[MR] The Complete Yurt Handbook - A Positive Critique.

[rmhowe]

A NEW BOOK on building Yurts (Ger) has come out. I saw a new
web site for building your own yurt come up on the Medieval 
Encampments list a couple of weeks ago. I ordered the book, and
have had some time since to examine it. I highly recommend it.

Some time ago when I was taking Architectural Technology at a 
local technical school I wrote a Term Paper on historical yurt/
ger construction (A+) during an effort to retrain as a draftsman. 
(I had become permanently crippled with myofascial pain/fibromyalgia
the previous year after being a working craftsman of many years 
during which I also took 5 years of Industrial Arts Ed. in university.) 
That paper and it's bibliography are still in the process of 
enlargement with the idea of turning it into a Compleat Anachronist
or booklet. I'm still searching out sources and buying those books 
on a regular basis but I have yet to do my own original illustrations 
for the thing.  So I am familiar with both the history and the 
processes of making a yurt/ger as I've been looking into it for
seven years now - several thousand pages in many books I have 
looked at.

However, I would have to say fairly that I probably cannot exceed 
the direct constructional experience of Paul King who exceeds the 
most authentic yurts of anyone I know of on the North American 
Continent - even if he is in England. (Last year I examined and 
photographed very many of the yurts at Pennsic and while the 
shapes were much the same the constructional details were generally 
differing from either the modern or the historical -Mongolian Ger-
styles.) Paul King's frames do not except for the wood species used.
He also supplies some few constructional details I was trying to
learn a bit more about that aren't in some other books I've seen.

Paul King actually spent time with multiple actual ger builders of 
more than one style in Mongolia. (Some of these builders who are
primarily town or forest dwellers specialize in primarily making 
the crowns and doors and much of the rest of the frames are easily
made by the nomads who generally lack both the tools for the doors
or crowns and the space to carry them.) The two large factories 
in Ulan-Baator, Mongolia that were making the modern yurt style 
closed after the Russian confederation split up. The oldest 
Mongolians are now teaching the youngsters how to build again 
the traditional styles - especially the felting. 

Here is an excellent opportunity to learn to make a traditional 
one in very simple and understandable terms, in multiple sizes, 
with complete measurements given, at a fraction of the price that 
many people are buying/making them now, assuming you have access
to a wood lot with suitable wood. 

Coppicing is traditional in England, and in Mongolia where 
harvesting is only permitted at certain intervals by tribal council.
Coppicing is cutting the plants off near the root which 
subsequently produce many shoots for future use, and it is
a -renewable- resource. Basket and hurdle makers traditionally
do this in England and elsewhere. 

Even if you don't have a native wood supply this still is
an excellent tutorial on making the wood items necessary in
the traditional shapes and sizes - all measured and adequately
explained. So you could convert regular lumber to more traditional
and authentic appearing styles.

The only places that I feel this book is light on are the 
traditional ways of making felt, of which there are 3 or 4 
regional variations and the nomad's methods of weaving the 
binding bands and ropes of various differing animal fibers. 
Paul King uses a canvas tension band instead of the more 
traditional Mongolian back strap woven one and the covering is 
modern canvas as opposed to the ancient/medieval traditional 
method of covering the yurts with multiple layers of felt pads 
only, up to eight layers, tied on with ribbons at the corners, 
and lashed over with ropes although he does depict the shapes of
the pieces). However the frame constructional details are generally
right on. I know of a few variations not depicted but his drawings
are very good. While he -does- give constructional details of the 
older and modern door -frames- he does -not- include either the 
framing of a modern single or double paneled door itself.  
(Honestly there are a number of different ways to do the modern 
doors and attach the roof poles to them. The cover of his book 
gives you a excellent painted multi-color picture of one though. 

You also get nomadic food recipes, symbolism, and yurt etiquette 
within King's book. There are depicted methods of putting in a 
modern stove and it's pipe either through the crown top or 
offset in the side of the ger so you can use the ger for cold 
or winter camping.

