Description

‘A hymn to hardware, charming, lyrical’ – The Sunday Times, BOOK OF THE WEEK

‘A paean to DIY’ – The Times

‘Strung together very agreeably, with dry wit and, dare I say it, considerable polish’ – Country Life

In 2018 Tom Fort’s daughter-in-law took over a century-old hardware shop. The family dreamed of developing the shop into one that would become the centre of village life; that much did come true, but not in the way they had expected.

Interweaving the evolution of the shop, its previous owners, the customers it serves and the items it sells, Rivets, Trivets & Galvanised Buckets offers a delightful study of community and shines a light on the eccentricities of ordinary people. Alongside, it presents a fascinating history of technological development; from who thought of screwdrivers to where the spirit level came from, who devised the process of galvanisation and what genius worked out that a suction pad on the end of a piece of wood could unblock sinks.

As Tom recounts: ‘A little girl came with her father into Heath and Watkins, looked around for a while and said “Daddy, this is the shop of EVERYTHING”‘. This is the story of how that happened.

Publisher Review

strung together very agreeably, with dry wit and, dare I say it, considerable polish (third row, second shelf) * Country Life * A hymn to hardware . . . charming . . . This book tells a quirky tale of subculture, a shrine where many of us worship. — Book of the Week * Sunday Times * A paean to DIY, and a history of the various rivets, trivets and gadgets on sale. If you want to read about the evolution of the humble screw, then this is the book for you . . . * The Times, Best Books of Summer 2023 * Educational and entertaining, take a trip behind the shelves, window displays and hooks to discover more about this industrious world * Best of British, Book of the Month * This delightful book is full of surprises * Literary Review *