Antique Woodworking Tools: Their Craftsmanship from the Earliest Times to the Twentieth Century

Cambridge: John Adamson , 2010. Book. Illus. by Austin, James, Photography. As New. Hardcover. 1st Edition. Folio - over 12 - 15" tall. 13 3/4" x 10 1/4", 528 pages, outstanding illustrations in colour throughout, bibliography. Amassed over nearly forty years, the David Russell collection brings together a stunning array of edge and boring tools from Britain, continental Europe and North America, thus providing a broad survey of hand tool-making from prehistory to today. All the tools are illustrated with James Austin's photographs, with details and marks shown where appropriate. Special attention is given to planes, and the great British makers of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries are discussed in depth. Since prehistoric times there has been a never-ending quest for better ways to cut and bore wood. Along the way this has produced a wide variety of hand tools, and there are many where beauty and function meet. The book has appeal for a wide range of readers, including collectors, craftsmen, industrial archaeologists and social and economic historians, as well as historians of material culture. Note - this is a very heavy book, additional postage may be requested. Hb, grey cloth with gilt lettering to spine, two silk book marks, in dw; virtually as new; a magnificent volume. .