‘The String Book’ opens with a note about an 8,000-year-old piece of string that was found at a Stone Age settlement in England, about which the editor of British Archaeology said, I don’t think the average person realises what an important piece of technology string has been over the ages.
‘The String Book’ is here to set that right. What the author calls a cornucopia of cunning and knowledge fills this informative and charming collection of history, knot instruction, facts and surprising trivia. The chapters and sections are: . Roping Yarns Knowing the Ropes; Stringing History; String, Rope and Religions . String Along Day-to-Day String; String Fanatics . Get Knotted 40 stoppers, reefs, bends, hitches, loops, whippings and shoe lacings . The Art of String Cultured String; Sporty String . Loopy Science Discoveries and Inventions; Stringy Theories . Country Ties On Land; At Sea . Loose Ends String Miscellany; Stringy Websites. Amusing two-colour illustrations highlight the text. Here are examples of the stringiness in ‘The String Book’: . The Ancient Egyptians probably used string to help align pyramids north-south and east-west. The Polynesians possibly used rope to move the Easter Island moai statues into place. . To water plants while you’re away, trail a piece of wet natural string from a bowl above the plants into the soil. . Farmer Francis A. Johnson spared four hours a day to wind a ball of string until he needed a crane to move it. . The great 15th century inventor Leonardo da Vinci had many ropey inventions, including a parachute, a ropemaking machine, and rope-operated pulleys. . How to do magic tricks, how to tie a Hojojutsu ball, how to weigh a pig, and how to make a seismograph, a cat’s cradle, a friendship bracelet, and a jar sling to carry your bottle of water. . This is a fun and surprisingly informative book that is a great gift for any reader. AUTHOR: Adam Hart-Davis is a well-known popular science and history writer, broadcaster and the author of more than 25 books.