This is the first book in the publisher's new Lab series, and its format provides an experiential and experimental approach to building your own personal and unique repertoire of collage skills and techniques.
This book is a combination of prompts, step by steps, tutorials, techniques, material lists, and examples - all put together on each full spread (book laid flat for full view of two pages) to provide a comprehensive, but not necessarily exhaustive, view of each of the building blocks. It would be nice if it could be bound with metal coil or plastic spiral instead of glue so that it could be laid flatter on any surface.
There are 52 laboratories in this book, grouped in 12 units with four or five labs each. Going through each lab is like laying brick by brick to build a pyramid-like wealth of knowledge and experience in the art of collage. It provides ample opportunities to try out different ways of using a specific technique, and encourages the learner to allow room for mistakes - instead they can be viewed as accidental discoveries.
Even thought this book seemed to be focused primarily on the beginners or anyone's first foray into the art & craft of collage, it does provide new ways or ideas even for the most advanced students. For example, I learned a new way to convert a colored photo into a pencil drawing by printing it out in black & white, gessoed it, and then fill in by hand with pencil strokes.
In summary, having this book open in front of your art projects is like having a private tutor sitting next to you as you develop and build your own wealth of knowledge in the mixed media world.