Guide to Literature on Trees, Building Techniques, Restoration, History, Philosophy, and Related Homesteading Areas

Compiled and Edited by Ron Brodigan

 Fourteenth Edition, 2007 © Copyrights 1975 - 2008 Ron Brodigan & Great Lakes School of Log Building. All rights reserved. 

Published by:

Great Lakes School of Log Building 
1350 Snowshoe Trail
Isabella, MN 55607
218-365-2126
courses@schooloflogbuilding.com

ISBN No. B0006P2PD4

* Note: Books and articles are listed in random order. Some works which are out of print may often be secured through a book-finding service or in used-book stores. I would be appreciative of corrections and suggestions for new items.

Ron Brodigan
19 February, 2007

Trees:

An informed approach to building with logs assumes a thorough acquaintance with trees, their growth patterns, geographical locations, and structural/insulative characteristics of the various types of wood. A few personal favorites are listed here.

Ahlgren, Clifford and Isabel, Lob Trees in the Wilderness. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1984.

Forester, Jeff, The Forest for the Trees; How humans Shaped the North Woods. St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2004.

Collingwood, G. H. and Brush, W.D., Knowing Your Trees . Washington: The American Forestry Association, 1955.

Edlin, Herbert and Nimmo, Maurice, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Trees, Timbers and Forests of the World. New York: Harmony Books, 1978 .

Peattie, Donald Culross, A Natural History of Trees of Eastern and Central North America. Boston: Houghton, 1966. Illustrated by Paul Landacre.

Peattie, Donald Culross, A Natural History of Western Trees. New York: Bonanza Books, 1953. Illustrated by Paul Landacre.

Platt, Rutherford, The Great American Forest . Englewood Cliffs, NJ. Prentice-Hall, 1965.

Neelands, R. W. , Editor. USDA Forest Service. Important Trees of Eastern Forests.

Sargent, Charles S., Manual of the Trees of North America. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. 1933

Sargent, Charles S., The Silva of North America. 14 Vols. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. 1891-1902.

Sloan, Eric, A Reverence for Wood. New York: Ballantine, 1965

Stone, Christopher, Should Trees Have Standing? Toward Legal Rights for Natural Objects. New York: Avon Books, 1975

Symonds, George W.D., The Tree Identification Book. New York: M. Barrows & Co., 1958

Brodigan, Ron, "Growing Logs for Logbuilders," in Better Forests, Winter 1996, Publ. by Kathleen Preece, PO Box 432, Grand Rapids, MN 55744.

Log Building, Furnishing, Restoration:

Books on the mechanics of log construction have proliferated in recent years. However, some of the older writings are still among the best. Along with their very lucid "how to" sections, it would be hard to beat Calvin Rutstrum or Bradford Angier for extraordinary doses of philosophical perspective on backwoods log building. Allan Mackie, Vic Janzen, Dan Milne, and Tom Walker, among others, deal specifically with the best scribe-fit methods in a textbook style.

In my opinion, skills associated with log building cannot be conveyed well in writing, although much of the knowledge can. Books are only supplementary to a course of instruction where one can, in the flesh, be taught the many skills which accompany the use of a log scriber, chainsaw, axe, and the other hand and power tools used in the construction of a log house or cabin.

A complete log builder's education, whether for home-use or a future trade, must be a blend of reading, formal instruction, and experience in log building and related trades, gained by actually working on various log structures.

1. Log Building Technology

Canadian/American Log Builders' Association, International, Log Building Standards for Residential, Handcrafted, Interlocking, Scribe-fit Construction, Lumby, BC, 2000. www.logassociation.org

Mackie, B. Allan, Building with Logs. Prince George, BC, Log House Publ. Co. Ltd. See also Log House Plans, Picture Book of Log Homes, Notches of all Kinds, Log Span Tables, and the more recent account of building in eastern Ontario - The Owner-Built Log House. See also his nine instructional videos published by Daizen Company of Vancouver Island, BC

Construction Safety Association of Ontario, Rigging Manual. Information at 416.674.2726.

Brodigan, Ron, "Build a Log House From Scratch," Backwoods Home Magazine, No. 9, May/June, 1991.

