‘Tools’ Coffee Table Book by Theodore Gray & Nick Mann

Tool enthusiasts looking to fill their shelf and/or coffee table with books in the vein of Gareth Branwyn's Make: Vol 1 & 2 and Jeff Waldman's Tools: The Ultimate Guide will want to take a look at Theodore Gray's Tools: A Visual Exploration of Implements and Devices in the Workshop.

Featuring gorgeously detailed photography by Nick Mann throughout, Tools is a hefty 256-page reference book that “celebrates 118 individual categories of tools found in the home workshop.”

There are 500 individual tools covered across those categories, from everyday implements to not-so-common ones, each annotated with interesting bits of info about that item's history and what it's used for, along with the occasional personal story from the author's perspective.

From the book's description:

Hand tools and power tools have been a central part of [the author's] life for as long as he can remember. Using them, collecting them, and appreciating them is as much a part of his DNA as his passion for the periodic table. This book is the story of those tools, from Gray's personal favorites that have stuck with him through to years, to new and exciting antiques and modern inventions that he's discovered along the way.

Organized into 118 categories, (and cleverly arranged into a periodic table of tools where each tool in a column shares properties and builds from lightest to heaviest) each tool is featured in a great big beautiful photograph on the left-hand side of the spread. On the right side of the page, Theo regales us with history and personal stories and shows us multiple variations on the theme.

Tools is an unprecedented collection featuring 500 stunning examples of the world's most wonderful workshop implements. It's the must-have book for every tool lover.

That last line really says it all. This book is a loving visual tribute to all the tools you may already know and love, as well as the ones you'll end up dreaming of owning once you've read it through.

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