Ingrained Signed First Edition

‘A debut that’s both a paean to the art of woodworking and a memoir about creative endeavours’ – OBSERVER

'Mesmeric' SPECTATOR

'A beautifully cut and crafted masterpiece inlaid with insight and polished with the pure joy of nature.’
CHRIS PACKHAM, author of Fingers in the Sparkle Jar: A Memoir

'Original. Rare. As beautiful as trees... A masterpiece.'
JOHN LEWIS-STEMPEL, author of Meadowland, The Running Hare and The Wood

'A book that is covertly a love poem disguised as a father-and-son story, an apprentice’s learning of an exotic craft, a hymn to the eternal mystery of trees, and a tribute to the flat-out joy of gifting. Enchanting.'
BILL BUFORD, author of Heat and Dirt

'A delightful book about the art of craft; a hard-carved woodworking romance written with tenderness and an almost sensual attention to detail. I can smell the resin and the soft, fresh sawdust. I can feel the bite of dense grain beneath the blade. Quite magical.'
CAL FLYN, author of Islands of Abandonment

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Ingrained is a love letter to trees, timber and craftsmanship – and to finding your own voice.
The eldest son of a Master Woodworker, Callum Robinson spent his childhood surrounded by wood and trees, absorbing craft lessons in his father’s workshop, playing amongst the sycamore, oak and Scots pine that bordered his home. In time he became his father’s apprentice, helping to create exquisite bespoke objects. But eventually the need to find his own path led him to establish his own workshop; to chase ever bigger and more commercial projects, to business meetings, bright lights and bureaucracy, to lose touch with his roots. Until the devastating loss of one major job threatened to bring it all crashing down. Faced with the end of his business, his team and everything he had worked so hard to build, he was forced to question what mattered most.

In beautifully wrought prose, Callum tells the story of returning to the workshop, and to the wood; to handcrafting furniture for people who will love it, and then pass it on to the next generation – antidotes to a culture where everything seems so easily disposable. As he does so, he brings us closer to nature,...read more...