Rope

How a Bundle of Twisted Fibres Became the Backbone of Civilisation

By: TIM QUEENEY

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Paperback | 5 November 2026

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Paperback

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19.8 x 12.9 x 2.4

Paperback

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A unique and compelling adventure through the history of rope and its impact on civilization, in the vein of single-subject bestsellers like Salt and Cod. Tim Queeney is a sailor who knows more about rope and its importance to humankind than most. In Rope, Queeney takes readers on a ride through the history of rope and the way it weaves itself through the story of civilization. From Magellan's world-circling ships, to the 15th-century fleet of Admiral Zheng He, to Polynesian multihulls with crab claw sails, he shows how without rope, none of their adventurous voyages and discoveries would have been possible. Time traveling, he describes the building of the pyramids, the Roman Colosseum, Hagia Sophia, Notre-Dame, the Sultan Hasan Mosque, the Brooklyn Bridge, and countless other constructions that would not have been possible without rope. Not content to just look at rope's past, Queeney examines its present and possible future and how the re-invention of rope with synthetic fibers will likely provide the strength for cables to support elevators into space. Making the story of rope real for readers, Queeney tells remarkable nautical stories of his own reliance on rope at sea. Rope is history, adventure, and the story of one of the world's most common tools that has made it possible for humans to advance throughout the centuries. AUTHOR: Tim Queeney is the editor of Ocean Navigator, a magazine for offshore voyager. A life-long sailor, he teaches celestial navigation, radar navigation and coastal piloting ashore - where he tied plenty of knots and handled many a rope.

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