Textbook Sleep #30: The Story of Rope

Here’s a question posed by The Book of Wonders, published in 1915: “How many have ever given a thought to the question of where rope comes from and how it is made, or realize what a variety of uses it is put to, and how dependent we are upon it in many of the everyday affairs of life?”The answer is easy. No one. And that makes it the perfect story to fall asleep to. Not gently. But hard, instantly. Hello and welcome to Textbook Sleep, the Maximum-Strength Sleep Aid podcast. We read aloud boring, public-domain textbooks to help you fall asleep.Last week we learned how paint is made. Unexpectedly, some listeners found it interesting. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen again. If rope isn’t boring, I don’t know what is.In fact, before the advent of modern anesthesia, many patients were force-read stories about rope.You’ll hear about cordage, hackling, spreaders, the four-stand compound laying-machine, and draw frames. Or you would, if you were still awake.We begin by ringing the official Textbook Sleep bronze bell three times with the official Textbook Sleep teaspoon.Its sound has been clinically proven to cause Hypnos, the Greek god of sleep, to leave his dark underworld cave and visit each and every one of you in rapid succession. Soon, you’ll be sleeping like a cat in a sunbeam. This recording will end quietly. Get full access to Pieces of Jim at jimnolan1.substack.com/subscribe