A casual glance at Bruce Hoadley’s new book on wood might lead the reader to suspect that he was perusing a physics textbook rather than the best book ever produced for the woodworker on the nature and properties of wood. To be sure, there are some equations that only a mathematician could love, but Hoadley’s interesting style, coupled with informative tables, diagrams and photographs bring life to this subject. Reading this book is guaranteed to make the craft of woodworking much more interesting and to make its mysteries much more comprehendable. Whether you are the classic “yuppie woodworker” or just serious enough about wood to want to understand it, you will thoroughly enjoy this book.