A Museum of Early American Tools

Venture back into the handmade world of apple butter paddles, hay forks, and other traditional implements with this fascinating and charmingly illustrated book. Its guided tour of folk tools and artifacts from the pre-industrial age examines farm and kitchen utensils as well as devices used by curriers, wheelwrights, coopers, blacksmiths, coachmakers, loggers, tanners, and other craftsmen. Written by a distinguished historian and collector of antiques, this absorbing survey offers informal but accurate depictions of “special tools for every job,” from a holding dog and a hauling sledge to reaping hooks, splitting wedges, and felling axes. Scores of pen-and-ink sketches by the author portray simple tools and other items that are ingeniously devised and exquisitely constructed. A valuable textbook for historians, this volume is also a fascinating handbook for all those who love Americana.