This is the first book to deal with American axes. Why does the subject need a book? The American axe has become a valuable and widely sought collector's item. But why?

Although the axe has been man's chief tool since prehistoric times, its evolution was slow until the necessity of clearing land for farms and homes in the vast North American wilderness sparked a technological revolution, resulting in efficient and varied axe forms to perform a multitude of felling and building operations AMERICAN AXES is the illustrated story of this revolution in tool-making, written by one of the leading collectors and authorities in the field. The photographs, selected from the author's own extensive collection and from prime museum sources, illustrate and identify the great variety of North American axes, dating from the Colonial period to the present. In addition, there are detailed drawings and diagrams of the construction and production of basic types, such as the American felling or chopping axe and two styles of hewing axe, the goose-wing and the broadaxe.

Beyond its interest as an American historical "first," the book is a must for collectors, containing as back-matter a unique roster of all known American axe manufacturers since the 18th Century, a glossary, and notes on the care and use of axes.

Professor Kauffman is a specialist on American crafts and folk arts. His many books include: Early American Copper, Brass and Tin; Early American Ironware, Cast and Wrought; The Colonial Silversmith; and Early American Gunsmiths.

Hard-back book measures ~8-1/2" by ~11-1/4" (portrait); ~5/8" thick; 151 pages.