What do you think?
Rate this book
De man & het hout
De man & het hout is een onontbeerlijke en praktische handleiding voor alles wat te maken heeft met het kappen, hakken, stapelen en het in de fik steken van alle soorten hout. Wanneer moet je de boom omhakken om het beste brandhout te krijgen? Hoe houd je een kampvuur eindeloos aan de gang? Wat valt er uit de houtstapel af te leiden over het karakter van de stapelaar? Op deze en nog veel meer vragen geeft dit boek een antwoord.
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
427 people are currently reading
3757 people want to read
About the author
Lars Mytting
16 books717 followersLars Mytting er en norsk journalist og forfatter. Mytting har arbeidet som forlagsredaktør og journalist i Dagningen, Aftenposten, Arbeiderbladet og Beat.
Arbeidet senere som forlagsredaktør, før han fikk utgitt romanen Hestekrefter i 2006.
Arbeidet senere som forlagsredaktør, før han fikk utgitt romanen Hestekrefter i 2006.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 389 reviews
January 5, 2016
Wood isn’t something much thought about or talked about in Norwegian public life, at least not until the larger connections are made to the goal of a society based on bioenergy. Yet wood will always resonate at some deep level inside me and my compatriots, because our relationship to fire is so ancient, so palpable, and so universal.
This is a non-fiction book. About wood.
For two months now, I’ve seen this book all over London bookstores. Not really knowing what it was, I ended up laughing at it and jokingly saying that it looked amazingly interesting.
Then, of course, I got it as a Christmas gift. I really should have seen that coming. Especially since I got it from someone who complained that I “so disliked a book of a similar name.”
Just for the hell of it, I figured I might as well read it. And from the moment I opened it for the first time, I was amazed. I’m not even joking.
From the prologue, with the ridiculously awesome title The Old Man and the Wood to the epilogue, which put a tear in my eye, I loved this non-fictional book about wood.
Because while it included descriptions of different trees and techniques to employ when chopping, stacking and burning them, it was so much more. This book is a philosophical and cultural masterpiece. It’s about the heart and soul of the Norwegian people. And I want to pick up my political career again and scheme, bribe and manipulate my way into the Ministry of Education for the sole purpose of forcing every Norwegian school kid to read this thing.
I would recommend this book to all Scandinavians or people who have an interest in wood (anyone?). And even if you don’t fit into either category, chances are this book will find its way to a bookstore near you. After tremendous success beyond all expectations in Norway and Sweden, it’s now hitting the English-speaking book market like a storm.
This is a non-fiction book. About wood.
For two months now, I’ve seen this book all over London bookstores. Not really knowing what it was, I ended up laughing at it and jokingly saying that it looked amazingly interesting.
Then, of course, I got it as a Christmas gift. I really should have seen that coming. Especially since I got it from someone who complained that I “so disliked a book of a similar name.”
Just for the hell of it, I figured I might as well read it. And from the moment I opened it for the first time, I was amazed. I’m not even joking.
From the prologue, with the ridiculously awesome title The Old Man and the Wood to the epilogue, which put a tear in my eye, I loved this non-fictional book about wood.
Because while it included descriptions of different trees and techniques to employ when chopping, stacking and burning them, it was so much more. This book is a philosophical and cultural masterpiece. It’s about the heart and soul of the Norwegian people. And I want to pick up my political career again and scheme, bribe and manipulate my way into the Ministry of Education for the sole purpose of forcing every Norwegian school kid to read this thing.
I would recommend this book to all Scandinavians or people who have an interest in wood (anyone?). And even if you don’t fit into either category, chances are this book will find its way to a bookstore near you. After tremendous success beyond all expectations in Norway and Sweden, it’s now hitting the English-speaking book market like a storm.
January 28, 2021
Ah, Norway.
“Svensson was not a man to take professional disappointments lying down. On one occasion he was so annoyed when a visiting government delegation refused to let him demonstrate his chainsaw to them that he felled five trees across the road to stop them from leaving.
"Criticized for his actions in a local newspaper, he turned up unannounced at the newspaper’s offices, started up his Beaver chainsaw, and cut the editor’s desk in half.
"He then got into his car and set off for Oslo...”
“Svensson was not a man to take professional disappointments lying down. On one occasion he was so annoyed when a visiting government delegation refused to let him demonstrate his chainsaw to them that he felled five trees across the road to stop them from leaving.
"Criticized for his actions in a local newspaper, he turned up unannounced at the newspaper’s offices, started up his Beaver chainsaw, and cut the editor’s desk in half.
"He then got into his car and set off for Oslo...”
August 23, 2017
At first sight, this book looks like a practical joke. 200 pages about chopping, splitting, stacking and drying wood?
But I picked it up because we’ve moved to a house with a fireplace. That’s something we didn’t have before. So I thought I might collect some good advice. And the book offers that, in spades.
Lars Mytting approaches his subject with the clearheaded sense of Scandinavian practicality. He might have taken it as a launchpad for a reflection dense with anthropological and philosophical echoes. After all, foraging and burning wood are almost as old as mankind. Fire was the first key domestication, preceding control over the botanical and zoological realms. It resonates with myth, promise and catastrophe. But you won’t find any of this in Norwegian Wood. The author simply accompanies the reader through the full, practical process of getting hold of and burning one's own wood, from buying a chainsaw to sweeping the chimney.
The book fits in rapidly expanding lineage of books that remind us of the virtues of manual labour, craftsmanship, frugality and simplicity in an increasingly neurotic age. The story is a strangely soothing one. In some ineffable way, Mytting’s workmanlike prose reflects something of the solid, mundane but deeply satisfying character of this ancient process.
“Physical work creates a kind of spiritual peace. Once a log is split it stays split. You can’t change the split, or improve it. The frustrations of the day disappear into the wood, and from there into the stove. One of firewood’s most attractive qualities is that it burns and disappears. No committee will ever study it, not will it be compared with another, competing log. Sooner or later, in the course of the winter, all the logs that have been badly chopped and clumsily split will end up in the flames too, and the heat they provide will be indistinguishable from the heat provided by the perfect logs - and isn’t there an added spice to the pleasure of burning that particularly obstinate pine root?”
