I am wanting to purchase a book of knots. I want to get everyones opinion on the best book. I will help narrow it down. I want it to have hitches,bends,loops and other useful knots. No decorative stuff. It needs to have very clear, full color pictures with step by step instructions. Here is two choices I have come up with so far.
well, I couldn’t pass up the great price so I bought both of those shown above. Only $42.00 for both. 
Just to let you know.
The top picture, Geo. Budworth’s: Encyclopedia of Knots has a mistake in the words and the pictures when you are tying the Long Mat. It won’t matter too much if you already know how to tie it. Otherwise it is a pretty good book.
As far as advice for you in purchasing books…I haven’t a clue as far as recommendations. I purchase books if they have knots that I have not seen yet. Most books are clear.
Liked the Morrow Book of Knots though on the Square Mat his hand obscures a crucial step making the knot a puzzle to figure out.
ABOK aka The Ashley Book of Knots (revised), I have found that 95% of the knots that I have tried to tie illustrated clear enough. I would tend to think that any more recent publications would be clearer with the advent of color photography.
Enjoy
Hmmmm, having gotten one of them for about $5 in some discount section,
I’m wondering at your bargain. And esp. as I think you’ll find that you’ve
bought two versions of one book that the $42 will seem ever more dear.
It needs to have very clear, full color picturesDo you try to match the colors along with the shapes in tying? :D
While colors can be very helpful, using the patterned kernmantle ropes
often seen in these books can be akin to camouflage; and lighting in
any case can aid or hinder good recognition of rope-strand position
(“strand” in the “part-of-knot/section” sense, not “part-of-rope” sense
–another knotting nomenclature issue). Also, it is sadly often the case
that both the choice of cordage and the setting that gets used in these
glossy, colorful “knots” books are inappropriate for the presented knot!
But accuracy not the selling point here.
–dl*
Mike,
Sounds like you need what I call my ‘Portable ABOK’ - Charles Warner’s - A FRESH APPROACH TO KNOTTING AND ROPEWORK. ISBN 0 9592036 3 X. A paperback of 272 pages absolutely packed with knots and information that none of these coloured publisher driven books will ever contain - (I know, I have written two myself!). You may have to hunt for one, but believe me it will be worth it.
Gordon
so Dan , are you saying some of the knots in these books are inaccurate? Do you have a book reccomendation?
The knots I am most interested in are for work and around the house. Hauling, heavy lifting, bends, pulling equipment onto roofs, towing, saftey for climbing a tree to cut out limbs..ect. Nothing fancy, just want the best of the best knots for everyday situations. I pretty much have a good basic knowledge from studying knots on websites such as “Grogs animated knots” and “layhands.com” I just want a book or two so I dont always have to turn on the computer when i forget how to tie one. Also the books I bought will look nice on the coffee table, if nothing else. ;D
Well, I tried to set up my website so that visitors could easily print out black & white pages for field use in a binder:
I have to recommend “Turks Heads by Ron Edwards”, a little cracker, showed me (finally) how to tie the 3L X 11B turkshead for a bracelet. I think it is aimed mainly at the leatherworkers audience and is part of a series.
A bit of trivia on the matter of published mistakes: sometimes it’s deliberate. While a knot isn’t copyrightable, any drawings, photos, descriptions etc. of knots certainly are. The only way to prove plagiarism in a new knot book (or a new edition of a Beethoven score) is to show that a planted “error” was copied along with all the correct knots (and notes) from an existing edition.
Of course the errors are deliberate - but not for anti-plagurism - we do it to make you guys feel good when you find them!
Joking aside - Knot books have contained errors since the mid 1800’s - look at the number of errors in Tom Bowlings ‘The Knot Book’ - many of which were engravers errors in a previously published French book - think of the time and money it would have taken to correct those! Photographs are a classic cause of errors - printed in reverse. I could go on.
I doubt that any book is 100% error free, despite every effort to avoid them - so be cautious but don’t let it worry you too much Tom
Gordon
?! I’ve seen plenty of plagiarism–esp. of images–w/o any hint of action taken
against it. Indeed, I even pointed out to publishers of Eric Fry’s book (new
publishers who bought rights to the original …), and they wondered if I was
representing (legally) Mr. Fry (as though they shouldn’t know this, I guess!).
Some of his book’s images were scanned & regurgitated in the horrible book
(which nevertheless received a favorable review by one IGKT member in KM,
of all places!! *&$# ) by Derrick Lewis. There are other, and more egregious,
cases.
