The Joinery Compendium: Learning from Traditional Woodworking

"Is there anything quite so seductive as a well-conceived technical manual or instruction booklet? This winner of the DAM Architectural Book Award 2025 demonstrates how deeply meaningful — and modern — traditional woodworking can be, and it does so with diagrams that are the epitome of effective communication. The book systematically documents more than 400 traditional wood-joints from across the world, with explanations of wood properties and technical terminology in English, German, Japanese. This is no nostalgic throwback. Precision and clarity of presentation make it obvious that these joinery techniques could once again become relevant, in an era of sustainable building, repairability, and respect for materials. Encyclopedic, elegant, inviting – for anyone who believes in longevity — of buildings, furniture, books — The Joinery Compendium is a reference that reads like a user’s manual for sustainable living."