Live Oaking: Southern Timber for Tall Ships
 Virginia Steele Wood
 From the Publisher:
The USS Constitution and a host of other great American wooden ships were built from the live oak tree, a hardwood species (Quercus virginiana) unique to the southeastern coast of the United States and prized for its tensile strength and resistance to rot, as well as its naturally curved limbs. The industry that developed from the harvest of these trees, known as live oaking, is the focus of this book, which treats the relatively obscure subject in such an enthralling way that general readers as well as scholars will enjoy it. The author offers a palatable combination of political, social, and economic history that identifies the very real contributions that live oaking made to the development of the United States as a maritime power. First published in 1981 to critical acclaim, Live Oaking provides a fascinating account of life in the timber camps - often populated by New Englanders - that became a symbol of American diligence and travail.
From The Critics:
BooknewsA delightful historical review of a rather obscure topic, "live oaking," the term used by craftsmen who harvested the oaks of the South in order to build the great tall ships like the USS Constitution. Wood (reference specialist in naval and maritime history, Library of Congress) applies political, social, and economic commentary to the chronicle of life in the rather grim timber camps and to the industry which decimated this natural resource. The volume is beautifully illustrated with line drawings, maps, and reproductions from newspapers accounts, and includes excerpts from letters written by the "live oakers" to their loved ones in the North. Originally published in 1981 under the same title by Northeastern University Press. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
Our Price: $36.95
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