OK, we know that “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest” is an expensive book when compared to literature by Rachel Ray, Stephen King and L. Ron Hubbard. But it is quite expensive to manufacture a book in the United States compared to China – about four times as much.
Plus, I need to keep my kids eating the panda-flavored ramen they love so well.
So some people can’t afford the hardback version of the book. That’s OK. We have an ePub version for $16 – but you have to have an expensive reader to enjoy that version.
If you can’t afford either, then it’s time to head over to James Maichel’s new blog, the “Woodworking Scroll.”
To kick off his blog, he’s written an entry about “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest” and is giving away a copy of the book to one of the people who comments on the post.
And because we have a few returned copies of the book sitting in my basement, we are willing – thrilled! – to say we will match his offer. So two people will get copies of the book.
Also, for your information, James sent me a series of questions and asked if I would answer them, from the prospect of me opening a woodworking school to what sort of pizza I like. Those answers are here.
In any case, check out James’s blog here and enter to receive a copy of the book.
— Christopher Schwarz
You can get both the Kindle Reader and the Nook Reader programs on your computer for free. The Nook reader will allow you to read any epub book. Just go to the respective websites to download the programs
Bob Tinsley
I’ve meant to comment on the quality of your [L.A.P.] books for some time, and I do mean the books per se, not the content. I find them to be an absolute treat just to handle, as is any other well made object. I’d almost forgotten what a well made book was like, and knowing the pages won’t turn brown and crumble like a meth-heads dentition in just a few years is a bonus.
Additionally, as a tradesman I have enormous respect towards your use of local labor and helping to keep alive a trade which HAS to be seeing difficulty in this day and age.
And while I might differ from you some of the methods of my work, I have nothing but admiration for the outcome of your labors, be they literary , woodworking or otherwise.
Best Regards
Actually, I didn’t know that ATC is an expensive book. It didn’t seem at all expensive to me when I bought it, and it seemed even less expensive when I read it. Given the book’s content, it would have been the height of hypocrisy to print the book cheaply overseas. I’m very glad you produced a quality product, and hope you continue to do so in the future.
I checked out the website, but didn’t leave a comment — I already have my book. I hope someone who truly can’t afford one is the winner.
I have to say, I way completely blown away when I unpacked my copy of The Anarchist’s Tool Chest. It is rare to find any kind of how-to/craft book that is hardbound. And printed on nice paper. And shipped without the use of plastic or Styrofoam packing. Well done.
On the subject of Made In America, I’m big on that. I have a hobby business that manufactures chopper parts. Everything is made in the US, using US-made materials. Much of it is made in California. Yes, this makes my junk 3 or 4 times as expensive as everyone else’s junk in the industry, and a lot of people don’t appreciate that. I do. I like living and working in this country, I’d hate to have *my* job sent overseas. I enjoy the quality associated with nicely made American goods and take pride in supporting other craftsmen and entrepreneurs.
I’m sure you hear your share of complaints about pricing or content or whatever. Please know there a plenty of us who silently appreciate what you’re doing for the craft. I hope you have a great success with LAP.
Chopper parts? I think “four times as expensive” would be nothing when it comes to landing in one piece.
I just eat more 20 cent-a-bag oatmeal…along with the Raman. The book is affordable then.
As someone whose space has more monitors than bookshelf space, I’m thankful for proper non-DRMed epub files. The book is in my purchase queue.
i suffer from many bibliophilic tendencies… now to keep my amateur handtool collection on the go i have had to postpone my every increasing appetite for the novel for the latest booker, giller, impac etc. i just bought a veritas hand router plane after reading about it on Popular Woodworking. Now… my collection of handtool and carpentry related books has grown… i can’t stop buying wood books… nevermind my dvds of charlesworth and schwarz and cosman and klaus and kingshottt…. i just have to keep going and now the Anarchists Tool Chest is on my mind… it won’t let go…another obsession… i really should just go sharpen something today. stop all this reading and go figure out how to sharpen my lie nielsen 1/4 inch. Putting more money into the handtools how does schwarz think i can buy this book. hahaha The Mark 11 is working like a charm but think of what books i could have purchased for that. Does anyone know by the way where to get a 1 1/2 inch chisel. I was watching mr. renaissance woodworker and he was doing a very “dangerous” inlay for a winding stick…. i would like to try that.
