I bought this book in addition to the sewing Encyclopedia, Hachette, and in comparison, I find: - Burda is the most complete, there are lots of particular types of finishes that are not in the Hachette (eg zip pocket in the seam) - The illustrations are more explicit, schemas are very well made, and are often lighter than the photos of Hachette - There are lots of good tips, very useful hands tower that correspond to "real life" but cons: - It is more dense and less enjoyable to watch the Hachette: it would be good to aerate a little presentation - It is less basic: the explanations are quite condensed and sometimes lack education or explicitations to be perfectly understandable for most beginners. In summary, I recommend it because I found explanations absent other sewing manuals and drawings are clear, but if it starts, it may be useful to accompany the other hand more basic and more simple, or videos.