I believe that this book will be most useful for late beginner or early intermediate level painters. It is not "Learning Oil Painting Step-by-Step." Basics are certainly covered in Part 1, but not in complete detail. Beginners might find Steve Allrich's "Oil Painting for the Serious Beginner" more helpful for starting out. For example, Allrich's description of stretching canvas is more detailed than Galton's.There are two sections. Part 1: Techniques (about 40% of the book) is like an encyclopedia. It contains short articles on a wide range of methods arranged in alphabetical order. Each article is from 1 to 3 pages long, and each is well illustrated, sometimes with illustrated step-by-step examples. Part 2: Themes (about 60% of the book) contains chapters on Architecture, Figures, Still Life, Landscapes, Skies, and Water. All are well illustrated with examples from different artists (including the author), and each chapter contains at least one step-by-step demonstration. Illustrations are well chosen, and the color rendition of the printing is excellent. By the way, it helps if you actually like the paintings by the author. I very much like Galton's paintings.Those who have painted at least 5-10 paintings may find new ideas and approaches in Part 1 that can be used for fresh experimentation with unfamiliar techniques. Part 2 provides examples of how other artists approach their subjects, and it includes technical information and demonstrations on how to achieve the desired results. For me, this is not a book best read through sequentially (although it can be profitably read that way), but a book to be continually dipping into for fresh ideas. I expect it to be as useful as "Problem Solving for Oil Painters" by Gregg Kreutz in assisting growth as an artist.I'll be referring back to Galton's book repeatedly to help develop painting skills.