The Remarkable Hammer

The beauty of hand tools is often overlooked. This book is a celebration of hammers, the workhorse of tools. It traces our oldest tool, from its prehistoric origins to the twentieth century. As civilizations grew more complex, so too did the need for specialized hammers. This book contains a cross section of 270, artistic, historic and sometimes odd hammers which are categorized into functional groups showing their diversity, inventiveness and beauty.

The beauty of hand tools is often overlooked. This book is a celebration of hammers, the workhorse of tools. It traces our oldest tool, from its prehistoric origins to the twentieth century. As civilizations grew more complex, so too did the need for specialized hammers. This book contains a cross section of 270, artistic, historic and sometimes odd hammers which are categorized into functional groups showing their diversity, inventiveness and beauty.

Hammers are the workhorses of tools. Those of us who depend on them appreciate their efficiency and their inherent beauty. In this book, The Remarkable Hammer, the author, a practicing metal artist, explores the world of historic and inventive hammers. The captivating beauty and efficiency of hammers are often overlooked, yet they are a vital link between a creative idea and its realization. This book honors an often under appreciated tool. The author, Roy Ysla, is a metal artist who works from studios in Kensington, Maryland and Verbania, Italy, where he creates large scale sculptural pieces and small scale jewelry. He holds an MFA in studio art and has exhibited his metal work in the United States and Europe. He has also taught in high school and college and worked as a translator. His lifelong interests in the history of metal arts, his collecting pursuits and several years of wandering in and out of countless European and American museums, galleries, obscure antique shops, and workshops have lead to this, his second book on historic and artistic metalwork.