“You know exactly where you are with a woodpile. Its share price doesn’t fall on the stock market. It won’t rust. It won’t sue for divorce. It just stands there and does one thing: it waits for winter. An investment account reminding you of all the hard work you put into it. On bitterly cold January mornings it will bring back memories of those spring days when you sawed, split, and stacked as you worked to insure yourself against the cold.”
It’s nice to dwell in a world of clear causalities and unequivocal return on investment once in a while …
But I picked it up because we’ve moved to a house with a fireplace. That’s something we didn’t have before. So I thought I might collect some good advice. And the book offers that, in spades.
Lars Mytting approaches his subject with the clearheaded sense of Scandinavian practicality. He might have taken it as a launchpad for a reflection dense with anthropological and philosophical echoes. After all, foraging and burning wood are almost as old as mankind. Fire was the first key domestication, preceding control over the botanical and zoological realms. It resonates with myth, promise and catastrophe. But you won’t find any of this in Norwegian Wood. The author simply accompanies the reader through the full, practical process of getting hold of and burning one's own wood, from buying a chainsaw to sweeping the chimney.
The book fits in rapidly expanding lineage of books that remind us of the virtues of manual labour, craftsmanship, frugality and simplicity in an increasingly neurotic age. The story is a strangely soothing one. In some ineffable way, Mytting’s workmanlike prose reflects something of the solid, mundane but deeply satisfying character of this ancient process.
“Physical work creates a kind of spiritual peace. Once a log is split it stays split. You can’t change the split, or improve it. The frustrations of the day disappear into the wood, and from there into the stove. One of firewood’s most attractive qualities is that it burns and disappears. No committee will ever study it, not will it be compared with another, competing log. Sooner or later, in the course of the winter, all the logs that have been badly chopped and clumsily split will end up in the flames too, and the heat they provide will be indistinguishable from the heat provided by the perfect logs - and isn’t there an added spice to the pleasure of burning that particularly obstinate pine root?”
“You know exactly where you are with a woodpile. Its share price doesn’t fall on the stock market. It won’t rust. It won’t sue for divorce. It just stands there and does one thing: it waits for winter. An investment account reminding you of all the hard work you put into it. On bitterly cold January mornings it will bring back memories of those spring days when you sawed, split, and stacked as you worked to insure yourself against the cold.”
It’s nice to dwell in a world of clear causalities and unequivocal return on investment once in a while …
October 18, 2015
Who’d have thought that this book would show up in British and American bookshops?! I’d heard of it’s huge success in my native Norway and Sweden (200,000+ copies sold), but thought for sure that’s where it would remain. Norwegian Wood is a non-fiction book about chopping firewood. Stacking firewood. Drying firewood. But more importantly, it’s about nature, patience, persistence and appreciating the small things in life. Norwegian Wood is a cross between the Cohen brothers’ film Fargo and the cult book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and predicted by my bookseller to become this year’s surprise Christmas bestseller.
‘I’ve been on a quest to discover the soul of the wood fire. But wood people don’t always like to put their passion into words’ writes Lars Mytting, an author of fiction books and a wood chopping enthusiast, in his preface. Understatement of the year, you realise, when you meet the salt-of-the earth, rural types that Mytting interviews for his book. Complete with wonderful photos of proud wood choppers next to their piles, Norwegian Wood will make you chuckle and reflect. In a world that appears to be full of internet entrepreneurs, it’s refreshing to see that people like these still exist. A magnificent backlash against all things fast!
http://bookstoker.com/book/norwegian-...
‘I’ve been on a quest to discover the soul of the wood fire. But wood people don’t always like to put their passion into words’ writes Lars Mytting, an author of fiction books and a wood chopping enthusiast, in his preface. Understatement of the year, you realise, when you meet the salt-of-the earth, rural types that Mytting interviews for his book. Complete with wonderful photos of proud wood choppers next to their piles, Norwegian Wood will make you chuckle and reflect. In a world that appears to be full of internet entrepreneurs, it’s refreshing to see that people like these still exist. A magnificent backlash against all things fast!
http://bookstoker.com/book/norwegian-...
October 8, 2022
As a New Yorker, without a fireplace, as a person who lives far from forests, who has never used a saw or axe or any other power tool of the kind described herein, for whom felling and chopping and seasoning wood and stacking it is not now and likely never will be part of my life, I found this nonfiction book about the Scandinavian way to do all those things, the science behind it, as well as the environmental beauty of it, bizarrely compelling, informative, several times funny, and my mind feels much enlarged by having read it. Hard to imagine that a book about wood would be a delight, but it was! Plus wood, as I learned, is incredibly honest. "Its share price doesn't fall on the stock market. It won't rust. It won't sue for divorce. It just stands there and does one thing: it waits for winter. An investment account reminding you of all the hard work you've put into it." I nearly, but not quite, wish I lived near a forest, lived in seriously sub-zero temperatures, knew how to wield an axe, could judge how dry my wood has become, and how to build a beautiful wood stack. Stacked wood, in all its iterations, are indeed sculptures of incredible beauty.
January 24, 2016
“In Norway, discussions on the vexed question of whether logs should be stacked with the bark facing up or down have marred many a christening and spoiled many a wedding when wood enthusiasts are among the guests.” - if that makes sense to you, you will probably like this book.
Reading this book was a memory trip for me. When my father was 57 years old, he decided to switch from oil-fired heating to wood-fired (this was just after the first oil-supply shock in the mid 1970s). So he bought a pickup truck, a snowmobile and snowmobile trailer, and a chainsaw, and he built a fine woodshed, and he filled it with firewood as long as he was still physically able to do it . The excuse he used was economic; but it never made economic sense. I always suspected that he just wanted to make sure that his family would never freeze in those long cold northern winters.
