Can I review this book without making a lame pun? I can knot! (Sorry.)

This is a nicely illustrated guide to many different kinds of knots: overhand knots, half-knots, half hitches, figure-of-eight knots, bowlines, sheet bends, crossing knots, wrap-and-tuck knots, mavericks, and mutations. It also contains a couple of pages of craft ideas and a glossary. There are pictures for each step, so they are hard to mess up.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

The Handy Book of Knots is an easy to follow guide for a variety of knots.

I have tried my hand at knots in the past. It normally didn't end well. I found the descriptions and photo illustrations in The Handy Book of Knots easy to follow, which was very important to me.
I was able to follow along and tie some impressive knots which in the past have eluded me.
This is a must have guide to anyone looking for knot guidance.

Most people can only tie a simple knot, so this how-to-book filled with some intricacies was a delightful way to spend the morning. Crafting, boating, grappling, or even fishing, knots are a fun way to use an age long craft to making sure whatever your tying stays put.

What did I like? The step by step methods are super easy for most of them, but as you forage through and the knots become harder, the author uses different colored strands to help you diversify. I love to hang stuff in my yard, so a ton of these knots will be used just to wench, or hang items with a colorful flair. There is a wealth of information and history in the book that also may intrigue some...its interesting to me where some of these knots come from. Even greater... is to know that our ancestors passed this knowledge down to us and it has not been lost.

Would I buy or recommend? Yes, I loved the ease of the book. Different colors of fibers made even the most difficult knots easier. I loved the step by step method, and the fun history as well. Crafters will love some of the figure eight knots, and the variety of assorted knots. There are also some really tough knots for more advanced knot tie students, so I’d say this spans several experiences from beginner to the most advanced.

I received a complimentary copy to read and voluntarily left a review. Five stars, a fun book.

This is a treasure trove of information about knots of all kinds and for all purposes. The introduction alone is full of fascinating facts giving the reader the history of knots, in-depth information on different types of cords with pros and cons of each, tools, basic knotting terms and techniques, how knots are named, knot selection and performance, and general tips.

The author does an excellent job of imparting both his knowledge of and enthusiasm for knotting. When you read through this book, you'll find yourself bookmarking pages of knots you want to try.

The book is sectioned by type of knot:
- overhand knots, half-knots & half-hitches
- figure-of-eight knots
- bowlines & sheet bends
- crossing knots
- wrap-and-tuck knots
- mavericks & mutations
- crafts

Within each section, for each knot, there is a paragraph stating it's typical uses, step-by-step pictures and descriptions of how to make the knot, and color coded tabs indicating the categories of uses (boating and sailing, climbing, caving, crafts, house & garden, outdoor pursuits) for the knot.

Also included are a glossary, index, further information, and a bibliography.

This is a great reference book for every home. There's always something that needs tied down to keep it in place!

I deducted one star because some of the knots are complex and the addition of diagrams showing arrows indicating over and under alongside of the photographs would have been helpful. I was also disappointed that the Crafts section consisted only of pictures of 6 completed projects with no instructions given.

My thanks to NetGalley and Chartwell Books for allowing me to read a review copy of this book. The book was published on 10/13/2020 . All opinions stated here are my own.

Perfect reference if you want to learn how to do a variety of knots. There isn't a lot to say about it. The book is well done, the knots process is separate in easy to follow step and some illustrations to help understand. Very well done! I would recommend it!

Open this book and you will find page after page after page of pictorial step by step instructions on how to make knots – in fact 200 pages of them! What a treasure! I didn't know that so many types of knots exist! I believe the authors when they say that learning how to knot can be a life-changing skill – so many things you can do as long as you have some rope or cord. Now that people are staying in more, this is a perfect practical hobby to pick up.

I found a ball of string and tried to make some of the simpler looking ones. I was delighted that I could make some decent looking knots after a couple of tries. I'm thinking of what I can use this for in my craft projects. So many possibilities!

As a visual person, I would have loved to have clearer diagrams, perhaps line drawings with more steps especially with the more complicated twists and turns. Let me go and practice more!

This is a reference book worth keeping in any collection. I hope to get one for mine!

This is my honest opinion based on the review copy I received from the publisher.

The Handy Book of Knots is an encyclopedic and well arranged book of knots and their uses by Geoffrey Budworth & Richard Hopkins. Released 13th Oct 2020 by Quarto on their Chartwell Books imprint, it's a solid 240 pages and is available in flexibound format.

Knot tying is a fascinating and ubiquitous subject of knowledge - tied (sorry) inextricably to humanity's growth and the development of society. Knots can be utilitarian to decorative (often both), and utterly simple to fiendishly difficult. There are subsets of such disparate subjects as mathematics and crime scene forensics dedicated to the study of knots and knot techniques and materials. This book gives a solid overview of knots in all situations.

This is a well written book - the authors are extremely knowledgeable and accessible in their writing. It's not a dry or pedantic treatise at all. They're both very engaged with the craft and lore of knots and it shows brilliantly in their writing. They genuinely *want* readers to see and experience the fun and utility of knots themselves. I can imagine they're both gifted teachers/lecturers (it's not clear to what extent each of them contributed to this volume - therefore I say both).

The book has a logical layout - knots are grouped thematically: overhand half-knots & half hitches, figures of eight, bowlines & sheet bends, crossing knots, wrap & tuck, mavericks & mutations, and a short overview gallery of crafts with knots. Each of the knots contains a clearly photographed step-by-step tutorial series which is easy to follow and includes any necessary extra equipment (poles, carabiner rings, etc). The descriptions of the utility knots also include necessary safety observations and advice for use. The authors have included a glossary, links/bibliography list for further reading, and an index.

I was a girl scout and avid camper and even did a spot of rappelling in my long vanished youth. Some of these knots were familiar to me but the vast majority were not. I'm not familiar with a better or more thorough treatise on the subject. This would make a superlative selection for campers, self-sufficiency folks, smallholders, crafters, fiber-arts enthusiasts, general knowledge readers, and the like. Five stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.