American Barns And Covered Bridges

“Let it become our duty to seek out and select the authentic beauty of the past and so keep it alive for the future…One can take pride in the house that breathes the early American spirit by sheer dignity of form, purity of line, by find use of the right wood…The modern builder can by the same means borrow from colonial grace without resorting to patent nostalgia.” — Eric Sloane, American Barns and Covered Bridges

I’m excited that this book, originally published in 1954, is back in print. Eric Sloane, author of the classic A Museum of Early American Tools, was a passionate fan of the forgotten tools and lore of early Americana. Most of all, Sloane is interested in wood – as a building material and as a foundation of the country’s wealth and progress. Anyone with an interest in barns, covered bridges and other wooden structures will find much in this book to learn. But Sloane’s books are also a treat because of his knowledgeable discourses on other, intersecting topics: early woodworking tools (axes, adzes, augers, planes, braces, saws, etc.); fences; railroad engineering; weathervanes; fences; and of course, the social history that surrounds these topics. You couldn’t ask for more from a guide or companion. The book is lavishly illustrated with more than 75 of Sloane’s own drawings.
112 pages, with over 75 black and white illustrations. 6 1/2″ x 9 1/4″. Softcover.

Pages: 112
Binding: TP
Publisher: Dover