Tools of the Earth (Hardcover)

~ J., Iwasaki, R. Taylor (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Like Jeff Taylor's earlier book, Tools of the Trade, this book offers a lyrical glimpse in each chapter at one commonly used implement--in this case, those used in gardening (wheelbarrow, hoe, auger, hammock, etc.). Along with lovely photographs by Rich Iwasaki, it relates a personal description, story, or ode to each particular item. As in his earlier work, the author's writing is often quite funny (there's a chapter about the author's misadventures with a wheelbarrow), sometimes moving, very personal, and very entertaining for gardeners and nongardeners alike. A little history, a little storytelling, and another delight from Jeff Taylor. --Mark A. Hetts

From Publishers Weekly

Taylor's latest collection of hilarious and often poignant essays is as bracing as a cool drink on a hot day. Using the same format he plied in Tools of the Trade (1996), Taylor zeroes in on a couple of dozen specific garden implements?from the humble bucket and wheelbarrow to the tiller, cloche and grindstone?using them as springboards for informative, entertaining musings that deftly manage to avoid being folksy. Each chapter is introduced by one of Iwasaki's graceful photographs and ends with a pithy quote from such diverse sources as Thoreau, Luther Burbank, Freud and Goethe. The latter's observation, "There is no sight more terrible than ignorance in action," concludes a chapter entitled "Loppers," which segues neatly from pruning to clear-cutting. Taylor recounts the virtues and shortcomings of his chosen subjects with the expert air of one well acquainted with hard work; at the same time, he offers articulate deliberations on such wide-ranging topics as sleep ("Hammock") and parenting a teen ("Pitchfork"). Taylor can be funny, as when recounting a barefoot encounter with a stray trowel that left him "spitting out synonyms for fertilizer," and lyrical, as in the essay, "Gloves": "Hands can pick up a coconut or a snowflake, count tiny seeds or lift watermelons, stroke a lover or field-strip an automatic weapon." Calling himself "an average Joe Hoe," Taylor is any gardener's dream neighbor?especially if he lends out his hand tools.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books; illustrated edition edition (August 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811819094
• ISBN-13: 978-0811819091
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,423,536 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A tool book like no other - not your typical how-to manual, February 14, 1999

By A Customer

There are other books on garden tools, a couple that are new this year - but this is like no other book on the subject - at once a philosophy lesson and a love story, full of humor and wisdom - and packed with tips about tools. You'll never look at your trowel in quite the same way once you've read this book. And it is also a great read!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Winter Relief for Gardners, May 19, 2001

By	Cindy Lyons (Owensboro, KY United States) - See all my reviews

Would make a great wintertime gift for a gardner. It was fun and informative. It would help to fill-in that awful winter void when we gardners can't play in the dirt.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable for the inexperienced and experienced, May 23, 2003

By	Donna Shields "roncinante" (Lincoln, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This is a pleasant read. Brought a smile when I didn't expect it. Though it didn't tell me "how to" create a beautiful garden it expressed the way I work in the earth. When I leave my tools laying about tucked in the flowers this book showed me others think the same and do the same. Practical info: the chapters are short and you can skip around chapter wise. The book is nicely presented with good quality paper. This would also make a wonerful gift.