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A Splintered History of Wood: Belt-Sander Races, Blind Woodworkers, and Baseball Bats |  | Author: Spike Carlsen
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Category: Book
List Price: $15.99
Buy New: $9.21
as of 11/25/2009 06:30 CST details
You Save: $6.78 (42%)
New (22) Used (7) from $9.21
Seller: indoobestsellers
Rating:  23 reviews
Media: Paperback
Edition: Reprint
Pages: 432
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 8 x 5.2 x 1
ISBN: 0061373575
Dewey Decimal Number: 609
EAN: 9780061373572
Publication Date: September 1, 2009
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
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.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 23
 A fun read on the lighter side of woodworking November 18, 2009
E. Sincox (My back yard, Saint Peters, MO)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I like a good book where I can imagine the author is talking directly to me, like he's sitting on my sofa, enthralling me with story after story. That is pretty much how I felt about Spike Carlsen's A Splintered History of Wood. It isn't one of those books you can plow through in just one sitting, though. You have to read it more like you read Robert Fulgum or James Krenov - one chapter at a time, taking a break in between sittings to absorb what you've just read. You can't read this book when you're in a hurry, either. You have to approach it with a calm and relaxed mind; you have to be willing to be drawn away from your hectic day into a narrative about one of every woodworker's favorite
topics - wood.
As you read the first chapter on extraordinary woods, you'll develop mysterious cravings and desires when Spike reports on where you can get 50,000 year old Kauri wood (I have some), discusses WOOD PORN with Mitch Talcove, and interviews people who make a living salvaging redwood logs. Later, you'll be awed by stories of woodworkers who are blind, artists who can carve your name in a pencil with a chainsaw, and an inspirational visit with Mira Nakashima. Spike then dives into wood as it relates to music and sports, detailing what goes into making a world class violin, a Steinway piano, a persimmon wood golf club, and a pool cue.
With a knack for making even the mundane seem amazing, Carlsen jumps into stories about wood used in construction, from people who live in trees to the 36-year remodeling project called the Winchester House. His chapter on weapons and war, interesting to anyone who ever played knights as a child, covers such topics as catapults and the English long bow. He ends his book on a note he describes as, "emotional, environmental, and political." In this final chapter, which includes an interview with Patrick Moore (one of the founding members of Greenpeace), he details reasons for using wood more than steel, concrete, and plastic. He also discusses methods for maintaining natural forested areas while planting trees specifically for harvesting and his thoughts on purchasing endangered woods. I don't know - it all seemed like common sense to me.
 A Splintered History of Wood October 9, 2009
Mr. M. Smith (Victoia Australia)
A very informative and entertaining book.
I thought I knew a bit about wood.I do now.
Colour pictures would have been nice.
Cheers.Michael.
This is really an informative, fun book. September 14, 2009
Guy M. Marzano (Minnetonka, MN USA)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
There's a tremendous number of interesting facts in this book. They were presented with so many fun examples and unique expressions that it was really hard to put the book down. I work in the lumber industry and after I finished reading it,I loaned my copy to my boss with glowing comments and recommended that we buy several to use as gifts for people that we interact with. All and all, it is an absolutely wonderful book; and I would like to thank Spike Carlsen for all his work in writing it.
 far too splintered - where was the editor? August 17, 2009
Coast-Lover (Gulf Coast)
1 out of 4 found this review helpful
Beginning the read I thought I would enjoy this book, but the further into the book I got, the more I realized there was more splintered here than wood or history. Inaccuracies, unnecessary vulgar language, typo after typo, and the annoying inclusion of the authors political and religious biases. Where was his editor? The book is a near-miss at best, and at the worst an embarrassment for the publisher... one more read-through by a good editor with a red marker could have improved the book. Just dissapointing, and an effort to finish.
 Spike needs to hire a proofreader. July 13, 2009
J. H. Meadors (Initown, SC)
1 out of 5 found this review helpful
This is an occasionally interesting book, drawn from a variety of source material, but overall it is so poorly written that I cannot recommend it to anyone.
It is full of typos and misstatements of fact. It needs a competent editor and someone to proof the galley.
The print quality is low. The photographs are poorly printed. It was truly a waste of money and I am sorry I bought it.
I am a professional woodworker and thought this would be a good addition to my woodworking library. It wasn't. Look for it in my trash can or recycle bin.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 23
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