A Sketchbook of Inventions, Curiosities, and Lore

Beautifully arranged in an A-Z format, the noted artist Eric Sloane presents this rich and varied collections of American firsts – from the salt box house to basketball, hex signs to ear trumpets, popcorn to rocking chairs. Taking his cue from early Americans' interest in the lore and beauty of the English alphabet, Sloane arranged this beautifully illustrated book in an A-Z format, decorating each page with his own fine hand lettering and including a brief caption to elucidate the origin and use of every subject he pictured.

Format: Softcover.   Dimensions: 8 1/2" x 11"    Pages: 30    Illustrations: 52

An Age of Barns

An Illustrated Review of Classic Barn Styles & Construction

"An Age of Barns" preserves the heritage handed down to us by those who settled America: dependable, resourceful pioneers who built these amazing barns, often before the family home was finished, and usually with the help of the entire community. These barns are remarkable for the skill with which they were created and the beauty that matches their usefulness. An Age of Barns preserves the heritage handed down to us by the individuals who settled America: dependable, resourceful pioneers who revered excellence above all. While structures erected today rarely outlive their builders, the early Americans created barns so honest and enduring that many still stand after two or three hundred years. This classic folksy history of barn folklore, architecture, and history is filled with thousands of fabulous black-and-white sketches that illustrate all types of American and Canadian barns and everything associated with them. “Those who seek the spirit of America might do well to look first in the countryside, for it was there that the spirit was born.” Often built before the family home was finished, and usually with the help of the entire community, these barns are remarkable for the skill with which they were created and the beauty that matches their usefulness. An Age of Barns preserves the heritage handed down to us by the individuals who settled America: dependable, resourceful pioneers who revered excellence above all. While structures erected today rarely outlive their builders, the early Americans created barns so honest and enduring that many still stand after two or three hundred years. This classic folksy history of barn folklore, architecture, and history is filled with thousands of fabulous black-and-white sketches that illustrate all types of American and Canadian barns and everything associated with them. “Those who seek the spirit of America might do well to look first in the countryside, for it was there that the spirit was born.”

Format: Softcover.   Dimensions: 11" x 9"   Pages: 94   Illustrations: 240

The design of an axe is based on knowledge of axes accumulated over many generations. This includes both the manufacture of axes as well as the uses, handling and history of different axes. This booklet is an effort to pass on a part of what has been learned from others.

Format: Soft cover  Dimentions: 6" x 6"  Page: 27  Illustrations: 24

Antique Iron - English And American

15th Century Through 1850

Beautiful photographs and concise descriptions of these European, English and American antique pieces of architectural hardware, fireplace equipment, kitchen utensils, weathervanes, and gates from major museums and private collections will fascinate artists, blacksmiths, collectors, and historians alike.

Format: Hardcover.   Dimensions: 8 1/2" x 11"   Pages: 447   Illustrations: 981

This is a photographic study of the collection of Tim Kris' of Brasstown, NC. Pieces in this collection date back to the Roman and medieval times and include representations of more recent European and American periods. They are representive of the full sprectrum of tools used by blacksmiths, sawyers, jewelers, farriers and many other metalworking crafters that required the use of a sturdy device to help shape their wares.

An amazing collection!

Format: Hard cover;  Dimentions: 13 1/2" x 11 3/4";  Pages: 312;   llustrations; 325

The Art of Blacksmithing

Revised edition

This unique book covers every aspect of this fascinating art, the fundamental craft on which the civilization of the Iron Age was built. It describes and illustrates the equipment and the techniques developed in more that six thousand years of working iron by hand. It reflects respect for the specialized skills of the smith and the excitement of the village smithy, which so recently disappeared from the Western world.

Format: Hardcover.   Dimensions: 5 1/2" x 8 1/2"   Pages: 438   Illustrations: over 500

THE ART OF TRADITIONAL BLACKSMITHING; A Norwegian Perspective, is a masterpiece that joins tradition with wisdom and creativity. It presents Håvard Bergland's overview of the blacksmithing trade as a whole. Bergland systematically documents the blacksmithing trade by gathering and presenting skills, techniques and ideas that he has tried out in the forge himself. The book is largely self-explainatory and offers advice, ideas and inspiration to anyone who wants to be involved in blacksmithing.

It is throughly illustrated with more than 400 color photos and nearly 700 drawings.

Format: Hardcover;  Dimentions: 8 1/2" x 10 1/2";  Pages: 394;  Illustrations & Photos: over 1,000