The Ashley Book of Knots by Clifford W. Ashley is a substantial Doubleday hardcover reference with its illustrated dust jacket, 620 pages, and thousands of drawings covering practical, occupational, nautical, decorative, and specialized knots.
Ashley organizes knots by how they are made and used, with clear drawings placed beside the explanations. The photographed pages include general knot history, occupational knots, safety hitches, surgical knots, maritime uses, and step by step tying diagrams.
The text block remains easy to read and the binding is substantial enough for regular reference use. One important condition issue needs to be noted: several knot illustrations have been cut from page 313, so this copy is not complete and should be bought as a working reference rather than as a complete collector copy.
Details
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Item: Knot tying and seamanship reference book
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Title: The Ashley Book of Knots
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Author: Clifford W. Ashley
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Illustrator: Clifford W. Ashley
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Publisher: Doubleday & Company, Inc., Garden City, New York
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Publication Year: 1944 copyright. Exact printing year not confirmed from photos.
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Edition and Printing: Printing not stated in the photographed pages. This copy should not be described as a first printing.
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Format and Binding: Large blue cloth hardcover
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Dust Jacket: Present, price marked $16.95 on the flap
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Pages: 620
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Genre: Knots, seamanship, rope work, practical reference
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Language: English
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ISBN: not confirmed from photos
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Dimensions: 11 x 9 x 1 inches
Condition Grade: Fair
Positives
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Graded Fair: A substantial and readable working copy with significant flaws that affect completeness.
- The blue cloth boards remain intact and the binding appears sound in the photographed views.
- Pages shown are easy to read, with crisp black and white diagrams and detailed instructional text.
- The original style illustrated dust jacket is present and still displays well despite wear.
- The book remains highly usable for the large amount of knot information and illustration that is still present.
Issues / Wear
- Several knot illustrations have been cut out of page 313. Do not expect this copy to contain every original illustration.
- The dust jacket shows edge wear, rubbing, small tears, creasing, and losses around the corners and spine ends.
- The rear portion of the jacket shows additional age and handling wear.
- Pages and page edges show age toning.
Condition Grade Key
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Near Fine: Almost perfect. Very minor signs of age only.
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Very Good: Shows light use. Sound and attractive with minor flaws.
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Good: Complete and intact. Noticeable wear consistent with age and use.
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Fair: Shows significant wear. Readable or usable but clearly used.
Collector's Notes
First copyrighted in 1944, The Ashley Book of Knots became a broad reference to thousands of knots and their uses, with Ashley's own drawings forming a major part of the book.
It suits sailors, knot enthusiasts, rope workers, maritime readers, and anyone who likes older practical reference books that explain both how something works and where it came from.
The $16.95 jacket price and 620 page format match later Doubleday copies seen in bibliographic records, but the exact printing year of this copy is not stated in the photographed pages.
Because page 313 has missing cutouts, this is best approached as a substantial working reference rather than a complete collector copy.
