The Man Who Made Things Out of Trees

By: Robert Penn

Narrated by: Robert Penn

enguin presents the unabridged, downloadable, audiobook edition of The Man Who Made Things Out Of Trees, written and read by Robert Penn.

Robert Penn cut down an ash tree to see how many things could be made from it. After all, ash is the tree we have made the greatest and most varied use of over the course of human history. Journeying from Wales across Europe and Ireland to the USA, Robert finds that the ancient skills and knowledge of the properties of ash, developed over millennia making wheels and arrows, furniture and baseball bats, are far from dead. The book chronicles how the urge to understand and appreciate trees still runs through us all like grain through wood.

Critic reviews

I was completely smitten . . . [A] delightful, page-turning love letter to an often-overlooked material (Grant Gibson)

Ash me anything

This book was such a wonderful experience and acquaintance. I have always loved good wood and craftsmanship and this book made me wanting to plant ash on my homestead and make things from it.

Terribly innacurate title, but...

well worth the read. Great performance by the writer himself. I learned a lot and enjoyed the offshoots into esoteric topics.

Excellent read. Loved this book.

Compelling story telling. Informative, entertaining, beautifully written and narrated. I'll be keeping this one to listen to a second time around in a year or two.

worth listening to if you're into trees

A good listen for Woodworkers and tree people and a nice homage to ash trees.