It’s called The Scything Handbook.
Author Ian Miller is based on a small homestead in Iowa. The American publishers of the book, New Society say:
“Written by a master of the scythe, professionally trained in Austria, and drawing deeply on research into original German texts, The Scything Handbook brings centuries-old scything techniques into the 21st century.
Detailed illustrations cover scythe assembly, perfecting the stroke, blade selection, honing, peening, and aftercare, as well as background on how scythes are forged. Also covered are the basics of making hay and mulch by hand, and how to grow and harvest gains at the home and homestead scale for self-sufficiency.”
The book is being released in the UK from 22nd September. I’m looking forward to having a look, particularly as Ian will be discussing subjects such as hand hay making and harvesting grains as well as scythe set up and mowing. We will be stocking it in the book section of our shop if you fancy a look too.
Someone should write an encyclopedic book covering the various snath designs and the various blade designs of the sithe (“sithe” is another acceptable way to spell “scythe” according to Samuel Johnson in his __Dictionary of the English Language__) available throughout the world now and through the ages. The book should have plenty of color pictures, diagrams, and blueprints for the serious sithe collector and scholar. 🙂
It would be interesting reading, quite a research project though! But would be a great excuse to visit all kinds of interesting corners of Europe and beyond….