Ingrained

The Making of a Craftsman

by Callum Robinson

On Sale: 12/03/2024

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Ingrained

The Making of a Craftsman

by Callum Robinson

On Sale: 12/03/2024

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Amazon Indigo

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About the Book

For fans of H Is for Hawk and Shop Class as Soulcraft comes a captivating literary memoir, immersing readers in the life of a Scottish carpenter as he perfects his craft, builds a business, and reflects on what inheritance and shared responsibility really mean.

The eldest son of a master woodworker, Callum Robinson spent his childhood surrounded by wood and trees, absorbing craft lessons in his father’s workshop. In time he became his father’s apprentice, helping to create exquisite bespoke objects. But eventually the need to find his own path led him to establish his own workshop and chase ever bigger and more commercial projects, until the devastating loss of one major job threatened to bring it all crashing down. Faced with the end of his business, his team, and everything he had worked so hard to build, he was forced to question what mattered most.

In beautifully wrought prose, Callum tells the story of returning to the workshop and to the wood, to handcrafting furniture for people who will love it and then pass it on to the next generation—an antidote to a culture where everything seems so easily disposable. As he does so, he brings us closer to nature and the physical act of creation—and we begin to understand how he has been shaped, as both a craftsman and a son.

Blending memoir and nature writing at its finest, Ingrained is an uplifting meditation on the challenges of working with your hands in our modern age, on community, consumerism, and the beauty of the natural world—one that asks us to see our local trees, and our own wooden objects, in a new and revelatory light.

Critical Praise

“A book that is covertly a love poem disguised as a father-and-son story, an apprentice’s learning of an exotic craft, a hymn to the eternal mystery of trees, and a tribute to the flat-out joy of gifting. Enchanting.” — Bill Buford, author of Heat and Dirt

"I didn’t think it possible to blend the tones and sensibilities of James Herriott and Anthony Bourdain, but Callum Robinson has managed to do it - in wood! This wise and wonderful book takes the lucky reader as deeply into the grain of Britain’s primal medium as it does into the psyche of one its most gifted practitioners. Trees, chairs, and woodworkers alike will resonate differently once you’ve become Ingrained." — John Vaillant, author of Pulitzer Prize finalist, Fire Weather

"Honest, original and true – written like a good novel, with that very rare merit of exploring the doubt and criticism necessary for any great art or craft, be it writing or carpentry." — Lars Mytting, author of Norwegian Wood and The Sister Bells Trilogy

"This magnificent debut isn't just an ode to the craft of carpentry, but the art of writing. Robinson's chiseled, elegant prose is the sound of a bright new voice in non-fiction. His memoir brings to life the heartwood in trees, families, and a young man making his way in the world with an inspiring integrity. This is essential reading for any artist who might be losing their way." — Sophy Roberts, author of The Lost Pianos of Siberia

"A gorgeous, heartfelt book, shot through with the wisdom and grace of the trees that illuminate its pages. In the age of rampant consumerism, it is salutary to be reminded that there are still craftspeople like Callum Robinson, pouring love into his creations. Like his tables, chairs, cabinets and sculptures, Ingrained is a work of wonder and beauty." — Lee Schofield, author of Wild Fell

"Ingrained is a delight to read: deliciously indulgent and a work of pure craft poetry." — Rebecca Struthers, author of Hands of Time

"This memoir is a paean to the glories of nature; to working with your hands against the grain of our all-too-disposable lifestyles." — Bookseller (UK), "Editor's Choice"

"A delightful book about the art of craft; a hard-carved woodworking romance written with tenderness and an almost sensual attention to detail. I can smell the resin and the soft, fresh sawdust. I can feel the bite of dense grain beneath the blade. Quite magical." — Cal Flyn, author of Islands of Abandonment

“A debut that’s both a paean to the art of woodworking and a memoir about creative endeavors.” — Observer

“When [Robinson] rolls out the names of trees. . . it's as mesmeric as Edward Thomas listing wildflowers. Which is apt, because Robinson is a fine writer, sometimes poetic.” — Spectator

"Robinson’s prose is humorous and macho, taking its lead from the gruff, sensual delivery of food writer Anthony Bourdain… But wood, in all its facets, remains at the heart of his writing. . . Robinson is poetic about the pageant of ash, beech and pine but also pragmatic." — Financial Times

“Anyone who enjoyed Tracy Kidder's House or Matthew B. Crawford's Shop Class as Soulcraft will admire this book as much as they might one of Callum Robinson's lovingly-crafted products." — Shelf Awareness

“Passages about walking in a highland forest among the ancient oaks and more recent ‘immigrants’ like Douglas fir, or comparing the grains of wood for various purposes, reveal [Robinson] to be a master of sensory prose. A woodworker shows he’s equally gifted with words.” — Kirkus Reviews