December 2007 – Institute of Backyard Studies

2007-12-12

The Lost Tools of Henry Hoke

The Lost Tools of Henry Hoke is the story of an unsung inventive genius whose work could have revolutionised the modern world. From an isolated workshop in a distant windswept town came a constant stream of dazzling leaps of mechanical imagination, culminating in the extraordinary Random Excuse Generator. The long weight, the wooden magnet, the glass hammer, dehydrated water pills – the man’s mind was truly a fountain of innovation. Unaccountably, all these brilliant tools have now all but disappeared. In this groundbreaking new book, deep shed researcher Mark Thomson uncovers the true story behind our greatest inventor – or why, as Henry Hoke himself was known to say: ‘There’s no tool like an old tool.’

Price: ($25.00 AUD)

2007-12-12

Rare Trades

Mark Thomson delves into the history of rare trades – and the lives of the tradesmen who preserve them – to uncover a wealth of special tools, unique traditions and secrets.The nature of work is changing. We no longer use our hands to make things. Human hands, capable of making objects of great utility and beauty, are now used to dial phones or press computer keys. We feel that loss keenly. On weekends, hardware stores fill with people satisfying a deep urge to do something practical and useful.

Rare Trades pays tribute to the kind of skilled manual work – requiring the artistry of a real master – that nowadays has become so rare. Featuring great photography and stories of tradesmen from the haystack maker to the wheelwright, the cooper, the tinsmith and many more, this book recognises the type of skills that are fast being lost from our society.

ISBN: 9780732269043; ISBN-10: 0732269040;

Price: (AUD)

2007-12-11

The Complete Blokes and Sheds

A collection of stories and anecdotes about Australian men and their sheds in this new, combined edition of the bestselling books Blokes & Sheds and Stories from the Shed.

An Aussie man’s pride can be measured by his shed – its size, what he stores in it, and what he can fix in it. Now, two bestselling books come together in one edition to explore and explain the male obsession with structures of corrugated iron, beer fridges, dartboards and piles of timber offcuts.

In Blokes & Sheds, Mark shows how, like the dunny, the footy game and the meat pie with sauce, the shed has an important place in Australian culture and mythology. It stands as a symbol of the Aussie male’s ingenuity, a testimony to his ability to fix anything with a length of fencing wire, a hammer and a piece of 4″ x 2″.

In Stories from the Shed, enthusiasts from around the country come clean and tell how it really is the last bastion of Aussie maledom. And apparently it’s not all hammers, nails and timber offcuts. Set against a backdrop of wall–to–wall stuff, junk, gear, supplies and stock, these funny and affectionate stories capture the past, present and future of a changing Aussie shedland.

This new edition is a must for every father, brother, husband or son who has a dream: his very own shed.

ISBN: 9780207198236; ISBN-10: 0207198233;

Price: (AUD)