"Who knew wood could be this fascinating?" -- Booklist "Engaging and exhaustively researched.a solid history of wood." -- Publishers Weekly "Thoroughly researched, thoughtful, and entertaining. just enough of the science of trees and wood, and of the technology of wood products and woodworking, to inform but not burden lay readers.Numerous stories add immeasurably to the book's appeal." -- School Library Journal "Engaging, informative.Spike's wide-eyed enthusiasm is catching, and his curiosity takes him way beyond the ordinary.[Splintered History] is for anyone interested in how this humble material, and the people who work with it, have made us who we are.

" -- Family Handyman magazine "Wonderfully strange and interesting.Mixing well-researched history, trivia and humorous anecdotes, A Splintered History of Wood meanders from chainsaw artists to belt-sander races, from Steinway pianos airdropped during WWII to the first know wooden tool: the toothpick." -- NPR Morning Edition.