The Ashley Book of Knots Review

Over 3800 knots in the most comprehensive book on knot tying, with clear illustrations describing each knot.
If there is one book on knots you need to have, it's The Ashley Book of Knots by Clifford W. Ashley. Written as early as 1944 but still as useful as back then.

I'm a big fan of knot tying, I can sit for hours learning new knots for different uses. There are a lot of good books out there. But they are all out-shined by the Ashley Book of Knots. It has an amazing 3854 knots, everything from how you tie a kite to advanced decorational knots all with simple and easy-to-understand drawings, sorted in categories to make it easy to find the knot you need. But what really puts this book in a whole different league is the fact that the history and use for almost every knot is briefly explained.

Very simple and clear drawings make the knots easy to understand.

Ashley also teaches us the names of different types of knots and their parts. Like the difference between a hitch and a bend (To use his own words: "A hitch makes a rope fast to another object" while "a bend unites two rope ends"). Another example is the difference between a bight and a curve. Bight being "This corresponds to the topographical meaning of the word, the bight being an indentation in the coast, so wide that it may be sailed out of, on one tack, in any wind." and a curve "A curve in a rope, is narrower than a bight but with open ends.")

He has done a huge job in clarifying the difference of the knots which often gets mixed up. Like the slippery hitch and the slipped half hitch, the half hitch and the single hitch and so on. If you want to clear out all knot-confusion this is the book for you.

Another thing which amazes me is how personal he managed to make this book. He's not only telling the history of knots, but also his own discovery of knot-tying. How his master taught him knots when he was little and how he gradually got better and better and eventually surpassed his master. Someone should make a documentary about this man! Another personal examples he uses is how his 11 years old cousin could tie a seemingly very complicated knot by herself (#2217 in the book).

This book has been called "the definite book on knots", and it very well deserves that name.

I would love to hear what you think down in the comments.

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