The Ashley Book of Knots
by Clifford W. Ashley
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Book Reviews of The Ashley Book of Knots
Book Review: Another perspective
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm a newbie, as I've only had my copy of Ashley for 25 years, unlike the fellow who bought his in 1945. :^) But I want to echo most of what's been said.
If you're considering buying this book, how well it will fit your needs depends on what your needs are. I strongly recommend you read the 2 and 3 star reviews, as what they contain are valid comments about the book. Some of the criticisms that have been made of the book are:
* It's been in print for 60 years and hasn't been modernized.
* It was based on (mostly) natural fiber ropes. It doesn't have relevant discussion of more modern fibers.
* Some of the drawings can be hard to understand.
* The indexing could be better.
If you're reading this, you have access to a computer, so you can learn an enormous amount about knots from the web, including color pictures, verbose descriptions, and animations. It's a fantastic resource. Why, then, would anyone spend 50 bucks on a book like Ashley?
If you just want to learn some practical knots, then there are many books that will suit your needs (if you can't get what you want from the web for free). You can visit a library to take a look at different books.
Yet I still think Ashley's book belongs in my library (you'll have to make your own decision as to whether it belongs in your library). I still pick it up and get immersed in it a few times a year. It's fascinating reading and learning about all the different types of knots and other ropework.
There are some very practical things I've learned from this book. One of my favorites is #364, which explains how to tie a constrictor knot to fasten a hose to a hose fitting. I've used this many times over the last 20+ years. My wife complained about my using worm-drive hose clamps to hold on the machined brass fittings and I had to agree -- they hurt one's hand when tightening a connection. Ashley's method with the constrictor works perfectly -- so well, in fact, that I leave it on permanently. I use 1/8" braided nylon rope. I also use it to attached compressed air hose to its fittings. You should also be aware that it could be an emergency fix for e.g. a broken radiator clamp. I've even tied it in wire.
While I'm at it, I'll also pass on a comment about the knots I use. For 95% of the things I do (and my wife and kids tease me about how much I use rope and twine to do lifting, pulling, and lashing), I use the bowline, constrictor, span loop, and one and two half hitches (often the second hitch is slipped). I still use other knots, but one or more of those four are involved whenever I pick up a piece of rope.
Oh, and since I use the bowline more than the other knots, I'll pass on a relatively unknown way of tying this knot. I don't remember where I learned it (it wasn't from Ashley), but the method is #1788. I consider it extremely important, as once you learn it, you can tie it completely by feel, in the dark, the rain, or a snowstorm with ice-cold hands -- and do it in a few seconds (with practice). The key is to pull on the knot properly so that you feel it collapse into a bowline. This is such an important way of tying the knot, I think it should be taught to everyone. Yet I've never run across anyone who knew the method (except the person who taught it to me).
Book Review: "Just look it up in Ashley's!"
Summary: 5 Stars
THE ASHLEY BOOK OF KNOTS (c.1944) by Clifford W. Ashley, is the definitive reference work on knots, splices, and ropework in general. Born in 1881 in New Bedford, Massachusetts, Clifford W. Ashley was an antique dealer and artist, who spent eleven years writing his magnum opus, THE ASHLEY BOOK OF KNOTS, and died three years after its 1944 publication.In his pursuit of ropework, Mr. Ashley spent six months at sea on the whaling bark SUNBEAM; and six weeks on a Delaware Bay oysterman called a 'bugeye'. He interviewed tradesmen, such as: steeplejacks, cobblers, truckdrivers, butchers, electric linesmen, and boyscouts as well as sailors and sea captains to document each nuance of knot unique to its trade. He was taught a few knots by Mr. Ringling himself of circus fame; and taught a knot to Mr. DuPont, a captain of industry.
The result of Mr. Ashley's research was a significant collection of 7,000 drawings of 3,900 knots and their application in a 620 page knot tyers tome which has become a veritable bible for rope workers the world over. In just about any capacity that a rope can be utilized has found its way into THE ASHLEY BOOK OF KNOTS. Mr. Ashley has covered: netting, lashings, block & tackle, splices, hitches, and bends. He went from purely decorative knots with no practical value to knots applied to industrial use. He included a whole chapter on rope tricks and puzzles. There is an amusing catalog of small figures the author drew to rate the quality of each knot described, such as a deuce of clubs to designate 'unimportance', or an kedge anchor to indicate 'reliability'.
Equally important as the knot's description was their utilization on incidental equipment. Mr. Ashley fortuitously included a description of a rope's application on fairleads, belaying pins, H-bitts, cleats, thumb-cleats, fife rails, pin rails, pin racks, and timberheads; as well as escoteric equipment such as euphroe blocks and crows foots.
The book also includes the important distinction between the kevel (or cavil) and the quarter cleat. The glossary in the back makes another refinement by distinguishing the knot from the sinnet, splice, hitch, and bend. Thus clearing up any misassumptions in knot application (such as that Knot Theory is a branch of pure mathematics and has nothing to do with Knot Tying!) - THE ASHLEY BOOK OF KNOTS settles any disputes in nomenclature.
The only short-coming to this significant work is that the drawings are unclear and vague in some instances, making it impossible to tye a knot in the example given. The book is dated in respect to splicing modern power braids such as Liquid Crystal Polymer, Spectra, or Kevlar; and makes no mention of the type of knot or splice found in an Astronaut's tether.
