First published in 1937 Walter Rose gives a first hand account of the final days of the rural carpenter craftsman before the First World War. In Chapters on timber, the carpenter’s workshop, work on farms, water mills and windmills Rose evokes a tradition and respect for the skills of rural carpenters. Perhaps most striking are his descriptions of building and repairing village water pumps from elm, including the use of a 15 foot auger! You can almost hear the whoosh of a sharpened plane, see the wood shaving fall to the floor and smell the resinous wood. A must for all lovers of true craftsmanship.

At  a show recently, I heard of a first edition of this book selling for £300