The Commercial Woods of Africa: A Descriptive Full-Color Guide

Rating:
Summary: Great information about African woods
Review: A good book concerning African woods. The listing of the wood sorts is very clear. It is very informative. The purchase of the book was worthwhile itself for me. I would wish myself to get more such clear books. As future wood specialist trader is this book indispensable.

Rating:
Summary: Unfortunate!
Review: As the dollar drops against the euro, books from Europe are getting ever more expensive, and Linden Publishing must have felt it was time to offer a cheap alternative to the wellknown "Tropical Timber Atlas, Volume I - Africa" (1987), the book by the joint timber trade on 83 African commercial timbers. As far as price and printing quality are concerned this was a success, a sturdy hardback at a much handier size, lovely glossy paper, offering distribution maps and color pictures at a nice size. This is a slick looking book! This book treats 90 African woods, with two (facing) pages per species, arranged by trade name. Unfortunately by content it is quite a step down from the earlier book. The names are quite a mess. Anybody looking for African blackwood either has to know that the author is German and that the German trade name is Grenadill or has to use the index. Botanical names are treated most cavalierly, with perhaps its worst in "Gnophyllum giganteum of the family Meliaceae": it took me something like a day to figure out that this was supposed to be "Ganophyllum giganteum of the family Sapindaceae". Obsolete names abound, as do typos. I did not look too closely at the text after finding some items that turned my stomach. Much of the value of a book like this is in the pictures, and there are a few nice ones, but they appear the exception. Too many are useless, when it comes to giving an impression of what the wood looks like; a few are plain wrong (in this respect this book may be a step up from "World Woods in Color", but not a big step). Overall this is an attractive looking book, but users should be aware that no reliance whatsoever is to be placed on anything in this volume without a careful check against a real book.

Rating:
Summary: Very good book about African Timber
Review: The book " The Commercial Woods of Africa " is a good division of information and scientific description. Mr Rijckevorsel seems to overlook in his appreciation completely. For me as a timber merchant it is an ideal book with outstanding overview. It is very recommendable.

Rating:
Summary: Very good book about African Timber
Review: The book " The Commercial Woods of Africa " is a good division of information and scientific description. Mr Rijckevorsel seems to overlook in his appreciation completely. For me as a timber merchant it is an ideal book with outstanding overview. It is very recommendable.

Rating:
Summary: Concerning over 275 wood types used for commercial use
Review: The Commercial Woods Of Africa: A Descriptive Full-Color Guide by timber expert Peter Phongphaew is a truly excellent, superbly information-laden resource concerning over 275 wood types used for commercial use and originating from the African continent. Full-color illustrations of natural grain and patterns, botanical names, mechanical properties, seasoning and working properties, durability, suggestions as to which uses are most and least ideal for each wood type and more pack this quality descriptive guide from cover to cover. A unique reference, The Commercial Woods Of Africa is an enthusiastically recommended addition to academic and professional reference shelves.