A Reverence For Wood

In this book Eric Sloane concentrates on wood. Colonial America was blanketed in a thick forest of first growth timber that was one of the primary economic resources to a new colony. He talks about how wood was used, burned for charcoal, riven for shakes, hewn into building timber, or sawn for lumber. This book is also profusely illustrated with a well though out narration providing a story that ties everything together.

For anyone interested in woodworking this book will explain lots of the practical aspects of using the material without being a dry academic text. Sloane's enthusiasm for the subject is infectious and the way he ascribes characteristics of each species to actual craft construction is both information, and presented in a way that makes contextual sense.

112 pages, 8 1/4" x 11", soft cover.