if you’re in the mood for an in depth look into the realm of asian ball jointed dolls, then the bjd orbyrarium is just the cup of tea you’ve been craving. its got everything in it, that’s no exaggeration. i thought i was pretty well versed and then this book and i stumbled upon each other. needless to say, i learned a lot. from the various manufacturers to the basics of stringing, un-stringing, face up methods, photography tips, garment patterns…you name it. priceless knowledge rests therein.

pros: great book, great pictures, well written, interesting articles, book bound with a plastic jacket since you really will be using this as regular reference material. however, i am experiencing the unfortunate effects of constant use of a reference guide in southern heat: the binding glue of the book is not such tough stuff over the long haul. i’ve had this book for a little over a year, really milking it, and it just couldn’t stand up to me. but the book is so good and sooooo damn useful that i know i’ll happily buy another copy if the one i have completely falls apart on me.

cons: there are no cons. except in the event that you really use the book and discover that one day you have to buy a replacement. we can only hope that the producers of the book will come out with updated versions of this handy little number every few years.

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