Understanding Wood is the definitive reference on wood technology, and is a keystone of every woodworker's library. The first edition (1980) sold over 128,000 copies: this new edition updates the classic text with new information on new materials: composite board, adhesives and finishes which have been developed since the original edition. There are also 225 brand new colour photographs! Up-to-date and Comprehensive: revised and updated edition of a woodworking classic (Taunton Press, 1980; 1-918804-05-1) which continues to sell thousands of copies a year to this day. New four colour photography is clearer and more informative. Comprehensive: everything you know about wood and wood technology: the nature of wood and its properties, the basics of wookworking technology, using the woodworker's raw materials.
R. Bruce Hoadley has a degree in forestry from the University of Connecticut and a doctorate in wood technology from Yale. He is a former professor of wood science and technology at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He frequently consults for museums and acts as an expert witness at trials. He is also the author of Understanding Wood (The Taunton Press, 1980, 2000) and Identifying Wood (The Taunton Press, 1990).