This book is an odd mixture of whimsy and fact. I particularly liked the extensive illustrations, especially the fish-shaped woodpile and the woodpile tribute to Rossini.
Reading this book was a memory trip for me. When my father was 57 years old, he decided to switch from oil-fired heating to wood-fired (this was just after the first oil-supply shock in the mid 1970s). So he bought a pickup truck, a snowmobile and snowmobile trailer, and a chainsaw, and he built a fine woodshed, and he filled it with firewood as long as he was still physically able to do it . The excuse he used was economic; but it never made economic sense. I always suspected that he just wanted to make sure that his family would never freeze in those long cold northern winters.
This book is an odd mixture of whimsy and fact. I particularly liked the extensive illustrations, especially the fish-shaped woodpile and the woodpile tribute to Rossini.
March 17, 2017
Tanto bombo, tanta buena opinión y yo no conseguí encontrarle el interés suficiente
November 28, 2016
Un libro interamente dedicato alla legna diventato un bestseller nei paesi scandinavi. Suona leggermente assurdo? Eh, appunto. La curiosità era troppa, dovevo capire cosa si celasse dietro e che messaggio segreto mi avrebbero rivelato questi antichi alberi norvegesi.
Quello che ho scoperto è che anche gli alberi parlano norvegese e la comunicazione è risultata disturbata.
La prima parte è sicuramente molto apprezzabile, se non altro perché non va mai eccessivamente nel dettaglio, affrontando l'argomento 'ambientalisti e bioenergie' e offrendo ai neofiti un considerevole numero di curiosità. Molto interessante per scoprire cos'è cambiato e cosa è rimasto fondamentalmente invariato nel rapporto dei norvegesi con la legna.
Dal terzo capitolo in poi, Mytting parte per la tangente e ci reputa ormai pronti ad abbracciare tutti i tecnicismi del mestiere ed evidentemente comprende il nostro bisogno inconscio di conoscere tutti i tipi di ascia e motosega, i vari metodi per asciugare la legna e accatastarla al sicuro, quale ciclo lunare rispettare per ottenere la legna migliore e quale stufa acquistare.
C'è il signor Granli che accatasta la legna in maniera da formare una scultura a forma di pesce, gente che sta lì ad osservare i modi in cui bruciano i diversi ciocchi di legno, gente con la passione per gli alberi che sfiora la dendrofilia e non mancano le citazioni che rasentano la schizofrenia di Henry David Thoreau, il quale afferma come si possa sempre vedere un volto tra le fiamme. Andiamo bene.
All'appello è anche presente Anne-Berit Tuft, una simpaticissima impiegata serial killer mancata, che racconta di come una volta, preda di un forte stress per un problema all'interno della propria azienda, fosse scappata nel proprio cottage in campagna e avesse cominciato a tagliare legna sfogando la propria frustrazione. Senza nulla togliere agli indubbi poteri catartici dell'accetta, non è difficile immaginare quali volti vedesse lei sul ceppo e più tardi tra le fiamme.
Il mio preferito è il capitolo sulle stufe pazze, come quella che sembra un confessionale vaticano o quella dal chiaro gusto post-nazista modello Auschwitz 2000.
Un libro curioso ed originale di cui però non mi spiego il successo. Avrei preferito un libro più delicato che trattasse l'argomento in termini più filosofici o anche solo un capitolo sulla legna nella letteratura, mentre questo sembra a tutti gli effetti un manuale per allegri boscaioli. Credo manchi il capitolo in cui rivelano come, dopo averla tagliata, la legna se la siano anche fumata.
Quello che ho scoperto è che anche gli alberi parlano norvegese e la comunicazione è risultata disturbata.
La prima parte è sicuramente molto apprezzabile, se non altro perché non va mai eccessivamente nel dettaglio, affrontando l'argomento 'ambientalisti e bioenergie' e offrendo ai neofiti un considerevole numero di curiosità. Molto interessante per scoprire cos'è cambiato e cosa è rimasto fondamentalmente invariato nel rapporto dei norvegesi con la legna.
Dal terzo capitolo in poi, Mytting parte per la tangente e ci reputa ormai pronti ad abbracciare tutti i tecnicismi del mestiere ed evidentemente comprende il nostro bisogno inconscio di conoscere tutti i tipi di ascia e motosega, i vari metodi per asciugare la legna e accatastarla al sicuro, quale ciclo lunare rispettare per ottenere la legna migliore e quale stufa acquistare.
C'è il signor Granli che accatasta la legna in maniera da formare una scultura a forma di pesce, gente che sta lì ad osservare i modi in cui bruciano i diversi ciocchi di legno, gente con la passione per gli alberi che sfiora la dendrofilia e non mancano le citazioni che rasentano la schizofrenia di Henry David Thoreau, il quale afferma come si possa sempre vedere un volto tra le fiamme. Andiamo bene.
All'appello è anche presente Anne-Berit Tuft, una simpaticissima impiegata serial killer mancata, che racconta di come una volta, preda di un forte stress per un problema all'interno della propria azienda, fosse scappata nel proprio cottage in campagna e avesse cominciato a tagliare legna sfogando la propria frustrazione. Senza nulla togliere agli indubbi poteri catartici dell'accetta, non è difficile immaginare quali volti vedesse lei sul ceppo e più tardi tra le fiamme.
Il mio preferito è il capitolo sulle stufe pazze, come quella che sembra un confessionale vaticano o quella dal chiaro gusto post-nazista modello Auschwitz 2000.
Un libro curioso ed originale di cui però non mi spiego il successo. Avrei preferito un libro più delicato che trattasse l'argomento in termini più filosofici o anche solo un capitolo sulla legna nella letteratura, mentre questo sembra a tutti gli effetti un manuale per allegri boscaioli. Credo manchi il capitolo in cui rivelano come, dopo averla tagliata, la legna se la siano anche fumata.
