In my studio are no less than half a dozen different sewing machines. Each one does something really well. One is fast, one has more space for quilts, one does computerized embroidery, one is portable, one I refer to as my Very Expensive Buttonhole Maker, and so the list goes. There isn't any one machine that does everything well.
The same is true when it comes to embroidery reference books. You can't get by with just one. Now keep in mind that Mom and Grandma showed me the basics as a kid, and I know enough off the top of my head to see me through most of my embellishment urges. Still, my nerdy side seldom passes up the opportunity to score a good reference. Here's my take on several of the popular titles of the day:
Erica Wilson's Embroidery Book. She breaks down the stitches into several main families (see page 30): stem, satin, chain, cross, back weaving, and filling. I like concept based books, so she gets snaps for organization. What this book does well: explains complicated stitches. She starts with the basic version and builds from there. The gradual derivation creates stepping stones; suddenly you're in the deep end without realizing it. There are also some lovely inspirational photos. The downside: it's out of print (it was published in 1973) and has become rather expensive since being mentioned in a popular something or other. $238 at Amazon as I write this. (Don't hate me, but I found mine for $4.99 just as the price was going up. Life beyond Amazon, who knew?)
At the opposite end of the organizational spectrum is The Embroiderer's Handbook by Margie Bauer. Lots of stitches and pretty good instruction, often multiple illustrations per stitch. The stitches are presented in alphabetical order and there's an index in the back. This can be good or not, depending on what kind of search you're doing... which brings us to contestant number three:
Mary Thomas's Dictionary of Embroidery Stitches. What I love about this work is that she organizes the stitches by their function: outline, border, isolated, filling, etc. In midproject, wondering what will work along a particular edge, I can go to the "border" section and find the options grouped together. The thing that keeps this from being The Only Embroidery Book I'll Ever Need is that the instructions and illustrations at times are less helpful than they are in some of the other books.
And then there's Embroidery Stitches by Mary Webb. A cute little chubby primer. Like Mary Thomas, the stitches are arranged by function. The photos and instructions are good. The downside is that this book is out of print and has gotten pricey, $165 last time I checked Amazon. (And I got lucky on this one too, found it at regular MSRP at - wait for it - a brick and mortar store.) A minor quibble, but a quibble nonetheless, is that the table of contents reads as follows: "Fabric Stitches, page 46; Canvas Stitches, page 237." That nearly 200-page span would be a lot more manageable if the subsections were set forth right there in the table of contents. Still, one does eventually come to a page that spells it out. A little time invested early on with some yellow stickies renders the book user friendly.
For those shopping around, don't forget to look at a couple of other titles that are popular right now: The Embroidery Stitch Bible by Betty Barnden, and Yvette Stanton's Embroiderer's Companions - one for righties and one for lefties.
So what's an embroiderer to do? Choose a stitch with help from Mary Thomas or Mary Webb and then get the rest of the story from Margie Bauer (it's easy to look it up by name) and refer to Erica Wilson when the stitch is a complicated one. Need more justification? Keep in mind that each book has a slightly different collection of stitches. And hey, books cost a lot less than sewing machines.
Maureen
every accomplishment starts with the decision to try.
P.S. Here are a couple of others just for fun. Janet Haigh's Color on Color doesn't pretend to be a reference book, but within the projects are some nice tips on color selection and placement. Very nice eye candy. 
Another interesting volume is Mountmellick Embroidery by Yvette Stanton and Prue Scott. While it focuses on a specific style of embroidery, it contains a wealth of stitch information along with visual inspiration for combining different stitches. 
