May 10, Cheryl is busier irl atm. My dad's the carpenter, not me, but I still love Sloane's books. They're history, to be sure, but not about the dead celebrities' personalities and peccadillos, but rather about how relatively ordinary people actually lived. This one kept me bemused, though. How many of these tools did Pa Ingalls really carry around the prairies in the covered wagon? Sloane talks about 'the Early Americans' as if they were all as settled and prosperous as Almanzo Wilder's family, but surely they weren't Befor My dad's the carpenter, not me, but I still love Sloane's books.
Before you argue, yes, I know I'm talking about two different eras, separated by at least a century, but I opine that the question is still valid. I just wanted to use specific, widely known examples. It is entertaining reading through Eric Sloane's written and artistic survey of these tools in clear, accurate, detail such as diagrams of use, cutaways, or ghost-outline showing how long handles could range between. Reminds me almost how you might tour a museum based on category.
It only takes a few hours reading depending on your pace and how well you muse over drawings. Sloane also notes the quality of tools and how every individual imbued variations in crafting both in tools and the mediu It is entertaining reading through Eric Sloane's written and artistic survey of these tools in clear, accurate, detail such as diagrams of use, cutaways, or ghost-outline showing how long handles could range between. Sloane also notes the quality of tools and how every individual imbued variations in crafting both in tools and the medium they were used on, such as stone and wood.
I wish he included references for work at least in my edition when he cites other facts or makes mention of how others interpret uses. This is my biggest complaint. Sloane does, however, include an index for easy reference. Perfect for anyone interested in American history, tool-based Americana, craftsmanship, methods for colonial and early US architecture, perhaps artists, and technically-oriented people. Also makes a great gift. Jan 19, Stephen rated it it was amazing Shelves: reads , agriculture , antiques , artists-work-bio , american-culture-government , museum-studies , reads.
I can recall thumbing through this book several times in life. It wasn't until I opened a bookshop in a rather rural area and I was unable to keep copies of this book in stock, that I took a real read.
This book is a treasure chest of knowledge and superb illustration. Now, as our roots are often bulldozed by homogenization, this type of book is so important. My customers love finding things in their barns and sheds and referring to this to see what it might have done for their farms at one poin I can recall thumbing through this book several times in life. My customers love finding things in their barns and sheds and referring to this to see what it might have done for their farms at one point.
I love Sloane's storytelling and obvious fascination with any subject matter he investigates. This is a really solid primer on really old tools.
It mostly covers antiques from up to and precursors of 20th century hand tools, whereas I was hoping for a little more information on 20th century hand tools. I think everything in this book is now replaced by power tools. I like the idea though, that all the same stuff was done for hundreds of years with tools made by the user - I'm inspired to dig out some of the hand-me-down hand tools I've had lying around and put them to use.
For what it is, it is very good a little less than 5 stars, more than 4. Sloane was a remarkably able and detail-oriented illustrator whose passion was colonial America, who lived in an era of rising American expectations, when the origin myth of America stepped in legion with a growing sense of American exceptionalism, when the United States was almost synonymous with technical innovation and genius, when America's past was seen as the reason for its moral and cultural superiority. Sloane was For what it is, it is very good a little less than 5 stars, more than 4.
Sloane was a firm believer in all of this, and his background allowed him to make the case for American genius better than anyone. As an itinerant sign painter Sloane traveled the country and watched the countryside change from the traditions of centuries into a landscape of machines and economies of scale.
His reaction was a fetishistic relationship to the tools of the past. He viewed them as artifacts of an age of giants, because these tools allowed those pioneers to build a life of radical freedom, to be entirely self-sufficient.
This is why this volume is loaded with references to men making the handles to their own tools, to being masters of hauling and lifting, to having a healthier and deeper relationship to the land and the land's abundance. Most of what is presented in these pages remains fine and interesting knowledge, a guide to the forgotten lore of making a living as told through tools. Some of what is presented is, however, total bushwa and bluster.
