Overview

NATIONAL BESTSELLER LONGLISTED FOR THE 2025 ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE IN NONFICTION A captivating memoir that immerses readers in the life of a Scottish carpenter as he perfects his craft, builds a business, and reflects on what inheritance and shared responsibility really mean The eldest son of a master woodworker, Callum Robinson spent his childhood surrounded by wood and trees, absorbing lessons in his father's workshop. In time he became his father's apprentice, helping to create exquisite bespoke objects. But eventually the need to find his own path--to chase ever bigger and more commercial projects and establish a workshop of his own--drew him away. Faced with the end of his business, his team, and everything he had worked so hard to build, he was forced to question what mattered most. In beautifully wrought prose, Callum tells the story of returning to the workshop and to the wood, to handcrafting furniture for people who will love it and then pass it on to the next generation--an antidote to a culture where everything seems so easily disposable. As he does so, he brings us closer to nature and the physical act of creation--and we begin to understand how he has been shaped, as both a craftsman and a son. Blending memoir and nature writing at its finest, Ingrained is an uplifting meditation on the challenges of working with your hands in our modern age, on community, consumerism, and the beauty of the natural world--one that asks us to see our local trees, and our own wooden objects, in a new and revelatory light.

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9780063350830

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Reviews

"""A book that is covertly a love poem disguised as a father-and-son story, an apprentice's learning of an exotic craft, a hymn to the eternal mystery of trees, and a tribute to the flat-out joy of gifting. Enchanting."" -- Bill Buford, author of Heat and Dirt ""I didn't think it possible to blend the tones and sensibilities of James Herriott and Anthony Bourdain, but Callum Robinson has managed to do it - in wood! This wise and wonderful book takes the lucky reader as deeply into the grain of Britain's primal medium as it does into the psyche of one its most gifted practitioners. Trees, chairs, and woodworkers alike will resonate differently once you've become Ingrained."" -- John Vaillant, author of Pulitzer Prize finalist, Fire Weather ""Honest, original and true - written like a good novel, with that very rare merit of exploring the doubt and criticism necessary for any great art or craft, be it writing or carpentry."" -- Lars Mytting, author of Norwegian Wood and The Sister Bells Trilogy ""This magnificent debut isn't just an ode to the craft of carpentry, but the art of writing. Robinson's chiseled, elegant prose is the sound of a bright new voice in non-fiction. His memoir brings to life the heartwood in trees, families, and a young man making his way in the world with an inspiring integrity. This is essential reading for any artist who might be losing their way."" -- Sophy Roberts, author of The Lost Pianos of Siberia ""A gorgeous, heartfelt book, shot through with the wisdom and grace of the trees that illuminate its pages. In the age of rampant consumerism, it is salutary to be reminded that there are still craftspeople like Callum Robinson, pouring love into his creations. Like his tables, chairs, cabinets and sculptures, Ingrained is a work of wonder and beauty."" -- Lee Schofield, author of Wild Fell ""Ingrained is a delight to read: deliciously indulgent and a work of pure craft poetry."" -- Rebecca Struthers, author of Hands of Time ""This memoir is a paean to the glories of nature; to working with your hands against the grain of our all-too-disposable lifestyles."" -- Bookseller (UK), ""Editor's Choice"" ""A delightful book about the art of craft; a hard-carved woodworking romance written with tenderness and an almost sensual attention to detail. I can smell the resin and the soft, fresh sawdust. I can feel the bite of dense grain beneath the blade. Quite magical."" -- Cal Flyn, author of Islands of Abandonment"

"""This magnificent debut isn't just an ode to the craft of carpentry, but the art of writing. Robinson's chiselled, elegant prose is the sound of a bright new voice in non-fiction. His memoir brings to life the heartwood in trees, families, and a young man making his way in the world with an inspiring integrity. This is essential reading for any artist who might be losing their way."" -- Sophy Roberts, author of The Lost Pianos of Siberia ""A gorgeous, heartfelt book, shot through with the wisdom and grace of the trees that illuminate its pages. In the age of rampant consumerism, it is salutary to be reminded that there are still craftspeople like Callum Robinson, pouring love into his creations. Like his tables, chairs, cabinets and sculptures, Ingrained is a work of wonder and beauty."" -- Lee Schofield, author of Wild Fell ""Ingrained is a delight to read: deliciously indulgent and a work of pure craft poetry."" -- Rebecca Struthers, author of Hands of Time"

"""This magnificent debut isn't just an ode to the craft of carpentry, but the art of writing. Robinson's chiselled, elegant prose is the sound of a bright new voice in non-fiction. His memoir brings to life the heartwood in trees, families, and a young man making his way in the world with an inspiring integrity. This is essential reading for any artist who might be losing their way."" -- Sophy Roberts, author of The Lost Pianos of Siberia"

"""This magnificent debut isn't just an ode to the craft of carpentry, but the art of writing. Robinson's chiselled, elegant prose is the sound of a bright new voice in non-fiction. His memoir brings to life the heartwood in trees, families, and a young man making his way in the world with an inspiring integrity. This is essential reading for any artist who might be losing their way."" -- Sophy Roberts, author of The Lost Pianos of Siberia ""A gorgeous, heartfelt book, shot through with the wisdom and grace of the trees that illuminate its pages. In the age of rampant consumerism, it is salutary to be reminded that there are still craftspeople like Callum Robinson, pouring love into his creations. Like his tables, chairs, cabinets and sculptures, Ingrained is a work of wonder and beauty."" -- Lee Schofield, author of Wild Fell ""Ingrained is a delight to read: deliciously indulgent and a work of pure craft poetry."" -- Rebecca Struthers, author of Hands of Time ""This memoir is a paean to the glories of nature; to working with your hands against the grain of our all-too-disposable lifestyles."" -- Bookseller (UK), ""Editor's Choice"""

Author Information

Callum Robinson makes all manner of things from all manner of woods for some of the most influential brands in the world. He is creative director at Method Studio, the company he established with his wife, designer and lecturer Marisa Giannasi, almost fifteen years ago. Taught by his father - now one of the UK's foremost ""Master Woodcarvers"" - his work has been exhibited widely. He works and writes from a studio and workshop in a forest, beside a loch, nestled in the Scottish hills.

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