Praise for Rope
“Like all good books about technology, then, Rope is ultimately about human beings at their best and worst.”
— New York Times
“...Queeney makes the case for cordage, and as you read his book you may find yourself thinking that it's about damn time... You may never look at your shoelaces the same way again.”
— Wall Street Journal
"Queeney covers how something as simple as rope has been responsible for architectural masterpieces, nautical adventures, and how it continues into the future. A must read..."
— Rebecca Vnuk, Library Reads
“Exquisitely researched and wonderfully written… This is more than an account of the use of rope… it’s a fundamental, but unique story of humankind’s history.”
— Steven Konkoly, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post bestselling author
“Queeney demonstrates that a seemingly prosaic subject is anything but. Tying our planet together with cordage, he surveys the history of rope … The next time readers hold a length of rope in their hands, it will be with heightened respect and admiration … Not simply a history of rope, but of the coils of whole peoples.”
— Kirkus Reviews
“[Queeney’s] enthusiasm for the subject and wry wit are evident throughout. A good addition to the growing body of work which describes the history of ordinary objects.”
—Booklist
“Queeney makes a convincing and fascinating argument we are who we are because of a few twists here and there.”
— Adventure Journal
“Queeney is gifted at bringing this information and history together, and I found it hard to put Rope down at times. Highly recommended."
— Practical Boat Owner
"Fascinating object history that spans from prehistoric times to the near future … highly recommended.”
— Library Journal
“A carefully researched deep dive … Queeney covers everything, and I mean everything, about rope.”
— SAIL magazine
The mid-1500s in France was a great time to own a rope making business. Rope was used for a wide variety of tasks in everyday life, in agriculture and in the steadily expanding market for rope in the maritime world. In Lyons at this time there was a ropemaker named Pierre Charly who had built up a large and successful rope making operation. Charly he had a daughter named Louise who was such a gifted poet that she was able to overcome patriarchal restrictions against women and be acknowledged as a first-rate literary talent. She was dubbed “La Belle Cordière” or “The Fair Ropemaker” (this nick name was based on her father’s occupation — she seems to have had not a bit of interest in rope making herself!).