I have this fantasy in which I'm a fly on the wall at a meeting between Stephen Shepherd and Eric Sloane. Together, you would have the sum of all knowledge about early American woodwork.
In A Reverence for Wood, Sloane appreciates both the practical details and the philosophy behind the design. Opening the book at random, here he is talking about doors: "In the pioneer days, doors were often symbols. Just as girls filled hope chests, young men planned doors for the houses they would someday build. A house might be built of local pine and chestnut, but the door was considered something special and the wood was often sassafras panels, apple or cherry, or even mahogany brought from the West Indies or Central America. A godly man might prefer a Christian door with stiles and rails that formed a Christian cross. A superstitious person might put a Maltese cross in the lower section and thereby make a 'witch door' to keep out the evil spirits, or frame the door with ash to make the spell more potent. (The ash tree was thought to have special magic to ward off sickness and evil spirits. No snake would cross a barrier of ash leaves.)"
, Sloane appreciates both the practical details and the philosophy behind the design. Opening the book at random, here he is talking about doors: "In the pioneer days, doors were often symbols. Just as girls filled hope chests, young men planned doors for the houses they would someday build. A house might be built of local pine and chestnut, but the door was considered something special and the wood was often sassafras panels, apple or cherry, or even mahogany brought from the West Indies or Central America. A godly man might prefer a Christian door with stiles and rails that formed a Christian cross. A superstitious person might put a Maltese cross in the lower section and thereby make a 'witch door' to keep out the evil spirits, or frame the door with ash to make the spell more potent. (The ash tree was thought to have special magic to ward off sickness and evil spirits. No snake would cross a barrier of ash leaves.)"Then, being a marvelous artist, he gives you this illustration:
I bought this book at a garage sale over 30 years ago, and I still learn new things when I go back to it. Let's put it this way: If Eric Sloane were alive today, we'd all be reading his blog. Imagine daily updates with this kind of detail:
Thanks for stopping by my blog. Although the appeal of woodworking escapes me, I have been surrounded by it all my life. Everyone in my family is either a carpenter or a teacher! Thanks for stopping by my blog. Don't miss out on Apulia when you come to Italy!
ReplyDeleteJoe
ReplyDeleteWhat?
That old fraud Stephen Spender? Although it does link to the younger Stephen Shepherd (the coffee miller - as Duchamp said, the bachelor grinds his own.)
Joe,
ReplyDeleteCheckout this link Alburnam's Archive by Stephen Shepards: www.archive.org/web/20050203183252/www.ilovewood.com/Alburnam.htm
Joe
Joe,
ReplyDeleteThat above link didn't work (Can't Paste) so just google : Alburnam's Archive
Joe
Oops. Sorry. I've corrected it to read "Stephen Shepherd." (I get the names of my dogs - and even my own children - confused, too.) I wonder if Mr. Spender ever wrote about wood.
ReplyDeleteAlburnam's Archive is good to know about, thanks. I hope the entire archive will be published some day, if publishing survives as a technology in the future. Perhaps book-making will be preserved as a revered though seldom-practiced old craft, a fitting format for Stephen Shepherd.
I need to pull this book out again. I bought it years ago before I got into handtool work, so I'm sure I'd love it even more now.
ReplyDelete