There is nothing that Sloane loves so much as an opportunity to correct the record, to name some tool that other 'experts' you can hear him scoff when describing their opinions , got wrong, and to wax poetic about the mystic relation of workman to his tools.
The opportunity to prove how much smarter he is than the others sometimes overcomes his sense of duty to the reader. There is a disingenuousness to how Sloane describes the lasting qualities of antique tools and their products. To say -- Wow it sure is weird that this saw has lasted unrusted for so long, is one thing. To offer it as an example of superior colonial craftsmanship is another.
To claim that one craftsman built home is a masterpiece of careful construction is one thing. To pretend that home is a standard example against which we can compare modern homes is another. Yes, of the pre-industrial brace buttons that survived into the s we can see that they were very well constructed.
This does not indicate that all brace buttons of that age were equally well built. What Sloane is soft pedaling here is that history has whittled away the sloppily cared for tools, the badly made, those with material flaws and structural imperfections, and then he has further winnowed these high quality survivors to form his collections. What Sloane has on hand then is a collection of what is already a doubly filtered body, and then, from that, he pulls yet another sampling; the tools that tell the story that he wants to tell about native skill and ingenuity found in colonial America.
This is a story that demands only the most unusually well made examples of craftsmanship. Even accounting for that, however, Sloane remains unreliable on other counts. This is a museum of the tools of colonial New England. We don't see the tools that built the slave empire of the American South, or the mercantile empire of the mid-Atlantic.
Neither do we see the tools of everyday domestic life wielded by women, so this is a gendered story as well. This is a fine book. It simply isn't even close to being a representative guide to the past. Aug 15, Kirk rated it it was amazing. I bought this book a few years ago for my dad, and forgot to give it to him. I decided to read it today, and it promptly fell apart. I still read it, but almost every page I turned fell out.
I have seen most of these tools in local museums, historical sites, etc. I half listened most of the time. But half listening really helped me absorb the material in this book. The tools I did recognize I now have a deeper knowledge of. I know more obscure tools as well, and can always reference this book if I need to.
Should be fun! This entirely lives up to the title; it's fascinating to see the Iinginuity of early Americans who had to get their work done. The book consists almost entirely of diagrams of the grouped similar tools pointing out the features, uses and purposes thereof. This was hard to put down before it was completely digested. Dec 17, Peggy rated it liked it. I have no woodworking or farming or building experience but I was fascinated by the tools, professions, and history displayed in this small book.
The line drawings are amazing and the tools and skills needed to manage one's everyday existence in the 's were fascinating. Sep 19, Jason Medina rated it it was amazing.
This book was very educational and helpful to me, especially since I volunteer at an old farmhouse museum built in I spend a lot of time in the barn, where many of these tools hang partly because I hung them! Thanks for making this book, Eric.
Oct 08, Geoff Sebesta rated it it was amazing Shelves: good-books-on-the-civil-war. I adored this book. The library might not get their copy back. The wonder of the illustrations was only matched by the utility of the descriptions. Rarely have I learned so much so quickly. Aug 04, Margaret rated it really liked it. My favorite grouping is the sledges. I had no idea that in many ways they were superior to wheeled vehicles in some applications.
This as a very informative book. Nicely illustrated by the author. Jan 15, Dustin A. Vore rated it it was amazing. A great book for anyone with an appreciation for the artistry and functionality of early and often hand-crafted tools. Full of detailed illustrations. Aug 05, Koen Crolla rated it liked it Shelves: woodworking , history.
Sloane romanticises the past to such a ridiculous extent that I read most of the opening chapter as sarcastic before realising that didn't make sense. This book was first published in The illustrations are good, though, even if the accompanying text often isn't, though you may still be frustrated by how Sloane apparently put them together.
