title: Handy at Home: Tips on Improving Your Home from America's Favorite Handyman
author:  Richard Karn 
description: For some reason, many publishers believe that with fame comes expertise; certainly, name recognition can result in sales and patron demand. That is the only reason libraries should consider this title by Karn, who played Al Borland on TV's Home Improvement. Karn (who stresses his experience as an apartment manager) and collaborator Mair (who has written a number of celebrity bios) offer a variety of household tips that sound as if they were gleaned directly from a company brochure. Although it is billed as a book on "improving your home," this title attempts to do it all: Karn offers advice on buying a car, assuring food safety, finding baby sitters, preparing a moist ham with cola, washing crystal, practicing feng shui, caring for pets, washing bras, and removing corns. Although there are undoubtedly some useful tips here, there is a greater amount of absurd ephemera. The last section, "Richard's Guide to Home Improvement Books," lists 90 works but provides no information about them other than author, title, publisher, and date. Public libraries should purchase only if patron demand requires it. <br />Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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  Everybody takes pride in successfully 
  meeting a challenge. Among those 
  challenges, probably the most import¬ 
  ant are those which arise in connection 
  with the need for repairs in the home. 
  Of course, the importance of these 
  repairs becomes more significant if 
  one happens to be the owner of’the 
  home. 
  The phenomenal growth in our popu¬ 
  lation, and the resultant need for more 
  and better housing has created a 
  serious need for household servicing 
  and repairs. Not only is there a short¬ 
  age of professional handymen, but 
  those who are avai lable are often 
  extremely costly to employ. 
  The editor has prepared this book in 
  order to help the layman make his own 
  home repairs. Virtually every possible 
  problem that the home-owner may have 
  to face is dealt with in THE COMPLETE 
  HANDYMAN, including: Painting and 
  papertianging; brickwork; glass and 
  glazing; concrete; leaking roofs; floors; 
  doors; windows; staircases; drains; gates 
  and fences; laying carpets