American Axe - by Brett McLeod (Hardcover)

About the Book

Woodsman and forester Brett McLeod pays tribute to the axe with stunning photography and illuminating text that traces this historic hand tool's evolution in form and function through North American culture and history.

Book Synopsis

From hand-forged axes of the Viking conquests to the American homesteader's felling axe, this is a tool that has shaped human history like few others. American Axe pays tribute to this iconic instrument of settlement and industry, with rich history, stunning photography, and profiles of the most collectible vintage axes such as The Woodslasher, Keen Cutter, and True Temper Perfect. Combining his experiences as a forester, axe collector, and former competitive lumberjack, author Brett McLeod conveys the allure of this deceptively simple woodcutting implement and celebrates the resurging interest in its story and use.

From the Back Cover

The Hand Tool on the Cutting Edge of History

In the hands of lumberjacks, homesteaders, farmers, and foresters, the axe forged a path to a new way of life in North America. This simple tool - "a wedge with an edge" - cleared forest for farmland, delivered raw materials for housing and heat, and fueled the fires of industry. Explore the axe's fascinating evolution from colonial innovation to today's collectors' obsession, from a hand-forged workhorse to a sleek modern specimen, from a weapon in wartime to a recreational pastime.

Review Quotes

"Part ode, part how-to guide, American Axe is a fascinating look at the essential tool." - Popular Mechanics

"Entertaining, endlessly fascinating, and a work of genuine scholarship. I've read a lumberyard-full of books related to the outdoors, but can think of only a scant handful that measure up to this one." -- David E. Petzal, field editor, Field Stream

"Even if you already live with an axe in your hands, Brett's deep appreciation of our essential companion will bring you closer to it." -- Roy Underhill, host of PBS's The Woodwright's Shop

"An instant classic destined to be passed on to future generations, just like Grandpa's axe." - Craig Roost, Council Tool Co. manager and designer and Axe Junkies group administrator