The Art of Tying Knots
Ed Paul N Hasluck Endless Mountain Publishing Co. ISBN 978-0-9988527-3-7
It was a masterstroke by the publishers of this facsimile edition to have Des Pawson write the foreword. Not simply because of his notoriety, but because he has very succinctly pointed to the elements which make this volume so valuable. Of course, the reader will not get the benefit until he has purchased the book, so it behoves this reviewer to quote some of his opinion.
In the UK in 1904 it was the most comprehensive book on knots available. Thus it sets in timely context the knotting knowledge of the period. It extends the application of knots beyond the purely maritime, giving what are now unfamiliar names to some familiar knots. While some of the illustrations, particularly in respect of splicing are not very clear, the advice is sound, such as the benefits of practising with better-laid hemp before struggling with splicing cotton rope which too easily loses its lay.
With a progression from ‘Simple and Useful Knots’, through eyes, hitches, bends, ties and lashings, to fancy knots and beyond, though the original is over 100 years old, this facsimile nevertheless deserves a place on a knot tyer’s bookshelf: there is, as Pawson puts it “much to discover”, not least for the historian.
David Pepper
