- Hardcover
- Publisher: Cambridge; First Edition edition (1923)
- ASIN: B00178M7G4
- Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 3,333,517 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The Wheelwright's Shop (Craftsman)
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First Sentence
THE title-deeds to the property referred to in this book begin with an indenture of the 17th October, 1706, on which date Robert Hewitt, yeoman, and his wife Joan, in consideration of five shillings paid to them in hand, agree to sell fifteen rods of hop-ground to George Draper, wheel-maker. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
THE title-deeds to the property referred to in this book begin with an indenture of the 17th October, 1706, on which date Robert Hewitt, yeoman, and his wife Joan, in consideration of five shillings paid to them in hand, agree to sell fifteen rods of hop-ground to George Draper, wheel-maker. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Having found I come from a long line of wheelwrights, but having no craft experience myself, I bought this book in the hope it would shed some light on the lives of my ancestors.
I was not disappointed. As well as giving a useful level of insight into techniques and the working environment it explores the very nature of craft work - the author was obviously a thinker as well as a doer! The book is also populated by some remarkable characters, the like of whom we may never see again (and which modern society sadly lacks).
Sturt does more than provide a technical treatise on wheelwrighting though. The theme of skill versus learning is woven into the fabric of the book and is a welcome counter to our modern ideology. There are glimpses too of a business world before MBAs, multi-nationals or corporate UK and, as a psychologist (and reading between the lines a bit), I was surprised to find it also explains some aspects of modern behaviour by putting them in an historical context.
Although Sturt's writing style may now seem dated and insufficiently politically correct to some, this book is a veritable treasure of social and occupational history. Before reading it I was almost ashamed of my imagined 'working-class' ancestry, now I am extremely proud of my forebears, the sort of work they did and their part in keeping England moving. I also have to say I have been enriched as a person through reading this. I hope this little gem never goes out of print...
I was not disappointed. As well as giving a useful level of insight into techniques and the working environment it explores the very nature of craft work - the author was obviously a thinker as well as a doer! The book is also populated by some remarkable characters, the like of whom we may never see again (and which modern society sadly lacks).
Sturt does more than provide a technical treatise on wheelwrighting though. The theme of skill versus learning is woven into the fabric of the book and is a welcome counter to our modern ideology. There are glimpses too of a business world before MBAs, multi-nationals or corporate UK and, as a psychologist (and reading between the lines a bit), I was surprised to find it also explains some aspects of modern behaviour by putting them in an historical context.
Although Sturt's writing style may now seem dated and insufficiently politically correct to some, this book is a veritable treasure of social and occupational history. Before reading it I was almost ashamed of my imagined 'working-class' ancestry, now I am extremely proud of my forebears, the sort of work they did and their part in keeping England moving. I also have to say I have been enriched as a person through reading this. I hope this little gem never goes out of print...
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
From a woodworker's perspective, the technical details are a little scanty. Sturt repeatedly says he doesn't want to go into dull technicalities, but I suspect there are areas he doesn't (actually) know about; Sturt was never a wheelwright. He owned and ran a wheelwrights shop. Still, as an observer and sometime "boy" (unskilled assistant) he did pick up enough to be of use to the men.
He was also strongly influenced by Ruskin (and presumably William Morris). Sadly, we later find out that he was not a good enough socialist to convert his men (they worked in a leisurely fashion), and not a good enough capitalist either (his attempt at forming a cartel led to losing customers when it was publicised by a potential cartel member!).
There is far too much of Sturt's semi digested philosophy, and not enough simple narrative to make this a great book, although there is good stuff in there, in places.
The book this should have been, happily exists; it's "The Village Carpenter" by Walter Rose.
He was also strongly influenced by Ruskin (and presumably William Morris). Sadly, we later find out that he was not a good enough socialist to convert his men (they worked in a leisurely fashion), and not a good enough capitalist either (his attempt at forming a cartel led to losing customers when it was publicised by a potential cartel member!).
There is far too much of Sturt's semi digested philosophy, and not enough simple narrative to make this a great book, although there is good stuff in there, in places.
The book this should have been, happily exists; it's "The Village Carpenter" by Walter Rose.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
11 reviews
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
This is an abriged edition
10 May 2008
Format:Paperback
George Sturt's original work provided an unparalleled glimpse into the work, lives, and social environment of craftsmen at the end of the transition from the English craft to the modern industrial economy. The edition offered here is an abridged version of the original; retaining most of the how-to elements, but excluding the insights into the lives and characters of the craftsmen working in the Wheelwright's Shop. If all that interests you are how wagon wheels where constructed, the abridged version will suffice. If you want to understand the revolutionary transition from the craft tradition to the era of unskilled industrial mass production, then continue searching for Sturt's complete text.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
The Old Way is the Good Way
8 Aug 2002
Format:Paperback
If you wanted to sit down with a wheelwright from a couple hundred years ago and keep your mouth shut and listen to every bit of wisdom he had to impart ... that's what this book is about. Read (listen) to non-rocket science about what makes a wheel work and how to either make or not make dumb mistakes.
Valuable information about general wood working that applies not only to wheels.
Or if you're a history buff, how wooden wheels once fit into everyday life.
Valuable information about general wood working that applies not only to wheels.
Or if you're a history buff, how wooden wheels once fit into everyday life.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
An Amazon FOUL - I paid $40 for an abridged, shortened version ?!?!
18 Aug 2009
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I quite enjoyed this, until, after reading it, I went online and searched for more information ... and found the complete book, scanned in ... and realized that I had been sold an abridged version, that left out half of the content!
I don't mind spending $40 for a book...but I really dislike getting an overly slim volume, and NOWHERE being told ahead of time that it's had material missing. Shame on Amazon and shame on Obscure Press.
I don't mind spending $40 for a book...but I really dislike getting an overly slim volume, and NOWHERE being told ahead of time that it's had material missing. Shame on Amazon and shame on Obscure Press.
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