January 14, 2016
Diverse alberne Stellen, die davon handeln, dass die ganze Sache außerordentlich männlich ist und übrigens nur was für Männer. Hier zum Beispiel über Motorsägen: "So this is not something to be bought at the garden center on a Saturday morning, with your children's fingers sticky from ice cream, your wife impatient to get on with the rest of her day, and the parking meter about to expire. Like a man's choice of hunting rifle, car, and sound system, the selection of a chain saw is something to linger over." Darüber sollte man großzügig hinweglesen, denn die Teile, die nicht von Männern handeln, sondern von Holz, sind ganz gut. Außerdem zahlreiche Fotos ordentlicher Holzstapel.
August 4, 2016
This was one of those rare books that made me want to make a drastic change in my life situation. Namely, I wanted to move to the wilderness, grow a beard, and live with the trees.
October 1, 2017
Mi ha sorpreso il grande successo che ha avuto questo libro. Io l'ho apprezzato, beninteso, come dimostrano le 4 stelle meritatissime e il fatto che l'ho "bruciato" via (!) in meno due giorni. Però, a parte forse le prime 30-40 pagine dove si parla del popolo della legna e delle foreste, è un libro di nicchia, per appassionati, per coloro che la legna l'hanno fatta o almeno accatastata e che la usano in un caminetto, in una cucina economica o, meglio, in una più ecologica stufa a legna moderna. Vero è che questo libro che ha molto da insegnare, perché ci spiega che la legna non è solo merce, ma anche cultura e filosofia di vita e quindi potrebbe avere un pubblico ampio. Ma ci sono pagine e pagine di dettagli tecnici e consigli su argomenti settoriali quali, ad esempio, motoseghe e accette, come si impugna un'ascia, i metodi di accatastamento e di essiccamento, il potere calorifico dei vari tipi di legna, i tipi di stufa ecc..
Ho imparato tante cose leggendolo seduto sulla mia poang con... i piedi vicino alla stufa dato che l'autunno è iniziato da poco ma qui in collina "un colpetto" all'imbrunire già ci vuole. Una vera stufa a legna, un'amica con una bella vista sul fuoco, e non una di quelle moderne diavolerie a pellet, che hanno i loro vantaggi, per carità, ma - poverine - sono solo una fonte di calore. Leggete questo libro e capirete.
La legnaia non ti pianta in asso. Non è un’azione di borsa che perde valore, non è un attrezzo che arrugginisce, non è una moglie che chiede il divorzio. Se ne sta lì e basta, in attesa dell’inverno. È un conto deposito che contiene il lavoro che ci hai versato tu. Nelle mattine ghiacciate di gennaio, ti riporterà alla memoria le giornate di primavera in cui hai segato, spaccato e accatastato la tua polizza d’assicurazione contro il gelo. C’è quel nodo tenace che non voleva cedere all’accetta. E dov’è quel pezzo piatto che hai messo sbilenco facendo crollare tutta la catasta? Ah, eccolo là. Be’, adesso è inverno e finirà nella stufa.
Ho imparato tante cose leggendolo seduto sulla mia poang con... i piedi vicino alla stufa dato che l'autunno è iniziato da poco ma qui in collina "un colpetto" all'imbrunire già ci vuole. Una vera stufa a legna, un'amica con una bella vista sul fuoco, e non una di quelle moderne diavolerie a pellet, che hanno i loro vantaggi, per carità, ma - poverine - sono solo una fonte di calore. Leggete questo libro e capirete.
La legnaia non ti pianta in asso. Non è un’azione di borsa che perde valore, non è un attrezzo che arrugginisce, non è una moglie che chiede il divorzio. Se ne sta lì e basta, in attesa dell’inverno. È un conto deposito che contiene il lavoro che ci hai versato tu. Nelle mattine ghiacciate di gennaio, ti riporterà alla memoria le giornate di primavera in cui hai segato, spaccato e accatastato la tua polizza d’assicurazione contro il gelo. C’è quel nodo tenace che non voleva cedere all’accetta. E dov’è quel pezzo piatto che hai messo sbilenco facendo crollare tutta la catasta? Ah, eccolo là. Be’, adesso è inverno e finirà nella stufa.
January 3, 2021
El trabajo físico relacionado con la naturaleza produce un extraño efecto balsámico a quien lo practica: le reorienta hacia la concreción de las cosas y le conecta con usos antiguos remozados con los nuevos conocimientos. Esta obra es un compendio de conocimiento técnico respecto a la madera vinculado a la obtención de energía calorífica. Aunque también de conocimiento intangible y existencial. Hay perlas que recorren todo el libro que te hacen reflexionar y comprender tu entorno. Y tambien te provee de irrefenables deseos de irte a vivir a un bosque noruego, tener tu propia estufa eficiente y construir una cabaña de secado para la leña.
Read
May 25, 2016As someone who grew up in a house with a wood-burning cook stove and now lives in a house with two wood-burning fireplace inserts/stoves, I thoroughly enjoyed skimming my way through Norwegian Wood. I loved the accounts of Norwegian towns with allegiance to specific chainsaw brands, debate on how to stack wood (we seem to use a hybrid method), data on the heating power of various woods, advice on how to get a good fire going, and praise for wood-generated heat. All told with plenty of dry northern humor.
May 26, 2016
As I turned the final page, a single tear rolled down my cheek. Also, I learned that there is no such thing as a log being "too dry" to burn. Oh yes, all of the lies were revealed. I will say no more!
November 27, 2023
Even voor de juistheid ... ik heb niet het kleur- en doeboek gelezen, maar het gewone boek. Jammer genoeg vond ik hier geen "versie" van op Goodreads.
Dit boek is er voor iedereen (M/V/X) die een echte man wil worden, want een echte man houdt van vuur.
Bijzonder hoe Lars Mytting toch wel "saaie" onderwerpen als bomen kappen, hout splijten, hout drogen, hout stapelen, hout verbranden, houtkachels, ... kan omtoveren tot boeiende thema's.
