The Case for Working with Your Hands: Or Why Office Work is Bad for Us and Fixing Things Feels Good - Tapa dura

The best book I have read for ages ... a profound exploration of modern education, work and capitalism ... I happen to know it is in [Education Secretary] Mr Gove's in-tray ... its analysis applies with horrible precision to our education system (Matthew d'Ancona Telegraph)

A philosophy of how life should be lived, how children should be educated and how economies should be run ... Full of interesting stories and thought-provoking aperçus enlivened with humour ... Important, memorable and enjoyable (Louis de Bernières The Times)

A next-generation Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance to rally the millions who feel emotionally disconnected from work (Financial Times)

Persuasive and timely (The Times)

A powerful new book (David Willetts, Universities and Science Minister Telegraph)

A deep exploration of craftsmanship by someone with real hands-on knowledge. Quirky, surprising and moving (Richard Sennett)

A stunning indictment of the modern workplace ... Crawford points in the direction of a richer, more fulfilling way of life. This is a book that will endure (Reihan Salam The Atlantic)

A beautiful little book about human excellence (New York Times)

A superb combination of testimony and reflection, and you can't put it down (Harvey Mansfield, Professor of Government at Harvard)

A bestseller in the United States, but its critique of 'post-industrial' capitalism is equally pertinent here ... Will be enjoyed for its iconoclasm, swagger and dry humour (Telegraph)