It looks very much like he scoured flea markets in the New England area, drew the tools he found there quite skilfully , and pulled some commentary out of his ass. The problem with this approach is that New England isn't the only, or even the most influential, tool-wise, region where early colonists lived, and especially Louisiana—which, yes, didn't become American until the 19th century—and the frontier regions had very distinctive tool-making traditions.
But yes, the illustrations themselves are good, and if you enjoy looking at hand-drawn pictures of tools and who doesn't , you'll definitely find things to enjoy in this book. He does make sure you know the tomahawk, which introduced the feature, was modelled after European trade axes, which lacked it, though. I could not possibly overstate how important this book is.
It's just a wee skinny volume, but inside are lovingly drawn illustrations of tools and their use. It's one of the few places where you can find nearly or indeed completely forgotten devices which made the modern world possible, and will once again pull us out of the post-oil time into a new world in the future. Sound over the top? Can you find everything here other places? Perhaps, but not in one place that I've ever seen. A I could not possibly overstate how important this book is. A certain type of person will treasure this book as much as a miser his gold.
Count me amongst them. Nov 14, Cotton Field rated it it was amazing. The book begins with "Finding a tool in a stone fence or in a dark corner of some decaying barn is receiving a symbol from another world, for it gives you a peculiar and interesting contact with the past. He gives far more than the basic meaning of words uses of old tools, but tries to lend a sense of time and practical use of the tools he describes. This is a wonderful little work. Sep 30, Jan rated it it was amazing Shelves: at-library , non-fiction.
A quite enjoyable survey, with exquisite hand drawn illustrations, of the various tools commonly in use a couple hundred years ago. This delightful book explores and details the use of a multitude of hand tools. It is definitely worth reading for anyone who has ever come across an old tool while exploring a decrepit barn or workshop and wondered just how and why it was used. Aug 30, Inky rated it it was amazing. Beautiful illustrations, with tidbits of interesting information on every page.
This book gives you an appreciation for all the jobs that have since vanished and the craftsmen who made an art of their work. Dec 28, Morgan rated it it was amazing. View 2 comments. Apr 25, Jeff Beland rated it really liked it Shelves: tools-weapons. An interesting look into colonial life. Feb 03, Sally rated it it was amazing. Truly a treasure for generations to come. I registered a book at BookCrossing. Nov 17, Scott Andrews rated it it was amazing. Feb 04, Brett Anderson rated it it was amazing Shelves: craftsmanship.
Educational and entertaining historical reference. Sloane does a great job illustrating the tools and work of early America. Meg rated it it was amazing Oct 07, Eric A. Drosnock rated it it was amazing Mar 23, Sloane, like Beard, created a generalized pioneer ancestor whose self-sufficient ways he wanted his readers to both admire and emulate. A desire to keep the trappings of this yeoman history close at hand and to appreciate and understand even the most obscure customs permeated all his work.
Following an early series of books that focused on depicting weather, with Our Vanishing Landscape , published in , Sloane embarked on a career rooted in a full embrace of early American and primarily New England history and material culture. These publications helped set the stage for many of the celebrations of the U. The celebration of the bicentennial in the United States was marked by its disparate nature.
Unlike the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, the bicentennial had no central fair. Much of the material culture that accompanied the bicentennial focused on artifacts of the colonial period, stripped of their classical symbolism and replaced with more ephemeral signifiers.
The founding fathers were far less likely to be represented as marble busts, as they were on the centennial stock certificate; instead, the visual emphasis of bicentennial depictions often fell on the novelty of their breeches and buckles, and the ruffled cap of Betsy Ross. Popular housewares companies, from Pyrex bakeware to Kay Dee dish towels, featured motifs that were not depictions of colonial events or patriotic symbols, but instead drew from catalogues of antiquated objects.
These types of motifs, though, were stripped not just of context, but of text. Alexis de Tocqueville praised America for the newness and spirit of reinvention that each new generation possessed.
