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A Splintered History of Wood: Belt Sander Races, Blind Woodworkers, and Baseball Bats | 
| Author: Spike Carlsen
Publisher: Collins
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $14.42
You Save: $10.53 (42%)
New (30) Used (7) from $14.42
Rating:  10 reviews
Sales Rank: 7987
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 432
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.5
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 5.9 x 1.5
ISBN: 0061373567
Dewey Decimal Number: 620.12
EAN: 9780061373565
ASIN: 0061373567
Publication Date: September 1, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand New, Perfect Condition, Please allow 4-14 business days for delivery. 100% Money Back Guarantee, Over 1,000,000 customers served.
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Product Description
In a world without wood, we might not be here at all. Without wood, we wouldn't have had the fire, heat, and shelter that allowed us to expand into the colder regions of the planet. If civilization somehow did develop, our daily lives still would be vastly different: there would be no violins, baseball bats, chopsticks, or wine corks. The book you are now holding wouldn't exist. At the same time, many of us are removed from the world where wood is shaped and celebrated every day. That world is inhabited by a unique assortment of eccentric craftsmen and passionate enthusiasts who have created some of the world's most beloved musical instruments, feared weapons, dazzling architecture, sacred relics, and bizarre forms of transportation. In A Splintered History of Wood, Spike Carlsen has uncovered the most outlandish characters and examples, from world-champion chainsaw carvers to blind woodworkers, the Miraculous Staircase to the Lindbergh kidnapping case, and many more, in a passionate and personal exploration of nature's greatest gift.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 5 more reviews...
Readable, entertaining and informative January 5, 2009
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Spike Carlsen's "A Splintered History of Wood" is a book you will not easily put down. With a full set of notes, photographs, resources, a bibliography and complete index, it is a very well researched book that every woodworker or in fact anyone, should read. On top of all that, it's funny, informative and very readable.
From 50 thousand year old wood to belt sander races, tools, wood in sports, wood in war and much more, Carlsen hits the high points, tells us interesting things about the substance that makes us woodworkers and entertains us with funny stories and interesting facts. If you've ever wanted to know about how ancient crosses were made, the history of how wood was used and is still used in our every day lives - bombs to trebuchets, toothpicks to pianos and on to the wood in your home, Carlsen has it in this book.
"From the cribs we sleep in as infants to the caskets in which we'll be buried in death, wood touches us in a real and personal way, every day," says Carlsen in his funny and personal introduction.
Get this book as it is a purchase you will not regret.
A Splintered History of Wood December 23, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I read "A Splintered History of Wood" by Spike Carlsen from cover to cove without taking time to put it down. This book was written by someone who has taken the time to put his hands on wood and appreciate the strong roots that support all trees. Funny, serious and full of amazing facts this is a must read for every woodworker and those who wish they were woodworkers.
A delightful read December 12, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Spike Carlsen has taken a pedestrian subject -- dare I say a wooden subject -- and breathed life into it. From his fascinating study of tree mechanics, to the short but compelling essays about folks whose lives have been changed by wood, he uses the English language as a master woodworker uses a lathe, carving out a book that is rich with intricate detail, twists and turns. It's humorous without being snarky, and filled with astute observations of the human condition.
Great read! October 20, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This is a fabulous "fill-in" book. It fills in when you just have a few minutes to read at a time, like during the week for me. But I don't mean that negatively. You can start and finish however many little interesting stories you can cram in within the time allotted. I happen to be a carpenter and woodworker but nearly every tidbit in here was still new and interesting to me. (Well, at least with the exception of what framing lumber dimensions actually are). I'm kind of a minutiae nut and if you're the same way, you'll love this book. He does an uncanny job of painting mental pictures of arcane topics like the building of guitars, pianos or baseball bats. It's fortunate that the writing is so understandable and concise because the pictures are a bit lacking. OK so there's one negative comment!
Who knew?!? September 28, 2008
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
Spike Carlsen took a topic that could have been as exciting as, well watching wood grow, carved it into a well written story, with lots of humor and tales of how us humans---our very society itself---would not, could not be the same as it is today without this precious resource. This book, and the folks in it (and their unique personalities), and the woods themselves (each exotic specimen having its own incomparable story) is written with the same reverence an author would bring to a well researched and documented historical novel. He explains in exquisite, easy to read detail why certain woods are used for specific applications and how highly skilled craftsmen produce one of a kind pieces, which because they are made from material that were once alive, have taken on a life of their own. Great book I know will enjoy as much as I have!
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