Lost on Planet China - : The Strange and True Story of One Man's Attempt to Understand the World's Most Mystifying Nation or How He Became Comfortable

Maarten Troost is a laowai (foreigner) in the Middle Kingdom, ill-equipped with a sliver of Mandarin, questing to discover the "essential Chineseness" of an ancient and often mystifying land. What he finds is a country with its feet suctioned in the clay of traditional culture and a head straining into the polluted stratosphere of unencumbered capitalism, where cyclopean portraits of Chairman Mao (largely perceived as mostly good, except for that nasty bit toward the end) spoon comfortably with Hong Kong's embrace of rat-race modernity.

Making & Mastering Wood Planes

Make your own planes that are better than any you could buy. Shop-crafted wooden versions accommodate extra-thick blades of superior tool steel that stay sharp longer. They can have the smallest possible throat opening, greatly enhancing the tools performance on figured woods. And they can be designed to fit your hand comfortably these shapes can be held several ways, which is helpful for different tasks.