Wooden Books

Wooden Books - The Mathemagical Ancient Wizdom Series Wooden Books was founded in 1999 by designer John Martineau near Hay-on-Wye. Eco friendly and educational.

The aim was to produce a beautiful series of recycled books based on the philosophies, arts and sciences. Using the Beatrix Potter formula of text facing picture pages, and old-styles fonts, along with hand-drawn illustrations and 19th century engravings, the books were designed not to date. Small but stuffed with information. Big ideas in a tiny space. There are over 1,000,000 Wooden Books now in

print worldwide and growing, as readers from Canada to Korea, Greece to Spain, Japan to the Czech Republic all fall under the unique spell of this innovative series. Every page of every little Wooden Book can be quickly browsed on our groundbreaking website www.woodenbooks.com - try before you buy, just like in a bookshop. You can also design your own star-covered box-set, or download PDFs. New titles for autumn 2013 are 'Curves' by Lisa DeLong and 'Celtic Pattern' by Adam Tetlow

16/07/2025

ZEST TRICKS

"Deep within us all is an indomitable rock of inner strength that, once accessed, bestows invulnerability. To find this secret space, seek deep within your solar plexus/sacral area, named the hara by the ancient Japanese. A closely related trick is to recall a time when you felt unbeatable, winning a game or knowing something with such total confidence that nothing could touch you. This can form an anchor."

From MIND TRICKS by Steven Saunders, 2008

14/07/2025

QUICK FIX TRICKS

"Quick fixes, while not addressing the deeper issues, nevertheless resolve many of life’s problems and keep things moving. Changing clothes, reorganising the layout or furnishing of a room, working in unusual places or taking some exercise all provide the context for innovative thinking and behavior. Moving to some different spaces can create fresh perspectives, allowing new insights to emerge.

If you experience an unpleasant emotion, notice where you feel it in your body. Ask yourself what might be inside the emotion. And what might be inside that? After several layers most people will arrive at a sense of inner peace or love. This is the default human condition, into which quick fixes can offer brief glimpses."

From MIND TRICKS by Steven Saunders, 2008

11/07/2025

MIND TRICKS - Ancient and Modern By Steven Saunders, 2008

How does Robin Hood hit the target every time? What is the secret art of memory? How do you slip past guards in broad daylight? Are there simple ways of boosting creativity, health, and happiness Bringing together wisdom traditions from all over the world, mind-coach Steven Saunders reveals the arcane tricks of Greek heros, politicians, spin doctors, athletes, and salesmen. With great illustrations by Matt Tweed, this book will open your eyes and enhance everything around you.

WOODEN BOOKS
Small Books, Big Ideas

09/07/2025

REFRAMING

"One of the oldest mind tricks, and still one of the best, involves changing the point of view to shift the perception of a situation."

"Another technique is to ask questions that are framed to force certain responses: “No sane person could believe that. You don’t do you?”. Politicians often reframe the facts to suit them, so Caesar may shift the frame to one in which his policy seems good and fair."

From MIND TRICKS by Steven Saunders, 2008

07/07/2025

INTRODUCTION

"What is a mind trick? A famous old one was King Solomon’s judgment on two women bringing a baby before him, both claiming it was theirs. “Cut it in half!” he said, which prompted one of them to beg him to give the baby to the other, thus giving herself away as the baby’s true mother. Solomon’s shock-trick brought out the unconscious motivations of the actors. This is also a feature of tricking minds with hypnosis—distracting the conscious mind while operating on the unconscious."

From MIND TRICKS by Steven Saunders, 2008

02/07/2025

ORKNEY - Megalithic Marvels of the Northern Isles - by Hector McDonnell, 2020

Were the Stones of Stenness the world’s first henge and stone circle? Why has Orkney preserved so many Neolithic farmhouses and villages? What was the purpose of the huge buildings on the Ness of Brodgar? In this small book, painter Hector McDonnell introduces the history and the mystery of Orkney. Could the practice of making astronomical stone circles really have started on a small island off the north coast of Scotland, and then been exported to the mainland? Read on!

