Rope: How a Bundle of Twisted Fibers Became the Backbone of Civilization by Tim Queeney

5 out of 5 Stars

***ARC received from St. Martins Press and NetGalley, opinions are all my own. Thank you!***

When I got this book I was a little uncertain, like how can you write a 300+ book about rope and not make it boring. Well Tim Queeney managed to make a good that at was not only interesting but at time hard to put down.

The book is broken up into different sections that span over the ages. The chapters have short stories about the time frame it is taking place it, some are real other are just imagined ideas of how rope would be used in that time. The book starts with a personal story from the author about his father and sailing. Its clear the author has a love and connection to sailing and I think those are probably may favorite chapters, you can feel the authors love of the ocean and sailing.

It is such a fascinating look at history, how the oldest of our ancestors looked at nature and turned much of it into tools that they used. That Polynesian civilization could look at the husk of a coconut and weave it into a rope that they would then use to sail to new lands. What would it have been like tying to create tools, how much trial and error would have gone into creating something that we see as so simply. To find the proper twist and strands, the right material that wouldn’t get soaked with water and hold up to the rough seas. Some of it is obviously just our best guess since natural fibers would have long ago disintegrated.

The book doesn’t just go over ancient use of rope, but the modern era and how rope has evolved from natural to synthetic fibers to eventual metal. It dedicates time to discussing the tools that would have been used to create the rope. A full look at the tools to create the tools gives a full look at how our ancestors looked at the objects that they had to create

The writing is really well done and I found the book and subject very approachable. Sometimes a book like this with such a niche subject can come of as a little too academic. Like they took a research paper and just converted it in to a book. It can be hard to read as its dry and feels like it was meant for those that already hold the knowledge of the subject. This was really not the case with this book, the author doesn’t treat you like you are an expert but also doesn’t treat the reader with kids gloves. It is a light read that never gets bogged down with details and the author does a few jokes inserted in. It also handles the chapters that deal with the use of rope in crimes against other humans well. Especially the chapter that deals with lynching against Black Americans never going into an level of detail but not passing over this horrible chapter in American history.

Rope is a fun and fascinating look at the history of probably one of the most under rated tools that has revolutionized how we as humans have used over the years. Highly recommend.

Rope, being fiber, rarely finds a place in the historical record—unlike the massive monuments it helped to build.This well-researched love letter to rope makes the case that often-overlooked rope has made mankind’s great accomplishments possible. Perhaps it is one of our greatest tools.

Rope by Tim Queeney explores the historical and cultural significance of rope across various civilizations and contexts, from ancient Egyptian pyramid construction to its use in sailing, punishment, lynching, and hanging.

The book draws on extensive research, as evidenced by its comprehensive bibliography, to trace the evolution and impact of this seemingly simple tool.While the book is undeniably informative, it struggles to maintain engagement. I found myself captivated by only a handful of chapters—specifically those covering Egyptian pyramid building, punishment, lynching, hanging, and sailing. All of which were in depth and detailed. However, many other sections felt dry with information overload, leading me to skim through them.

The depth of research is impressive, but the delivery often lacks the spark to keep a casual reader hooked. This book might shine brighter as a film documentary, where visuals and narration could bring the subject to life more dynamically. It’s a solid read for those deeply interested in historical minutiae, but for others, it may feel like a slog at times. Three stars.

I received a DRC from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley. This review is my own and reflects my honest thoughts and opinions.

Thank you to Net Galley & St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this ARC!

First of, I learned a lot. That being said, this beast is dense. It is not as pop nonfiction and digestible as some of the other One Word Nonfiction books out there. However, the chapters are organized well, with each focusing on a specific use-case (hunting, construction, etc.) I won't lie, I did not read every chapter because of how dry some sections were, but it was cool to get an extremely detailed view into a "boring" object. I would not recommend this to the general public, but if you are into history and/or physics and/or textiles, or all three, this is your deep dive read.

I'm a little disappointed, but that's undoubtedly a matter of having the wrong expectations. On the good side, it's well written and appears to be meticulously researched (I'm not an expert, so I can't tell you if there are any glaring historical errors). It covers a large segment of time and cultures while compiling the history of rope. This has the feel of a university lecture, which made it tedious for someone without a deep historical, archaeological, or even nautical background (so much detail about ships and sailing...so much). I'd hoped for something a little lighter, like the history of the ax as a murder weapon that I read earlier this year. This was not nearly as enjoyable.

