Ingrained

The Making of a Craftsman

By: Callum Robinson

Narrated by: Callum Robinson

NATIONAL BESTSELLER

LONGLISTED FOR THE 2025 ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE IN NONFICTION

A captivating memoir that immerses readers in the life of a Scottish carpenter as he perfects his craft, builds a business, and reflects on what inheritance and shared responsibility really mean.

The eldest son of a master woodworker, Callum Robinson spent his childhood surrounded by wood and trees, absorbing the lessons of craftsmanship in his father’s workshop. In time he became his father’s apprentice, helping to create exquisite bespoke objects. But eventually the need to find his own path—to chase ever bigger and more commercial projects and establish a workshop of his own—drew him away. Faced with the end of his business, his team, and everything he had worked so hard to build, he was forced to question what mattered most.

In beautifully wrought prose, Callum tells the story of returning to the workshop and to the wood, to handcrafting furniture for people who will love it and then pass it on to the next generation—an antidote to a culture where everything seems so easily disposable. As he does so, he brings us closer to nature and the physical act of creation—and we begin to understand how he has been shaped, as both a craftsman and a son.

Blending memoir about work and nature writing at its finest, Ingrained is an uplifting meditation on the challenges of working with your hands in our modern age, on community, consumerism, and the beauty of the natural world—one that asks us to see our local trees, and our own wooden objects, in a new and revelatory light.

Callum Robinson’s return to the wood is an unforgettable exploration of:

• A Father and Son Story
• The Art of Woodworking
• Scottish Nature Writing
• An Antidote to Throwaway Culture

Very relatable memoir

Well written and very well told. Anyone making things with their hands will enjoy this

His love of the wood is powerful.

His words, his voice transported me into his world of wood. All my senses responded. I could smell, hear, feel and visual it. I'm not a woodworker but I'm drawn to trees to their beauty and resilience.

A Family Journey With love and Wood

This is a lovely story, which I relate to strongly. I wish the author, and his family, all of the success in the world.
He is a woodworker, a philosopher and an interesting person.
You will enjoy this
J

Ingrained, the perfect title

This book was a surprise, referred to me by my husband. I was captivated, first by Callum’s voice, then by the sheer weight of his story. His patient father. The mess and the lostness. The emerging beauty. The appreciation of all that is ingrained in trees and people and communities. A very rich read.

Excellent book

As a hobby jack of all trades that gets way too much thrill out of using woodworking tools, this book was fantastic. The Scottish accent was a perfect match for the book as well. Felt like I was in the workshop or working with my father again.