FPL has been putting out this book for years & keeps renaming it as they add to it, but the basics & much of the text is the same. I got this edition (1980) a reprint of the 1974 edition, shortly after it came out & was blown away by how much practical information it contained, even though I didn't understand or really want to know some of the technical details.

Most of it is very readable, if somewhat dry, text about commercially available woods & their properties in respect to usage. If you buy elm, just what species are you getting? There are also tables on durability, density, & working properties. The best picture I've ever seen showing how wood dries depending on where it is cut from the log is bookmarked (page 89) in my copy. Great stuff even for a lowly woodworker.

This edition doesn't have a great section on microscopy, but it does go into cell structure & gives some great tables on the various properties of clear wood that I found very helpful.

I keep it handy & refer to it fairly often. For Xmas 2012, I got the updated 2010, Centennial edition. ( )