Janzen, Vic, Your Log House , Muir Publishing Co. 4th edition recently published. Contact Schroeder Log Home Supply, Grand Rapids, Minnesota.

Angier, Bradford & Vena, How to Build Your Home in the Woods. New York: Sheridan House, 1952.

Hunt, Walter Bernard, How to Build and Furnish a Log Cabin the Easy - Natural Way Using Only Hand Tools and the Woods Around You. New York: MacMillan, 1974.

Kylloe, Cabins and Camps. Salt Lake City, Gibbs Smith, Publ., 2002

Leitch, William C., Hand-Hewn: The Art of Building Your Own Log Cabin. Chronicle Books, 1976.

Sloan, Eric, A Museum of Early American Tools. NY: Ballantine, 1964

Bruyere, Christian, In Harmony With Nature and Country Comforts. NY: Drake Publ., 1975

Beard, Daniel Carter, Shelters, Shacks and Shanties. New York: C. Scribner's Sons, 1914, 1972.

Walker, Tom, Building the Alaska Log Home. Anchorage, AK: Alaska NW Publ. Co. 1984, 1998.

Milne, Dan, The Handbook of Canadian Log Building. Muir Publ. , 1984

Chambers, Robert W, Log Building Construction Manual, River Falls, WI: 1999

Mason, Bernard, Cabins, Cottages and Summer Homes. New York: A.S. Barnes Co. 1947

Rempel, John I., Building with Wood and Other Aspects of Ninteenth Century Building in Ontario. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1967

Aldrich, Chilson Darragh, The Real Log Cabin. NY: MacMillan Co., 1928. Recently republished with valuable supplemental material by Harry Drabik, Hovland, MN

Langsner, Drew, A Logbuilder's Handbook. Emmaus, PA: Rodale Press, 1982

2. Furnishing

Angier, Bradford and Vena. How to Build Your Home in the Woods. (and many other books).New York: Sheridan House, 1952.

Bruette, William Arthur. Log Cabins and Cottages: How to Build and Furnish Them, by Practical Architects and Woodsmen. 1934.

Carlson, Axel R. Building a Log House in Alaska. Fairbanks: University of Alaska, 1977. Good chapters on permafrost building and furniture construction.

Hunt, Walter Bernard. How to Build and Furnish a Log Cabin the Easy Natural Way Using Only Hand Tools and the Woods Around You. New York: Macmillan, 1974 .

3. Restoration

Schroeder, Gary. The Log Home Maintenance guide; A Field Guide For Identifying, Preventing & Solving Problems.                                       Woodstock, VT: The Counterpoint Press, 2003

Aldrich, Chilson Darragh. The Real Log Cabin. New York: The Macmillan Co., 1928 (written by an architect who built many log and stone structures in the Minnesota backwoods. Also see a newer version edited and annotated by Hovland, MN restoration expert Harry Drabik, who has lived in and restored some of Aldrich's buildings.)

Friedman, Renee, and Goodall, Harrison. Log Structures; Preservation and Problem Solving. Nashville, Tenn: Association for State and Local History, 1980.(One of the best on restoration - long out of print, but there are copies around - if you look hard.)

Hutslar, Donald A. Log Cabin Restoration: Guidelines for the Historical Society. American Association of State and Local History, Technical Leaflet No. 74. Write to them at 1400 8th Ave. S., Nashville, TN 37203.

Protecting Log Cabins, Rustic Work and Unseasoned Wood From Injurious Insects in Eastern United States. Farmers' Bulletin No. 2104, USDA, Wash. DC: Government Printing Office, Dec., 1962.

Wood Handbook, US Forest Service Forest Products Lab. Avail. From US Govt. Printing Office, Wash., DC

Rempel, John I. Building With Wood and Other Aspects of Nineteenth CenturyBuilding in Ontario. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1967.

Wood Handbook. U.S. Forest Service Forest Products Laboratory. Madison, Wisc.

Timber Framing:

Benson, Tedd. Building the Timber Frame House. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1980 (and other works).

