This book is fairly dated and I think the photography did not show the creations in the best light (sometimes literally.) Because of these issues, many of the "houses" looked a bit sloppy and amateurish.
That's unfortunate because after the general information, instructions, and two pages of recipes at the front of the book, which were quite helpful, the rest of the book was dedicated to highlighting various gingerbread creations mostly through photographs.
My rating is an blend of two stars for aesthetic value and four for the directions and recipes.
I confess that I "read" books like this as much for the visual pleasure of seeing the fantastic and creative gingerbread houses in the photos; and although it's fairly unlikely I'll be creating a big gingerbread house this holiday season, if I wanted to try, this would give me an approachable, step-by-step instruction that wouldn't be too intimidating. A fun book.