"The sinuous, fifty-thousand-year-old history of a material that even today is vastly more ubiquitous and important than we have ever thought to consider.” –

Lincoln Paine, author of The Sea and Civilization: A Maritime History of the World. 

Rope tells the story of one of humanity’s earliest and most important tools. The book looks at the use of rope and its importance to the growth of civilization from ancient times through the building of the great cathedrals in the Middle Ages to its essential role in rigging and controlling sailing ships to its continued use by industry and sports enthusiasts today. It even looks ahead to the fantastical role high tech rope could play in the future. Included are gripping human stories of rope users through the ages. 

Tim Queeney is is the former editor of Ocean Navigator magazine. Tim’s writing has appeared in Professional Mariner, American History, and Aviation History. He’s had short stories included in the anthology Landfall, Best New England Crime Stories 2018 and in the speculative fiction anthology A Land Without Mirrors. A sailor, he’s taught celestial navigation both ashore and at sea aboard tall ships—where he tied plenty of knots and handled many a rope. He lives in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. For 36 years he’s spent part of every summer on Martha's Vineyard.