Benson, Tedd, Building the Timber Frame Home: Design, Construction, Finishing

Sobon, Jack, and Schroeder, Roger, Timber Frame Construction, and Build a Classic Timber Frame.

Graubner, Wolfram, Encyclopedia of Wood Joints. (450 variations on 66 basic wood joints.)

History of Log Construction:

It can be fascinating to trace the development of log building in the northern part of the world from Russia to the Scandinavian cultures, and hundreds of years later, into various parts of North America, old styles and techniques merging with new, according to settlement patterns of the diverse immigrant log builders.

Phleps, Hermann, The Craft of Log Building. Translated by Roger MacGregor. Ottawa, Ontario: Lee Valley Tools, 1982. (A book to read and reread - the best detail drawings and a good overview of European log construction through time.)

Benson, David R., Stories in Log and Stone; The Legacy of the New Deal in Minnesota State Parks. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, St. Paul, 2002

Good, Albert H. Park and Recreation Structures. New York, Princeton University Press. A reprint of the National Park Service 1938 edition. (Recently republished by Princeton University Press, this is a comprehensive look at log and stone structures built by CCC, WPA and other programs of the 1930s. Should be part of every log builder's library.)

Shurtleff, Harold Robert, The Log Cabin Myth. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1939. (A study of the early dwellings of colonists on the East Coast; edited with an introduction by Samuel Eliot Morrison. This book and Weslager's are basic to an understanding of log use in North America.)

Shemie, Bonnie, Houses of Wood, Bark, Adobe, Snow, Skin, Bones, Hide etc. (a series), Tundra Books. Toronto, Ontario.

LaFontaine, Bruce, Wigwams, Longhouses and Other Native American Dwellings, Dover Publishing, Mineola, NY.

Weslager, Clinton Alfred, The Log Cabin in America, From Pioneer Days to the Present. Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1969

Gudmundson, Wayne and Winkler, Suzanne, Testaments in Wood; Finnish Log Structures at Embarrass, Minnesota. St. Paul, MN: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 1991

Glassie, Henry, "The Types of the Southern Mountain Cabin," in Jan V. Brunvand's The Study of American Folklore. New York: W.W. Norton, 1968. Pp. 338-370

Museum of Finnish Architecture, The Language of Wood; Wood in Finnish Sculpture Design and Architecture, 1987

Klammer, Paul W., "Collecting Log Cabins: A Photographer's Hobby," in Minnesota History. Vol. 37, No. 2 (June, 1960), pp. 71-77

Bugge, Gunnar and Norborg-Schulze, Christian, Stav og Laft i Norge. Oslo: Byggekunst, 1969. Title also in English: Early Wooden Architecture in Norway. (Excellent work on early stabbur and stavkirch construction.)

Holan, Jerri, Norwegian Wood; A Tradition of Building. New York: Rizzoli International Publ., 1990. (The best historical treatment so far of Norwegian architecture in wood.)

Glassie, Henry, Patterns in the Material Folk Culture of the Eastern United States. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1969

Kniffen, Fred, and Henry Glassie, "Building in Wood in the Eastern United States: A Time-Place Perspective," Geographical Review. Vol. 56, No. 1 (January 1966, pp. 40-66

Clemson, Donovan, Living With Logs: British Columbia's Log Buildings and Rail Fences. Saanichton, BC: Hancock Publ., 1974. Illustrated by Susan Baumgarten.

Weslager, Clinton A., "Log Structures in New Sweden During the Seventeenth Century." Delaware History, V (September 1952) pp. 77-95

Jeffers, Jack, "Cabins in the Blue Ridge: A Photographic Essay," Virginia Cavalcade, Vol. 24, No. 3 (Winter, 1975), pp. 116-123

Moogk, Peter, Building a House in New France; An Account of the Perplexities of Client and Craftsmen in Early Canada. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, Ltd., 1977. (Good information on stonework and log pieces-sur-pieces construction in French Canada as well as amusing stories on the ubiquitous contractual disputes.)

