{"product_id":"crft-an-inquiry-into-the-origins-and-true-meaning-of-traditional-crafts-9780393635904","title":"Crft: An Inquiry Into the Origins and True Meaning of Traditional Crafts","description":"\u003cp\u003eAn archaeologist takes us into the ancient world of traditional crafts to uncover their deep  original histories. In the midst of a seemingly endless supply of mass-manufactured products  we find ourselves nostalgic for products bearing the mark of authenticityhand-made furniture  artisan breads  craft beers  and other goods produced by human hands. What often goes unnoticed is the transformation of our understanding of craftor rather  craeftin the wake of industrialization. In Craeft  archaeologist and medieval historian Alexander Langlands argues that our modern understanding of craft only skims the surface. His journeys from his home in Wales have taken him along the Atlantic seaboard of Europe  from Spain through France and England to Scotland and Iceland in search of the lost meaning of crft. Reaching as far back as the Neolithic period  he combines deep history with scientific analyses and personal anecdotes. We follow the author as he herds sheep  keeps bees  tans hides  spins wool  and thatches roofs. We learn that scythes work much better on tall grass than the latest model of weed trimmers  that you can spin wool using a large wooden spoon  and that it was once considered criminal to work on animal hides before a requisite twelve-month soak. When it first appeared in Old English  the word craeft signified an indefinable sense of knowledge  wisdom  and resourcefulness. Rediscovering crft will connect us with our human past  our sense of place  and our remarkable capacity to survive in the harshest of landscapes. Craeft helps us more fully appreciate human ingenuity and the passing on of traditions from generation to generation. 15 illustrations\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45495993204789,"sku":"ByrdShop_0393635902","price":29.26,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780393635904.jpg?v=1780905642","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/crft-an-inquiry-into-the-origins-and-true-meaning-of-traditional-crafts-9780393635904","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}