Booklist Review
Anyone who likes to tramp through the woods, reads the Arbor Day Foundation newsletter, or shops at home-and-garden centers can probably identify a fair number of common trees: maples, oaks, pines, and the like. Some folks can even tell a red maple from a sugar maple, a black oak from a pin oak, and a southern yellow pine from a Norway pine. However, there's a tremendous difference between identifying a living tree and identifying a piece of wood. Living trees offer lots of helpful hints: bark color, bark texture, foliage, seedpods, height, and overall shape. Seasoned, board-cut pieces of wood offer none of these hints, and that's why this specialized identification guide is so useful. Thirty pages of introductory material, richly enhanced with outstanding maps, photos, and illustrations, explain tree anatomy, tree growth, wood grain, logging practices, conservation, and the various processes for seasoning and preservation of wood. This material is well written and beautifully presented. The real treasure, however, is the Directory of Wood section, which contains entries on 150 top commercial timbers arranged alphabetically by scientific name. Each one-page entry begins with a four-by-eight-inch photographic reproduction of the specific type of wood. The quality of the color photographs is so high that readers will be tempted to run their fingers over them to feel the wood's texture. Along with these photos are brief descriptions of growth patterns, appearance (the wood, not the living tree), properties, and uses. Closing out each entry are a small world map showing growth location and a small chart indicating structural features, such as impact resistance, bending strength, and crushing strength. The Encyclopedia of Wood is a beautifully crafted identification guide for practicing woodworkers and others whose professions depend on wood. Libraries whose constituencies include such individuals should give it serious consideration for purchase. --Art A. Lichtenstein Copyright 2005 Booklist
Choice Review
Like the well-received first edition (1989), this is not a true encyclopedia but rather a directory of commercial timbers with some additional background information. It features superbly illustrated photographs and illustrations of what the editors consider the 150 most important timbers (criteria are not given). The timbers are the same ones featured in the original volume, but now a separate page is devoted to each type of wood. The directory constitutes the main section. There are shorter sections on tree anatomy, growth, and structure; environmental problems related to logging and the destruction of rain forests; and issues arising from the use of timber for various products. Arranging items alphabetically by Latin name, the directory lists species, family, and common name, along with a hardwood/softwood designation. Each page has a color photograph with exceptionally clear grain and information on appearance, properties, and use. A world map shows timber locations, and a chart (only marginally clearer than the one in the first edition) indicates characteristics such as bending and stiffness. A short glossary, an index of common names, and a listing of a few subject terms are appended. The editor has expanded the directory but eliminated most of the original sections on logging and political issues, as well as "The World of Wood," a beautifully illustrated section on the best-known trees and their uses. The only information about the contributors is listed on the book jacket; most are journalists specializing in woodworking as a craft. Credits at the end of the book simply list the pages the contributors wrote. One contributor, W. A. Lincoln, previously wrote the more extensive World Wood in Color (CH, Nov'86). This new edition is ideal for public and school libraries. Although certainly not scientific or scholarly, it would be a good, inexpensive addition to academic collections. ^BSumming Up: Recommended. All levels. N. Kobzina University of California, Berkeley
Library Journal Review
Wood is to furniture design what denim is to fashion: it's durable and always in style. Put together by a team of wood experts (among them, a former Woodworker magazine editor, a carpenter, and a furniture designer), this glossy A-to-Z provides basic information on 150 of the world's most popular and beautiful timbers (e.g., cherry, European walnut, and African ebony). Each entry consists of an enlarged color photograph clearly showing the tree's unique pattern and color and concise information on growth, appearance, properties, uses, and more. A nice addition to libraries with strong interior design or DIY collections. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
