We just ordered the third printing of “The Anarchist’s Design Book” and decided to omit the black staining of the book block for this and future printings.
Though we love the look, it is incredibly expensive, tricky to do and time-consuming – adding weeks to the process. So if you want one with the black stain, I recommend you order one soon. We had 637 in stock as of last week.
The book will remain the same price as always: $47 with free shipping to Canada and the United States. You can order a copy here.
— Christopher Schwarz
I am quite fond of the black stained page edges. They make me smile. Despite the challenges, I hope you will consider that treatment for at least some of your future works. Thanks for all your efforts.
Hey Tom,
We love the black stained book blocks as well. When the price of the staining exceeds that of printing, then you need to decide if a purely decorative detail is worth raising the retail price of the book for.
I vaguely remember talk of adding your staked stool, and maybe one other form, to the ADB. Any idea on if/when that would happen?
I have to finish “Roman Workbenches” first. So it is going to be a year at least. But I am plugging away at it.
Take your time. Passing a staked stool sounds uncomfortable…
While on the subject of subtle variations… My cover of ADB has a slightly different version of the carpenters triangle (no vertical slash) Was there ever a reason given for this minor difference? Historical explanation?
Historically (see Roubo) there was a vertical slash through the marriage mark. For the first edition we didn’t use the slash to make it look more like the letter “A.” Then we added the slash after people pointed out it looked like the Adobe Acrobat mark, which was not our intent.
Love it- I learned to draw the triangle when I was 12 years old from the summer school woodworking class- When I purchased your book I changed a 40 year habit and started drawing the flourished triangle because I thought it looked cool and I didn’t need to raise my pencil. I have always been enamored of creative logos and the way yours looked like the letted A just seemed like a stroke of genius. I’m sticking with the flourish.
If you keep selling copies of The Anarchists Design Book, will it loose its revolutioary flavor? Anarchists are supposed to be outsiders on the fringe of societal norms, but if all of society is buying this book, then wheres the anarchy?
I know I’m going to sound like a jerk no matter how I say the following. But here goes: Assuming or declaring things about people’s beliefs is always tricky.
Aesthetic anarchism is not about revolution. The core of it is that artisans should be allowed to own their own tools and benefit from the fruits of their labor. Full stop.
Here is the short form on it:
https://blog.lostartpress.com/2016/01/19/frequently-asked-questions-faq-about-american-anarchism/
Or as the intro to Josiah Warren’s “Equitable Commerce” put is:
“Cults are common enough in these days: – they sprout and fade like the flowers of spring. Parties and organizations rise and fall with almost rhythmic regularity, running their course and becoming transformed with time like all things beneath the sun. Movements arise as occasion demands, and expire when their work is done. New ideas are rare enough, and seldom retain their novel character on close scrutiny. A philosophy is a scheme of life, an explanation of the universe, a concrete intellectual system.
“Anarchism is none of these things. It teaches not violence, nor does it inculcate insurrection. Neither is it an incipient revolution. None the less it has its place in the life of our times. Modern Anarchism, in a word, is primarily a tendency — moral, social, and intellectual. As a tendency it questions the supremacy of the State, the infallibility of Statute laws, and the divine right of all Authority, spiritual or temporal. It is, in truth, a product of Authority, the progeny of the State, a direct consequence of the inadequacy of law and government to fulfill their assumed functions. In short, the Anarchist tendency is a necessity of progress, a protest against usurpation, privilege, and injustice.”
Got it.
A certin cookbook and band from the UK has skewed our notion of anarchy. Glad the book is doing well and your able to stay creative.