Ik heb noch hout, noch een houtkachel, maar heb mij heel erg kunnen warmen aan dit boeiende boek.
Dit boek is er voor iedereen (M/V/X) die een echte man wil worden, want een echte man houdt van vuur.
Bijzonder hoe Lars Mytting toch wel "saaie" onderwerpen als bomen kappen, hout splijten, hout drogen, hout stapelen, hout verbranden, houtkachels, ... kan omtoveren tot boeiende thema's.
Ik heb noch hout, noch een houtkachel, maar heb mij heel erg kunnen warmen aan dit boeiende boek.
November 27, 2015
Henry David Thoreau once said "Every man looks at his wood-pile with a kind of affection. I love to have mine before the window, and the more chips (around the chopping block) the better to remind me of my pleasing work." Thoreau has many quotes of course of the woods - one only needs to look upon pictures of Walden Pond and understand the reasoning behind the opening statement of “…I went into the woods…” and likely his more famous reflection by most people more familiar than I with his works.
I look upon my own woodpile as a source of peace – my way of joining with the earth a natural reflective time of ages gone by and in understanding that my own ancestors chopped wood and used fires for cooking and heating and chatting in a more efficient way and more often than I do currently. Today, the only “cooking” I do on an opened fire would likely be with homemade sausages or the heating of Saki to a tolerable degree for drinking. Mostly, fires are nature’s television – a way to discuss history, battles, wars, Generals etc with good friends, tobacco, and libations – when sitting alone with the fire a calm like no other enters – the demons depart and one has the chance for a short while to look into a mirror that provides a spiritual reflection.
This book is a masterpiece; a sort of reference book for persons who find fire wood a way of life and for those whose opportunity presents itself occasionally. I would like nothing better than to have a home where I would have to heat it by firewood and firewood only. Though I am completed with the book it certainly will not be collecting dust – Lars Mytting wrote a living book that not only provides for various methods of working the firewood but also told a much larger story of people and self-sufficiency; something that has been largely lost in current society because of all the electronic and digital noise.
Slowly I will now follow sections of this book with a soon to be overtime collection of axes that will be used accordingly. I also received a Scandinavian method of various chain saws; though, I think in this category one will do. Chopping wood and having to pull out the die-cast iron splitting wedge and 10” hand held sledge hammer creates an exhilarating feeling of accomplishment when a tough block of wood won’t split – seeing and feeling it split just gives the excitement of “I won’t be beat” sort of thing.
If you enjoy the art of all things related to nature, firewood, history of the same – then you will understand this book will bring you to a very direct relationship with the weather – you are your own thermostat.
I look upon my own woodpile as a source of peace – my way of joining with the earth a natural reflective time of ages gone by and in understanding that my own ancestors chopped wood and used fires for cooking and heating and chatting in a more efficient way and more often than I do currently. Today, the only “cooking” I do on an opened fire would likely be with homemade sausages or the heating of Saki to a tolerable degree for drinking. Mostly, fires are nature’s television – a way to discuss history, battles, wars, Generals etc with good friends, tobacco, and libations – when sitting alone with the fire a calm like no other enters – the demons depart and one has the chance for a short while to look into a mirror that provides a spiritual reflection.
This book is a masterpiece; a sort of reference book for persons who find fire wood a way of life and for those whose opportunity presents itself occasionally. I would like nothing better than to have a home where I would have to heat it by firewood and firewood only. Though I am completed with the book it certainly will not be collecting dust – Lars Mytting wrote a living book that not only provides for various methods of working the firewood but also told a much larger story of people and self-sufficiency; something that has been largely lost in current society because of all the electronic and digital noise.
Slowly I will now follow sections of this book with a soon to be overtime collection of axes that will be used accordingly. I also received a Scandinavian method of various chain saws; though, I think in this category one will do. Chopping wood and having to pull out the die-cast iron splitting wedge and 10” hand held sledge hammer creates an exhilarating feeling of accomplishment when a tough block of wood won’t split – seeing and feeling it split just gives the excitement of “I won’t be beat” sort of thing.
If you enjoy the art of all things related to nature, firewood, history of the same – then you will understand this book will bring you to a very direct relationship with the weather – you are your own thermostat.
September 20, 2017
A volte ci casco coi piedi, in queste operazioni di marketing riuscitissime.
Me li vedo in ufficio "Hey raga, ho qua un manuale sul taglio dei boschi in Norvegia con tanto di consigli sulle stufe in ghisa e sulla curva calorifica, ci sono anche le tabelle con la comparazione tra bracciata norvegese e bracciata americana. Una figata. Che dite lo lanciamo come il Thoreau dei millennials? ", risposta del commerciale "Ma va là, chi vuoi che ci caschi?! poi ci rimangano 'ste 2000 copie invendute", il marketing "scommettiamo un posto in tribuna al derby", il commerciale "ci sto". E' ancora lì che grigna, che deve cedere il posto al genio del marketing.
Però 2 stelle se le merita perché se mai dovrò spaccare legna, fare una catasta, accendere un fuoco, o comperare una stufa in pellet (cosa che mio marito mi va dicendo da tempo), adesso sono preparatissima!
Inoltre, non guarderò mai più una catasta di legna con gli stessi occhi, ma sarà pienamente consapevole del suo valore sociale, psicologico, artistico finanche morale. L'unica mia esperienza di legna&accastamento (pur avendo io abitato in una casa con stufa a legna e caminetto per 20 anni) risale alla 4 elementare, quando ci scaricarono non so quanti quintali di legna in cortile e stava per piovere e mio padre chiamò a raccolta tutti i vicini per dare una mano, e io avevo il morbillo e volevo uscire perché la segatrice meccanica era meravigliosa (entravano i ciocchi uscivano divisi in 4, perfetti) e me lo impedirono.
