The Ashley Book of Knots
The Ashley Book of Knots by Clifford Ashleyby Clifford Ashley
Ranked 3 of 15 reference books by recommenders
People recommend it as a comprehensive, authoritative catalog of knots, illustrated by a marine painter. Critics say it is less useful for learning to tie knots.
People recommend it as a comprehensive, authoritative catalog of knots, illustrated by a marine painter. Critics say it is less useful for learning to tie knots.
9 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 8
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 89%
Recommended in 4 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 8 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 8 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 4 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Comprehensive catalog of knots
“Beautifully illustrated; the author, Clifford Ashley, was a marine painter and spent decades documenting almost 4,000 knots.”
Comment from 6 Feb 2026 in “Animated Knots” “Ashley is the canonical list of knots, so it's good for people who haven't heard of ABOK”
Comment from 4 Jun 2026 in “Ian's Secure Shoelace Knot” “if one wants something comprehensive”
Comment from 14 Jul 2026 in “Notable Knot Index (2016)” Authoritative reference on knots
“his work from over 80 years ago is still the authoritative source on the subject”
Comment from 6 Feb 2026 in “Animated Knots” “widely considered the reference on knot tying, if a little dated”
Comment from 2 Feb 2026 in “Ian's Shoelace Site”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Less useful for learning to tie
“It is a wonderful catalog, but I don't find it to be as useful for learning to tie the actual knots”
Comment from 6 Feb 2026 in “Animated Knots” Somewhat dated
“widely considered the reference on knot tying, if a little dated”
Comment from 2 Feb 2026 in “Ian's Shoelace Site”
Other reference books people recommend
The four most recommended other reference books, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Encyclopaedia Britannicaby Jan Morris | 29 | 8 | 78% | 11 | — | Approved |
| 507 Mechanical Movementsby Henry T. Brown | 12 | 0 | 100% | 2 | — | — |
| The Ashley Book of Knotsby Clifford AshleyThis page | 8 | 1 | 89% | 4 | — | — |
| World Book Encyclopediaby World Book | 5 | 1 | 83% | 4 | — | — |
| The Atlas of Middle-earthby Karen Wynn Fonstad | 5 | 0 | 100% | 1 | — | — |
What people said
8 of the 10 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“if one wants something comprehensive”
“Ashley is the canonical list of knots, so it's good for people who haven't heard of ABOK”
“It is a wonderful catalog, but I don't find it to be as useful for learning to tie the actual knots”
“his work from over 80 years ago is still the authoritative source on the subject”
“Beautifully illustrated; the author, Clifford Ashley, was a marine painter and spent decades documenting almost 4,000 knots.”
“What's missing from linear serialization of a book format like ABOK”
“widely considered the reference on knot tying, if a little dated”
“everyone should be aware of knots”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.