ROPE: How a Bundle of Twisted Fibers Became the Backbone of Civilization. By Tim Queeney. St. Martin’s Press. 336 pages. $27. Counter-intuitive as it seems, a knot makes a length of rope weaker, not ...

In “Rope,” Tim Queeney makes a case for the humble material as the tie that binds human history. By Sam Kean Sam Kean is the author of seven books, including “Dinner With King Tut,” “The Icepick ...

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Andrew and Heather Cumpstone were inspired to set up Kefi Ropemakers after the closure of long-standing rope-makers Outhwaites ...

"There's hardly any of us now, but each town would have their own rope maker," Heather Cumpstone says over the gentle hum of machinery. "If we don't keep using those techniques, traditional rope ...