The Wheelwright’s Shop

Although it was first published in 1923, The Wheelwright's Shop may appear as a revelation to a reader who is unfamiliar with its pages. It tells the story of third-generation English wheelwright George Sturt near the end of the nineteenth century, when efficiency and economies of scale were the only forces governing the craftsman's techniques of production and personal values. Sturt portrays a social milieu in which craft, work, art, and life were still intertwined—rather than segregated into distinct spheres—as if he were a guest from a bygone era. The Wheelwright's Shop offers both a technical explanation of its protagonist's skill and a picturesque portrayal of such craftsmen's daily lives in turn-of-the-century England—while quietly bemoaning the loss of both. May this book's moving depiction of the "real labour" we abandoned, and the peaceful tranquilly and simplicity that accompanied it, motivate an increasing number of people to seek out creative alternatives to our numbing work landscape, as well as a resurgence of the spiritual dignity of work.

Paperback, 266 pages.