The whole book is intriguing, especially the descriptive chapters on the enjoyment of scything. I started scything in my teens, and have cut grass and hay with the same swing for more than eighty years. It is a first-class, fresh-air exercise that stirs the blood and flexes the muscles while it clears the meadows.

...armed with book and scythe, I approached my grass. I can report that I laid waste to a quarter-acre of weeds, including occasional poplar and sumac shoots up to a half-inch in diameter. I felt good after performing this chore. Last year I did the same job in twice the time with a 'weed eater' made by a chain saw manufacturer. It vibrated. I vibrated. Though I wore antinoise earmuffs, I got a headache. David Tresemer has converted me to scything.