thats because sheldon was brilliant but he was also sortof a wackjob. i didnt find AoW to be super clear either tbh.
its intimidating before you build your first wheel, but theres really nothing to it, idunno what i got myself so worked up about.
its a good idea to have another wheel around for reference to see if youre doing the right thing. the only "hard" part is the initial lacing, and if you have a brain and a built wheel to look at you really dont need any instructions