Rope : how a bundle of twisted fibers became the backbone of civilization / Tim Queeney.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Queeney, Tim, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Rope--History.

Rope.

Cordage--History.

Cordage.

Genre:

Creative nonfiction.

Informational works.

Physical Description:

viii, 323 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 22 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Other Title:

How a bundle of twisted fibers became the backbone of civilization

Place of Publication:

New York : St. Martin's Press, 2025.

Summary:

"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 readers 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 15th-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 re-invention of rope with synthetic fibers will likely provide the strength for cables to support elevators into space. Making the story of rope real for readers, 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"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Dad's Knots

We All Pull Together

Stitching Boats, Raising Pyramids

Cordage Gets to Work

A Line to the Divine

Getting the Message

Controlling the Age of Sail

Cashing In

Food from Beneath the Waves

Crime and Punishment

Woven Metal

From Petroleum to Rope

Rope Tricks

Roped to Adventure

Tied up in Science

Future Yarns.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781250346452

1250346452

OCLC:

1452443022