For over twenty years I sculpted in wood and when a fire destroyed the work, my career as a carver came to an abrupt end. Even though friends and family assured me I'd soon resume carving, I knew I wouldn't for, besides the physical loss of the pieces, the fire also effectively stifled my creative impulse. I felt myself physically stripped, sliding about on a glassy surface with no grips to grab, no toe holds to catch, but falling, sliding, blaming myself for making the ill-fated choices that led to the fire, slithering over the same slippery questions, repeating the same opaque answers.... My intent for this book has been to rescue the spirit of the work in terms of both text and illustration. --- excerpts from book's Preface