–dl*
Hi Mike,
Are you any further ahead in your search? I have read all the posts and I see that, with all the negative comments, there appear to be only two recommendations for you - ABOK and Charles Warner, both excellent books, but neither of which contains any colored photographs or many step-by-step instructions as requested. Gordon Perry’s book is great, as are Des Pawson’s and Geoffrey Budworth’s (despite what others may say) - but don’t EVER look for 100% accuracy, even in the great books mentioned - someone will always disagree with you, especially if they were not asked to provide the valuable insights they have until after the book is published. At that time, it is a little hard to recall thousands of books and say “sorry, Mr/Mrs/Miss ABC has a disagreement with the content of pages XXXXX, so there is a voluntary recall notice in place” - it just is not practical. Also, there is little incentive for a publisher to try to change something when going to a second or third edition, unless they receive direct complaints that things are dangerous as depicted.
As for the author - Gordon is quite right that, despite what happens in the EXTENSIVE proofreading to which a book is subjected (I know!) there will still be mistakes made. That’s life - deal with it, and DON’T accept something as true just because you saw it in a book, and don’t whine when it is in a book - it isn’t the gospel, it’s a book, warts and all! Also, remember that sometimes critics are those who neither write nor publish nor voice their opinions directly, but seem to prefer anonimity - closet critics are the perfect ones after all! :
Try out the three I have mentioned above, because they have fewer of those “mistakes” that are so often quoted allegorically here and elsewhere. Try searching amazon.co.uk, amazon.com, alibris.com, as starters - some have pages you can look at right on the web-page. Good luck with your search!
Lindsey Philpott
(another book author)
Thanks lindsey. I am still waiting for the two books, in my first post, to come in the mail. I have been looking at one by Des Pawson called “The pocket Guide to Knots and Splices” . I might just wait until I read ther other two before I purchase another.
Thanks again for all the replies ;D
At last I’m going to buy some knot books 
So far on my list are:
The Ashley Book of Knots of course
Knot Craft by Des Pawson
Encyclopedia of Knots and Fancy Rope Work by R. Graumont (can anyone help me decide on this one, is it worth taking if I’ll have ABOK?)
And I’m just looking for a nice book on advanced turks heads and woven knots, anyone could recommend anything?
Justas,
Unless you have more money than I expect, or get a very good deal on a set of ABOK+and the encyclopedia (G+H), I would buy ABOK first and wait before buying the other.
I have both and find that I hardly ever take G+H of the shelf.
I have heard and read a lot of un-flattering nicknames for G+H, indicating that more knottyers think the same.
It is a great book portaying knotted work, but it is not as much a book of instructions.
Des Pawsons Knotcraft is a very good deal, not giving as much info, but being far cheaper, it should be your first buy, I think.
Willeke
Justas,
Rather than buying the Encylopedia of Knots and Ropework - which is a nice to have book for inspiration, but not much else - I think you will benifit (with the work you do) from buying the Encylopedia of Rawhide and Leather Braiding by Bruce Grant instead. Yes it is aimed at leather workers, but the braids and Turk’s Heads etc in this book work equally well in cord.
Des Pawsons book has been reprinted slightly larger than the original version - agree, a ‘must have book’
For what it is worth, with my main interest being in practical knotting, splicing and Sailor’s Marlinspike ropework - my most used 10 books are:-
The Ashley Book of Knots - C W Ashley
A Fresh Approach to Knotting and Ropework - Charles Warner
The Complete Rigger’s Apprentice - Brion Toss
Handbook of Seaman’s Ropework - Sam Svensson
Encyclopedia of Rawhide and Leather Braiding - Bruce Grant
Creative Ropecraft - Stuart Grainger
The Splicing Handbook - Barbara Merry
The Arts of the Sailor - Hervey Garrett Smith
History and Science of Knots - Turner & van de Griend
Knots Splices and Fancy Work - Spencer
Gordon
I have heard and read a lot of un-flattering nicknames for G+H, indicating that more knottyers think the same. It is a great book portaying knotted work, but it is not as much a book of instructions.Re [i][u]EKFR[/i], it should be a matter of outrage by any interested practical knotter as to how this book came to be published, and then repeatedly so for all these decades! It purports to present a boatload of knots, but although there are indeed many, many plates of photos of entangled rope(s), after some examination the book begs the question [i]Why is this knot here?[/i]--over & over ad nauseam!! One is given knots that can be of no practical use (and sometimes the authors admit this), with photos that occasionally are ambiguous, and textual accompaniment that is usually unhelpful to gaining any understanding of the presented tangle. (In one comical conjecture H&G speculate that Turkish archers of old shot arrows farther on account of the use on some knot!)
