We have new information on these three Lost Art Press projects for you this Monday:
The Woodworker, The Charles H. Hayward Years, Vol. IV, The Shop & Furniture
The final book in our series from “The Woodworker” is supposed to finish up at the bindery this week and be put on a truck to our warehouse on Friday. If we don’t run into any transportation snags, that means we’ll start shipping the book to you next week.
With All the Precision Possible: Roubo on Furniture
The standard version of this book is still in production at the printing plant and is on track to ship to our warehouse in mid to late March. In the meantime, designer Wesley Tanner is laying out the deluxe version of this book and it should be ready for the printer by the end of the month.
The deluxe version is going to be printed at the same plant that printed the deluxe version of “Roubo on Marquetry” and we are trucking the entire press run to New Mexico to be bound and have the slipcases made by hand. The deluxe edition of “Roubo on Furniture” will be the same width and height as the deluxe “Roubo on Marquetry,” but it will be much thicker. “Roubo on Marquetry” was 248 pages; deluxe “Roubo on Furniture” will be 472.
We have ordered 1,000 copies of deluxe “Roubo on Furniture” and the price will be $550 for U.S. customers. The book will be available for Canadian and international customers with an additional charge for postage. It will not be sold through our retailers.
Like the deluxe “Roubo on Marquetry,” all customers who order the book early can opt to have their name listed in the book as a “subscriber.” Also like the deluxe “Roubo on Marquetry,” this book is a significant financial risk for us. We know it will be a fantastic piece of work, so we’re happy to do it.
Because of all the handwork involved in this book because it is oversized, my guess is we will open ordering in about a month and the book will ship in June.
Roman Workbenches
We have sold out of the 500 copies of the letterpress version of “Roman Workbenches.” What happens now? You can still buy the pdf of the book for $15. After we print and ship all the copies that have been ordered, we might have a handful of extras that we will sell online. We also hope to have some unbound copies for sale.
I know this all sounds vague, but it really depends on how many copies are destroyed during the binding process. Commercial binding can destroy up to 30 percent of your press run (I know that sounds crazy).
Several people have asked if we’re going to offer a standard offset-printed version of “Roman Workbenches” and the answer is: We hope to.
I have two research trips coming up this year. If they are fruitful and people seem interested in the topic, we’ll print an offset version that is expanded with lots of photography and the additional information from Italy and Germany.
— Christopher Schwarz
You are an inspiration.
What is an offset version, and my apologies for not being clear on this, but will there be future printings of this book?
Virtually all books and magazines are printed via a process called “offset printing.” We have printed all of our books up to this point with offset printing. Offset is more of a chemical process.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Offset_printing
Before offset printing became the norm, letterpress or hot type were the more common methods. Letterpress is more of a relief printing process.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letterpress_printing
Printing books letterpress these days is difficult and expensive. Hence the price of the book.
We don’t know if there will be future editions of this book. If there are, they will be printed via an offset press. The letterpress version is a grand experiment and challenge for us. Can we do it? Can we make a dollar at it?
I hope this answers your questions – and apologies for the jargon.
It does. Thanks for the description, and I do hope there are additional printings of this… I went for the Roubo, and could do both at the same time. Love your work!! Thanks!
Hello, I’ll get the pdf for now as a vote for the research trip and the book that’ll include the findings!
Thanks for the vote.
How do I order the deluxe version early to be included as a subscriber?
We will begin taking orders for the deluxe edition in about two weeks.
Great! Looking forward to it.