Rosenberger, Jesse Leonard, The Pennsylvania Germans. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1923

Buchar, Robert C., "The Continental Log House," Pennsylvania Folklife, Vol. 12, No. 4 (Summer 1962) pp. 14-19

Hutslar, Donald A., "The Log Architecture of Ohio," Ohio History, Vol. 80, Nos. 3 & 4 (Summer-Autumn, 1971), pp. 171-271

Glassie, Henry, "A Central Chimney Continental Log House," Pennsylvania Folklife, Vol. 18, No. 2 (Winter, 1965), pp. 33-39

Roe, Frank Gilbert, "The Old Log House in Western Canada," Alberta Historical Review, Vol. 6, No. 2 (Spring, 1958), pp 1-9

Kniffen, Fred, "On Corner-Timbering," The Journal of the Pioneer American. Vol. 1, No. 1 (January 1969), pp. 1-8

Erixon, Sigurd, "The North European Technique of Corner Timbering," in Folkliv, 1937, No. 1, pp. 13-60

Bealer, Alex, Old Ways of Working Wood, Barre, MA: Barre Publishing Co., 1972

Langsner, Drew and Louise, Handmade: Vanishing Cultures of Europe and the Near East. New York: Harmony Books/Crown Publishing Co., 1974

Jordan, Terry G., Texas Log Buildings; A Folk Architecture. Austin & London: University of Texas Press, 1978

Kauffman, Henry J., American Axes: A Survey of Their Development and Their Makers. Brattleboro, VT: Stephen Greene Press, 1972

Bealer, Alex W., Photos by John Ellis, The Log Cabin: Homes of the American Wilderness. Barre, MA: Crown Publishing Co., 1978

Related Areas:

• Chainsaws
• Tools
• Stoves
• Stonework
• Fireplaces
• Sauna
• Homesteading issues

All of these could come under a heading of "rural living." Included also are some works on other kinds of dwellings. A few of the relevant magazines dealing with these topics are also listed.

Stihl, Inc., Chain Saw Safety, Maintenance, & Operation DVD. Stihl, Inc., Virginia Beach, VA, 2004

Hall, Walter, Barnacle Parp's Chainsaw Guide. Emmaus, PA: Rodale Press, 1977

Soderstrom, Neil, Chainsaw Savvy. Dobbs Ferry, NY, Morgan & Morgan, 1982

Oullette, Robert A., Chainsaws; Buying,Using, Maintaining and Repairing. Blue Ridge Summit, PA: Tab Books, 1979

Chainsaw & Crosscut Saw Training Course. Almonte, Ontario, Algave Publishing, 2005. (originally publ. buy USDA Forest Service)

Arcand, R. D., Log Building Tools and How to Make Them. Prince George, BC: Log House Publ. Co., Ltd.

Lee, Leonard., Complete Guide to Sharpening. Taunton Press

Lee Valley Tools, Sharpening Woodworking Tools. DVD, with Leonard Lee.

Tressemer, David, Splitting Firewood. Brattleboro, VT: By Hand and Foot, Ltd., 1981. (A pragmatic approach to firewood issues with a Jungian Twist.)

Cook, D., Keeping Warm with an Axe - A Woodcutter's Manual. New York: Universe Books.

Kern, Ken & Magers, Steve, Fireplaces. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1978. (A classic work on fireplaces - long out of print, but a gem.)

Stone By Design; The Artistry of Lew French. Salt Lake City, Gibbs Smith, Publ., 2005

Basic Stonemasonry, Sunset Books, Menlo Park, CA, 1996. (An excellent, easy-to-understand, basic introduction to simple stonework, as well as brick, cement block and concrete.)

Basic Masonry Techniques, Ortho Books. San Ramon, CA. (Another basic, well-illustrated work on the whole range of masonry topics.)

