Man & His Tools—A History of Hand Tools
412 pages and more than 1,700 photographs of 1,000s of tools in hard back
A Sample of Man & His Tools
Read a sample section of Man & His Tools
The complete book has:
• 412 Pages
• More than 1,700 photographs
About the Author
My love of tools started when I was ten, I put together a workshop in my Dad’s garage. At 15 I started an apprenticeship as a carpenter and joiner, which led to being foreman on medium to large works. My love of collecting tools led me to the Hand Tool Preservation Association of Australia, where my knowledge increased tenfold thanks to its members.
I have sourced my collection from markets, international antique fairs, and auctions all around the world. Friends who have contributed and have allowed me to photograph special pieces from their collections.
—Gil Rogers
Book Review—Man & His Tools
Mike Preeston Member HTPAA
Author: Gil Rogers
Format: Hardcover, 412 pages, full colour
Edition: First, 2026
What defines a tool? A chisel is undoubtedly a tool, as is a flintlock tinder lighter (Item 5.104) and a cat's head turning hammer (3.189). But how about a first mate's persuader (3.364)? Or a signal cannon thunder mug (3.348.1)?
Gil asks this question in his monumental and impressive book. He himself defines a tool as an object one uses in order to make it easier to perform a task, whether that task be for pleasure or for work. Thus, say, a tipstaff (1.23) was a tool which was issued to a court officer to authorise him to issue a warrant. And a church warden's smoking pipe (5.440) was a tool used to enhance or induce pleasure for the smoker.
The reader may argue the point, but it makes for some lively and entertaining discussions. Gil has illustrated more than one thousand seven hundred tools in his book, from the familiar working tools, to the rare, the ancient, and the beautiful. So there is plenty here for the debate on what comprises a tool.
Gil first conceived of the idea of producing a book like this some thirty years ago, but it was only about five years ago that he started to put that thought into action. The finished product is an impressive and magnificently illustrated work. Yes, it is a coffee table book, it makes for compulsive and endless perusing. But it is also undoubtedly a book for the library of books on tools.
The enormous range of tools Gil has photographed is almost encyclopaedic, and he claims that he has more, plenty more that he could have included. Each time he thought he was ready to send his manuscript to the publishers another new and fascinating item would turn up, and then another.
Gil is himself an accomplished cabinet maker, as can be seen in his beautifully made dovetailed steel smoothing plane (1.09), or his blackwood and ivory inlay grease box (2.64). Thus it stands to reason that the tools he has selected for his book are either interesting, rare or unusual, and many of course simply exquisite to behold. The detail that went into the making of tools two hundred years ago is testimony to the pride the makers back then had in their work, which sadly we simply don't see today in the mass produced tools on offer in a hardware store.
Man And His Tools is a truly impressive book, and I for one look forward to acquiring a hardcover copy as soon as it become available.
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