The Ashley Book of Knots
ISBN 0-385-04025-3 | |
The Ashley Book of Knots is an
Use as a reference
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 helps to identify knots despite local colloquialisms or identification changes. 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]
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
The Ashley Book of Knots was compiled and first published before the introduction of synthetic fiber ropes, during a time when natural fiber cordage – typically twisted, laid, or braided rope – was most commonly used. The commentary on some knots may fail to address their behavior when tied with modern synthetic fiber or kernmantle style ropes.
Corrections and additions
In the first edition, three entries have non-integer numbers: 794.5, 1034.5, 2585.5. Also, entry number 2545 contains no knot, reading only "This knot was mislaid".[1]
Ashley suffered a debilitating stroke the year after the book was published.[3] He was not able to produce an erratum nor oversee a corrected edition.
In 1979, at least one knot was added, the Hunter's bend (#1425A).[4]
In 1991, corrections submitted by the International Guild of Knot Tyers were incorporated.[5][6] 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 Knotting Matters, the Guild's quarterly publication.[7][8] Additional errors have been identified since the 1991 corrections.[9]
Cultural references
The Ashley Book of Knots is quoted extensively in the novel
Notes and references
- ^ ISBN 0-385-04025-3
- ISBN 981-02-2469-9
- ISSN 0959-2881.
- ^ Ashley (1993), pp. 260–261
- ISSN 0959-2881.
- ^ Ashley (1993), p. Edition notice
- ^ Schmidbauer, Joseph, ed. (September 1998), "The Ashley Book of Knots: Corrections and Observations", Knot News (13), International Guild of Knot Tyers - Pacific Americas Branch: 1–3
- ^ The Knotting Matters issues cited in the above Knot News article are: KM1, KM28, KM31, KM32, and KM33.
- harness loop and butterfly loop articles. Additionally, this IGKT postingcontains many verifiable examples.
Further reading
- Clifford W. Ashley. The Ashley Book of Knots. Doubleday, New York 1944. ISBN 0-385-04025-3
- Reprint: Doubleday, New York 1963–1979, ISBN 0-571-09659-X
- Reprint with amendment of Geoffrey Budworth: The Ashley Book of Knots. With amendments of Geoffrey Budworth. Doubleday, New York 1993.