Customer Reviews

Celebrating Birch: The Lore, Art, and Craft of an Ancient Tree

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Being from a Birch growing state and having used birch in various craft and projects, I absolutely loved the subject matter and information. Being knowledgeable in woodcraft and carving, I would not recommend for the person looking to pick it up and start crafting for the first time. Just not enough room or photos to make that happen. Not that it is short on photos, but some of the more intricate crafts need greater detail. If you are a crafter already, you may be able to perform more. I likened my experience with the book to watching a demonstration and getting a good explanation of whats going on. The historical information and importance of this tree, is a pleasant read. A great book by Fox and the good folks at the North House School.

Living in the northwoods & being a wood artist, I love Birch and have used it for many years with my pyrography. I have experimented with the bark and tried to understand how to use it best, which this book explains clearly. Unfortunately for all of us who love this tree/wood, many of our birch are dying off from drought/fires/etc. If you are a person in search of a light colored, strong, easy to work with wood, this book will tell you everything you need to know about this beautiful and completely practical tree.

For those who live in birch country, this is a book to cherish. It is artistically presented, photographically superb, and factually very accurate. I've worked with birch for years, both botanically, ecologically, and as a craftsperson, but I learned alot in this book. The joy and passion for their work these teachers at the North House Folk School in Grand Marais, MN share with us is outstanding.

This is a great book; people with a "reverence for wood"(Eric Sloane)will really enjoy this. Most of the projects are done with hand tools alone. There is a quiet contemplative spirit to the kind of woodworking demonstrated in this book. Good book for winter reading. Buy it and make a mess of shavings on your floor!

The North House Folk School was created to encourage lifelong learning through teaching traditional crafts, and here they celebrate one of the oldest trees used in woodcrafting, the birch. Biology, ecology, and some twenty projects using birch, from a carved box to a wooden bowl, are presented in a woodworker's guide which holds wider appeal than your usual woodworking book, and thus is recommended for any library catering to either crafters or home owners. CELEBRATING BIRCH: THE LORE, ART, AND CRAFT OF AN ANCIENT TREE packs in color photos and step-by-step instructions on every page, making it an exceptional presentation.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch