A Splintered History of Wood
by Spike Carlsen
Collins, HK$200
Few voices could promise to tell the story of wood as faithfully as Spike Carlsen's. Decades as a carpenter and woodworker have given him a healthy respect for timber and the possibilities it represents, while a similar stretch contributing to publications such as The Family Handyman and Reader's Digest means he has the editorial chops to explain the intricacies of balsa or mahogany to an amateur audience.
It is obvious within the first few pages that this is the product of a mind (and fingers) that has lovingly traced over the whorls, cracks and grains of thousands of boards; Carlsen's knowledge of, and love for, the full gamut of forest products are evident in each chapter.
The question is whether the reader will share his enthusiasm.
A Splintered History of Wood: Belt Sander Races, Blind Woodworkers and Baseball Bats is a dense, oddly structured book, whipping from gee-whiz descriptions of rare and expensive lumber to often plodding accounts of how wood evolved from algae; and from musings on Christ's cross to power-tool races and the construction of catapults, kites and aircraft.