Smith & Hawken: The Tool Book: A Compendium of Over 500 Tools for the Well-Tended Garden

By William Bryant Logan

Book Overview

The Garden Writers Association of America declared it best book of the year for 1998. And The New York Times wrote: "Logan, who is one of our best garden writers, has produced not only a real book but a scrupulously researched, handsomely designed, and highly enjoyable one to book." The Took Book celebrates garden tools in all their pleasure, practicality, variety, beauty, ingenuity, simplicity, and purity. Thirteen chapters and over 70 striking full-color photographic spreads-obsessive and obsessively informative-present hundreds of tools organized by task: 22 shovels, 21 spades, 12 trowels, 16 hoes, 11 weeders, 19 hand pruners, 10 pruning saws. In addition to garden tool necessities, here are knives, axes, hooks, watering cans, rakes, riddles, brooms, wheel barrows, shears, and scoops, and much more. There are tools to start the garden from seed in the spring, tools to keep it growing and healthy all summer, and tools clean up in the fall. And, finally, tools to care for the tools. In addition, the the book presents a detailed overview of the marriage of tool to type of work-how garden tools evolved, how to use each type of tool properly, and what to look for in a tool. It's the right tool for the right job. 37,000 copies in print.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0761121366
• ISBN13: 9780761121367
• Release Date: September 2000
• Publisher: Workman Publishing Company
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 2.19 lbs.
• Dimensions: 11.0" x 0.6" x 6.4"

Customer Reviews

Beautifully executed and informative

While I have owned this book for many years, I just recently had reason to use it as a resource and have found it much more than a pretty face. While the format and photographs are gorgeous, this book is an excellent reference for a variety of tools. I've found that there are many more ways to skin a cat (e.g. hoe the garden) than with my former favorite garden swoe. And learning the history of these tools has enriched my appreciation of gardeners as an independent and innovative lot. If you love gardening and tools, this is one you may want to add to your library!

Reference for Design

I purchased this book for a design class where we were making gardening tools to get a better knowledge of the products, and let me tell you it was worth it. This book goes very in depth with not only how the tool is used but how it should be made and the "rituals" surrounding each tool. Also, although I'm not a gardener myself, I could see this book being an invaluable reference or even as a great guide to those just starting out in the gardening world.

A good book for choosing garden tools

If you are a beginning gardener and don't know the difference between a shovel and a spade, or what to use them for, this book is immensely useful. It is certainly worth the price and the time it takes to browse through it to find and understand the exact tools you will need for your individual garden before you go out shopping. In addition to pages of full color pictures of each tool, it contains historic accounts regarding the tools and some nice quotes about gardening. After reading this book I felt like I understood garden tools, whereas prior to reading it, I just used tools in a haphazard way without understanding their purpose and how they could help me in the garden.

Truly wonderful

A piece of art, fits the coffee table and yet is packed with valuable information