with embedded dried fruits. Additional ideas (though no instructions) are provided in the six "candle galleries"--double-page spreads showcasing themed tableaux of container, embedded, Christmas, decorated, multiwicked, and floating candles. An introductory section covers all the basics of materials and general techniques. --Amy Handy