I am currently near to finishing 'The Age of Wood' (Roland Enos, 
Scribner), a fascinating anthropological/historical account of the role 
of wood in the history of our specie and civilizations. I recommend it 
highly. One interesting bit which I gleaned concerns Joseph Moxon, 
author of the Mechanick Exercises.  Moxon was promoted as a fellow to 
the Royal Society, the first tradesman to be so honoured, by scientist 
Robert Hooke, who helped him publish his works, which Enos describes as 
'the first-ever  set of DIY manuals'.

FWIW

Don

-- 

God's away on business - Tom Waits

"...it's just a humpty dumpty world" - Ry Cooder