drmomentum's Full Review: Clifford W. Ashley - The Ashley Book of Knots
ALWAYS START WITH A JOKE
Three pieces of string are strolling down the street when they come to pub. "Hey - I could use a pint" says the first string, and he strolls in for a beer. The bartender stops him cold. "Sorry - we don't serve string here." He is thrown out.
The second piece of string decides to have a go at it. The bartender sees him coming through the door and before he can even reach the bar, a burly bouncer has a hand on him. "Sorry - no pieces of string allowed."
The third piece decides to give it a try, despite warnings from his companions; they don't want a fight on their hands. After a moment's thought, he ties himself up and musses his hair. He confidently strides through the door and approaches the bar.
"I'll have a pint of your best ale," he declares.
The bartender begins to comply and then gives him a wary look. "Hey, wait a minute. Aren't you... string?"
The string looks him straight in the eye and says "Nope. I'm a frayed knot."
GROAN
Okay, I was about to write that this joke is not included in the excellent volume The Ashley Book of Knots by Clifford W. Ashley. However, I can't make that claim with conviction. While I have read nearly this entire book over the years, I cannot recall whether the joke is contained within. The fact that I can't simply flip through and verify this should help me make my first and most obvious point about this book: it is large.
THE AUTHOR
Born in the whaling port of New Bedford, Massachusetts in the year 1881, Clifford W. Ashley had something in common with most people I know from this area. A love of the sea.
After the breakup of a circus with which he had been employed as "chief canvasman," Ashley set out on his first sea voyage. A Ship's surgeon, an artist, and an observer, his service on board was varied.
His contact with sailors and captains allowed him to explore an interest he'd held since he was very young--that of knot tying. Introduced to him by two of his uncles, the hobby must have turned into a bit of an obsession for young Clifford Ashley. Over the course of 40 years, he learned (and in some cases, invented) over 3,900 distinct knots. He spent 11 years cataloguing, diagramming and describing those knots.
THE WORK
That labor of love is "The Ashley Book Of Knots." Members of the International Guild of Knot Tyers refer to this compendium with mixed affection and awe as "ABOK." A glance at its pages reveals why it is considered a definitive book on tying. Ashley illuminated the over 3,900 knots with over 7,000 drawings. He even devised a system of icons to accompany certain knots, indicating special qualities such as "important", "ornamental", "best for the purpose", "easy to untie", "of theoretical interest" and "reliable" among others.
Such a catalogue would be merely a curiosity, or a practical manual only of interest to fanatics if it were not written by a person with the sense of humor evident in Ashley's work. One example is in the icon for "difficult to untie." He uses the image of a wedding ring. Scattered throughout the book are comments that reveal his attitude. One such tale and accompanying comment introduces the chapter "Odd Splices" (splices being the seamless joining of two ropes.)
A sailor made a bargain with the devil. He was to have ten years of affluence, but at the end of that time his soul would go to the devil unless he could provide some task that the devil himself could not perform. When the time for payment came, the sailor was at his wit's end, but at his wife's suggestion he put a marlingspike in the grate until it grew red hot, then, pulling a hair from his wife's head, he invited the devil to splice the hair with the hot marlingspike. The story has it that the devil failed.
It is hardly to the credit of humanity that the devil can always be trusted to hold his end of the bargain, although often cheated by the other party.
WHAT'S INSIDE
I've already mentioned the size of this book. This 8 1/2 x 11 hardcover would make a decent doorstop if its more than 600 pages were not so fascinating. And every page is jammed with descriptions and images. There are a few black and while glossy photographic pages which feature objects made from knots, buttons, decorative knots, and knot and ropework-related equipment.
To describe each of the 41 chapters would be excessive, so I will just give you the highlights.
Chapter 1 - On Knots - General information on knots, rope handling, tools, terminology, and the basics.
Chapter 2 - Occupational Knots - Useful knots sorted by the occupation in which they are used. From Archer to Weaver, this is one of the most interesting chapters. There are knots for every occupation. Musician, Miller, Butcher, Seamstress, Fisherman and Artilleryman - he has obviously talked to many people about knots. For the burglar, he has the following to say:
I would do nothing to encourage the activities of this archenemy of society, but I will urge him to consider this awful sequence of knots with all its direful implications: The Basket Hitch (#2155), the Handcuff Knot (#412), and the Hangman's Noose (#366).
The knots are all numbered for easy cross referencing, since many knots are useful in multiple contexts and serve as examples when describing other knots.
Chapter 11 - Single Loop Knots
Chapter 14 - Knots tied in the Bight - These are knots tied in the center of a rope, when the ends are unavailable.
Chapter 17 - The Turk's Head - A decorative and useful type of knot. Among other uses, Turk's Heads were often ties on a railing or on a handle to make a grip.
Chapter 18 - Bends - Ways to connect two ropes securely.
Chapter 29 - The Monkey's Fist - That ball you often see at the end of a rope. Nowadays, some people use them as key chains.
Chapter 33 - Tricks and Puzzles - Knots and ropes can be employed in sleight of hand tricks, or simply as novelties. Some of these tricks are puzzles, however, and some even have practical applications. For instance, "How would you lower yourself from the edge of a precipice with a rope just long enough to reach the ground, then continue on your way carrying your rope with you?" The answer is something called a slippery hitch.
He covers everything from splicing ropes together to whipping the ends of a rope to prevent fraying. He doesn't confine himself solely to rope. Some knots are for string. Others are for leather straps. Still other "knots" are not so much knots in the traditional sense -- methods for joining wood together to form barrels, for instance.
USE
I have often found its insights quite useful. I've used knotted ropes as makeshift pulley systems, made a line fast for water skiing, and loaded cargo on top of vehicles with great ease. There seem to be no end to the uses of corded material when you know how to knot it.
While many competent people can tie down a load and make it fast, their knots are often a disaster when it comes time to untie them. An expert can tug a bit and have the whole thing come undone on command, while the uninitiated deal with a jammed monstrosity. That's where some instruction pays off.
The line drawings within are simple, but very clear for the most part. There is not a lot of technical jargon to worry about, but he does elaborate on interesting details here and there.
CONCLUSION
New knots have been invented since this book was first published in 1944, only three years before Clifford Ashley's death. However, this book is not simply an enumeration of all the known knots at the time; it's a historical document. Looking at these pages we see some obsolete uses for rope, and perhaps some uses that have been too soon forgotten and deserve a place in our homes, gardens and workplaces.
Forty years of study are motivated by more than a search for practical knowledge. They are an appreciation of the elegance, simplicity, beauty and diversion that can be had with a lowly piece of household rope.
If you are the sort of person who needs to know how things work, or if you just can't help learning new things, this book will not disappoint you. Certainly, nothing impresses your office mates during stressful crunch periods more than a good old-fashioned Hangman's noose draped over your monitor.
This amazing and beautiful reference book describes 3900 kinds of knots, illustrating them with 7000 line drawings, most showing the knots as they are...More at HotBookSale
This amazing and beautiful reference book describes 3900 kinds of knots, illustrating them with 7000 line drawings, most showing the knots as they are...More at HotBookSale
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