It’s a shame, for there are some interesting things in the heap.
–maybe more than one would suppose, if they’d just present
the history. But in one case of near verbatim plagiarism I’ve
found, one can see pretty shoddy work: the knot is switched
from what they copied (which was itself a joke) in one crossing
and in which end was loaded, the text slightly adjusted to
accommodate this change, and the nonsense altered and
continued.
I have concluded (as have some others) that H&G took it upon
themselves to conjure up all sorts of knotted structures (mostly
of no possible worth) and put them on plates to … fill up a big
book of “knots”!!! --it’s hard to imagine any other reason for it.
“The Double Overhand Eye, Secured shows how to secure an
Overhand Eye.” --as though “Overhand Eye”, being put in capitals,
will lead you somewhere (no). This structure can be seen as
an intermediary state of one method of tying a Bowline on a
Bight–must’ve caught their fancy, or H&G couldn’t get the rest
of the way and just snapped the photo here and slapped on
a name & number! (They DO have the BoB, btw.) They really
go to town with sheepshanks–three plates of 'em!! And then their
individual gems: “The Combination Square Knot Hitch has a
Hitch tied through a Combination Square Knot.” --that’s all!
Again, no help on what the cited “C.S.Knot” is. Now, with the right
imagination, this particular structure can be seen to be a variant
on the Constrictor (which is otherwise absent); ya gotta dig & wiggle.
Another gem: The Dutchman’s Knot is a relic of bygone sailing
ship days, and is now a curiosity." --right! It would be a curiosity
in ANY day: What does one do with THIS??? (Beside it, alas, is a
“Single Bowline on a Bight” which, had they oriented the knot right,
been a potential boon to knotters, actually being just that! Knotting
Matters has now presented it and other versions several times,
and I have one image w/tying steps on-line; pity H&G didn’t get it.)
For the decorative knotter, well, there is a lot to look at; how much
the words matter in those cases I can’t say, for it’s not my interest,
but it’s probably a mixture of “enough to get going” and “huh?”
.:. So, if you happen across this book in some used-book shop
for under $10 and want to indulge one big curiosity & comedy
of knotting, buy it. No telling what you might dig out of it. But
in the meantime, don’t encourage the publisher any further.
–dl*
It’s the eternal question: “What is the best book ?”
I should ask myself “Best for what purpose ?”
99 % of all guild members will vote ABOK #1 and I agree. Its definitely the book that I would take with me to a remote island.
But I am not so sure that it is the best book to learn the basics. Take a look to H.G. Smiths “The Marlinspike Sailor” and you’ll see unrivalled clear drawings combined with good writing and deep passion for the subject. Isnt this a good candidate for a book to learn the basics and get infected with the knotting virus ?
ABOK may be the knotters bible, but you didnt learn reading with the bible or did you ? I have learnt “reading” with Kaj Lunds “Fancywork”. which I appreciate until today and remember my first knots as I remember the first sentence of my first schoolbook.
Ruben you are right there.
I learned my first knots out of a library copy of Smiths book, and when they took it out of the collection I was luckey enough to find a copy of the book in a secondhand store.
But nowadays most young people will search internet for the knots they want to learn, and will only start to buy books at a later stage, and we know Justknot has the basics and beyond already.
Willeke
i have Roo’s link and many more on my knot link page. It is a little light on fishing and beauty knots (perhaps i could use a hand there); but a wealth of general, climbing, working knots, science, gear etc.. Also, i have started a page of some animations of my own am presently looking on expanding the math animation/lesson for someone special; so have included it at no charge!
There are 100’s of drawings of rigging and pulley etc. theory in the index at the bottom of each page. All quiet affordable (if it’s free, it’s fer me!).
ABoK in the states goes for about $75 new list price; $50 at Walmart.com and also found on ebay: but is the best value and most comprehensive in categories, methodology, science, legend and lore of texts. I like color and polish of some other books, but there is something raw and honest in Ashleys pencil drawings, that brings across the rich power and history of knotting; like no other IMLHO!