Synopses & Reviews
William Bryant Logan, who is one of our best garden writers, has produced not only a real book but a scrupulously researched, handsomely designed, and highly enjoyable one to boot. -MICHAEL POLLAN, The New York Times
Celebrate garden tools in all their pleasure, practicality, variety, beauty, and simplicity. In 13 chapters and more than 70 striking full-color photographic spreads, THE TOOL BOOK presents hundreds of tools organized by task: 26 shovels and scoops, 21 spades, 16 hoes, 11 weeders, 10 pruning saws. Plus axes, knives, sickles and scythes, watering cans, rakes and riddles, shears and dibbers. There are tools to start the garden from seed in the spring, tool to keep it growing and healthy all summer, tools for fall cleanup. And tools to help take care of the tools.
In addition, THE TOOL BOOK covers each tool's anatomy and use, and gives an overview of how individual tools evolved. Because when you wield a hoe, you are joining a continuum that stretches back to the first gardeners. Theirs might have been a flat stone or animal's shoulder blade attached to a stick, but the motion, the purpose, the sun, and the smell of the soil are the same.
WILLIAM BRYANT LOGAN is a certified arborist who uses a variety of garden tools in his daily work. He is also a Quill and Trowel Award-winning writer and contributing editor to Garden Design magazine. His books include Dirt: The Ecstatic Skin of Earth, Gardener's Book of Sources, and, as editor, Garden Design.
Synopsis
The Garden Writers Association of America declared it best book of the year for 1998. And The New York Times wrote: "Logan, who is one of our best garden writers, has produced not only a real book but a scrupulously researched, handsomely designed, and highly enjoyable one to book."
The Took Book celebrates garden tools in all their pleasure, practicality, variety, beauty, ingenuity, simplicity, and purity. Thirteen chapters and over 70 striking full-color photographic spreads-obsessive and obsessively informative-present hundreds of tools organized by task: 22 shovels, 21 spades, 12 trowels, 16 hoes, 11 weeders, 19 hand pruners, 10 pruning saws. In addition to garden tool necessities, here are knives, axes, hooks, watering cans, rakes, riddles, brooms, wheel barrows, shears, and scoops, and much more. There are tools to start the garden from seed in the spring, tools to keep it growing and healthy all summer, and tools clean up in the fall. And, finally, tools to care for the tools.
In addition, the the book presents a detailed overview of the marriage of tool to type of work-how garden tools evolved, how to use each type of tool properly, and what to look for in a tool. It's the right tool for the right job. 37,000 copies in print.
Synopsis
If you love to knock yourself out digging beds, buy a better shovel. If you're looking for a no-nonsense alternative, buy this book! (Ketzel Levine, National Public Radio's Doyenne of Dirt)
"Thoroughly practical, easy-to-follow guide to good gardening Lee Reich make it sound simple, and if you follow his methods and philosophy, it is." (Dora Galitzki, Gardening Columnist, The New York Times, and Author of The Gardener's Essential Companion)
"Finally, a book filled with science-based information that insures success and frees us from busywork in the garden." (Dr. H. March Cathey, President Emeritus, American Horticultural Society)
Turning conventional wisdom on its head, Lee Reich shows how to garden for plants and good for people. Eschewing the traditional yearly digging up and working over of the soil, WEEDLESS GARDENING is an easy-to-follow, low-impact approach to planting and maintaining a flower garden, a vegetable garden, trees, and shrubs naturally. Say good-bye to backaches and week problems.
About the Author
William Bryant Logan is a certified arborist who uses a variety of garden tools in his daily work. He is also a Quill and Trowel Award-winning writer, contributing editor to Garden Design, and a free-lance author whose articles have appeared in House Beautiful, Horticulture, House and Garden, and Metropolitan Home. He previously wrote "Cuttings," a column for The New York Times. Mr. Logan lives and gardens in Brooklyn, New York.
Table of Contents
CONTENTS
Preface
Introduction: The Love of Tools
CHAPTER ONE: THE WELL-TEMPERED TOOL
Anatomy of a Tool
Weight and Measure
Construction
CHAPTER TWO: DIGGING
Getting to the Dirt
From Dirt to Soil
Turning the Soil
History of Digging
The Shovel
Round-Point Shovels
Square Point Shovels
Scoops
Trenching Shovels
The Spade
Spades
Long-Handled Spades
Specialty Spades
Digging Spades
Heavy-Duty Specialty Spades
The Fork
Garden Forks
Broadfork
Specialty Forks
Bedding and Manure Forks
Scooping Forks
The Mattock and the Pick
Picks, Mattocks, and Land-Clearing Tools
CHAPTER THREE: CULTIVATING
The Persistence of Weeds
Tools for Cultivation
History of Cultivating
The Hoe
Hoes
Eye Hoes and Wheel Hoe
The Weeder
Weeders
The Cultivator
Cultivators
CHAPTER FOUR: PROPAGATING
History of Propagation
Propagation Tools
Propagation Tools
Knives
The Potting Bench
Potting Bench
Propagation Supplies
Seed-Planting Supplies
Soil Blockers
Modular Soil-Blocking System
Cold Frames
Cold Frames
Cloches and Other Season Extenders
Plant Protectors
CHAPTER FIVE: PLANTING
History of Planting
The Dibber
Dibbers
The Trowel
Trowels
Bulb Planters
Bulb Planters
Seeders
Seeders
Container Gardening
Plant Containers
CHAPTER SIX: CUTTING
History of Cutting
Flower Shears
Flower Shears
Hand Pruners
Hand Pruners
Hedge Shears
Hedge Shears
Loppers
Loppers
Pole Pruners
Pole Pruners
Pruning Saws
Pruning Saws
Woodlot Tools
Chopping and Splitting Tools
Clearing Tools
Scythes
Brush Cutters
CHAPTER SEVEN: WATERING
Knowing Your Garden
History of Watering
The Principles of Watering
The Watering Can
Watering Cans
Roses
The Hose
Hoses
Hose Accessories
Hose Accessories
Sprinklers
CHAPTER EIGHT: COMPOSTING
History of Composting
Compost Bins
Composters
Composting Tools
Composting Tools
CHAPTER NINE: LAWN CARE
The Lawn Mower
Lawn Mowers
Grass Shears and Edgers
Lawn Shears
Rakes and Edgers
Starting the Lawn
Spreaders
Lawn Rollers
Aerating the Lawn
Aerators
CHAPTER TEN: HOLDING AND HAULING
History of the Holders and Haulers
Choosing the Right Containers and Carriers
Fruit and Vegetable Baskets
Harvest Containers
Leaf, Weed, and Seed Carriers
Buckets and Bins
Carriers
The Haulers
Haulers
CHAPTER ELEVEN: RAKING AND SWEEPING
The Garden Rake
Lawn and Leaf Rakes
Garden Rakes
Lawn and Leaf Rakes
The Broom
Brooms
CHAPTER TWELVE: CLOTHING AND PROTECTION
Boots and Shoes
Footwear
Gloves
Gloves
Hats
Hats
Pants and Shirts
Clothing
Vests and Jackets
Jackets
CHAPTER THIRTEEN: CARE AND STORAGE
Finishing Touches
Looking Sharp
Hang Them High
Keep Them Together
Hose Storage
A Time to Renew
Care and Storage
Hose Reels
INDEX