Wood: Craft, Culture, History

Wood has been integral to human existence worldwide for millennia. But how did humans discover and harness its properties? Where does wood fit in with human ambition and advancement? In this book, Harvey Green blends science, history, and practical insights, to explore the significance of wood as an essential material and cherished resource.

You’ll find interesting discussions of a range of topics - the differences between hard and soft woods, the enduring use of wood in home construction across centuries, the mechanics of water transport in trees, just to name a few. The book explores the history and botanical underpinnings of wood’s use in everything from Windsor chairs to log cabins to baseball bats. You may never take wood for granted again.

Softcover. With black and white photographs.

"A delightful look into the nature of this ubiquitous material and into the many ways in which it touches our lives and sensibilities…Like a walk along a quiet forest rail, reading this book provides opportunity after opportunity to reflect upon the meaning of trees and the things that come from them." - Henry Petroski, author of The Pencil and The Evolution of Useful Things