Reviews
Thoroughly researched, thoughtful, and entertaining.... just enough of the science of trees and wood, and of the technology of wood products and woodworking, to inform but not burden lay readers....Numerous stories add immeasurably to the book's appeal., Thoroughly researched, thoughtful, and entertaining…. just enough of the science of trees and wood, and of the technology of wood products and woodworking, to inform but not burden lay readers….Numerous stories add immeasurably to the book's appeal., "Who knew wood could be this fascinating?" -- Booklist "Engaging and exhaustively researched...a solid history of wood." -- Publishers Weekly "Thoroughly researched, thoughtful, and entertaining.... just enough of the science of trees and wood, and of the technology of wood products and woodworking, to inform but not burden lay readers....Numerous stories add immeasurably to the book's appeal." -- School Library Journal "Engaging, informative...Spike's wide-eyed enthusiasm is catching, and his curiosity takes him way beyond the ordinary...[Splintered History] is for anyone interested in how this humble material, and the people who work with it, have made us who we are." -- Family Handyman magazine "Wonderfully strange and interesting....Mixing well-researched history, trivia and humorous anecdotes, A Splintered History of Wood meanders from chainsaw artists to belt-sander races, from Steinway pianos airdropped during WWII to the first know wooden tool: the toothpick." -- NPR Morning Edition, Thoroughly researched, thoughtful, and entertaining.. just enough of the science of trees and wood, and of the technology of wood products and woodworking, to inform but not burden lay readers..Numerous stories add immeasurably to the book's appeal., Wonderfully strange and interesting....Mixing well-researched history, trivia and humorous anecdotes, A Splintered History of Wood meanders from chainsaw artists to belt-sander races, from Steinway pianos airdropped during WWII to the first know wooden tool: the toothpick., Engaging, informative...Spike's wide-eyed enthusiasm is catching, and his curiosity takes him way beyond the ordinary...[Splintered History] is for anyone interested in how this humble material, and the people who work with it, have made us who we are.
Synopsis
From true relics of the cross to Derek Jeter's bat, the invention of toothpicks to the famed Stradivarius violin, medieval catapults to the construction of Levittown, wood has played an essential role in nearly every aspect of human existence. But this is no dull dissertation on the scientific properties of wood; instead, writer and professional carpenter Spike Carlsen has traveled thousands of miles and interviewed hundreds of wood users and enthusiasts to carve out a comprehensive and dynamic history of wood's global impact and its personal significance to people in all walks of life. In the successful tradition of books such as Salt and Cod, Carlson explores the history, versatility, and special appeal of something we use everyday, but take for granted., In a world without wood, we might not be here at all. We wouldn't have had the fire, heat, and shelter that allowed us to expand into the planet's colder regions. If civilization somehow did develop, our daily lives would be vastly different: there would be no violins, baseball bats, chopsticks, or wine corks. The book you are now holding wouldn't exist. Spike Carlsen's A Splintered History of Wood is a grand celebration of all things wooden and the characters who lovingly shape them-eccentric artisans and passionate enthusiasts who have created some of the world's most beloved musical instruments, feared weapons, dazzling architecture, and bizarre forms of transportation. From champion chainsaw carvers to blind woodworkers, from the Miraculous Staircase to the Lindbergh kidnapping case, here is a passionate, personal, amazingly entertaining exploration of nature's greatest gift., A Splintered History of Wood is a passionate and personal exploration of nature's greatest gift: wood. In the successful tradition of books such as Salt and Cod , writer and carpenter Spike Carlsen explores the history, versatility, and special appeal of something we use everyday--but take for granted--in this comprehensive and dynamic history of wood's global impact and its personal significance to people in all walks of life.