While clearly not a book for me, I do think it would be good for someone who has an archaeological interest in tools throughout (pre)history, or possible even someone with an interest in historical construction. As a random "let's learn something fun rather than doom-scroll," pick, I wouldn't recommend it.

Rope is an entertaining and informative survey of the uses and evolution of rope through the ages. By manipulating fibers into cordage early man expanded the ability to hunt and gather food. As civilization and technology changed the usefulness of rope reached more areas of life. Queeney progresses through time by examining these different fields, from erecting an obelisk to landing a rover on Mars. In addition to a rundown of each topic, he includes a detailed episode relating to that subject (Philippe Petit's World Trade Center wirewalk is one example.) There are obvious topics such as ship construction and rigging. And there are some chapters that are less obvious, such as the Inca use of cordage in recordkeeping with khipu. There is a lot of information, but the book doesn't bog down. It's well written and for the nerds among us there is a bibliography.

This book delivers an interesting perspective on world history. In fact, although it’s technically a microhistory about rope, there is less focus on things like materials, the creation process, and cultural traditions, and more focus on the influence of rope on the world, especially in regard to ships and seafaring. So much seafaring. Sometimes it feels more like a microhistory of nautical vessels and water-based industries than one about rope. Personally, I was hoping for something more centered around the craft and culture of rope making and its different uses across time and cultures. This book was still interesting, just not what I expected.

Tim Queeney is treading on Mark Kurlansky's and Mary Roach's territories with this historical and sociological survey of rope, its development, its role in society, and its future uses.

While many short lengths of rope helped countless individuals through the centuries, rope also was a tool of human innovation writ large through collective action. Just as many small strands come together to form a rope, so, too, did many people gather to perform the biggest of tasks. The exemplar of this from the ancient world is the Egyptian pyramids. While we don’t know exactly how these human-built mountains were assembled, we can be sure that rope was an essential tool in their construction. In this way rope stands as both a tool and a symbol of humans working together to achieve the greatest things.

He sets his sights high. The book is even organized into "strands" not chapters, which seemed cutesy to me at first...it's not, it is in fact subtle and informative. I'm happy to report he succeeds in the rope-climb to success.
Its cultural significance is revealed by a parade of expressions: “roped me in,”“rope it off,”“tied in knots,”“rope-a-dope,”“roped and branded,”“give him/ her enough rope,”“at the end of my rope,”“throw me a rope,”“give me some slack,”“on the ropes ,”“go piss up a rope,”“learn the ropes,”“a rope of sand.” This incomplete list of everyday sayings just shows how deeply into our consciousness rope has entwined itself.

Readable, relatable, illuminating, and fun to learn about, who knew rope was so culturally significant? I've reached the end of my rope more than once, and still had not thought about the rope I was running out of. I've had enough fun in my life finding the men who live by the old gay truism, "if you can rope me, you can ride me," that I ought to be far more alert to how ropey my grasp of the subject is.

I have a greatly expanded respect for how many metaphors and concepts tie back to rope and its variants, starting with "religion"...re- (back to, again)+ligare (to tie, to rope onto)= "religion." A concept hiding in plain sight, one that could not exist without that extremely early invention of humankind, the rope.

The development of rope was surprisingly technological; in fact if we had not been scientists by our very nature rope could not exist. Many aspects of its creation were impossible without trial and error based on what we today would describe as "materials science"...does grass get stronger or weaker when bundled together? is green grass more or less useful than dried grass? exactly how dried is optimal for making cordage?...a tiny, tiny peek into the huge variety of questions Author Queeney introduces us to as he explicates the scientific process as we developed it.

No tool is not also a weapon: "string him up" and its variants did not come about as a common phrase because someone was decorating a loved one in a string vest. Author Queeney does not shy away from elucidating the horrifying, evil uses humanity put its early invention the rope to. The details are stomach-churning, but the facts are incontrovertible. We love to be hatefully cruel. I'm sure some readers will skip right over these parts in order not to lose sleep. I strongly caution those highly averse to animal cruelty to pay close attention to prefatory language used as they read along.

