The String Book

by Adam Hart-Davis

The String Book opens with a note about an 8,000-year-old piece of string that was found at a Stone Age settlement in England, about which the editor of British Archaeology said, "I don't think the average person realizes what an important piece of technology string has been over the ages." The String Book is here to set that right. What the author calls a "cornucopia of cunning and knowledge" fills this informative and charming collection of history, knot instruction, facts and surprising trivia. The chapters and sections Amusing two-color illustrations highlight the text. Here are examples of the stringiness in The String Book : This is a fun and surprisingly informative book that is a great gift for any reader.

192 pages, Paperback

Published September 1, 2016

About the author

British photographer, writer and broadcaster.

Reviews

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This really is "The String Book." It is a fun, mini-article-based reader-friendly encyclopedia centered entirely on diverse string-based topics, including: knot tying, string production, legends based on string, hot air balloons, string theory, yoyos etc.
You can read it straight through or keep it as a coffee table reader to pick up and glance at for an entertaining factoid. It would make a great gift for your friend who's really into string.

The articles are short (1-3 paragraphs) and contain helpful illustrations as needed, such as in the knot-tying section. The level of detail was usually enough to keep my interest and not over-complicated.

With that said, I received this book as part of a Goodreads giveaway and otherwise would not have bought a book about string for myself. I see this as a good book on an obscure topic that it can't hurt to learn more about, but that I didn't really need to know more about.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to admit, I love books that are about a subject that most wouldn't think to write about. Those tends to be most interesting, and this book does not disappoint. In an encyclopedic fashion, you can easily go from chapter to chapter depending on what you wanted to know - such as the different knots you can tie to how to do magic tricks, and how various cultures utilize(d) string.

I definitely recommend this book.

***I received this book through Goodreads Member Giveaways. The review is solely my own.***