I’ve been a fair-weather crocheter for over a decade and this is exactly the type of reference guide I’d keep in my active projects basket. I don’t like working from specific patterns, but rather I like to freehand my work. Unfortunately I have a very short memory and default to the same few techniques. I could see this book providing such a boost when brainstorming my projects.
For each stitch this book includes a photo of a swatch, a diagram, and written directions. At the back of the book the author has included resources necessary to help decipher the diagrams and directions of you are unfamiliar (or have a short memory like me). When I first opened the book and started to try a stitch at random I froze, but once I realized these resources where in the back I got back on track with testing stitches.
I would recommend this book for individuals with existing crochet skills. Although called “Essential” I wouldn’t say it’s for folks who haven’t already mastered a few basics (though the resources section provides helpful diagrams of how to do those basic stitches).