I'm carrying on about a five-star read but there's not a whole fifth star. The half-star lost got hung up on that pesky thing, the content warning. The fact is there's not much human awfulness I haven't read about or seen in the past *mumble*ty-five years. I still felt blindsided by the overly-careful enumeration of the nasty uses we use rope for. Lingering on these unpleasantnesses slowed my roll through the story of rope. Don't get tied up in these things if you're at all squeamish; fresh strands await.

A thoroughly noted and sourced elucidation of the importance of an invisbly ubiquitous invention. Its many pleasures for the broadly curious reader require some common-sense personalization of the reading experience. Those who need chew-toys for their brains are going to batten on the trivia embedded in the long strand roping human history together.

3.5 stars

This was an intriguing concept, along the line of Mark Kurlansky's non fiction books on cod and salt, among other things. He points out that man's ability to manufacture things, like woven rope, are one of the major things that distinguish him from animals.

Queeney takes an everyday item we tend to take for granted and describes its origins and its importance in a lot of different areas. Neither Stonehenge nor the Pyramids could have been built without the use of ropes. He starts with the discovery of ancient rope fragments in the caves of France and Spain, and talks about the Plains Indians use of rope. Coconut fiber rope also played an integral part in the Polynesian voyages. The British Empire and Britain's storied Royal Navy relied heavily on its use. These examples and their individual stories were some of the strongest parts of the book.
He then discussed all the different materials that have been used over the centuries, from natural materials such as hemp, grassses and manila to modern versions featuring metal and kevlar.

There were times when his explanations went on a little too long and were a bit dry, but for the most part an interesting and entertaining read. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

3.5 rounded to 4

This is a book for the occasional dip or leisurely read. It's written in an entertaining, wandering style (sometimes more meandering); I found it mildly interesting for short dips now and then. If you're interested in the history of rope, this would be a nice book to have, including as a refernce if you are looking into the history of ship building, for example.

I have never considered rope a thing that required an entire book. What did I know?! This was a fascinating study of the history of rope and how it has 'intertwined' with human history. A particularly fun part of the story is how the author occasionally discusses his own experiences with rope and the role it has played in his life, interjecting humor and personal stories. This is a thoroughly researched study, occasionally a bit dry, but always a surprise to me. I would recommend this book to everyone, not the least of the reasons so that an everyday object becomes a more fascinating part of life.

This ARC was provided by NetGalley and the publisher, the opinions expressed herein are strictly my own.

Solid Examination Of The Topic. This is a book written by a sailor that goes deep into all things rope, including its earliest known histories through to its future uses as currently known and planned. We get a *lot* of history from eras from prehistory through Egypt and the Greeks through the Age of Exploration (and even some about the Chinese exploration expeditions) through rope's uses in executions both sanctioned by governments and not all the way into bleeding edge rope tech taking us into the future of humanity. Through this narrative, I guarantee you that you are going to learn at least something you didn't previously know - I know I did. I appreciated that the chapter titles were themed to the idea of individual strands in a piece of rope, as that was both perfect theming and a great way of organizing and thinking about the overall history being presented.

Ultimately, this book had two weaknesses for me, though only one worthy of a star deduction. The other, simply a discussion here in the review - a warning, really, to other readers who may be less prepared for it.

The warning is that Queeney *is* a sailor and *really* knows his rope - and knots. He can get quite technical, particularly when he's talking about how to rig ropes for sailing - which is a significant topic in the book. Through these sections, I recommend the literary/ reading equivalent of the social "nod and 'uh huh'" when someone is talking about some passion that you're interested in, but clearly nowhere near as interested in as they are. Read every word - don't skim it - but allow yourself to not focus on "I must remember every detail of this!".

Outside of these hyper detailed sections though (and even within them, really), the book really is quite well written and very fascinating indeed in all that it reveals. I'm not joking whatsoever when I mentioned above that even I learned from this book. I really did. Quite a bit that I had never even considered previously. So absolutely go into this book preparing to learn more about this particular subject than at any time since you left formal schooling, whenever that may have been for you.

The star deduction is for the dearth of a bibliography, coming in at 12% or so of the text - still over 30 pages of documented sources in a book of this length, to be clear - which falls just short of even my relaxed-ish standard of 15% and further short of the 20-30% documentation I had been expecting earlier in my reviewing efforts several years ago.

