A good choice for those who want to add a little flair, depth, and sophistication to their interior painting and decorating efforts, Black & Decker: The Complete Guide to Painting and Decorating will encourage you to do more than just slap on some paint. After flipping through the pages and seeing more than 700 color photos, you will want to play with paint, experiment with it, and control it. The first section of the book--Color & Decorating Principles--explains color theory as well as the use of colors and patterns to create moods in a room. (Warm colors, for example, help make north-facing rooms more inviting, and the people in them warmer.) The second section of the book--Basic Painting & Wallcovering --explains the process of preparing surfaces for finish paint, choosing the right materials, and estimating quantities. (This portion also notes how small patterns help make close spaces seem larger and more open, while large patterns are stimulating and look best in active areas such as a child"s room or a large kitchen.) The book"s final section--Advanced Painting & Decorating--looks at how to embellish walls and floors with faux designs and decorative accents, and how to add elegant touches with wallcovering cutouts, cornices, and wall frame moldings. Specialty painting tools are also discussed, including paint gloves for contoured surfaces such as pipe and wrought-iron, bendable paint pads for window shutters and cast-iron radiators, and mixer bits. Knowing that some of the designs and color combinations may spur people to wilder-than-normal decisions, the authors wisely advise that people first get samples of their preferred wallcoverings or paints, and then take them home and subject them to the 24-hour test, checking from time to time over the course of a full day to see how the colors change under varying lighting situations. --John Russell