The Village Carpenter

Rating:
Summary: A rare look into the past...
Review: History is at its most compelling when it comes to us from an individual account. The author experienced the village carpenter's craft through some momentous changes from 1890-1930. This rare glimpse into a carpenters shop as it was will appeal to anyone who likes a good story and especially to those who have a reverence for wood.

Rating:
Summary: This is a jewel.
Review: This is a lovely little book I first heard about while on assignment in Scotland. It's a welcome counterbalance to the plastic, tarmac, neon, speed, and shallowness that characterize much of western life these days. Nicely written by a man who makes no pretense of being a writer, but who cares deeply about craftsmanship, respect for some of the vanishing ways of the past, and about simplicity and substance. I was more than pleasantly surprised by this book. Learned quite a bit about life and joinery in turn of the century Buckinghamshire too.