Encyclopedia of Wood : A Tree-By-Tree Guide to the World's Most Valuable Resource - Hardcover

Makepeace, John (Foreword By), And Walker, Aidan (Edited By)

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0816021597 ISBN 13: 9780816021598

Publisher: Facts on File, Inc., 1989

Synopsis

The most detailed and comprehensive reference of its kind, The Encyclopedia of Wood is the first source book to reflect the full significance of wood as our most versatile and enduring natural resource. More than 400 illustrations. Full color.

About this title

About the Author:

Aidan Walker spent 10 years as a professional carpenter, joiner, and cabinetmaker, after which he became editor of Woodworker magazine, the U.K.'s leading journal of woodworking craft and design. He is now a freelance writer on wood and furniture-related topics. Bill Lincoln has spent 30 years in the wood trade. He is the author of The Art and Practice of Marquetry and The Complete Manual of Wood Veneering. Luke Hughes studied Chinese and tooka degree in the history of art. He then switched to law before deciding to commit himself to woodwork. He now produces classically influenced furniture for such prestigious London stores as Liberty's and the Conran Shop. Lucinda Leech is a well-established furniture designer.

From Booklist:

Anyone who likes to tramp through the woods, reads the Arbor Day Foundation newsletter, or shops at home-and-garden centers can probably identify a fair number of common trees: maples, oaks, pines, and the like. Some folks can even tell a red maple from a sugar maple, a black oak from a pin oak, and a southern yellow pine from a Norway pine. However, there's a tremendous difference between identifying a living tree and identifying a piece of wood. Living trees offer lots of helpful hints: bark color, bark texture, foliage, seedpods, height, and overall shape. Seasoned, board-cut pieces of wood offer none of these hints, and that's why this specialized identification guide is so useful.

Thirty pages of introductory material, richly enhanced with outstanding maps, photos, and illustrations, explain tree anatomy, tree growth, wood grain, logging practices, conservation, and the various processes for seasoning and preservation of wood. This material is well written and beautifully presented. The real treasure, however, is the "Directory of Wood" section, which contains entries on 150 "top commercial timbers" arranged alphabetically by scientific name. Each one-page entry begins with a four-by-eight-inch photographic reproduction of the specific type of wood. The quality of the color photographs is so high that readers will be tempted to run their fingers over them to feel the wood's texture. Along with these photos are brief descriptions of growth patterns, appearance (the wood, not the living tree), properties, and uses. Closing out each entry are a small world map showing growth location and a small chart indicating structural features, such as impact resistance, bending strength, and crushing strength.

The Encyclopedia of Wood is a beautifully crafted identification guide for practicing woodworkers and others whose professions depend on wood. Libraries whose constituencies include such individuals should give it serious consideration for purchase. Art A. Lichtenstein
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About this edition

• Publisher: Facts on File, Inc.
• Publication date: 1989
• ISBN 10: 0816021597
• ISBN 13: 9780816021598
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 224