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Forensic Sculpting Step-By-Step in Photographs, 1stEdition, by Seth Wolfson. Spiral Binding, 8" x 11".
Realsculpt Press, 433 chardonnay circle, Brandon MS 39047 USA. Publication Date 2005. 60 pages, ISBN: 1-4116-3825-5. Price $19.95
Official Site 1: Click here to visit
Official Site 2: Click here to visit
Seth Wolfson's personal Site: Click here to visit
Amazon Link: Click here to visit
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Forensic sculpting is a fascinating science. It combines the knowledge of anatomy, forensic medicine & science, anthropology and the art of imagination and reconstruction to create a face from a skull. The importance of this field lies in its utility in identification of the person whose skull is found from the scene of crime. The thrill that one gets by doing such a work can only be felt, and no amount of words can describe it. In spite of being such an interesting and fascinating science, it has not gained the kind of popularity it should have. One reason for that could be the absence of good quality books for the beginners that can generate interest in them so that they can pursue it further as a career. The present book "forensic sculpting" gives that kind of exposure to some one who is interested in the field.
This book has been written more as a photographic manual than a textbook. The author, Mr. Wolfson, has done a commendable job by bringing forensic sculpting closer to the children. The way things have been described, using photographs, makes doing very simple. By going through the book properly, one can easily start making sculptures (it is not intended to make someone an expert overnight). The format of the book is such that even if one is not interested in taking this field as a career, still he would like to try doing it, just for fun. This, we feel, is the biggest quality of the book, to make even novices and uninterested (professionally) people want to go through it. The biggest achievement of any book is its ability to be of interest to maximum number of people as that helps both financially and academically. Financially because it leads to more sales and academically because it makes more people understand the subject, leading to its popularity. And the present book is able to achieve both goals.
The best thing that Mr. Wolfson has done is to actually show how sculpting can be done by taking a skull and preparing a face from it. He has described it in a step wise manner, starting from mounting of the clay on the skull and going on to describe how the various facial features are added to it to give it the final shape. He has also given the various measurements that are required for skulls of various races, for different kind of built, in both males and females. That helps the reader (or the student who is trying to learn using the book) to know what are the various measurements that he has to use for different kinds of skulls. The author could have probably described the preparation of one more skull of different sex, built or race, so that it was much more clear to the reader why the author has given these different measurements. This is important since people generally believe that the difference in these aspects is based on the bone and not soft tissues. By giving this example, he would have broken this myth and given the actual position.
This book is an excellent attempt by the author to not only popularize the field but also to give the beginners a basic knowledge from which they can start and build upon as they move the ladder of success. Hats off to Mr. Wolfson for bringing out such an important book in forensic sculpting.
-Puneet Setia
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-Anil Aggrawal
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Dr. Puneet Setia is working as a Senior Resident doctor in the department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi. His research interests include Forensic Radiology, especially the use of radiology in demonstrating coronary narrowing at the post-mortem examination. He is associated with Anil Aggrawal's Internet Journal of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology as a writer and book reviewer. He can be contacted at