The Longbow, the Schooner & the Violin

by Marq de Villiers

The English longbow, made of rare yew wood, unmatched for accuracy, speed of fire, and deadliness, shifted Europe's balance of power in the Middle Ages.

Schooners, those "able handsome ladies" of the sea, inaugurated a new era of global trade, carrying high-value cargoes of tea and spice to Europe and America with unmatched speed and reliability.

The violin, individual examples of which have personalities and histories as brilliant as the performers who play them, brought Western music to the pinnacle of expressiveness.

These three iconic artifacts exemplify the inventive ways human ingenuity has employed wood - one of our most extraordinary natural substances - to change its culture and history. In this sweeping and beautifully-written history, award-winning author Marq de Villiers explores our relationship with wood, from ancient times to the present, from the forest to the workshop. Wood, he writes, has always been an essential companion to human development, and its most remarkable applications may still be ahead.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

350 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 30, 2022

About the author

Born in South Africa, Marq de Villiers is a veteran Canadian journalist and the author of thirteen books on exploration, history, politics, and travel, including Water: The Fate of Our Most Precious Resource (winner of the Governor General's Award for Non-Fiction). He has worked as a foreign correspondent in Moscow and through Eastern Europe and spent many years as editor and then publisher of Toronto Life magazine. More recently he was editorial director of WHERE Magazines International. He lives in Port Medway, Nova Scotia. [Penguin Canada]

Reviews

[Jim Puskas · Rating 4 out of 5]

The scope, variation, achievements and possibilities of human ingenuity have always fascinated me. It is, of course a “two-edged sword”, having enabled us to re-engineer our entire planet, and not for the better. But this book, by selecting three vastly different (and iconic) artifacts devised from wood, offers a study of inventiveness both enlightening and entertaining. Each of the three examples, in its own way not only capitalized on extraordinary properties of wood to a previously undreamed-of extent but each permanently changed some aspects of human history, whether it be through warfare or commerce or the experience of performance art. And along the way, each also had an esthetic appeal that satisfied the human desire for story, song or visual delight. Each, in its way was a thing of beauty, without which human experience is ever lacking.
And, as de Villiers points out, ”these three artifacts are all connected by a single thread: the tension string of the longbow, the halyards and sheets of the sailing ship, the strings and bow of the violin, all devices designed by human cunning to give wood its voice and its power.”
Marq de Villiers’ writing is fluid, his notions erudite, his research laudable. And he is mercifully concise, resulting is a non-fiction book that covers significant territory and yet can comfortably be read in a couple of days.

[Bibliohiker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me review this book.
I like how the author tells about other books that use the trees and forests. It makes one want to pick up the other books to read more about those adventures. I like that he talks about three important things that are still made out of wood today. Even though these items are now also made with other types of materials; it’s nice to know wood is still being used.
The chapter on the tree was interesting because I don’t think many people think of what a tree is. Although I do not agree when the author says trees don’t have a purpose. They convert carbon dioxide into oxygen for us to breathe along with providing shade,food and shelter for animals to name a few things. Interesting that the bark of most trees are edible along with some leaves.
I like how he goes into depth about bows; he doesn’t just say this bow was found here and that’s it. How it’s been used through the ages all over the world. The yew information was interesting. This book delves into what happens to trees when they die; the animals, fungi and other plants and animals that take over.

[Dennis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has some fascinating and some boring parts. I read it because I was interested in the wood for the violin - this part held my interest. The Longbow chapter offered me information that I had not been aware of. The Schooner chapter was mainly boring. The other chapters on different types of wood, trees, their history and science, did not hold my interest very well.

[Sylvia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating book but a bit too much information on the making of the things like the schooner and the violin. The part about trees, the environment and forests was most interesting

[David Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good history of three important uses of wood. As a wood lover this book spoke to me, also for it's historical background.

[Joe Beeson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has a lot of interesting information but apart from the violin section completely lacked in the necessary depth. Spending single paragraphs on complex topics left me wanting more information. I have quite a bit of knowledge in forest ecology and felt that section was impressively lacking in description and explanation

[Andrea Wenger · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mix of science and history, this book is an interesting look at how wood shaped human civilization. Accessibly written with flashes of humor, this book may change how you think about the relationship between humans and their environment.

Thanks, NetGalley for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.