What is particularly nice, and accurate, is that while King 
advocates use of power tools in the construction, he is using 
coppiced Hazel, Ash, Chestnut or Oak, in the traditional 
manner of the Mongolians and Khirgiz. The Mongolians use 
Baltic Birch and Willow. Since he's in England he's using 
indigenous woods. You could too. In many cases his frame members
are both more accurate and -lighter- than many we use on this
continent for our replicas.

The canvas cover patterns are very good. There are illustrations
of some styles of crown collars.

I believe my copy cost me $25 and owning a goodly number of the
books and articles on Mongolians and Yurt building I was quite 
impressed. Even if it's free to look at on the web I seriously 
recommend -buying- the book. If you want to build a yurt it is
worth it.

King, Paul: _The Complete Yurt Handbook_ 
(includes full instructions on how to build your own yurt); 
Eco-logic Books 2001, ISBN 1899233083, Paperback 126 pages.
Black and white photo illustrations and drawings throughout.
"The book is divided into two parts: Part one deals with the 
history of the yurt, how it works and the principles behind 
its construction. We also take a look at life today in
a mongolian ger and the culture and etiquette of ger living. 
Part two gives full and detailed instructions on how to make 
several types of yurt, including step by step instructions on 
how to build your own ’weekend yurt’. The author Paul King has
been a professional yurt builder for more than ten years and 
has travelled extensively in Mongolia to research his subject." 
Further copies of the book may be purchased from: eco-logic books
10-12 Picton St., Bristol BS6 5QA, England
Telephone: 0117 942 0165    Fax: 0117 942 0164    
email: books at eco-logic.demon.co.uk

Woodland Yurts  
80 Coleridge Vale Road South
Clevedon, North Somerset BS21 6PG
Telephone 01275 879705
http://www.woodlandyurts.com/
<http://www.woodlandyurts.freeserve.co.uk/netbook1.htm>

I also own Peter Alford Andrews' _Felt Tents and Pavillions_
and have read through his doctoral Thesis. Comparing the two
I suggest saving $150 and purchasing Paul King's book for
the average reenactor. It's simple, it's direct, and it
will save you time, money and grief.

For more regional variations you might look in _Shelter I
and II_, by Shelter Associates (currently in reprint)
(I is better generally) 
or 
Torvald Faegre's _Tents: Architecture of the Nomads_, 1979 PB, 
which is out of print and frequently hard to come by. 

Hatton's book on _Tents: A History_ is also a nice book to 
have if you can find one.

_Eighteen Songs of a Nomad Flute - The Story Of Lady Wen-Chi_: 
This color scroll was done in the 14th century and contains 
some of the earliest accurate period pictures of yurts, tents
and carts. Metropolitan Museum of Art - New York, 1974.

_Nomads_ by Peter Carmichael, a BBC book, has a particularly
fine illustration of a colorful yurt crown outside a maker's shop
along with door frames and lattice.

Please do NOT buy Blue Evening Star's book called _Yurts and 
Tipis_ (Teepees) which is okay for the latter but the plans 
for the yurt are simply awful, although there are some nice 
shots of real modern yurts. This plan is about as far as one can
get from traditional construction or function. For much the same 
price you can buy the nice book below for authentic construction. 

Felt by Sjoberg also depicts both the felting and much of the 
constructional details of a Mongolian ger in process in color.

Sjöberg, Gunilla Paetau: _Felt - New Directions for an Ancient 
Craft_, translated from _Tova_ by Patricia Spark, Interweave Press, 
201 E. Fourth Street, Loveland, CO 80537 USA. 150 page hardback 
ISBN 1883010179. $25. The chapter Felting Techniques in other Cultures
includes Feltmaking in 	Mongolia and with the Turkmen from page 23
-36 in which the making of the felt cover of the yurt is very well 
depicted, as are many of the constructional details and part of the
production of the Mongolian Ger, minus the door and crown making, 
with suitable addtional photos of the sewing after making of the 
ropes that surround them, steambending the wall lattice (in a sheet
metal oven), drilling the lattice with a simple human-powered drill
frame, both framed and felt panelled doors, and the inside of a 
yurt. A yurt is also depicted during the part of the process of 
assembly. The book also includes sewn felt carpets from Mongolia, 
tambour stitch from Kashmir, inlaid wool patterns in Turkmen Carpets
and Cut Felt Designs in Turkey among yurt dwellers. 
A little Story Telling Yurt for children's' school is on page 144. 
(The felt Hedeby animal mask from Viking Times is on page 17.) 

