1. •“Mark Frauenfelder's book is great. He shows you how to make your own iPhone 4 out of an iPhone 3gs and an iPad!” — Stephen Colbert
   

2. •“This is a must-read book. Mark has lovingly and candidly documented the complex, myriad, intangible and often very tangible rewards of grabbing the world with both of your hands, and learning how it works." — Adam Savage, Mythbusters
   

3. •I saw you on Colbert, and asked for a copy of Made by Hand for Father's Day.  I received it earlier today, and read the book in one sitting--something I haven't done in ten years.  A couple of weeks ago I realized that it is making and creating that brings me my greatest happiness in life, which is causing me to step back and re-think many aspects of my current situation.  Reading your book really punctuated this realization, and empowered me to try new things and inevitably fail.  Thank you for writing Made by Hand.  — a reader, Ann Arbor, Michigan
   

4. •I think anyone would find this a can't-put-down kind of book... rich, thought provoking and utterly readable. — Maya Donenfeld, Maya Made
   

5. •I picked up Made by Hand and couldn't put it down. — Homegrown Evolution
   

6. •Less a how-to book and more a rumination on the value of screwing up as a path to mastery, Made by Hand is impossible to set down once you start reading it. — Dinotopia creator James Gurney
   

7. •Frauenfelder is a do-it-yourself expert who took the notion to its extreme for a year by keeping his own chickens and bees and playing a guitar he made out of cigar boxes. Kooky, sure, but the underlying instinct is pure and hilarious. — Steven E. Levingston, Washington Post Political Bookworm
   

8. •Altogether, Made by Hand is an excellent introduction to the world of doing-it-yourself, and is an inspiring look into how the author decided to find meaning in relying less on consumer goods, and more on himself. — James Robertson, National Geographics Green Guide
   

9. •"What Mark Frauenfelder knows is that making a ukulele out of a cigar box is not just fun (and finally a good use for your thousands of old cigar boxes), it's a way of restringing and retuning your whole life. Buy this book, read it, and then maybe make it into a clarinet. I bet you can!" — John Hodgman, author of The Areas of My Expertise and More Information Than Require
   

10. •"Frauenfelder has been at the center of the emerging maker movement, chronicling its rise as an economic force. Here, he describes a parallel evolution: his own embrace of making, as he applies the lessons he's been learning to his own life. It's as inspiring as it is entertaining. You'll never look at your lawn the same again!" — Chris Anderson, Editor in Chief, Wired Magazine
    

11. •"Made By Hand is a wonderful, thought-provoking, and timely book that shows us why and how we need to take back control of our lives. Now if only Mark Frauenfelder would put out a version written by hand on paper he made from the trees in his backyard." — A.J. Jacobs, author of The Guinea Pig Diaries and The Year of Living Biblically
    

12. •"Made by Hand is an absurdist essay on 'resistentialism,' defined as 'the theory that things have a secret agenda to make us miserable by fighting back against our efforts to use them.' It is the flip-side of self-sufficiency and independence–an example of the ongoing war between HAP (hire a pro) and DIY. Do you give in to the unassailable fact that you have no idea how things work, or do you embark on a quixotic (but potentially enlightening) attempt to figure it out?" — Errol Morris, Academy Award-winning director of Fast, Cheap, and Out of Control
    

13. •"Why do otherwise well-adjusted people take to raising chickens in Studio City? What sort of contrarian spends a lot of time and money to kill his own lawn? These may be the projects of one quirky individual, but they point to something universal and true. Human beings find their proper home not in large-scale corporate structures but in the struggle for individual agency. You have to admire the doggedness with which the individuals in Made By Hand try to render their own world intelligible." — Matthew B. Crawford, author of Shop Class as Soulcraft
    

14. •“Frauenfelder believes — as do I — that the DIY ethic is only partly about the things you produce. It’s also about learning how to learn, about connecting with others who share your interests, and about taking pride in your accomplishments. ... I think the book is great, and I encourage you to pick up a copy if you’re at all interested in DIY.” — J.D. Roth, Get Rich Slowly
    

15. •“Made By Hand is a wonderfully inspiring read and makes turning to a make-centric way of life feel not only approachable, but utopian.” — Jaymi Heimbuch, Treehugger
    

16. •“It's hard to say this is a ‘movement’ but more of a return to practicality and a slower way of life - something Mark Frauenfelder discusses in his book Made By Hand: Searching for Meaning in a Throwaway World. To get away from the stress of fast-paced life - the appointments and kids' lessons, the fast food and quick consumption - it all boils down to just doing it yourself. The weekly process of making yogurt, or whittling a new wooden spoon out of a branch from the tree in your back yard alters your whole outlook on life and reminds you just how capable a person you are.”  — Jaymi Heimbuch, Treehugger
    

17. •“Made by Hand an absolutely fascinating read.”  — Jon Mueller, 800CEOREAD
    

18. •“Promises to inspire families to slow down and make stuff.” — Bunch
    

19. •“Slowing down your busy life to make your own food or work on a special project is the stuff life is made of, says Frauenfelder, author of the recently published do-it-yourself book Made by Hand: Searching for Meaning in a Throwaway World. — Erin Conroy, Associated Press
    

20. •“...the author makes a persuasive case that a DIY approach can help its practitioners achieve "a richer and more meaningful life, a life of engagement with the world.” — Hardy Green, DailyFinance
    

21. •“...not only was I entertained I was educated on a wide range of topics!” — Recycled Crafts
    

22. •There’s a simple joy to making things that seems really innate, and this book is about figuring out how to access that joy even when you make mistakes, or your projects turn out crappy, or it turns out more expensive to make whatever you’re trying to make than to just go buy it. Reading about how Mark figured out how to do just that is really inspiring, and he writes about it in a way that is humorous and accessible. — Cyn Makes Stuff

Available for pre-order:

Amazon

Barnes and Nobel

Borders

800-CEO-READ

Indiebound

I wrote Made By Hand to learn how to become a do-it-yourselfer. I spent time with the best makers and DIYers I know and tried to incorporate what I learned from them into my life. I made mistakes along the way, but I also learned the joy of DIY.

What people are saying about the book: