The Ashley Book of Knots

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Although Ashley was an esteemed painter, the cover illustration was painted by George Giguere
Reprint-Version: 1963–1979

The Ashley Book of Knots is an encyclopedia of knots written and illustrated by Clifford W. Ashley. First published in 1944, it was the culmination of over 11 years of work. The book contains more than 3800 numbered entries and an estimated 7000 illustrations.[1] The entries include instructions, uses, and for some knots, histories, and are categorized by type or usage. It remains one of the most important books on knots, as it is one of the most extensive, covering both good knots and bad, and noting which is which.

Contents

Use as a reference [edit]

Due to its scope and wide availability The Ashley Book of Knots has become a significant reference work in the field of knotting. The numbers Ashley assigned to each knot can be used to unambiguously identify them. This is a useful function since knot names have evolved over time and there are many conflicting or confusing naming issues. Citations to Ashley numbers are usually in the form: "The Constrictor Knot (ABOK #1249)", "ABOK #1249" or even simply "#1249" if the context of the reference is clear or already established.[2] The book title is also found abbreviated in the forms: TABOK, TABoK, or ABoK.

Some knots have more than one Ashley number due to having multiple uses or forms. For example, the main entry for #1249 is in the chapter on binding knots but it is also listed as #176 in a chapter on occupational knot usage.

The Ashley Book of Knots was published in the days of natural fiber cordage; the commentary on some knots may fail to address their behavior when tied in modern synthetic fiber ropes.

Corrections and additions [edit]

Ashley suffered a debilitating stroke the year after his magnum opus was published.[3] He was not able to produce an erratum or oversee a corrected edition. Corrections submitted by the International Guild of Knot Tyers were incorporated in 1991.[4][5] The original list of revisions submitted to the publisher is believed to have been lost, but many had been collected from a series of articles in the Guild's quarterly publication, Knotting Matters.[6][7] Additional errors have been identified since the 1991 corrections.[8]

At least one knot, the Hunter's bend (#1425A), was added in 1979.[9]

Further reading [edit]

Notes and references [edit]

  1. ^ Ashley, Clifford W. (1993) [1944], The Ashley Book of Knots, New York: Doubleday, p. Dust jacket, ISBN 0-385-04025-3 
  2. ^ Warner, Charles; Turner, John (1996), in Turner, J.C.; van de Griend, P., History and Science of Knots, K&E Series on Knots and Everything 11, Singapore: World Scientific Publishing, pp. 22, 274–275, ISBN 981-02-2469-9 
  3. ^ Budworth, Geoffrey, ed. (Spring 1985). "Profile of Knotsman Clifford W. Ashley". Knotting Matters (London: International Guild of Knot Tyers) (11): 6–7. ISSN 0959-2881. 
  4. ^ Budworth, Geoffrey (Autumn 1991). "Amending Ashley". Knotting Matters (London: International Guild of Knot Tyers) (37): 26. ISSN 0959-2881. 
  5. ^ Ashley(1993), p. Edition notice
  6. ^ Schmidbauer, Joseph, ed. (September 1998), "The Ashley Book of Knots: Corrections and Observations", Knot News (International Guild of Knot Tyers - Pacific Americas Branch) (13): 1–3 
  7. ^ The Knotting Matters issues cited in the above Knot News article are: KM1, KM28, KM31, KM32, and KM33.
  8. ^ For an example see the footnotes in harness loop and butterfly loop articles. Additionally, this IGKT posting contains many verifiable examples.
  9. ^ Ashley(1993), pp. 260–261
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