Category Archives: Woodworking Literature
Why Aren’t There More Novels about Woodworkers (or about Anyone in the Trades)?
I recently got an e-mail from a reader, Chris, asking if I knew of any good fiction or even poetry about woodworkers or woodworking. I hate to admit it, but even though this blog is The Literary Workshop, I was … Continue reading
Podcast Recommendation: Hand Tool Book Review
I don’t listen to a lot of podcasts. Yes, there are a lot of great podcasts out there, but the time I have available for listening is pretty limited, so I have to choose my podcasts with care. That said, … Continue reading
Making a Thumb-Ring Page Holder
If you’re a reader and a woodworker, you’ve probably seen pictures of them on social media. You don’t know what they’re called, but your book-loving friends probably want you to make them some. I’ve heard them called by several names: … Continue reading
Colonial Craftsmen, by Edwin Tunis ~ 50 Years Later
I have been leafing through a fine volume, Colonial Craftsmen and the Beginnings of American Industry by Edwin Tunis (d. 1973). Originally published in 1965, this book was reprinted by Johns Hopkins University Press in 1999. In it, Tunis surveys … Continue reading
Summer Reading: Kid-Friendly Woodworking Books
Summer reading isn’t just for grown-ups. With the kids out of school, it’s just the time for everybody, young and old, to do some reading for fun. As a woodworking father of four young children, I’m always on the lookout … Continue reading
A Window into Fifteenth-Century Woodworking
You can learn a lot about period woodworking at the art museum. Robert Campin’s Merode Alterpiece, a triptych painting of the Annunciation, is well-known in the art world, but it ought to be better know to woodworkers, especially those interested … Continue reading
What I Got for Christmas
I always like it when my Christmas stocking includes one or two woodworking-related items. This year, I received some very practical ones. Among my favorites are the Sloyd knife (review coming later) and the two books. Moxon’s Art of Joinery … Continue reading
There are not many surviving poems by the Troubadour poet Arnaut Daniel, who wrote in Provencal French and died circa 1200. One of his most famous works, “Ab gai so cundet e leri,” features a full stanza of woodworking imagery … Continue reading
How to Start Training the Next Generation of Woodworkers
This being a bookish blog, let me begin with a picture not obviously related to woodworking. The year was 2008. I was in the thick of writing my doctoral dissertation, and I was spending much of my time reading academic … Continue reading
Working with Wood, Working with Words
My longest, most complicated project is now finished. Six years ago, I began working on a writing project that would become first my doctoral dissertation and finally a book published by a university press. The box of complementary copies from … Continue reading
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