Still this can be tolerated in view of the wealth of information and history on knots, splices, and rope contained within its pages. And THE ASHLEY BOOK OF KNOTS has gained a further importance in its power of verification. For when some nimrod claims to have invented a new knot or splice, immediately the universal response is: "Just look it up in Ashley's!"
Book Review: Ashley Book of Knots
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the best book I have ever read, of any category, fiction, non-fiction, bar none. Yes, it is a book of knots, but it is far more than just that. The author was an artist as well as a sailor and this book was the work of a lifetime of fascination with knots. From an early age he took an interest in any knot he saw. Knots were documented as to where he saw them, exactly how they were tied, who tied them and why, what their names and uses were, the knots' strengths and weaknesses, and any other pertinent information he could acquire. Over a period of many, many years he kept these notes and finally wrote the book which is profusely illustrated by his own drawings of the knots and their applications. As his knowledge became known he was sought out as a consultant by industrial firms and as a part of this work he also conducted testing of certain knots. The book goes far beyond the knot names and their uses. It explains why sailors tie decorative knots, why some knots are strong, why some knots are easy to untie, why knots tied by certain tradesmen have to have special characteristics.
Mr. Ashley had a keen sense of history and the book is filled with not only the history of individual knots, but the history of trades and how they utilized knots. You can open the book to nearly any page and read a fascinating story about a knot, a vocation, a way of life, how and why people use knots, the different materials used with knots, or an episode in his own life. The book can be read as a novel.
But if you are looking for practical information on a certain knot, or on a class of knots designed for a certain job, don't think that this information will be hard to find. Each of the knots is numbered and is rated with a small drawing which is a symbol of the special characteristics of that knot. Is the knot dangerous? is it weak or strong? Is it easy to tie? Does it have many uses? The same knots that are in different chapters are cross referenced and other knots that can serve the same purposes but used in other trades are noted. Thus the book can also be used as an encyclopedia.
I have a library of perhaps 1,000 books. If, for some reason, I could keep only one, it would be this one.
Book Review: Knot-Withstanding
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a marvelous piece of work, a wonderfully compiled index and history on the amusing subject of knots. Moreover; this is the story of knots, written with a scholar's pen (so, it's educational), but told with a seaman's heart. The author's passion for his subject, evident on every page, animates all of his hand-drawn, disciplined illustrations (Ashley was a student of the great Howard Pyle), which lends the book a nice, user-friendly appeal. As the author literally unravels the chords of the past on the subject, he then meticulously ties all loose ends together to knot the vast gamut of one of humanity's oldest skills and indispensable crafts in one timeless reference book. Here is a legendary work for the ages on a specialized professional skill, and a skill people rely upon everyday.
If you've never known an appreciation for knots or simply never considered that you should, then, if this book doesn't convert you into a knot lover, it will certainly energize your interest in knots, reminding you that the knot is not an ancient relic specific to seamen and now extinct; but is extant, and still essential to life in today's high-tech world, alive and well in your home, office, post-office, etc. You'll see simple knots that you've known since you were in diapers (remember those), and sophisticated knots, most of which you've never known to exist; but their stories and simple beauty will captivate you. You may even learn about knots that emerged around the time you were born. And you can practice tying many of the knots, using the illustrations/diagrams as a sure guide. The knot lives!
And if you already love knots and understand their historical value to civilization, and you don't already own this book: Shame on you! Get it now. If you love history, then you cannot afford not to own this book, for the knot is actually the node which links all of history together; mankind, as we know it, would not have survived were it not for the knot. Now there was a knot of a sentence, but that's just the way the book is.
Of course seamen love this book. But children will enjoy the knotlore as well.
This book is fun, fun, fun!
Book Review: Historical Archive of 3900 knots with 7000 illustrations
Summary: 5 Stars
Today we tie things together with velcro, zippers, tape, and hypertext links. Slip knots, square knots, and granny knots are still tied; but most of us no longer use rope or knots to the extent that our ancestors did. The Ashley Book of Knots takes us back to an earlier time, a time when one's ability to tie many knots was commonplace. The author, Clifford W. Ashley, was born into a sea-faring family in 1881. He worked as a canvasman at a circus, served an apprenticeship in knots aboard a whaling bark, and dedicated over forty years to studying knots. He studied knots used by over 90 occupations including surgeons, butchers, weavers, and sailors. Eleven years were spent writing, researching, and richly illustrating this book of 3900 knots with over 7000 drawings.
The book was first published in 1944. It should be considered an important historical archive. Recently I saw quotes and drawings from The Ashley Book of Knots in E. Annie Proulx's 1994 Pulitzer Prize winning novel, The Shipping News. Ms. Proulx found a copy of The Ashley Book of Knots in a yard sale for 25 cents. She acknowledged that The Ashley Book of Knots inspired her to write the Shipping News.
Ashley lived to see the death of square-rigged ships, and the decline of knots used by other professions. He carefully illustrated dying and common knots, such as the Spiritsail Sheet Knot, the Cat-o'-nine-tails, and the Department Store Loop. Finally, he organized his instructions and illustrations into 41 chapters. The lasting gift of Ashley is that his work has kept many knots from being forgotten to history. Ashley's knots are available for us to tie and appreciate. Ashley wrote that, "...the simple act of tying a knot is an adventure in unlimited space." This book allows all of us to travel on the adventure.