Description

A passionate and imaginative exploration of wood – the material that shaped human history.

Wood – humankind’s long-term partner in our evolution from woodland foragers to engineers of our own destiny – has no equal in strength, resilience, adaptability and availability.

The Museum of the Wood Age investigates the influence of basic devices – wedge, inclined plane, screw, lever, wheel, axle and pulley – to reveal the myriad ways in which wood has been worked throughout human history. From the simple bivouacs of hunter-gatherers to sophisticated wooden buildings such as stave churches; from the decorative arts to the humble woodworking of rustic furniture; Max Adams fashions a lattice of interconnected stories and objects that trace a path of human ingenuity across half a million years of history.

Publisher Review

A refreshing paean to the power of both nature and human ingenuity * History Revealed * 'The Museum of the Wood Age really does achieve something different...Both Max Adam's wealth of experience - as archeologist and craftsman - and his passion are irresistible.' * TLS * PRAISE FOR MAX ADAMS: "Adams' enthusiasm is beguiling, his knowledge as bountiful as a beech-mast, and his appreciation of the utility of trees is a pointer to a better world" - The Times "This book is a celebration of the plant from which it is made" - i, on The Wisdom of Trees "An elegant book packed with information... Adams is a true woodsman so speaks with authority" - Country Life, on The Wisdom of Trees "Gripping, hugely enjoyable and deeply scholarly" * History Today Books of the Year, on The King in the North *