Me li vedo in ufficio "Hey raga, ho qua un manuale sul taglio dei boschi in Norvegia con tanto di consigli sulle stufe in ghisa e sulla curva calorifica, ci sono anche le tabelle con la comparazione tra bracciata norvegese e bracciata americana. Una figata. Che dite lo lanciamo come il Thoreau dei millennials? ", risposta del commerciale "Ma va là, chi vuoi che ci caschi?! poi ci rimangano 'ste 2000 copie invendute", il marketing "scommettiamo un posto in tribuna al derby", il commerciale "ci sto". E' ancora lì che grigna, che deve cedere il posto al genio del marketing.
Però 2 stelle se le merita perché se mai dovrò spaccare legna, fare una catasta, accendere un fuoco, o comperare una stufa in pellet (cosa che mio marito mi va dicendo da tempo), adesso sono preparatissima!
Inoltre, non guarderò mai più una catasta di legna con gli stessi occhi, ma sarà pienamente consapevole del suo valore sociale, psicologico, artistico finanche morale. L'unica mia esperienza di legna&accastamento (pur avendo io abitato in una casa con stufa a legna e caminetto per 20 anni) risale alla 4 elementare, quando ci scaricarono non so quanti quintali di legna in cortile e stava per piovere e mio padre chiamò a raccolta tutti i vicini per dare una mano, e io avevo il morbillo e volevo uscire perché la segatrice meccanica era meravigliosa (entravano i ciocchi uscivano divisi in 4, perfetti) e me lo impedirono.
January 17, 2017
Kupiłem tę książkę w chwili uniesienia po weekendzie spędzony w leśnym domu przyjaciół. W ramach obowiązków domowych zostałem obarczony obowiązkiem porąbania drewna.
Jezu!
Smaria!
Jakie to było fan-ta-sty-czne!
Dawno nic mi tak nie oczyściło umysłu i ducha jak te 3 godziny machania siekierą. A przyjaciel polecił mi wtedy tę książkę. Byłem ciekaw, czy w ojczyźnie drwali da się oddać te moje emocje i pisać o drewnie bez podręcznikowych dyrdymałów. No i okazuje się, że się jednak nie da. Oczywiście książka zawiera ciekawe informacje i drewnie, sprzęcie, składowaniu, paleniu, piecach i jest to podane w dość przystępnej formie oraz uzupełnione kilkoma ciekawymi historiami. Ale generalnie - w większości raczej nudnawe...
P.S. A wkrótce zamierzam skonfrontować ten punkt widzenia z tą pozycją:
Jezu!
Smaria!
Jakie to było fan-ta-sty-czne!
Dawno nic mi tak nie oczyściło umysłu i ducha jak te 3 godziny machania siekierą. A przyjaciel polecił mi wtedy tę książkę. Byłem ciekaw, czy w ojczyźnie drwali da się oddać te moje emocje i pisać o drewnie bez podręcznikowych dyrdymałów. No i okazuje się, że się jednak nie da. Oczywiście książka zawiera ciekawe informacje i drewnie, sprzęcie, składowaniu, paleniu, piecach i jest to podane w dość przystępnej formie oraz uzupełnione kilkoma ciekawymi historiami. Ale generalnie - w większości raczej nudnawe...
P.S. A wkrótce zamierzam skonfrontować ten punkt widzenia z tą pozycją:
August 7, 2016
Kind of a fun, different read. Covers a bit of lifestyle talk, history, forestry science, and the actual how-tos of using an ax, etc. I enjoyed it more towards the beginning when it talked about things in a broader sense than I did the latter half which felt more like a text book, but I was interested throughout. The book is really well put together and has plenty of gorgeous full color photos, some spanning an entire page or two. Kinda like a more readable coffee table book.
I'd recommend it if the idea of splitting logs excites you, or you enjoy looking at pictures of Scandinavian forests and large axes covered in a fine patina of rust and wood-chips.
I'd recommend it if the idea of splitting logs excites you, or you enjoy looking at pictures of Scandinavian forests and large axes covered in a fine patina of rust and wood-chips.
May 10, 2018
Nunca había escuchado hablar ni del libro ni del autor, pero un día vi el título que me llamo poderasamente la atencion y que me hizo una fuerte impresion. Pedí el libro que cuando lo tuve en mis manos, con su precioso encuadernado de tela, sus páginas gruesas y con sus coloridas fotografias, nu pude aguantar las ganas de leerlo de inmidiato. Yo soy de un pais del Caribe, la madera no es materia que me interese bastante ni con lo que tenga especial coneccion, pero cuanto disfrute la lectura de este libro!!!!
February 19, 2018
A very interesting book if you're interested in the process of burning wood responsibly, from chopping the tree until burning it in your stove. It focusses on how it's done in Scandinavia, but most of the information is also usable for, let's say, someone in the Netherlands.
May 19, 2019
Deeply enjoyable book about firewood and the practical work of making it. Lots of pretty pictures of firewood and stacks of firewood. Soothing.
We had to have a tree taken down last week and the knowledge that I have a bunch of wood to split and stack in the backyard is very comforting to me.
We had to have a tree taken down last week and the knowledge that I have a bunch of wood to split and stack in the backyard is very comforting to me.
July 5, 2019
Second book I have finished that was written by a Norwegian in the past week. I started both over a year ago, put them down, picked them back up and finished them up quickly.
The first 2 chapters of this book were great, and so was the last. The middle was less interesting for someone who hasn’t done much by way of chopping wood (yet). If nothing else, this book made me want to start my own fires once I have my own house deep in the woods. I recommend reading if you are interested in nature, trees, living off the land, or Norway. If none of those things sounds interesting, avoid this book!
4.5/5 bc I didn’t know enough to appreciate it as much as I could have.
The first 2 chapters of this book were great, and so was the last. The middle was less interesting for someone who hasn’t done much by way of chopping wood (yet). If nothing else, this book made me want to start my own fires once I have my own house deep in the woods. I recommend reading if you are interested in nature, trees, living off the land, or Norway. If none of those things sounds interesting, avoid this book!
