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By searching around on the biblo web for leather related literature, I found this old book about Harness making from 1875; "The Harness maker illustrated manual, by Wm. N. Fitz Gerald New York N.Y. 1875" This book has no copy rights because of its age. By googling the name i found a free online copy too. http://www.cd3wd.com/cd3wd_40/JF/417/06-246.pdf The book has 340 pages of very interesting reading. It covers the leather trade and history better than any other book I have read. I always suspected the leather business to be "better" before, as all the leather tools are. This proves it. The book describes in great detail the process of selecting the best hides, which tanning process and all the different craftsmen who did the work. Along with the making of the different products (and much more). Some of the knowledge are "only" history today because of the modern ways. However, it is impressing reading how the harness makers took part in selection and treatment of the leather, most of it is a lost art today. I have not read it all yet, far from it. I am looking to buy a hardcover version of it, I have seen them as low as 34 $. It would cost me more in printer ink to copy it from the web (thats also not legal, you can copy the original book but not the online copy). Especially interesting are all these lost secrets of the trade you can read about here. Its not only a wonderful historical document, it makes you a better craftsman too. This book might be known to many of our US members, to me its great (old) news. Thanks Tor