So... that's it. That's the review. Go read this book, even if you had never considered the topic and don't necessarily want to learn anything new. Because this book may be hyper focused, but that actually *increases* its overall quality and ultimately usefulness.

Very much recommended.

This is a fascinating and entertaining book. Tim Queeney, having “learned the [sailing] ropes” from his father, and later become the editor of Ocean Navigation and instructor in the Ocean Navigator School of Seamanship, knew a lot about rope before he started researching this book. His wide-ranging research, though, enables him to tell the story of rope starting in pre-history through to the present, with even a glimpse at the future. His calls each of his chapters a "strand" in the larger story. This is appropriate because the any rope--like any book--is only as good as the strands that comprise it. Queeney makes us realize that rope is a technology, and the story of rope itself is a strand in the history of technology, a story of constant efforts to improve it: make it more durable, more adaptable to changing situations, introduce new materials and new ways of producing it, make it more useful. It’s also a story of the misuses of this technology, particularly as an instrument of torture, punishment, and mass murder.

All the stories in this book are worth your time. Among them, Queeney’s discussion of rope in the great age of sail is a showpiece, as you would expect from an author who has sailed all his life. It is filled with so many vivid details that I found myself pausing as I read along, trying to place each detail in an overall picture of the fabulous sailing ships he was describing. (I was reading a galley that lacked illustrations. I hope the published book will be heavily illustrated.)

That strand was great fun but two other strands caught my imagination even more: his absorbing description of the preparations and execution of the famous tightrope walk between the two towers of the World Trade Center; and his visit (via Zoom) to the IceCube Neutrino Observatory at the South Pole, where wire ropes containing neutrino detectors are lowered thousands of meters below the ice pack in order to be sufficiently isolated to detect neutrinos.

The book ends on a high: a discussion of the “ultimate rope ever conceived . . . a rope so fantastically strong” that it will be the tether for a space elevator that can carry satellites into space without the need for rockets. Queeney provides all the data and details we need to envision this amazing piece of technology coming into use in possibly the next 25 years.

The book then offers quite a journey. Queeney’s treatment of all the strands of his story is consistently engaging. He writes as if he’s speaking to a friend. And you will want to pay careful attention so that you can re-tell some of his stories to your friends. I am glad I took this journey with Queeney. I think you will be too.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press for providing an advance copy in galley form for review consideration via NetGalley. Please note: Quotes taken from a galley may change in the final version.
All opinions are my own.

A microhistory focused on that which binds, secures or lifts. Rope: How A Bundle of Twisted Fibers Became the Backbone of Civilization surveys the full known history of rope from early surviving plant fibers from our ancestors, through the construction of wonders of the world, to the near future possibilities of descendants of rope supporting the massive weight of a space elevator.

Queeney writes clearly in a journalistic tone, specifically when referencing sections reliant on interviews. The tone throughout is informative with cheeky asides, especially when discussing Queeney's own inability to parse the ways researchers in the 1950s developed different materials through chemical experimentation, but is clear enough to be readable and honest in where Queeney has simplified in a way to make the topic palatable to the non expert. The book has 15 chapters divided in to three sections. Each chapter focused on a specific theme, beginning by specific eras, before taking more of a subject centered approach. Overall, many sections are unfortunately brief, especially as much more is focused on the past (perhaps when ropes were more wide spread?), with it seeming only cursory chapters on more modern or contemporary uses, I would certainly have been happy with more about spelunkers or rope (or rope like materials) usage for extra Earth exploration or transit.

A clear work on the benefits of something often just out of sight, yet supporting much weight.

Recommended to readers of science and technology or microhistories.

Who would have thought a book about the history of rope would be so fascinating? This author’s research and skill as an author brought the many examples of historical importance to light in an engaging manner. From prehistoric time to present time this was actually a quick, engrossing read. Thanks to #NetGalley and #Rope for advanced digital copy.

Four letters, one impactful book! Rope by expert Tim Queeney contains all the information on the topic one could ever wish for. Something we take for granted, rope has been crucial for the furtherment of civilization. Thousands of years ago, it was made with plant and animal material which quickly degraded, then metal (bridges, for example) and finally, synthetics. Queeney describes the evolution in chronological order, finishing with the future of rope.