The ATC is not too expensive. The quality of the content along with the quality of the physical printing/binding make this book a bargain. Please keep up with the quality on both ends and you will surely continue to succeed.
If the literature is too expensive I think you’re in the wrong hobby. My rapidly growing book collection is a small fraction of what I’ve spent on tools.
It’s not that ATC us too expensive. I still haven’t finished reading “The Essential Woodworker” yet!
I have to give yuk props on buying American Chris only wish more people would follow suit and but high quality goods . Also thanks for the knowledge you have shared . You are truely an old soul thanks !
The binding, paper and feel of the book in the hand is part of the enjoyment of ATC. Just like some will stand in their woodshop and hold their tools, when I finished reading ATC, I held the book in the same way. Quality, whether in a tool, or a book is something to cherish in this modern day of overseas manufacturing.
I love my Kindle, but I love a well bound book with excellent content even more! Your book was meant to be read in hard copy, and it is meant to be read a second time a year or so in the future.
New book on basic furniture forms? Sweet! Just want I want. I’ll take mine now, please. 🙂
I sincerely hope it will be aimed at solid wood construction. There is already plenty of info on plywood builds. Can’t wait!
Bob,
Until plywood becomes a decent material to build with again, I’m sticking with solid wood.
I don’t think your books are overpriced. I am an IT developer by trade, and the soon to be obsolete books I buy are much more expensive and they are poorly constructed to boot… honestly a book on the Python scripting language can set you back $40 USD+ And it’s just glue and paper and will not be worth $2 in 5 years time. I doubt that Chris’ tomes will depreciate as quickly and they will still be bound tightly for years to come… hopefully what woodworking I manage to accomplish will last as long as these books will. I know that the code I write, however good, will be in the bit bin in the near future as technology advances.
I read this and couldn’t help counting the books on the 30 inches that make up my geek shelf. And the IT books don’t even compare to textbooks- I just paid 104 for a used 1/2″ thick paperback for a tech-writing class!
I’m looking forward to reading ATC, but I’m having trouble finding it locally.
My compliments to you, Chris! A friend of mine who comes to me for woodworking advice let me borrow his copy of ATC and I must say it’s not only instructive but it is also entertaining. I stayed up until 1 AM reading the first five chapters the first night. This is definitely a book worth passing down to posterity and one I must add to my collection in case society collapses ;). This tool list is invaluable and the straight-forward instruction on the basics, positives and negatives of each tool are enlightening. May “The Schwarz” be with you!
Perhaps this will generate hate mail, but there is not a single person that reads your blogs (all of them) that simply cannot afford your book. There are, however, a huge number of people that don’t understand the difference between “cannot” and “don’t wish to”, and yet more that feel that their cable television bill is a necessity and everything else that could be bought with the funds is something “they cannot afford”.
I have credentials in this area. I was a self-funded graduate student – there are few among us that have less money. Yet, a 6-pack of Belgian ale for the weekend football games was still “affordable”, it was simply a matter of doing without in many other areas so that I didn’t have to drink Miller Lite….
The cost of a book published in the US is, as mentioned, more expensive than in China. However, the Chinese book is likely made in horrible conditions with underaged employees working long hours for minimal wages and living far from home in crowded dormitories. (I’m not being dramatic, this is a common reality. Minimal research will validate my comments.) The cost of inexpensive Chinese goods comes at a great, and generally unknown / unpublicized, human costs.
Your to be complemented for have the book published in the USA.