Cræft: An Inquiry Into the Origins and True Meaning of Traditional Crafts

In the midst of a seemingly endless supply of mass-manufactured products, we find ourselves nostalgic for products bearing the mark of authenticity-hand-made furniture, artisan breads, craft beers, and other goods produced by human hands. What often goes unnoticed is the transformation of our understanding of craft-or rather, craeft-in the wake of industrialization.



In Craeft, archaeologist and medieval historian Alexander Langlands argues that our modern understanding of craft only skims th...