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

Synopsis

The fascinating history and potential future of one of humanity’s most innovative inventions: rope.

My Review

First of all, I want to express my appreciation for Queeney’s opening disclaimer: “No AI was used in the research or writing of this book.” It’s kind of sad that the literary world has come to a point where such a disclaimer is needed, but it made me smile. (And for what it’s worth, nothing on this blog is ever written by AI either. Unless I unwittingly quote from a book, article, or blurb that was. Sigh.)

Before reading this book, I don’t think I’d ever thought about the importance of rope to human development. It’s just something that’s… there. But some genius human ancestor thousands of years ago must have had an epiphany – this thin fibre won’t do the job I need doing, but if I twist a few of them together…

Queeney begins by linking the invention of rope to a time when (or before) Proto-Indo-European was spoken, and if you’ve read my review of Proto by Laura Spinney you might understand how hard I geeked out over that chapter. From there, he takes us on a journey through time and space. We visit ice age hunters, pyramid builders, early seafarers, tightrope walkers (I had to read that part through my fingers), fishermen, cowboys, Mars rovers, and more.

I have to admit to a bit of fatigue after a while with all the painstakingly detailed descriptions of different types and uses of rope, but the writing itself is far from dry. Queeney is clearly passionate about his subject, and he works in moments of humour that keep things interesting. (Wait, I should have made a rope pun there… he braids in moments of humour? Weaves? Whatever, you get the idea.)

Conclusion

Anyway, I really enjoyed this. It’ll make a great resource for people who love to find out how things work. And it’s also a fun and unique way to learn some history. I can see why Queeney made sure to take credit for his research, because he did a brilliant job with it. I highly recommend this book to any nonfiction lover.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing this ARC for review consideration.

You can pre-order Rope here on Bookshop.org.* Release Date: August 12.
(As an affiliate, I’ll get a small commission from any purchase made through this link.)