Wood: A History

by Joachim Radkau

Ötzi the iceman could not do without wood when he was climbing his Alpine glacier, nor could medieval cathedral-builders or today's construction companies. From time immemorial, the skill of the human hand has developed by working wood, so much so that we might say that the handling of wood is a basic element in the history of the human body. The fear of a future wood famine became a panic in the 18th century and sparked the beginnings of modern environmentalism. This book traces the cultural history of wood and offers a highly original account of the connection between the raw material and the human beings who benefit from it. Even more, it shows that wood can provide a key for a better understanding of history, of the pecularities as well as the varieties of cultures, of a co-evolution of nature and culture, and even of the rise and fall of great powers. Beginning with Stone Age hunters, it follows the twists and turns of the story through the Middle Ages and the Industrial Revolution to the global society of the twenty-first century, in which wood is undergoing a varied and unexpected renaissance. Radkau is sceptical of claims that wood is about to disappear, arguing that such claims are self-serving arguments promoted by interest groups to secure cheaper access to, and control over, wood resources. The whole forest and timber industry often strikes the outsider as a world unto itself, a hermetically sealed black box, but when we lift the lid on this box, as Radkau does here, we will be surprised by what we find within. Wide-ranging and accessible, this rich historical analysis of one of our most cherished natural resources will find a wide readership.

Genres: History

352 pages, Hardcover

First published December 12, 2011

About the author

Professor of Modern History at the University of Bielefeld, specialising in the environment, technology and mentalité.

Reviews

[Trilety Wade · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an incredible read! Radkau delves into the complex history of the forest and wood. While it is mainly from the German and European perspective, he draws distinctions between Europe and The Americas that further clarify the differences in these regions. The end of the book further finds discussions on wood in other particular places such as Japan, China, and India. You may begin this book with a simple, one dimensional concept of the forest, but after reading you will see it for the nuanced phenomenon it is. Radkau dissolves much of the simple but false causal thinking we apply to the history of the forest, and his thoughtful and fair approach is one I will apply well beyond the forest. I could go on and on, but here are just a very few tidbits that stood out:

- The forest is as varied as its uses - from heating to shipbuilding, saltworks to ironworks, and architecture to agroforestry, its uses are varied - and the types of woods that create a forest are just as varied in hardness, density, thickness, and longevity
- These varied uses have generated great conflict
- It is difficult to manage a local resource from afar - do not underestimate the knowledge of those with an intimate relationship to the wood
- There is more to the story of wood shortages - this is not necessarily one of the factors that drove the industrial Revolution
- The slow adoption of the innovation of the saw over the ax reduced the autonomy of the woodworker, and made the silent theft of wood easier

And more and more! From the Middle Ages to the Future, this book will expand your understanding of the history of wood and forest management.

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a little less exciting than I hoped it would be. It's a history about wood. What I liked was learning about how wood was used in the past, but what was less interesting to me was all he had to say about politics and economics.