This book wasn't what I was hoping for in that the ideas and examples are all too similar in final product. I believe that because I am not looking for altered books genre per se, this book is not for me. I would reallly like to sell it back, otherwise I am stuck with it.

I enjoyed Urgent 2nd Class because it was put together by Nick Bantock, who charmed me with the Sabine series and the Artful Dodger and others too numerous to mention. His images are multilayered and artful. He does talk about how some images were made (ephemera, Bantock-designed rubber stamps) but he does not show you step by step how to accomplish any particular image. And his ephemera may not be available to the average person. He does by from dealers in Vancouver BC, giving him an advantage over those in small towns.
This is not a shortcoming, however, if you have other books that show you the construction and layering of stuff. The beauty of Bantock lies in his imagination, his imagination. He does encourage the reader to use their own, and that's a gift.

Finally a GREAT book on eclectic art and creating some yourself! I especially love the section on rubber stamping. Enjoy!

I am a huge, long-time fan of Nick Bantock's - I can't swear to it, as all my books are in boxes and storage right now, but I'm pretty sure I have a first edition of "Griffin & Sabine". His art and text has always been evocative and exceedingly different - poetry in pictures and words.

Although I enjoyed reading this book, and found it interesting, it is not up to the same standards as his other work. You get the feeling either his publisher said "hey - it's time for another book, what are you going to do?" or he said "gee, I have all this stuff, whatever shall I do with it?"

As other reviewers have stated, this is NOT a "how-to" book, and it does not, as is stated on the jacket, "show how to alchemically transform the unexpected into your own idiosyncratic art." If you're looking for step-by-step instructions, this is definitely not the book for you. However, if you are looking for inspiration and ideas, this serves well.

The book is broken into 16 chapters and an introduction, and basically touches on the types of art the author creates, such as "Faux Mail", "Dubious Documents" and "Collage", and uses in his work, such as "Stamps", "Postcards" and "Photographs" - with short introductions to each chapter. I wish they had been longer, but then, he talks about much of his techniques and inspiration in his "autobiography" ("The Artful Dodger"), which I highly recommend.

Nick Bantoc has a wonderful sense of whimsical style. in Urgent 2nd Class, he shares his process and techniques with us. be forwarned, this is not a step-by-step guide, but more of a glimpse into his rationale and thought-process. He covers areas such as illustration, stamping, collage, woodcuts, and more while providing some beautiful examples of his work. If you think of this book as inspiration rather than instruction, you will not be dissapointed. Those looking for a step-by-step how-to will need to keep looking. All that aside, the book itself is beautiful and worth having.