Kumihimo Wire Jewelry by Giovanna Imperia, subtitled Essential Techniques + 20 Jewelry Projects for the Japanese Art of Braiding. Excellent photos of interesting projects with good detailed description on how Japanese braids are made, how wire behaves, finishing a braid for jewelry, some metal working techniques and an excellent suppliers list. Full color, softcover, 144 pages, $21.99. Errata

Braids - 250 Patterns from Japan, Peru and Beyond by Rodrick Owen. A comprehensive guide to all stages of braiding on the marudai. History and Equipment and Materials and Method include step-by-step diagrams and instructions for a wide variety of patterns for the marudai. Four to sixteen strand braids for round, flat, spiral and hollow braids as well as a triangular, a hexangon, a pentagon and a pentalpha shaped braid.This book also includes instruction on making braids on the disk and plate, excellent for school work, in a math program, linked to geography and history.

Softcover, second edition published in 2004, full color, 159 pages, $19.95

Comprehensive Treatise of Braids VI:
Kumihimo Disk and Plate by Makiko Tada. Makiko is the creator of the hand held disk and plate and with this book she shows us how to use these tools to make Japanese and Andean braids along with new types of braids that she has designed. The book has excellent photos and graphics to make over 30 braids and instruction on how to turn them into sculptural necklaces and brooches. On the cover you can see braids within braids, flat spirals, use of beads and braids that curve and zigzag.
Imported, in English, full color, 90 pages, softcover, $38.00.

Errata, the diagrams on these pages are correct but the numbering isn't, please click here.

Comprehensive Treatise of Braids II: Andean Braids by Makiko Tada, second edition 2004. Braids from the past, from the Andes and traditional Japanese kumihimo. The History of Andean Braids is written in English but the rest of the book is in Japanese, excellent drafts for the plate as well as the marudai.
Imported, soft cover, 128 pages, $45.00

If you have the first edition, click here for the English history and here for the errata page in PDF format.

Necklaces Braided on the Kumihimo Disk by Karen Desousa. A full color book with step-by-step directions for creating eight necklaces using four braid structures and several different types of thread. It is directed to those who use the kumihimo disk but the patterns can also be worked on the marudai. The projects are for beginners to advanced braiders.

Self published, soft cover, 38 pages, full color illustrations. $21.95.

More Necklaces Braided on the Kumihimo Disk by Karen Desousa. More projects and tips for making and finishing beautiful braids for beginners and experienced braiders. The book revisits the round braid (for beginners) and adds seed beads and finishes without findings and introduces some new braids for beautiful necklaces.

Self published, soft cover, 35 pages, full color illustrations. $21.95.

More Kumihimo on a Card by Shirley Berlin - Eight braids for the kumihimo disk; winding spirals, round, square, lacy, zig-zag and flat braids. Some Japanese Kumihimo and some western braids, beads can be added to all of them if you chose. Soft cover, 33 pages, black and white photos, Softcover, 32 pages, $9.00

A Chameleon Braid by Leigh Morris. The kongoh braid also well known as the spiral braid has many faces and Leigh Morris offers over 56 samples written for the marudai many of these patterns can be used on the disk. He explores the spiral braid with 8 to 32 ends, changing direction, texture braids, core braids, changing the shape of braids as well as the number of working ends.

Imported, soft cover, color and black and white, 42 pages, $12.00