We are pleased to announce that one of the titles we will publish in 2014 is the first English translation of the woodworking sections of André Félibien’s “Princips de l’architecture…,” an important 17th-century book on the craft. “Princips de l’architecture…” was published before Joseph Moxon’s “Mechanick Exercises,” and its plates were almost certainly copied by Moxon.
The translation will be performed by Brian Anderson, a France-based American woodworker who is a professional translator. Anderson has most recently translated the biography of A.-J. Roubo for “To Make as Perfectly as Possible” and the complete text of “Grandpa’s Workshop.”
The translation will be published in the fall of 2014 in its original 8” x 10” size and will feature all 65 plates of the 797-page book. The translated text will focus on all of the woodworking sections of “Princips de l’architecture…,” which covers a variety of topics from architecture to sculpture and fine-art painting.
Our translation will include Félibien’s entries on the following topics:
House carpentry
Furniture making
Blacksmithing (hinges, locks etc.)
Sculpture in wood (carving)
Woodturning
Marquetry
Guilding
In order to publish this translation, we have acquired an original copy of “Princips de l’architecture…” (the second edition), which is as fascinating as the original Roubo editions we purchased for “To Make as Perfectly as Possible.”
Why translate Félibien? Well, after working for so many years with Joseph Moxon’s text, I became curious about Félibien’s earlier book. I purchased a reprint of the third edition and began translating bits and pieces to see how Moxon and Félibien compared. To my surprise, Félibien’s French wasn’t as difficult for me to deal with as Roubo’s. So I asked Brian Anderson to take a look. He concurred and is now engaged in translating the 30,000 or so words that Félibien wrote on woodworking.
We are still working out the details of the book and how we will make it, but rest assured we will create a nice edition that you will enjoy reading and will be affordable for all woodworkers. While we won’t be producing any special editions or leather-bound copies of this book, we will be selling an ebook version for customers who prefer that format.
For those of you who pay attention to our publishing schedule, 2014 will be a busy year. While we usually attempt to publish four titles per calendar year, we likely will publish six in 2014:
“Campaign Furniture”
“Doormaking and Window-Making”
“Windsor Chairs: A Foundation” by Peter’s Galbert
“Princips de l’architecture…”
“To Make as Perfectly as Possible: Roubo on Furniture”
One last mystery book – to be revealed in the coming weeks.
Good thing I’m not teaching much in 2014. We have a lot of work ahead of us.
— Christopher Schwarz
Virtuoso the book on H.O. Studley is not going to be published in 2014? Is Virtuoso the mystery book?
The Studley book is scheduled for 2015. It will be worth the wait.
Keep up le good travail.
“The Art Of Joinery” by Joseph Moxon is only ninety-three pages long even with all the photography and commentary that you added. Are there two Moxon books? The original Felibien book is gigantic in comparison to Moxon.
In any case, I look forward to this new book and to the campaign furniture book that you’re writing now. It’ll be interesting seeing how Felibien compares to Roubo where they overlap.
Ed, this book covers architecture, sculpture and painting and their dependent arts, woodworking among those. It is maybe 800 pages, really a great and interesting book. It was one of the first to begin to describe the technical details of the work and processes involved in these arts. But the whole book would be a monumental project. Woodworking and related subjects are what LAP is interested in and so we are going to stick to those. Far too early to be talking about length, but there is a lot of good information on woodworking as it was done in the 1600s and the engravings are beautiful. Like Chris said in the email when he proposed the book to me: “I’m talking about a book, a very nice book.” It is going to be a very nice book.
Time to start selling some plasma.
Is Andrew Lunn working on a book?
Yes. But we don’t have a release date set for that book yet.
Has “Furniture of Necessity” been put on hold?
Yes, until I finish the book on Campaign Furniture.
This book is available at archive.org
https://archive.org/details/desprincipesdela00feli
When is Pete Galbert’s chair book scheduled for publication?
All I can honestly say is it will be out in 2014. After 20+ years of being a slave to deadlines, I refuse to set them for other authors. The book will be done when Peter is done. The text is finished. He’s now drawing the illustrations.
Lucky authors.
Please say it involves Mr. Charles……
… Neil?
I am still hoping for a Roubo on carpentry/architecture.
Brgds
Jonas
with all these must read books coming out so fast, there won’t be any money left to buy wood.
But that’s OK, all the shop time will be taken up with reading them anyway.
LAP should include a book on making bookshelves 🙂
Believe me, we have a shelf shortage here as well.
The Monticello bookcases I built for PW are full. Time to build another.
With all of the “bench dogs” this and “bench pups” that, I’m hoping the mystery will be “Cats and Carpentry”, by Megan Fitzpatrick.
If you can commit yourself and 5,000 friends to buy that book, I will write it – promise!
Is the mystery book the unexpected one you mentioned during your talk on Saturday evening @ Wortheffort? No mention of this particular author yet…. (don’t want to spoil the surprise!) 😉
“In order to publish this translation, we have acquired an original copy of “Princips de l’architecture…” (the second edition)”
I don’t mean to pry, so feel quite free to ignore, but what would a book like that cost?
I did a quick google and found a bunch of ‘modern’ prints, but nothing near the two century mark.
Check AbeBooks.com. You’ll get your answer there.
When I was planning to build a “moxon” vise, I found the archive.org link and struggled to translate the estreignoirs description. Translating a language I’ve never learned was challenging enough without ſ and f and elided words like emboister to emboîter. I’d be happy to pay for someone else to figure it all out.
I’m hoping that in the interim, you might reconsider printing a special edition along the lines of the Roubo book. I’m making my way through it and each page is a delight. You’ve all done a wonderful job and I’ve no doubt you’d do justice to Felibien
Mark,
I very much doubt we will do two editions. Instead, we plan to do one very nice edition. We’ll do it justice.
Since this posting has become a conversation about the forthcoming years, I felt compelled to contribute my 400$
I just received my Roubo on Marquetry and am absolutely intoxicated with it. I’m hoping there is still a chance that you will reconsider including the section on beds in the forthcoming book. Obviously, I’ll be purchasing the book regardless of its inclusion but I’d like to think that the request of a dozen “subscribers” could merit said inclusion.
Thank you and your team for all the hard work. I greatly appreciate it’s contribution to the woodworking community.
I know Roubo’s other volumes are of much less appeal to you especially after the investment you’ve made into these two books, but there are those of us that would greatly appreciate his other topics as well, namely garden furniture and carriage making.
Thank you again to everyone involved!
Regarding R1 Portertoolworks writes “I just received my Roubo on Marquetry and am absolutely intoxicated with it.” Ditto. Two thumbs up Mr Schwarz & company.