In his new book, Braiding Fine Leather, craftsman and author David W Morgan guides beginners through the early stages of simple projects before moving on to advanced techniques used in more complicated types of braided work. The subtitle of the book is: Techniques of the Australian whipmakers.
The book includes an overview of materials, tools and fundamental braiding methods. Sequential photographs illustrate the instructions, guiding new braiders through each step of the process.
By training and profession, Morgan is a metallurgist but he gained worldwide acclaim as the creator of all the whips used in the Indiana Jones movies. They had an important role to play. Indiana Jones cracks a long whip which serves both as a weapon and a tool during his archaeological adventures.
For his next project, Morgan is working on a second edition of Whips and Whipmaking, first published by Cornell Maritime Press in 1972 and now in its eleventh edition. Plans for the new version include a section on the Indiana Jones whip and another on tracing the expansion of the use of Mongol whips.
Braiding Fine Leather is priced at $19.95 and available from Cornell Maritime Press Inc, fax: +1 410 758 6849 or email: cornell@crosslink.net
