Lost Art Press

Books in the Works, an Update

Posted on by Lost Art Press

If I were a smart man, I wouldn’t discuss my failings as an editor, writer and publisher. But I do like to keep people informed on how our upcoming books are going. So here goes:

“Mouldings in Practice” by Matt Bickford. This book is almost completely designed and ready for the printer. What has slowed me down is the number of illustrations. There are hundreds and hundreds. And each one had to be converted from SketchUp to Illustrator, and that is a very manual process. The book will be released this summer. The people who have read this book have had their minds blown. It’s good.

“To Make as Perfectly as Possible” by Andre Roubo with a translation and essays by Don Williams and Michele Pagan. Work is going full-bore on the first volume of this book. The book designer, Wesley Tanner, is building the templates. The translation is complete and the supporting essays are being polished. We are going to publish this volume in two editions: a fancy 11” x 17” deluxe edition (only 500 copies) and a trade edition that will be more like a typical Lost Art Press book. More news to come. The first volume should be out by the end of the year — or early 2013 at the latest. Expect great things.

“By Hand and Eye” by George Walker and Jim Tolpin. I’m reading the first draft of the book now — the final draft will be in my hands in three weeks. It is fantastic. It will be out by the end of 2012 as well.

“The Joiner & Cabinet Maker” audio book, ePub and Kindle editions. I’ll be recording the audio book this week with our voice talent (news to come on that) — the electronic editions of the book will be in the store in a couple weeks. And the second printing of the book is now in stock.

Oh, and my books. I’m working actively on my own books on “The Furniture of Necessity” and “Campaign Furniture” on this Southern tour. I’ve got a few research stops planned for these books. However, don’t expect anything from me this year — I’m trying to get these other projects to press first.

There are a lot more things in the works: Peter Follansbee is working on a book on chests, we have a book on chairmaking in the works and (perhaps) our first deck of playing cards. Finally, there’s our super-secret project I cannot talk about (aw, crap, I just did). It has been in the works for two years now and will be huge. Literally.

— Christopher Schwarz

28 thoughts on “Books in the Works, an Update”

  2. Isn’t there a project on the Studley Tool Box in there somewhere?

  4. I’m going to have to figure out a way to increase my allowance………………
    (I think she really dislikes you…) 🙂

    1. I am in the same boat my wife I have figured out Lost Arts Press so I have to pretend my mother in law bought it.

  5. “I’ll be recording the audio book this week with our voice talent (news to come on that)”
    I know you didn’t ask but my vote is for Roy Underhill and Peter Follansbee.

  8. Books aside (as titillating as they are), that’s a pretty nice set of moulding planes in the pic! Yours? They don’t look like they are an aged collection, so whence came they? Are they readily available to the unwashed?

    1. Chris’s set of H&R’s are from Old Street Tool, (Clark & Williams). I’m still saving my pennies for a set. Actually a 1/2 set.

      Michael

      Michael

      1. Chris does have a set from Old Street Tools, but those are by Matt Bickford. It’s easy to tell the difference, because Matt’s are sitting on the butt-ugliest workbench this side of perdition. Sorry Matt, but Big Pink is a bench only a mother could love.

        1. Those are Matt’s planes on Matt’s bench. I have a half-set of evens from Clark & Williams (now Old Street), plus a quarter-set of odds and half-rounds from Matt.

          The photo is from Matt’s forthcoming book. Now back to work on it.

  10. For the record, and not to correct a journalist, but the correct expression is not having one’s mind blown. It is “Mind-bottled”. Ask Ricky Bobby.

  12. I don’t know if a book on molding planes can fix me, but I’m embarassed to admit I just can’t look at a complex molder and visualize the shape it cuts. Even telling me it’s an ovolo, for example, doesn’t do it ’cause I can’t see it. The only way I dig it is to cut something and see the shape it leaves. I know it’s a matter of eyeballing the sole, endo, and visualizing what’s not wood, and I’m a techie who understands three dimensions, but there’s something about the subtlety about the small contours of the sole, coupled with the prescribed tilt from what one would think is vertical, that obscures the produced contours. To me, the end view of a complex molder looks like so many little ripples. Storing complex molders on end in a chest only lets me see it’s not a hollow or round. Rather, it’s a mystery plane. I’m hoping I’m not alone in this. Maybe I’d have the same trouble with routah bits if the manufacturers didn’t show a drawing of the molding.

  13. Where is the option in the shopping cart for:
    “Here is my credit card just send me the next book I don’t care what it is I’m sure I’ll want it.”

  14. Nice list of books! Please keep them coming Chris, etal.
    To paraphrase a friend in PA: “I buy from Lost Art Press to keep
    Chris in craft beer, and, oh yeah, the books are always good!”

  16. For the Sketchup to Illustrator fact, there is a faster way. By rebuilding the Sketchup model to SolidWorks, you can than export PDF vector files that are as crisp as Illustrator files and can be easily edited in illustrator. If you are in desperate need of quick conversion let me know and we can work something out.

  17. Hi there.

    Any chance that the Roubo books Will be somewhere in Europe?

    Or can someone please bring a priemere copy along when going to Europe next time:)

    All the best
    Jimmi,
    Denmark

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