Eric Sloane

I love Eric Sloane's stuff, but as yet haven't owned any of his books.  A couple years ago I borrowed a copy of his 1954 title, "American Barns and Covered Bridges" from the local library.  I was dazzled by the artwork and information.

At the PAST tool show I recently attended in Sonoma, CA, one table had some old books.  I got lucky enough to snag this copy of Eric Sloane's 1973 title, "A Museum of Early American Tools".  For $3!!!  I had heard of this book, but had never seen a copy.  This copy is not in perfect shape, but it's plenty good enough for me.

My two purchases from the tool show - a grand total of $13

I've only just begun to go through it, but already I can tell it's going to be fascinating.  Within the first couple of pages I found out that what I call a bench hook, he called a "side rest".  What I've called a bench dog, he called a "bench hook".  It's interesting how these terms can change over the decades.

Sloane's artwork was just great.  He did all the illustrations in his books and I find them so damned good.

A random page from "A Museum of Early American Tools"

The other titles that I've heard of (that align with my interests), but as yet have not seen, are:

A Reverence for Wood (1965)
An Age of Barns (1967)

And I know Sloane put out dozens of other books, sketches and paintings.  If you ever have the chance to get your hands on one of Eric Sloane's books, run - don't walk - and snag it before someone else does!!