Wood: Craft, Culture, History

by S J D Green

A superbly entertaining, wide-ranging investigation of wood through history, culture, art, and science

We build our houses with it, burn it for warmth, carve it for beauty, sail in it, sit on it, play with it, and fight with it—yet how much do we really understand about the history and culture of wood? In this rich and fascinating book, Harvey Green examines how wood in all its variety of form and function has contributed to an extraordinary range of human endeavors.

Wood reveals the history and culture of a substance that has been a central part of human life throughout the world for thousands of years. From the prized whorls of bird’s-eye maple to the oak and pine that made navies and empires, from the breathtaking stave churches of Norway to the enduring popularity of the Windsor chair, from the magic of turning to the grace of a Chinese chair, and from the botany of the baseball bat to the stunning carving of Native Americans of the northwest coast, Wood decodes how a seemingly common material has come to signal class, status, and authenticity. Using the historian’s craft and the woodworker’s hand, Green has fashioned an authoritative book sure to interest all who love this amazing material, appreciate its history, and care about its future.

Genres: Woodwork, Nonfiction, History, World History, Art

496 pages, Hardcover

First published October 19, 2006

Reviews

[Adam Tramposh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recommended for anyone interested in man's oft-complicated relationship w/ this natural resource. Touches cursorily on the material science, and the historical applications of wood. Appreciated the repeated calls-to-action for moderation and stewardship, though they are often heavy-handed and disrupt the otherwise considered sequencing of the book's topics.

[Reader · Rating 2 out of 5]

I felt like much of the information provided was meant more for people who already have a gathered understanding of wood and its many distinctive elements.

When I checked this book out of a library, I had to check out another book on wood that provided more information on the grains and weight, to truly appreciate and understand the differences between the many types of wood.

[John Wetzel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Couldn't get through this one. I love wood and woodworking but this was just not a very lively flowing or fluid read.

[Kathleen McRae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of information on the history of how wood has been used.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a bit surprised to find the negative reviews of this book circulating on this site. It's got problems, to be sure-- the subject matter is monumental and resists easy arrangement-- but it's an amazingly thorough attempt at offering a thin overview of the topic. The author declares his intentions, and organization in the beginning, and then follows through. It's arranged by function, and within each function (shipping, fuel, etc.) it provides a good amount of cross cultural context for each of the areas in which wood is important in our lives. If there are flaws, they exist because it would take something of far more massive length to fully explore the complexities of this tremendously vital material. The writing is breezy, and not stilted. It seldom travels down unimportant roads (though, for example, I found the history of sports using wood to be hard to sustain interest) and is quite entertaining as a whole.

[Eoin · Rating 3 out of 5]

(2.5) How can you write a book about something so various? Answer: You can't. Plenty of facts, but no real depth, of course, since the topic is the cultural-historical importance of wood. Weird sectioning, low quality pictures detract, but lots of tidbits for those with the patience. Skip it.

[Gill · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was looking for something like John McPhee. This is not anywhere up to that standard. Boring. Not worth reading;

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not finished but this book is well written and fits the genre of Salt, Cod and such.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

An astonishing history of a material.

[Jeremy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had to read this for a class and it was boring and dry. While informative it was not presented in a manner that engaged the reader.