It's interesting that the creation of rope required cognitive ability and mathematics to prevent it from unraveling. Egyptians were adept at rope making as were Greeks and Romans. There is mention of it in the Bible. It may have been used to construct Stonehenge. One of the biggest uses was and is in the shipbuilding/shipping field but it has also historically been used in building cathedrals, lashing and lifting (explained in detail), fishing nets and lobster traps, punishment and executions, oakum picking in the Victorian era, parachutes in World War II, ranching, ropewalks, and mountaineering and spelunking. When you think about it, life without rope and knots (you can't have one without the other) would be unimaginable.

I just love niche nonfiction books like this, so easy to get utterly absorbed in. The level of detail is breathtaking and produced many lightbulb moments. It made me think of twine and jute as well. The author's personal connection to his father's rope knot is particularly moving.

Pre-Read Notes:

I adore historical accounting of useful objects or goods. It's so fun to look at all of human history from such a tiny but fascinating perspective.

"...We could call it the String Revolution."" p14

"In that building, long and low,
With its windows all a-row,
Like the port-holes of a hulk,
Human spiders spin and spin,
Backward down their threads so thin
Dropping, each a hempen bulk." p108

Final Review

This book covers a lot of territory; when you read it you will be struck by the immensity of ways rope has touched, influenced, even built human society. This is anything but a dry read, in fact in places, it gets pretty morbid (but still relevant to the subject). For sure, this book is a trip.

I recommend ROPE to readers who are interested in birdseye view histories of humanity and human society. I feel that only certain kinds of histories can do this, as does the history of rope.

My Favorite Things:

✔️ "Its cultural significance is revealed by a parade of expressions: “roped me in,”“rope it off,”“tied in knots,”“rope-a-dope,”“roped and branded,”“give him/ her enough rope,”“at the end of my rope,”“throw me a rope,”“give me some slack,”“on the ropes ,”“go piss up a rope,”“learn the ropes,”“a rope of sand.” This incomplete list of everyday sayings just shows how deeply into our consciousness rope has entwined itself." p15 Yes, this does indicate how strong and deep humanity's relationship is to rope.

✔️ This history connects with so many facets of human history, it's really fascinating.

✔️ There is just a *ton* of data in this book, and because it's well organized, I don't feel bombarded.

✔️ This subject is just a doorway into a huge spectrum of human behavior and activity. Reading this book makes me realize how ingenious we are...and how cruel we can be.

✔️ At the end, an open door;
Squares of sunshine on the floor
Light the long and dusky lane;
And the whirring of a wheel,
Dull and drowsy, makes me feel
All its spokes are in my brain. p108
I adored all the poetry about rope that was included in this volume. More than anything else, these verses let me connect to the ancient people who used this still important tool for their lives.

Notes:

1. Section 1, Strand 9 contains tons of violent history surrounding the use of rope. This section may be very triggering for some readers.

2. Content warnings: torture, lynching, execution, wounding, drowning, public punishment, whipping, racism and race-driven torture and murder, harm to animals, animal death

Thank you to the author Tim Queeney, publishers St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for an accessible digital arc of ROPE. All views are mine.

I have really enjoyed books like Salt and Cod, learning about their history and importance over the millennia. I was looking forward to reading Rope in this same vein. While the historical aspect was interesting, the author veered too far into the weeds with tangential topics. This made me pause to question was this book more about sailing, for example, than rope. I did struggle to finish the book.

Thank you, NetGalley, for an advanced copy..

Rope: How a Bundle of Twisted Fibers Became the Backbone of Civilization, by author Tim Queeney is an in-depth look at the history of rope and its impact on civilization. Well-researched and detailed, author Queeney tells the story of rope from the earliest times, how it was formed and used, what would have possibly happened if rope had not been a factor, and the consequences of its use. Fascinating to read, told both from a scientific perspective about the very nature of rope and also employing anecdotal accounts, making the history seem alive.

An enjoyable read. I received an advance copy of Rope: How a Bundle of Twisted Fibers Became the Backbone of Civilization from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley. I voluntarily leave this review; all opinions are my own.

Who knew? I certainly didn't and I learned a great deal from this deep dive into the history and making of rope. This is divided into strands which explore the use of rope through different eras. This was I must admit more interesting to me than the science of it as I got a bit lost in some of the technical info. That said it's easy to skip the parts that might not engage you and move on to the more accessible (at least to me) history. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. An educational read.