Bark Canoes: The Art and Obsession of Tappan Adney

By John Jennings Edwin Tappan Adney singlehandedly preserved the fading history of Native and fur trade bark canoe construction in North America by building 110 historically accurate canoe models using authentic materials and traditional techniques, many based on canoes that were the last remaining example of their type. Each model is accurate to the finest details: how the bark is sewn and sealed, rid and sheathing assembly, gunwale lashing and decoration.  Bark Canoes: The Art and Obsession of Tappan Adney profiles Adney's Life and his Life's work. Born in the United States in 1868, he lived much of his adult life in Canada. His last years were spent almost penniless in a small bungalow in New Brunswick. Canoe research and model building were only one of the passions that drove this extraordinary man. Respected by scholars for his work with canoes, ethnography and Native languages, he struggled against enormous odds to create and preserve his models and papers.  Now owned by the Mariners' Museum in Newport News, Virginia, 110 of his beloved canoe models have been photographed and are presented here for the first time. Detailed captions identify the source, building techniques and materials used for each canoe. 152 pages, paperback ISBN: 9781770851580