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Ashley Book of Knots

Ashley Book of Knots

List Price: $75.00
Your Price: $49.50
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Buy this book BEFORE you buy any other knotting book.
Review: ... This book is indeed the Bible of knots and ropework. It's entertaining and darn near comprehensive. It's an older book, so it doesn't have a couple of the more modern knots, such as the Zeppelin Bend, and the Gripping Sailor's Hitch. But that's ok! Just do an internet Google search for them, print them out and tape them in the extra pages of the book. If you do that, you'll never need to buy another knot book ever!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Best bathroom material around...
Review: ...if you have a genuine love for knots. My fascination with knots grew out of years spent as a stage hand, where it was a necessity to know how to tie a bowline, a clove hitch, the occassional trucker's hitch, and of course knots tied on the bight when you're sixty feet above the stage having to tie off a 100' rope to the grid.

I would probably guess that 99% of people who know knots have learned them from others, who in turn have inherited their knowledge from someone else. It's a tradition, that's how I learned. In this day and age though, where for all practical purposes the art of knot tying is dying (if it is not already room temperature), _The Ashley Book of Knots_ is keeping that tradition alive, even though it may have been published well over 50 years ago. The drawings aren't always the clearest (it does help to have some knowledge of knot tying in hand when reading the book), but they are sufficient and with enough time and perseverance, the knots are doable. On the other hand, while it is one thing to know how a knot is tied, it is another to know its history and practical use. And that is where this voluminous book shines. As far as historical archives are concerned, this is one of the best, if not THE best, and you will want to have it in your bathroom... err, your library.

Highly recommended.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Quick way of learning
Review: A great little book for the novice to get an upper hand on the knot problem. Learn quick and you are ready to go sailing with the best of sailors.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Excellent Primer
Review: A wonderful resource for knots. It comes in handy all the time, definitely worth it. I got it as a gift and have enjoyed it considerably.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: An essential addition to the outdoorsman's library!
Review: As a hunter, camper, and outdoors columnist, I am constantly called upon to use various bits of ropework as I go about the day's activities. I thought I had a fair bit of knowledge on the subject of rope until I read this book. I simply couldn't believe there were so many ways to use the stuff.

If for any reason you have to use rope, you should read this book. If you are interested in macreme, this book is for you. If you like the nautical life, this book is a must-have. If you like braiding, read this book. Even if you're only going on a road trip, this book will show you a dozen ways to lash your luggage down tight.

The section on serving the ends of line to prevent its unraveling is particularly useful to anyone that uses rope a lot. And, if you have to lift heavy loads with a pulley, you'll love the section dedicated to just that jubject. I work around a farm and am always looking for new ways to use rope. Every time I breeze through the pages, I learn something new.

Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, carpenters, craftsmen, hobbyists, mariners and historians, this book is for you. I never thought of ropework as an artform but it is. The day I added this title to my library was a good day. I cannot say enough about the Ashley Book of Knots and recommend it without hesitation. Every library should have a copy.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: This is the definitive knot book.
Review: As a sailor, eagle scout and lover of rope, I am wildly enthusiastic about this comprehensive work. It has every knot one could ever imagine, even some that are from extinct arts, such as whaling. Ashley's tome is a must have for the library of every sailor, scout leader, or woodsman.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Bible of knots. Period.
Review: Ashley's book is the bible of knots. If it's a real knot that somebody in the world uses it's in here. He covers all known knots* and some other rope crafts as well. I've been looking at every knot book I can lay my hands on and virtually all of them are contained in this book.

Three Bad Points: 1) It's a whopper of a book; not something to be carried around with you on a camping trip or such.

2) Many of the drawings and descriptions are a bit unclear or edited down to bare minimum. He mentions this in the opening. He chose to do this in favor of having the desciptions and drawings of each knot on the same page rather than a whole page of instructions and the knot itself on the next page. Many of the desciptions are so short and concise that only an expert will be able to figure out what he's talking about.

3) He considers making a knot a different way or using it for something else to be a brand new knot and adds it to the book. For example the Constrictor Knot, The Miller's Knot and The Bag Knot are the exact same thing but it's three knots in the book because it's used by three different professions.

Still....there's enough here to satisfy ANYBODY!

Over all though a 10 out of 10. Five stars!

* British and American knots anyway. There are no doubt some Chinese or Japanese knots that he never found out about. It would be impossible to write a book containing EVERY known anything you know.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Worth buying for the drawings alone!!!
Review: Ashley's Book of Knots is the most amazing book in my collection. Aside from discussing about every type of knot one can think of, it is a collection of beautiful pen drawings, not only of knots, but of people in interesting situations. After 50 years, Ashley's book continues to be the most often quoted reference in the ongoing science of knot development. It is the Bible of knots.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Best book on knots that there is.
Review: Ashley's is the best book on knots of the dozens that I've read. THE book to which all others refer, Ashley's is also well-written, with humor and insight, and filled with thousands of clear illustrations.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A BOOK FOR KNOTTING KNERDS
Review: Clifford Ashley takes you to the heart and soul of knotting.

The magic of the intertwining of line was a passion to this man -- and that passion can infect you, if you're susceptible.

In the course of his descriptions of knots, he takes us through some of the history of knotting -- his references go back to the 1700's. Mainly, this art is descended from the square-rigger seafaring trade. Mr. Ashley knows the language of these sailors.

Although written in the first half of the 20th century, this is still THE authoratative book on knots.

Thousands of knots, thousands of pictures. Knots, from practical hard-working specimens, to purely decorative; to even a few useless knots. Self-illustrated with occasional bytes of humor.

This is "the" book if you have a love of knotting; if knotting is a part of who you are.

However, if all you want is to quickly learn a few knots for very practical reasons, you'd probably be better off with one of the more modern knotting books, which usually have clearer explanations for the layman, replete with pretty color photos. Newer texts would also have recently-invented knots, such as the amazing icicle knot.


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