Tsultem, N.: _Mongolian Architecture_; Publisher: Ulan-Bator: 
State Publishing House, Ulan-Bator, 1988. Large blue cloth folio,
150 color & 50 b&w photos, text in English, Russian, Spanish 
and French languages, high quality paper, printing & binding.  
A very beautifully photographed book, this work covers the 
history of Mongolian architecture, the Ger & the more solid 
modern architecture based on the Ger form, on the planning in 
town building, and modern city architecture. The album begins 
with early complexes of human burials which date from the stone 
age, stone sculptures, rock-paintings, the ruins of settlements, 
fortresses, palaces, "Yurts" and "Ger-carts". Stunning color 
photographs of the land, landscape, yurts, fortress walls, 
palaces, temples, monasterial complexes, trade malls, sacred
gates, beam stanchions, cornices, gates, decorated portals, 
bell tower, Tibeto-Mongolian construction, Tibetan temple styles,
etc. If you are looking for designs or color to paint your yurt 
with this is an excellent source. The yurts depicted in it are 
both beautiful and huge. 
   Another is: 
_Development of the Mongolian National Style Painting "Mongol 
Zurag"_; by Tsultem, N.; Ulan-Bator: State Publishing House, 
1986, Cloth Hard Cover 4to. Unpaginated (222pp.). Edited by D. 
Sandagdorzh. 92 color plates and numerous b&w illustrations. 
Introductory essay and illustration captions in Russian, English,
French, and Spanish.  A major contribution to the study of 
Mongolian, Tibetan and Chinese influenced paintings. Covers 
development of the Mongolian national style, iconography, folk 
painting, paintings of the Urga School, and includes information
on techniques and materials. Principally useful for designs.

For those with limited other resources I would recommend looking
at the following National Geographics:

January 1936, "With the Nomads of Central Asia", by Edward Murray, 
pp. 1-57 and Plates. 

March 1962, "Journey to Outer  Mongolia", By William Thomas and 
Dean Conger, pp. 289-345.  This is the primary photo illustration 
source for most yurt assembly,  imitated by other's sketches 
in their articles. If you want to see how its done, look this 
up! EXCELLENT!! It also has what are undoubtedly some of the most
beautiful interior pictures of a yurt commonly available.

March 1980, "Journey to China’s Far West", has a few pictures.

December 1996, "Ghenghis Khan", By Mike Edwards, and James L. 
Stanfield, pp. 2-37, with inclosed foldout depicting Mongol life, 
travelling yurts, and a geographic map.

February 1997, "The Great Khans",  By Mike Edwards, and James L. 
Stanfield, pp. 2-35, less on yurts, second part to the Dec. 1996 
article. Both are excellent articles, a mix of modern and 
medieval sources and pictures.

If you can't find National Geographics at your local charity or
library, you can order them from the National Geographic's
website. They get more expensive as they go back in time.
Recently I have seen the whole series for sale on CDs for $66.

Master Magnus Malleus, OL, GDH, Atlantia © 2002 R.M. Howe
*No reposting my writings to newsgroups, especially rec.org.sca,
or the SCA-Universitas elist. I view this as violating copyright
restrictions. As long as it's to reenactor or SCA -closed- 
subscriber based email lists or individuals I don't mind. It's 
meant to help people without aggravating me.* Inclusion, in the 
http://www.Florilegium.org/ as always is permitted.