Even in the era of the cordless electric drill, the stories in simple wooden hand tools appeal to collectors. Collectible Hand Tools offers a broad overview of the tools that craftsmen brought to the new world - and many North American originals - as they began to shave, carve, rivet, gauge, mark, saw, and join together their lives in the 200 years before the creation of mass-produced tools. Six categories of tools feature examples of traditional European and American designs for working wood, metal, and leather, as well as the hardest-working tools of all: those associated with building trades, including over a dozen specialized hammer shapes. The final chapter looks at unusual tool designs.

With over 400 full-color photographs accompanied by detailed captions and a section of useful addresses to guide the curious, Collectible Hand Tools is the perfect introduction to an absorbing hobby.

Dominique Pascal, who loves all things small and collectible, is also the author of Collectible Miniature Cars and Collectible Pocket Knives.