4.5/5 bc I didn’t know enough to appreciate it as much as I could have.
October 6, 2025
Leseglede igjen wohoo!
Tankene gled ofte over til Markens Grøde og hytte på fjellet.
Tankene gled ofte over til Markens Grøde og hytte på fjellet.
February 13, 2025
Denne var skikkelig fin! Har begrenset kunnskap om både ved, kløyving og fyring, men tenkte jeg må lære meg det nå som jeg har peis i leiligheten. Varmt og fint skrevet om både praktiske forhold, tradisjon og folk❤️ Teater versjonen så jeg i går. Den var like fin.
April 9, 2024
Koselig og fin påskelesing på hytta 🐣
November 6, 2018
Kādu dienu ar savu kolēģi runāju par grāmatām, lēnā garā nonācām pie šīs. Ideja palasīt par kokiem no norvēģu skatījuma mani ieinteresēja. Kolēģis atnesa grāmatu, pabeidzu lasīt to, ko jau biju iesācis, un devos iekšā mežā.
Šis ir parasts stāsts par malku, kas iekarojis pasauli, vismaz tā uz vāciņa raksta reklāmas speciālisti. Grāmatas autors apceļojis Norvēģiju, lai apciemotu tos, kas cērt, skalda un kurina. Katrā novadā ir savas tradīcijas. Kā jau katram darbam, tas nav tikai fizisks spēka pielietojums, tam ir vesela filosofija, kas tiek nodota no paaudzes paaudzēm.
Gandrīz katrs no mums bērnībā ir pāris ziemas gājis mežā un piedalījies malkas sagādāšanā. Es gan nekad augstāk par žagaru dedzinātāju un čokera aplicēju neesmu uzkalpojies. Mājiniekiem pietika prāta man nedot rokās motorzāģi. Lasot šo grāmatu biju šokēts, cik daudz es patiesībā zinu par malkas sagatavošanu. Protams, tā var likties lielība, taču lielākoties viss, kas notiek Norvēģijā, notiek arī Latvijā. Kokus lielākoties cērtam ziemā, līdz pavasarim saskalda un tad liekam žāvēties. Viss pārējais ir tikai detaļas.
Šo grāmatu nevarētu saukt par mežcirtēju rokasgrāmatu, šī sadaļa aizņem aptuvenu trešdaļu. Autors mīl ieslīgt poētiskās un kulturālās detaļās. Stāsta par piejūras malkas žāvēšanas īpašībām, par labākiem malkas krāvumiem, par liesmām aiz plīts durtiņām un Ziemassvētku meža talkām. Un tad pēkšņi divdesmit dažādu cirvju apraksti vai pārdesmit malkas skaldīšanas metodes, vai motorzāģu salīdzinošā analīze, tā gan vairāk no vēsturiskā aspekta.
Jāpiezīmē, ka sadaļa par modernajām malkas plītīm bija interesanta, bet ne tik interesanta kā izklāsts, kādēļ reizēm malku nevar izžāvēt –turi vai gadiem un nekas nemainās, plītī čūkst. Izrādās, ka tādas pagales no sākuma nav ātri izžuvušas un tajās paspējusi ieviesties sēne, kas uztur pagalē savu mikroklimatu. Pie tam sausai pagalei var izpūst cauri (nezinu, būs kādreiz jāpamēģina). Malkas pirkšana ar ir vesela zinātne – vismaz Norvēģijā. Autors iesaka no pārdevēja paņemt paraugu un, ja neuzticies mitruma mērītājiem, izkaltēt pāris pagales plītī, lai noskaidrotu patieso malkas mitrumu (bija gan piebilde, ka tas jādara sievas prombūtnes laikā).
Vislielāko interesi man izraisīja autora ieteikums uz malkas skaldīšanas kluča uzlikt vecu auto riepu, tas ļaus katru reizi neliekties pēc malkas pagales, bet vēsā mierā turpināt skaldīšanu.
Vienīgās muļķības, kas mani pārsteidz,a bija autora uzskats, ka no malkas nākošais siltums ir fizikāli atšķirīgs no elektriskā radiatora. Nezinu, cik tas bija domāts nopietni, cik alegoriski, bet radās priekšstats, ka autors īsti neizprot termodinamiku.
Grāmatai lieku 8 no 10 ballēm, gluži praktiskas lietas mijas ar apcerēm un galīgām muļķībām, taču, ja iesāk lasīt, nolikt malā ir grūti. Ja interesē malkas sagāde ne tikai 100 padomu veidā, bet ar nelielām atkāpēm, iesaku izlasīt.
Šis ir parasts stāsts par malku, kas iekarojis pasauli, vismaz tā uz vāciņa raksta reklāmas speciālisti. Grāmatas autors apceļojis Norvēģiju, lai apciemotu tos, kas cērt, skalda un kurina. Katrā novadā ir savas tradīcijas. Kā jau katram darbam, tas nav tikai fizisks spēka pielietojums, tam ir vesela filosofija, kas tiek nodota no paaudzes paaudzēm.
Gandrīz katrs no mums bērnībā ir pāris ziemas gājis mežā un piedalījies malkas sagādāšanā. Es gan nekad augstāk par žagaru dedzinātāju un čokera aplicēju neesmu uzkalpojies. Mājiniekiem pietika prāta man nedot rokās motorzāģi. Lasot šo grāmatu biju šokēts, cik daudz es patiesībā zinu par malkas sagatavošanu. Protams, tā var likties lielība, taču lielākoties viss, kas notiek Norvēģijā, notiek arī Latvijā. Kokus lielākoties cērtam ziemā, līdz pavasarim saskalda un tad liekam žāvēties. Viss pārējais ir tikai detaļas.
