Samuel Johnson (of Boswell fame) said about writing, whatever is written without effort is in general read without pleasure and the unexamined word is not worth reading. However, even the most thoughtfully written text is unlikely to be described as a good read. This book is not an exhaustive review. Rather it is an uneven selection of examples whose interplay across disciplines hopefully illuminates what drives the practice of forest production, wood processing and consumer preferences. The choice of material is arbitrary reflecting personal biases. It is a summary of material presented to...