The United States had plenty of opponents of the centennial celebration—Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts argued that it would not be worth having because no foreign monarch would agree to participate in a celebration of a revolution. Figures from early American history play several peripheral roles: some are ghostly essences faint in the background, some take the form of classical busts at the feet of living figures, while the signers of the Declaration of Independence are hemmed into a boxed tableau looking more like a seal or coat of arms than a living history.
He dedicated his book to the cause of reviving the original Independence Day tradition of ringing bells rather than setting off fireworks. The Sound of Bells was not the only book he wrote that served as a plea for the preservation of past relics.
For example, in Mr. He described the neighborhood where he grew up , the house and its history, and the caretaker, who had the power to do little but cohabitate with ghosts. In his art and writing, Sloane was unabashedly whimsical, a quality that allows many readers to delight unquestioningly in his praise of the past and twee trivia. I feel sad that such bad taste is kept alive by such as the otherwise beautiful Smithsonian and hope history will start honoring sanity by forgetting insanity.
The books in which Sloane focused more on antique customs and attitudes than on antique structures and tools are perhaps his ugliest pieces of work.
In The Little Red Schoolhouse , no sooner does he move on from interesting chapters about these buildings and their interiors than readers find him tangled in a series of easy justifications and dismissals: of corporal punishment, creeping liberalism, and separation of church and state.
Much like an ethnographic historian, Sloane relied on the contradictory beliefs that a particular culture was rapidly and inevitably disappearing, and that reliable sources could be gathered about it. Salvage ethnography—or here perhaps rescue archaeology—is a form of whimsy in its own right, in that it requires a suspension of disbelief, a faith in vision or project over method.
He was an artist who was resolutely unfashionable, yet his importance in shaping how generations of readers thought about what early America looked like must be acknowledged—he is the Norman Rockwell of things, of technology and industry. Like Rockwell, he embraced certain specific modes of nostalgia long before the public did. His work is full of material that is clear-sighted and powerful enough to salvage his reputation from sentimentality.
The entryway is a passage full of diagrammatic drawings brought to life with light. Little red bulbs are staggered in their igniting behind a piece of plexiglas that represents a iron furnace.
In the section of the museum dedicated to the display of tools, every scrap of text is printed in a font identical to the one that Sloane used for the headings and captions of his books.
In clusters where the crowded tools become confusing, little wire arrows carefully point from title to referent, just as sketched arrows do on the page. In this early work he argues against the outlining of sketches, favoring the method of shading basic shapes first to assemble an image.
The book became a paean to the pen and ink drawing, to the black and white image. If the well-hewn tool or the efficiently designed barn stood for the lost virtues of an imagined American past, then the simply rendered illustration and its informative captioning were media that he saw as valuable correctives to the changed cultural landscape of mid-century America.
While this is a natural product of his prolific writing and the narrow scope of his studies, the number of times specific facts come up across his works is surprising. Previously obscure and trivial rules of life become established as the foundational and essential knowledge that they were to those who lived by them. Rather than stripping artifacts of their context, Sloane went to lengths to over-contextualize the things about which he wrote. We see this phenomenon not only in his writing, but in his style of living.
When he read an early American diary of a boy building a barn, he not only illustrated it for his Diary of an Early American Bo y, he followed the directions he found there and built his own barn.
Even when he does not write directly about the weather, it is a force that is never absent from his descriptions of buildings, travel, or customs. You can usually remodel an old barn into a pleasant and comfortable home, but not even livestock could live well in some of our modern homes if they were remodeled into barns … a house is built not so much upon a piece of land as it is built upward into a section of the atmosphere.
If Eric Sloane was able to find the timelessness he longed for by looking at the blank slate of the sky, he made it his project to translate that exhilaration into his crisp, clean sketches.
There is every reason to believe that his work will endure for us as one very carefully scrubbed bit of bottle-glass window into a bygone era. Schwarzmann, Architect-in-Chief.
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