This is a great book for a sushi beginner, such as myself. It simply provides you with all of the essential information to begin making sushi at home. The book doesn't go into a lot of depth on each subject, rather providing the reader with a solid foundation to begin exploring the world of sushi. The book covers: Sushi ingredients, history, etiquette, terminology, decoration, some basic fish filleting, a little sashimi, some soups and most importantly the sushi! It guides you though the basic types of sushi with large, step-by-step photographic instructions on how to form it. And each type of sushi has many variations to try out. You'll be pulling off inside-out California rolls in no time! Another plus is the design. This is one good looking book. Nice, full-page photographs help to reinforce the importance of aesthetics in sushi preparation and the cover is suitable for any coffee table. Pair it up with a sister book such as 'Sashimi' - by Hideo Dekura, or any of the other 'Essential Kitchen Series' books (same beautiful design) and you'll have a very attractive cookbook selection. Search for 'Essential Kitchen Series' to see what I mean. I was impressed, anyway. Great book, get it now!