Each summer, men and women travel from all over the globe to the Lumberjack World Championships in Hayward, Wisconsin, to compete before thousands of spectators and prove who is the best at chopping and sawing wood, log rolling, and boom running. The event, with its impressive international fan base, has become the most prestigious timber sport gathering in the world. Timber!chronicles the history of the championships since its inception in 1960 and highlights such popular athletes as J.R. Salzman, Ron Hartill, and Peggy Halvorson, all of whom are stalwarts in a variety of events from the hot saw to the springboard chop. These glory-seeking competitors symbolize a connection to the old days of logging in Wisconsin and throughout the United States, when timber-felling helped build the country. Lively and informative, Timber!shows how these timber sports keep alive the spirit of the logging world and the image of the logger as an American pioneer.

Lew Freedman was sports editor for The Republic in Columbus, Indiana and the Anchorage Daily News. He also reported for the Chicago Tribune and the Philadelphia Inquirer. His many sports-related books include Father of the Iditarod: The Life of Joe Redington, For the Love of the Chicago Cubs, Latino Baseball Legends: An Encyclopedia, arid Bradford Washburn: An Extraordinary Life.