Rope

How a Bundle of Twisted Fibers Became the Backbone of Civilization

By: Tim Queeney

Narrated by: Timothy Andrés Pabon

A unique and compelling adventure through the history of rope and its impact on civilization, in the vein of single-subject bestsellers like Salt and Cod.

Tim Queeney is a sailor who knows more about rope and its importance to humankind than most. In Rope, Queeney takes listeners on a ride through the history of rope and the way it weaves itself through the story of civilization. From Magellan's world-circling ships, to the fifteenth-century fleet of Admiral Zheng He, to Polynesian multihulls with crab claw sails, he shows how without rope, none of their adventurous voyages and discoveries would have been possible. Time traveling, he describes the building of the pyramids, the Roman Coliseum, Hagia Sofia, Notre Dame, the Sultan Hasan Mosque, the Brooklyn Bridge, and countless other constructions that would not have been possible without rope.

Not content to just look at rope's past, Queeney looks at its present and possible future and how the reinvention of rope with synthetic fibers will likely provide the strength for cables to support elevators into space. Making the story of rope real for listeners, Queeney tells remarkable nautical stories of his own reliance on rope at sea. Rope is history, adventure, and the story of one of the world's most common tools that has made it possible for humans to advance throughout the centuries.

©2025 Tim Queeney (P)2025 Tantor Media

The incredible detail discussed.

Towards the last 1/8 or 2/16 of the book, the exceptional detail became a bit tedious. The origins and history chapters were fascinating.

Terrific story about the history and technical aspects of rope.

Rope is an excellent read of the historical uses of rope and has many fun and very interesting mini stories. It also goes into the technical details of making rope which I really enjoyed. Look around the marina, hiking gear, or what whatever is connected and you’ll get it!

Stories involving Rope

I found it very interesting how he had all these stories involving rope. There was nothing really terribly boring about the book.

it's full of information I never considered.

the author gave much insight to how old rope is and how useful it has been to mankind at nearly every stage of development in history.