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Rope: How a Bundle of Twisted Fibres Became the Backbone of Civilisation

by Tim Queeney

  

€ 13.75 

ISBN: 9781837733293

A unique and compelling adventure through the history of rope and its impact on civilisation, in the vein of single-subject bestsellers like Salt and Cod.

Tim Queeney is a sailor who knows more about rope and its importance to humankind than most. In Rope, Queeney takes readers on a ride through the history of rope and the way it weaves itself through the story of civilisation. From Magellan's world-circling ships, to the 15th-century fleet of Admiral Zheng He, to Polynesian multihulls with crab claw sails, he shows how without rope, none of their adventurous voyages and discoveries would have been possible. Time travelling, he describes the building of the pyramids, the Roman Colosseum, Hagia Sophia, Notre-Dame, the Sultan Hasan Mosque, the Brooklyn Bridge, and countless other constructions that would not have been possible without rope.

Not content to just look at rope's past, Queeney examines its present and possible future and how the re-invention of rope with synthetic fibres will likely provide the strength for cables to support elevators into space. Drawing upon personal experience, Queeney tells remarkable nautical stories of his own reliance on rope at sea. Rope is history, adventure, and the story of one of the world's most common tools that has made it possible for humans to advance throughout the centuries.

336 pages.

Not Yet Published.

Printed on or after 05/11/26. Please note dispatch may take 5-10 days after publication date.
A separate order should be placed for this item. If you order this along with other items, your entire order will be held and despatched when complete.

Date of Publication: 05/11/2026

Cover of Rope: How a Bundle of Twisted Fibres Became the Backbone of Civilisation - Tim Queeney - 9781837733293Paperback

Rope: How a Bundle of Twisted Fibres Became the Backbone of Civilisation also appears in these Categories:

History & Politics