Comments on: Book of woods

Question: Book of woods

LeisureGuy — Sat, 18 Nov 2006 12:41:14 -0800

I saw a book once on the various types of woods, and included in the book (bound in) were thin samples of each wood so you got to see the wood itself rather than a photo. But I can't recall the name of the book and numerous searches have turned up nothing. FWIW, I saw the book in a bookstore in Berkeley that specializes in architectural/building books. Any ideas of the title and/or source for the book? Thanks.

By: redfoxtail

redfoxtail — Sat, 18 Nov 2006 12:53:35 -0800

Aggh! My mother used to have this book or one just like it, and I think it was called something completely unhelpful like "Wood" or "Trees". It was exceedingly cool.

She's on a trip this weekend, but if no one else can help you out, I'll call her next week to see if she can remember it.

By: eve harrington

eve harrington — Sat, 18 Nov 2006 12:54:12 -0800

I saw it at the bookstore at MoMA a few years ago, too. This isn't it, but depending on your purposes, it may fill the bill: What Wood is That

By: -harlequin-

-harlequin- — Sat, 18 Nov 2006 13:25:57 -0800

Judging by this, the search term you might be looking for could be "xylothek".

By: jessamyn

jessamyn — Sat, 18 Nov 2006 13:34:27 -0800

I am assuming that something like this is a bit off-track, but on the off chance it might be apropos, are you sure it wasn't a xylothek?

By: marxchivist

marxchivist — Sat, 18 Nov 2006 13:35:39 -0800

Would it be American Woods by Romeyn B. Hough? That link goes to a digital collection of the plates themselves. If I recall correctly, these look like books when I on the shelf, but are actually little boxes with the pages w/wood samples laid in like a portfolio.

By: iconomy

iconomy — Sat, 18 Nov 2006 13:50:01 -0800

Is it The Woodbook?

By: luriete

luriete — Sat, 18 Nov 2006 13:57:26 -0800

I assume you were at Builders' Booksource in Berkeley - they carried a kind of modernist xylothek last year, as well as the Leistikow book above. I would call them - their staff is very knowledgeable about their stock and they will know the book and how to get if for you if it's no longer in stock.

By: Joh

Joh — Sat, 18 Nov 2006 14:10:31 -0800

Ditto what Eve said, "What wood is that" is a book my architect friend owns, and fits your description.

By: LeisureGuy

LeisureGuy — Sat, 18 Nov 2006 14:36:57 -0800

Right! Builders' Booksource, that was the place. We'll call. -harlequin-'s link is fascinating, though. Many thanks to all.

By: LeisureGuy

LeisureGuy — Sat, 18 Nov 2006 14:57:47 -0800

The Wood Book looks like a great alternative to a xylothek (a new word to me---and, judging by the underline, to Firefox 2.0's spelling checker). Excellent help.

By: dobbs

dobbs — Sat, 18 Nov 2006 18:54:30 -0800

Here's the Woodbook's official site.

By: hortense

hortense — Sat, 18 Nov 2006 20:04:45 -0800

Birch Bark Book

By: tellurian

tellurian — Sun, 19 Nov 2006 18:44:53 -0800

I know you have your answer but you might be interested in this too (what's with the comments there, I hear you ask. I don't know what was going on).