Answering a reference question about plywood, I discovered Thomas Perry's seminal work on that subject in the Othmer Library's collection. Perry's book, Modern Plywood (1942), provided an early history from Egypt to the modern times of the publication of this work. Perry covers the uses of plywood, adhesives, methods of manufacture and the equipment used to create plywood. In the book's introduction written by Wilson Compton of the National Lumber Manufacturers Association he states, "the author is well qualified to present the most significant and most useful facts regarding the manufacture, distribution and uses of plywood." Let me introduce you to Thomas D. Perry.
Thomas Doane Perry was born May 27, 1877 in Boston, Massachusetts. He graduated from Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He served two terms as the President of the Plywood Manufacturing Association and was an organizer of the Division of Wood industries in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. He was appointed in 1926 to serve on the National Committee on Wood Utilization by then Secretary of Commerce, Mr. Herbert C. Hoover. Perry was employed by several 'veneer' companies throughout his career: Grand Rapids Veneer Works (1920), New Albany Veneering Co. (1936), and Resinous Products and Chemical Company, Philadelphia. (1940)
Perry published:
Imagine the surprise of finding Modern Plywood was actually bound with a plywood cover (courtesy of the United States Plywood Corporation). It is also noted that copies located online have the same binding including the red tape banded tips and spine.
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