During the last month (plus a few days), I’ve traveled more than 10,900 miles. And, truth be told, I’m feeling every one of them this evening.
The travel is great. The food, people and work – also great. I honestly enjoy it. Travel does, however, make me anxious because it puts me behind on publishing books and completing furniture commissions. So here is an anxiety-fueled update on the book projects we are working on.
I’m covering only the book projects we are actively working on. If your favorite book isn’t listed, it’s because I don’t have any news on it. Likely the book’s text is in the hands of the author – not us. So if you ask about a project that isn’t listed here, you will be referred to Paragraph 3 of this blog entry.
‘The Anarchist’s Design Book, Expanded Edition’
This book will go to the printer on Dec. 2. We’re just tying up some loose ends. Kara is doing a final copy edit. Briony is finishing up some drawings. If it goes to the printer on schedule, it will arrive in the warehouse in January. After we go to press, we’ll make the new pdf available to everyone who has purchased the book before, whether they bought it from us or from one of our distributors.
‘Kitchen Think’ (Working Title) by Nancy Hiller
Nancy’s book has been edited and is being prepared for design. We still have too many loose ends with the project to project exactly when it will be published. We are hoping for the first half of 2020.
‘Country Woodcraft’ (Updated and Expanded) by Drew Langsner
I’ve been editing this book during my travels and am about one-third of the way through the text. Drew has done a magnificent job of updating his 1978 classic. This book launched the idea of “green woodworking” into the American woodworking scene. And Drew has updated the book with what he has learned in the last 40 years…. We should have this out by June.
‘The Life & Work of John Brown’ (Working Title Only) by Christopher Williams
This book is almost completely written and in our hands. We’re just waiting on a couple critical bits to finish the job. Then I’ll begin editing the book. We hope to have this book out by August – if the writing wraps up in a timely manner.
‘Honest Labour’ by Charles Hayward
Kara plans to have her work on this book complete by the end of 2019. The book – a collection of the best “Chips From the Chisel” essays by Charles Hayward – should come together in 2020.
‘The Handcrafted Life of Dick Proenneke’ by Monroe Robinson
Kara is currently editing this book and getting things ready for the next big hurdle with the book: finding an illustrator. We hope this will be a 2020 book – fingers crossed. It really depends on how quickly the illustrator works.
‘Make a Chair From a Tree’ (Third Edition) by Jennie Alexander
I have hired Peter Follansbee to finish up the editing of this text. No one else that I know has the long history with Alexander that is necessary to get the text complete. Peter knows the chair and the author inside and out. So we are making progress here, but it is a very complex project.
I think that covers everything we have in the pipeline. For Christmas, I’m going to ask Santa for a bigger pipe.
— Christopher Schwarz
I will likely buy them all, but Make a Chair From a Tree is the one I am most looking forward too!
When will “Winds of Winter” be released?
When (I assume they will be eventually…) will these titles be available from the usual dealers in Europe?
When will it stop raining?
Quality is worth waiting for and you can’t keep the quality up if you rush or burn yourself out. Everyone needs a break and a vacation. We’ll be here waiting whenever the titles are released.
Any news on the LAP Work Vest?
They are done. They are in the warehouse. I need a spare hour to get them on the website. I’m working on that
You weren’t kidding!
Glad to know I’ll have plenty to read in 2020 and beyond. Thanks LAP Team!
Re: Country Woodcraft, I will gladly put the revised edition next to my father’s old and worn copy of the first one. He must’ve read it many many times, I can tell by the many projects he left behind in the barn. I read and re-read it as well to the point the binding is now gone. I think we are very lucky to have the original author add content to it.
That at the Dunkin Donuts in Wisconsin Dells?
No stress, LAP’s interesting and quality books are worth waiting for. Thanks for the update.
Thanks very much for the encouraging news about “Make a Chair From a Tree”!
It is sure to be a swell book!
You didn’t mention the article on workbenches for FW. I herd in their podcast that you were writing one.
Glad to hear your keeping your pen in the magazine business.