WOODEN BOOKS
Small Books, Big Ideas

30/06/2025

LEGENDS OF THE STONES

"A legend common to many British circles is that the megaliths are people who were turned to stone for some transgression. At Callanish, the story is that St Kieran literally petrified pagan giants who were meeting to oppose Christianity.

Several tales involve birds: the first cuckoo of Spring traditionally gave its first call from the stones. A cuckoo’s call also heralded the mysterious ‘Shining One’ who is said to have walked up the avenue at midsummer sunrise. "

From CALLANISH by Gerald Ponting, 2000

27/06/2025

🌕 THIS YEAR (and this summer especially) we can witness a phenomenon which only occurs every 18.6 years known as the Major Lunar Standstill! 🌕

"The extent of the [moon's] swing around the horizon varies over a cycle lasting 18.6 years. The largest swings occur at the ‘major standstills’, as in 1987, 2006 and 2025."

"At the latitude of Callanish, this event is especially spectacular, with the moon skimming the southern horizon, as seen in the illustration on the next double page."

From CALLANISH by Gerald Ponting, 2022

25/06/2025

MAJOR LUNAR STANDSTILL

🌕 THIS YEAR we can witness a lunar phenomenon which only occurs ever 18.6 years! 🌝

"Every 18.6 years, at ‘major lunar standstill’, the moon rises at its most northerly position on the horizon and reaches its highest point in the sky, but just two weeks later, it rises at its most southerly position and rolls across the hill tops before setting again shortly after. The dark period of new moon then followed.

The moon’s behaviour at the standstill will have caused awe, but at least Neolithic people could work out when these would happen, even including when the sun and moon might have eclipses. However, the 3200 BC event did not fit into any calculations, making it exceptionally disturbing. This may have made the Orcadians feel that they must appease the forces they depended upon in some exceptional way."

From ORKNEY by Hector McDonnell, 2022

21/06/2025

🌞 HAPPY SUMMER SOLSTICE! 🌞

It's the longest day of the year! A day well worth celebrating we think!

Warmest wishes from all at Wooden Books ☀️

Image from LEYS by Danny Sullivan

20/06/2025

🌞 Summer Solstice at Stonehenge 🌞

It's the longest day of the year tomorrow! Anyone off to Stonehenge?

"Midsummer sunrise over the heel stone viewed from outside the sarsen circle, showing the trilithon framing the event. Note the off-centre alignment. The midsummer sun did not rise over the heel stone when Stonehenge was built, but to
the left of it, directly down the Avenue."

From STONEHENGE by Robin Heath
Final image from MAYAN CALENDAR by Geoff Stray

18/06/2025

🌞 Midsummer draws near! 🌞

Where will you be celebrating?

Here are just a few examples of the multitudes of midsummer sunrise alignments found on this side of the pond.

Images from:
LEYS by Danny Sullivan
MEGALITHIC IRELAND by Hector McDonnell
HOLY HILLS by Hector McDonnell

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Glastonbury

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https://linktr.ee/woodenbooks

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Our Story

Wooden Books was founded in 1999 by designer John Martineau near Hay-on-Wye. The aim was to produce a beautiful series of recycled books based on the classical philosophies, arts and sciences. Using the Beatrix Potter formula of text facing picture pages, and old-styles fonts, along with hand-drawn illustrations and 19th century engravings, the books were designed not to date. Small but stuffed with information. Eco friendly and educational. Big ideas in a tiny space. There are over 1,000,000 Wooden Books now in print worldwide and growing, as readers from Canada to Korea, Greece to Spain, Japan to the Czech Republic all fall under the unique spell of this innovative series. Every page of every little Wooden Book can be quickly browsed on our groundbreaking website www.woodenbooks.com - try before you buy, just like in a bookshop. You can also design your own star-covered box-set, or download PDFs.