The Manual of Braiding by Noémi Speiser is no longer out-of-print!
I just bumped into this online! Apparently it has recently been reprinted by Haupt Verlag, a Swiss publishing house. This is a big change, as the book was originally self-published by Noémi Speiser. [update: also available on Amazon – sometimes a new or ‘used’ (but actually new) copy is available there for less than the listed Amazon price]
According to the Haupt Verlag website, the book is available for 39,90€ which comes to about $45 in U.S. dollars. [but see comments below re shipping cost from Europe] The book itself is in English, but the publisher’s website is in German, so I still haven’t ferreted out how or whether it can be ordered from abroad. (Maybe a German reader can figure this out for me??? [Thank you to everyone who has left helpful comments below!])
On their website, if you click “LESEPROBE” directly underneath the image of the book’s cover, you can actually read/ see a 20-odd page excerpt from the book, including the introduction and the table of contents, which will give you a very good idea of its scope and approach.
The Manual of Braiding is Noémi Speiser’s opus on braiding – it covers every braiding technique and tradition she was aware of in the 1980’s, more than any book has covered before or since. This book is not your average ‘how to’ book, it is like a college course on braiding packed into a tight format, including a cornucopia of pictorial information stuffed into the pages as well – brain-candy rather than eye-candy. There’s a whole chapter on loop braiding, though her later book Old English Pattern Books for Loop Braiding is more complete. I have an overview of both books on my “Old English Pattern Books for Loop Braiding” info page. Both of them have been out-of-print (and hard to find used) for several years.
This is great news, so I wanted to get it out as soon as possible, but I still haven’t found out if or how the book can be ordered outside of Europe. Has anyone out there ordered it yet? Also, I have no idea what the format of the book is – the original was a large spiral-bound paperback. Is the reprint similar? It seems to be the same shape – printed in horizontal/ landscape format – judging by the images the publisher provides, but I can’t read German so don’t know if they specify the type of binding. Spiral binding might be clunky-looking, but it’s great for working from as it lies so flat when open. [Update: It’s hardback! makes me want a second copy…])
Maybe the Braid Society has already announced this reprint and I am way behind the times, but anyway I have to jump out of my blogging hiatus to share this! I’m crossing my fingers that Old English Pattern Books for Loop Braiding will be reprinted soon as well.
Last updated Jan/15/2019
© 2019 Ingrid Crickmore
Loop Braiding 
A small addition since santa just handed over my copy: It is bound with thread, not glued as I feared. So it stays open very well already and won’t be damaged by it.
Does plate 8 or the upper part of plate 14 have text in the older editions? It seems to be covered by something, wondering if this is a problem of the reprint.
Thanks again for posting about this, can’t wait to dig in and have my brain melted. Happy holidays!
Plate 8 (in my 1997 edition) consists of 6 black and white photos (4 on left, 1 center, 2 on right). Text is at the top center of the page, quote:
Plate 8: Old Japanese braids.
Left column and centre: A choice of old braids attached to Japanese swords.
Top: Aya-Dai, the others Taka-Dai. The attentive reader will be able to identify them once he has studied the relevant chapters (15 and 19) thoroughly.
(Museo Orientale, Venezia)
Right top: Ota-san, a specialist on Naiki-Dai, works with a tiltable frame (chapter 17.5.).
Right bottom: “Chuson-ji”, the reconstruction of the famous old braid by Domyo. Front and Side-view. (cf. 16*19 and 14.3.2).
Plate 14 is titled: Japanese braiding.
Two black and white images. Left: a closeup photo of part of a braid. Associated text:
The transition from plain to extended plain interlacing with an interpolated area of ribbing. A close inspection brings forth one single cut end at the bottom of this lozenge: according to the laws a perfectly symmetrical flat oblique interlacing needs an odd-, whereas extended plain needs an even number of elements. Taka-Dai.
On the right is a copy of a Japanese woodblock-print of a woman braiding. Associated text:
The sumptuously dressed lady is occupied with a Maru-Dai (cf. chapter 16A). A four-ridge tubular braid grows downward and is drawn off upward. The initiated will be surprised to find ELEVEN bobbins, whilst the braid in progress of work needs a multiple of four. The artist Sadahide obviously cared for beauty rather than pfor technical precision! (by permission of S. Domyo)
(I hope not too much else is missing!)
You’re a treasure Ingrid, thanks. No other problems that I noticed.
I did a braid with 11 warps. I can send photo and instructions if u like.
I’d love to see it! – my contact form is in the drop-down under the “About” tab in my upper menu.
The Book Depository has it.
https://www.bookdepository.com/Manual-Braiding-Noemi-Speiser/9783258081113?ref=grid-view&qid=1544354075120&sr=1-1
with free postage
Thanks! That’s the lowest price I’ve seen yet! – ok, I just rechecked Amazon and someone else in the UK is now offering it for $44.95 and free ship, so the prices have been coming down a bit, good news.
https://www.amazon.com/The-Manual-of-Braiding/dp/3258081115
There should be less pricey alternatives.
Take care
Thanks, Ferran, I don’t know why my Amazon search didn’t come up with it! I’m guessing the shipping is what makes it so expensive – according to B.A.T. in a previous comment the shipping from Europe to the U.S. is as much as 34€.
What happens if you try shipping with Amazon DE or FR or …? I’m afraid I can’t try it right now.
Hello Ingrid, I just sent your mail to the Haupt People, asking them to contact you concerning abroad shipping.Thank you for letting us know, Haupt publishers do many good books. I’ll put this one on Santas list 😳Sidsel, germany
Thanks, Sidsel!
Amazon US should have it. Someone mentioned they’d bought it with prime benefits from Amazon DE.
Take care
PS: later today I can send you a couple of photos of the actual book, if you wish.
Ok, thanks, Ferran. I’ll keep my eyes open for it on Amazon, too – I did a quick search there under “Noemi Speiser” and didn’t see anything but the older out-of-print edition listed, but maybe I should have searched directly for the title itself.
Thank you for the newsletter!
The publisher is from Switzerland not Germany The book can be ordered from all over the world The binding is hardcover If you click: ‘Sie haben Fragen oder …..schreiben sie uns ‘ you can ask any questions in english.
Willeke Kerstjens ( The Netherlands )
Verstuurd vanaf mijn iPad
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Thank you! I will correct my post right away. And thanks also for how / where to direct an email on the publisher’s site.
Uhm 12×8” of course, writing inch behind the centimeter numbers isn’t quite the same as converting.
Just in time for giftmas, yay. It says about 30×21 inch and the pdf looks like they didn’t re-set it, so any difference is most likely just because of the binding. Not sure what exactly they mean with gebunden, normal hardcover probably, spiral binding would be mentioned for sure. Its a Swiss publisher btw, not German.
They do deliver worldwide, 9€ or 34€ postage to the US (the book only 20g below the cutoff, not enough for packaging probably) and accept credit or debit cards.
In den Warenkorb -> click on the shopping cart -> zur kasse (checkout) -> Bestellen ohne Registrierung (order without making account) -> all the boxes on top are for the newsletter so ignore, fill in your name and adress (bold things in order: first name, last name, street+number, zip+town, country+state, phone), do check the Datenschutz box below (totally read your privacy policy I swear) -> weiter means continue but I didn’t, so you’re on your own for the payment page. Hope this helps anyway.
Great! Thanks for all the tips. Hmm, I hadn’t been planning on ordering one for myself since I already have the old edition, but if it this one is hardback I am a little tempted to get a second copy!