Šo grāmatu nevarētu saukt par mežcirtēju rokasgrāmatu, šī sadaļa aizņem aptuvenu trešdaļu. Autors mīl ieslīgt poētiskās un kulturālās detaļās. Stāsta par piejūras malkas žāvēšanas īpašībām, par labākiem malkas krāvumiem, par liesmām aiz plīts durtiņām un Ziemassvētku meža talkām. Un tad pēkšņi divdesmit dažādu cirvju apraksti vai pārdesmit malkas skaldīšanas metodes, vai motorzāģu salīdzinošā analīze, tā gan vairāk no vēsturiskā aspekta.
Jāpiezīmē, ka sadaļa par modernajām malkas plītīm bija interesanta, bet ne tik interesanta kā izklāsts, kādēļ reizēm malku nevar izžāvēt –turi vai gadiem un nekas nemainās, plītī čūkst. Izrādās, ka tādas pagales no sākuma nav ātri izžuvušas un tajās paspējusi ieviesties sēne, kas uztur pagalē savu mikroklimatu. Pie tam sausai pagalei var izpūst cauri (nezinu, būs kādreiz jāpamēģina). Malkas pirkšana ar ir vesela zinātne – vismaz Norvēģijā. Autors iesaka no pārdevēja paņemt paraugu un, ja neuzticies mitruma mērītājiem, izkaltēt pāris pagales plītī, lai noskaidrotu patieso malkas mitrumu (bija gan piebilde, ka tas jādara sievas prombūtnes laikā).
Vislielāko interesi man izraisīja autora ieteikums uz malkas skaldīšanas kluča uzlikt vecu auto riepu, tas ļaus katru reizi neliekties pēc malkas pagales, bet vēsā mierā turpināt skaldīšanu.
Vienīgās muļķības, kas mani pārsteidz,a bija autora uzskats, ka no malkas nākošais siltums ir fizikāli atšķirīgs no elektriskā radiatora. Nezinu, cik tas bija domāts nopietni, cik alegoriski, bet radās priekšstats, ka autors īsti neizprot termodinamiku.
Grāmatai lieku 8 no 10 ballēm, gluži praktiskas lietas mijas ar apcerēm un galīgām muļķībām, taču, ja iesāk lasīt, nolikt malā ir grūti. Ja interesē malkas sagāde ne tikai 100 padomu veidā, bet ar nelielām atkāpēm, iesaku izlasīt.
December 27, 2015
How to describe this? It is part natural history of Scandinavian forestry, part instruction manual, and part love letter to a rather mundane, but nevertheless complicated activity that is both a necessity and a pastime.
In times past, forestry was vital to the survival of peoples in the North. To that end, it's been studied endlessly. The proper management of forests has been a subject of inquiry for centuries. The proper techniques for felling, cutting, drying, and splitting firewood were an art as well as a basic skill required for surviving long, dark Nordic winters. Even today, in remote regions, many houses are require to have a stove which can heat the house in the event electricity fails. Here in New England, the occasional ice storm that leaves us without power for days on end is instructive as to how fragile our connection to modernity can be.
Mytting takes us through the process that brings us from the living tree to firewood, and along the way discusses green energy and sustainability. It's odd describe a book about firewood as compelling, but I find that it is. Perhaps this is because even I feel the urge to turn out to the woodplot every year and with my ax, saw, and chainsaw in hand, prepare for next winter.
In times past, forestry was vital to the survival of peoples in the North. To that end, it's been studied endlessly. The proper management of forests has been a subject of inquiry for centuries. The proper techniques for felling, cutting, drying, and splitting firewood were an art as well as a basic skill required for surviving long, dark Nordic winters. Even today, in remote regions, many houses are require to have a stove which can heat the house in the event electricity fails. Here in New England, the occasional ice storm that leaves us without power for days on end is instructive as to how fragile our connection to modernity can be.
Mytting takes us through the process that brings us from the living tree to firewood, and along the way discusses green energy and sustainability. It's odd describe a book about firewood as compelling, but I find that it is. Perhaps this is because even I feel the urge to turn out to the woodplot every year and with my ax, saw, and chainsaw in hand, prepare for next winter.
February 3, 2017
Es exactamente lo que sugiere el título, un noruego hablando de madera, de bosques, de árboles, de motosierras, de hachas, de máquinas astilladoras, de métodos de apilado, de métodos de apilado, de estufas, de las maneras de encender un fuego perfecto. .
Lars Mytting me ha recordado un poco, salvando las distancias, a Bill Bryson. Contra todo pronóstico consigue hacer de un tema, a primera vista, completamente insulso, una lectura amena, entretenida, interesante y con la que se aprende un montón de cosas. Algunas útiles si tienes chimenea y otras completamente absurdas pero resultonas. Por ejemplo he aprendido que el árbol más antiguo del mundo es un abeto de nueve mil quinientos cincuenta años. En realidad sólo la raíz tiene esa edad, el árbol tiene seis siglos y está en Suecia. También he aprendido que la leña de abeto se llama "leña de cocina" y la de abedul "leña de salón".
Lars Mytting me ha recordado un poco, salvando las distancias, a Bill Bryson. Contra todo pronóstico consigue hacer de un tema, a primera vista, completamente insulso, una lectura amena, entretenida, interesante y con la que se aprende un montón de cosas. Algunas útiles si tienes chimenea y otras completamente absurdas pero resultonas. Por ejemplo he aprendido que el árbol más antiguo del mundo es un abeto de nueve mil quinientos cincuenta años. En realidad sólo la raíz tiene esa edad, el árbol tiene seis siglos y está en Suecia. También he aprendido que la leña de abeto se llama "leña de cocina" y la de abedul "leña de salón".
November 19, 2016
What a delightful surprise! This is a very entertaining and educational book about a subject that I never realized could be so interesting. Surely, sitting cozily in front of a burning fire is something that I very much hold dear, so learning and thinking more deeply about that beautiful end result is a worthy expense of time. Matthew Lloyd Davies did a wonderful job narrating and author Lars Mytting should be commended for his marvellous and yes, touching, study of how and why we prepare for fire. Bravo!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 389 reviews