This book shows you how to tie 50 knots. Some have been chosen for their fame, some for their beauty and some because they are knots that everyone should know how to tie. On every great theme, there are always possible variations, and, as the text makes clear, from time to time people come up with new effective methods of tying. Some of us may be destined to create knots that will bear our names for eternity, but first we need to study the time-honoured techniques: an intricate art that has been practised since before poetry or painting were dreamt of, which can't be mastered in five minutes. Many of the knots featured are strongly associated with - and probably originated - from sailing, but even the saltiest of them have extensive applications on land: adhesive tape and Velcro have their uses, but they have not rendered knots redundant; no technological advance ever will.