Jan 1, 2008

romeyn b. hough

is the author of the american woods: exhibited by actual specimens and with copious explanatory text, a comprehensive guide to the trees of north america that used to be a rare, reference-only 14-volume edition illustrated with actual slices (thin ones) of the woods of over 300 trees and which cost a king's ransom. using wood veneers was revolutionary thinking back in the day when accurate colour reproduction in high-resolution was impossible but, fortunately, those dark days are now behind us. taschen has recently reissued this as the wood book, available even to the unwashed masses for less than $30. for those who are particularly parsimonious and who don't require the now-outdated copious explanatory text, the special collections librarians of north carolina state university have digitised every page of this book and conveniently produced both a common and latin name index.

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