Saturday, December 26, 2009

Shop Class As Soulcraft - Matt Crawford

Heard about this book and was quite thrilled about a validating point of debate on the need to understand "soulcraft" in terms of manual labor. Yeah, I am partial due to the fact that the guy happens to be a motorcycle mechanic but, that was simply the hook that got me interested. Crawford's book speaks to folks in the mindset of understanding why pleasure and competence can be derived from repair and maintenance on machinery is becoming a lost art. His tone is from a practical standpoint, at some points completely academic, but is by no means trying to become overly sophisticated. I think that he is just trying to find a way to speak to how humbling it can be to fix a carb thats too lean, or any other aspect in which mechanical finesse is applied in order for a machine to run smoothly. Its a great book and easily fits onto the bookshelf right beside "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" by Robert Pirsig

Matt Crawford - Shop Class As Soulcraft

Shockoe Moto - Richmond, VA