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Reviews
| An Illustrated History of the Barrel in America. By Jack L. Shagena. Bel Air, Md.: Shagena, 2006. 202 pp., illus., tables, diags., notes, appendences, index. $14.95 pb (ISBN 0-97768866-0-4) [For copies: Jack L. Shagena, Jr.; 2017 Gumtree Terrance, Bel Air, MD 21015].
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Jack L. Shagena wrote and self-published this account of the history of barrels in the United States because he believed their history has not been appreciated. He might be right. Barrels were the primary containers used for shipping and storing a variety of goods until the early-20th century, when they were replaced by steel drums, glass, paper cartons, cardboard boxes, and plastics. The barrel's size and uniformity made it easy to transport and store. To show readers the variety of goods that were stored in barrels, Shagena includes a long list in one of the appendices. Some examples are ale, molasses, ceramic wares, rice, cod, coffee, embalming fluid, flour, soap, tar, grain, gunpowder, candy, meats, cider, nails, ore, paint, rum, salt, and whale oil. Larger barrels called hogsheads held tobacco.
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Nine chapters cover topics from the early history of wooden containers to the barrel's robustness and importance to the colonial and early industrial U.S. To argue for the barrel's hardy construction, Shagena tells the story of 63-year-old Annie Taylor who in 1901 went over Niagara Falls in a barrel and survived. In a fascinating chapter, Shagena, a retired engineer, describes the entire process of barrel construction, complete with diagrams and a list of the necessary materials and tools.
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The fascinating and informative illustrations show how ever-present the barrel was in pre-20th-century U.S. society and its economy. Shagena provides multiple examples to demonstrate how barrels regularly appeared in the background of various advertisements and art in the 19th century.
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Often using his own excellent artwork, Shagena familiarizes readers with barrel construction, looking at the coopers who made the barrel and the parts with which they worked: the staves that formed the barrel and the hoops that held the staves in place as they were molded into the standard shape. This reviewer was surprised to learn that the barrel's hoops have names: the top hoop is the chime, followed by the quarter hoop, and then the bilge, with the chime having the widest width. Another surprise was that the familiar hole in the barrel has a name too—the bunghole. Barrels had to be made tight so no leakage occurred. A slack, or dry, barrel carried dry goods, while a tight, or wet, barrel held liquids. Oak was the preferred wood because of its strength and because it could be heated and formed. Handmade barrels fell by the wayside as machine-made barrels hit the late-19th-century industrial market. Shagena devotes a section to this process. A few companies and select individuals still make barrels for museum reproductions and for the wine industry, which still uses barrels to age some wines.
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The last chapter is a fun conclusion, as Shagena notes how the word "barrel" has slipped into everyday vernacular. He explains such common phrases as "bottom of the barrel," "like shooting fish in a barrel," "more fun than a barrel of monkeys," "barrel-chested," and "pork-barrel politics."
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| Shagena wrote this book to celebrate the barrel's history. In addition to historians and historical and industrial archaeologists, the general public will find An Illustrated History of the Barrel in America attractive because the author makes the seemingly obscure topic of barrels so interesting. A few typographical errors here and there detract from the reading. However, the illustrations are well placed and very helpful. The glossary is even illustrated. The illustrations alone make this book a key reference or artifact identification and understanding. |
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