McRaven, Charles, Building With Stone . Garden Way Publishing, 1989. See also Stonework; Techniques and Projects . Pownal, VT: Storey Communications, Inc. , 1997

Kennedy, Stephen, Practical Stonemasonry Made Easy. Blue Ridge Summit, PA: TAB Books, 1988

Fine Homebuilding on Foundations and Masonry. Newtown, CT: Taunton Press, 1990

Wik, Ole, Wood Stoves; How to Make and Use Them. Anchorage, AK: Alaska Northwest Publ., 1977

Cooper, Jane, Woodstove Cookery. Garden Way Publishing, 1977

Holloway, Dennis, and McIntyre, Maureen, The Owner Builder Experience; How to Design and Build Your Own Home. Emmaus, PA: Rodale Press, 1986

Underground Space Center, Univ. of Minnesota, Earth Sheltered Housing Design. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1979

Alth, Max and Charlotte, Constructing and Maintaining Your Well and Septic System. TAB Books, 1984

McCallagh, James C., The Solar Greenhouse Book. Emmaus, PA: Rodale Press, 1978

Bubel, Mike, Root Cellaring. Emmaus, PA: Rodale Press, 1979

Kirkpatrick, Frank, How to Find and Buy Your Business in the Country. Ponal, VT: Storey Communications.

Virtanen, John O., The Finnish Sauna; Peace of Mind, Body and Soul. Owen, WI: Arctic Circle, 1988.

Johnson, Tom, and Miller, Tim, The Sauna Book. New York: Harper & Row, 1977

Viherjuuri, H. J., Sauna, The Finnish Bath. Brattleboro, VT: The Stephen Greene Press, 1972

Roy, Rob, The Sauna. Chelsea Green Publishing, 1996

Bryere, Christian, In Harmony With Nature and Country Comforts. NY: Drake Publ., 1976

Bryere, Christian, and Inwood, Robert, The New Homesteader's Handbook. NY: Drake Publ.., 1976

Angier, Bradford and Vena, many titles including How to Stay Alive in the Woods, How to Live in the Woods for Pennies a Day etc.

Farmstead Magazine (ed.) The Homesteader's Manual. NY: Tab, 1983

Marks, Vic (ed.) Handbook of Rural Skills and Technology. Mayne Island, BC: Cloudburst Press, 1977

Logsdon, Gene, Practical Skills: A Revival of Forgotten Crafts, Techniques and Traditions. Emmaus, PA: Rodale Press, 1985

Philosophies and Backwoods Life:

Anyone contemplating the establishment of a recreation or permanent home in a rural or wilderness environment would do well to read again Henry Thoreau's account of his hand-built hideaway near Concord or Sigurd Olson's story of the creation of his "Listening Point" in the Minnesota wilderness. I could not begin to list all of the books that might fall under this category, so just a sample of the more interesting are found below.

Thoreau, Henry David, Walden. Many editions and publishers.

Olson, Sigurd, Listening Point. New York: Knopf, 1958 (and many other of his books)

Leopold, Aldo, A Sand County Almanac. New York and London: Oxford University Press, 1949

Rutstrum, Calvin, The Wilderness Cabin. New York: MacMillan, 1972. Illustrated by Les Kouba. Also, The Wilderness Life and others.

Rowlands, John J. Cache Lake Country. New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 1947. Republished by Lyons & Burford, N.Y., 1990

Hoover, Helen, A Place in the Woods. New York: Knopf, 1969

LaBastille, Anne, Woodswoman and Beyond Black Bear Lake., New York: Norton

Keith, Sam, One Man's Wilderness: An Alaskan Odyssey. From the journals and photograph collection of Richard Proenneke. Anchorage: Alaska Northwest Publishing Co., 1973. (recently republished)

The Foxfire Books. Edited with an introduction by Eliot Wigginton. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1972.

Teale, Edwin Way, A Naturalist Buys an Old Farm. NY: Vail-Ballou Press, 1974

Meinecke, Conrad E. Your Cabin in the Woods. Buffalo, NY: Foster & Stewart Publ. Co., 1945. Also, Cabincrafts and Outdoor Living.

Nearing, Helen and Scott, Living the Good Life. New York: Schocken Books, 1970. Also later works: Continuing the Good Life and Loving and Leaving the Good Life.

Vickery, Jim Dale, Wilderness Visionaries. Merrillville, IN: ICS Books, 1986. Also, Open Spaces. Minocqua, WI: Northward Press, 1991, and others.

McPhee, John, Coming into the Country. NY: Bantam, 1977.

Hubbell, Sue, A Country Year; Living the Questions. New York: Random House, 1986