Knot and Climbing Books

I have a few goodies. Climbing, Don's "Arborist Equipmet", Jer's "Fundamentals of General Tree Care" and "High Climbers and Timber Fallers", "On Rope" (I and II) and Jeff's "Tree Climber's Comp." (I and II).

Knot's I have a rockclimbing knots book and "The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Knots and Rope Work".
 
Who needs books when you hang out here? Actually I have two knot books in my bathroom (I mean "library"). One is a Budworth book that has stroboscopic-like pictures of the knot proceeding. It's kinda annoying to look at in the morning.
I think the Overview of Climbing Hitches article on this site is pretty excellent.
 
In 2004 the editor of "Rock and Ice"; Clyde Soles published a great lil'knot book "The Outdoor Knots Book" with B&W pictures and lots of general and climbing info about ropes and knots.

Not many things are taught today, just like they were 1000's of years ago; using the same 'inventions'; like knots are. Carrying that to the next level; not m/any technologies and science have been tested like knotting / lacing. Man mimicked the weaving of vines, webs etc. to feed, tool, clothe, shelter etc. self and make bracelets, necklaces etc. for'da wife to ornamate herself. Man knotted, even before boiling water. In tooling he compounded the leverage of a stick with the weight and hardness of a rock to make hammer, hitch up useful horse or wind power to work etc. Sheetbends, Squares etc. are 8,000+ years old, and still maid the same!

The knot links on my site are very rich and free; but most miss the history that the books give IMLHO, but in trade some show animations and videos that you can't get from books...
 
I would definitely agree. I love going to different knot sites and viewing the threads and links, but being a history buff, I love reading in books how an actual knot came to be.

Although I have not purchased a copy yet, I have heard that Clifford Ashley's Book of Knots has alot of history in it.

Chris
 
In Patrick O'Brians 'Master and Commander' series the first order after an engagement was to send the crew to "Knot and splice" the rigging to ready the ship for the next engagement, whether that was the ocean or the enemy. Lubbers, pressed men and squeakers were all expected to 'know the ropes' within two weeks of being on a ship.

I read a story one time about a fella who was traveling somewhere in the Far East. He only spoke English but that didn't stop him from 'talking' knots with some of the sailers that he met. The bowline is universal.
 
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I think the Overview of Climbing Hitches article on this site is pretty excellent.

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Thanks! /forum/images/graemlins/cool.gif


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...being a history buff, I love reading in books how an actual knot came to be.

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See the 'Son of a Hitch...' article in the Articles section. It may be boring to the casual reader, but if you're a knot's history buff, you may find it intersting reading.
 
I have the following--
'The Ashley Book of Knots' (great historic drawings)
'Modern Marlinspike Seamanship', MacLean (knots, splicing, seizings, line handling, rope, cable, chain)
'The Knot Book', Geoffrey Budworth
'Knots', also by Budworth

I have the good fortune of only being on book 8 of 'Master and Commander'. Lots of action ahead...
 
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I love reading in knots books how an actual knot came to be

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Can you give some examples of this?

I ask, 'cause I'm skeptical of real knot history being given in knots books
(of which I've seen plenty). Let's see how this history looks! (I'll start: most
knots book claim that the Stevedore (stopper) knot was used by stevedores;
but Cyrus L. Day's <u>Art of Knotting &amp; Splicing</u> denies that and claims that
it was introduced by the Stevedore rope company. Ashley's #1463 is claimed by him
to be a heaving-line ("messenger-line" is better) bend--a thin-to-thick sheet-bend
sort of bend; and that Swedish knot author Hjalmer Ohrvall (<u>Om Knutar, 2nd ed.</u>,
1916--and just recently photographed &amp; put on-line!! (Swedish, anyone?))
presented this. In fact, what Ohrvall presented, verbally was a bight hitch
(quite thin-to-thick) of a Shamisen/Samisen (Japanese 3-stringed banjo-like
instrument); his daughter got one crossing wrong in the image. Ashley in any case
didn't read Swedish and guessed a function ... ; others have parroted Ashley, OR
Sam Svensson--whose name suggests he's got no excuse for the like mistake he
made pre-Ashley (1940), which remains a mystery to me. (The knot had impressed
me as being a tad more loose than I'd like.)

Sometime in the not-too-distant future I hope to have a short monograph on
the recent birth of a half-decent bight-hitch/messenger-line-bend/bend
(sheet-bend like); but it's history is one hilarity of stupidity, which should be
eye-opening!

*knudeNoggin*
 
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