Whips of the West: An Illustrated History of American Whipmaking

In his latest book, "Whips of the West", David Morgan follows the development of whipmaking in the United States. He begins in the early 19th century, with the mass migrations west and the beginning of the industrial revolution and continues to the decline of the industry in the mid-20th century.

Whipmaking was one of the first American crafts to take advantage of the industrial revolution. With numerous photographs, Morgan details the manufacturing of buggy whips by the Westfield Whip Company of Westfield, Massachusetts. He then continues with machine braiding in general with a focus on the Diamond Whip Company of Chicago.

Further chapters are divided into wagon and oxen whips, snake shot whips and regional varieties. Again, numerous photographs accompany each chapter.

The appendices consume as much room as the book itself. Topics include catalogs from 19th century whipmakers; profiles of the city of Westfield, Massachusetts from 1895 and 1910 and a history of Westfield, the "Whip City".

This book will appeal to not only whip enthusiasts, but also to those interested in the Industrial Revolution within the United States.