Category: The Anarchist’s Tool Chest

Dec. 15 is the last day to place an order with Lost Art Press and be assured that it will arrive in time for Christmas. 

Our storefront will be open during weekdays up until Dec. 24. We are currently setting up the new storefront at 407 Madison Ave. Until that comes on line, we have stock available at our old location, 837 Willard St. in Covington, Ky.

We are doing everything we can to keep things in stock, and I plan to start making some more Exeter hammers on Sunday afternoon. Sign up to be notified when they go up for sale here.

One important note: We are running low on stock of “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest.” And it will then go out of print until I finish up the revised edition of the book. So if you want a copy as a gift for someone. Or you want a copy of the original edition (we are in its 16th printing), better do it now.

— Christopher Schwarz

When we released “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest” (almost 13 years ago to this day), the goal was to create a book that looked like an odd old text that you might find on a library shelf in the basement. We chose a vintage tan cover cloth, binding process and diestamp that all fed into that look.

Unfortunately, the printer had difficulty with the manufacturing. The glue that reinforced the signatures was either spooged on or non-existant. The endsheets weren’t glued right, so some of the books were bound too tight. Others were too loose. Some books fell apart (we replaced those). All in all, it was a bit of a let-down after two years of work on the text.

After that, we spent a long time working with the press people to get results we are both happy with.

Today we are releasing the final printing of the first edition of “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest,” and we decided to return to that original look to see if we could nail it this time. If you ever wanted to get a copy of ATC that looks like the original, this is your (last) chance.

All copies of this book that are purchased from Lost Art Press will be autographed by me.

This is the 16th printing of “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest,” We’ve sold 45,000 copies of the book. And the last 2,000 that arrived today will mark the end of this edition.

In time, it will be replaced by a new edition that will be redesigned, printed in color and revised to reflect the changes in the marketplace and in the tools in my chest. I don’t know when this new edition will be released. Probably in 2025 or 2026 (the 15th anniversary of the book). It’s something I have been working toward for a couple years.

The chest itself will remain unchanged in the new edition. But Megan Fitzpatrick and I have devised dozens of improved methods to make the work easier. These will be in the new edition. And I might add a new coat of paint to the old boy. It has seen a lot of work.

The final tan edition is now available in our store.

— Christopher Schwarz

“The Anarchist’s Tool Chest,” the book that allowed me to quit my corporate job, is now available as a free pdf download, now and forever. To download it, you need only click on this link. You don’t have to register, give up your email or do any other smarmy marketing idiocy.

We will continue to sell the printed version for people who like nice books that are designed and assembled to last lifetimes. And we are planning a revised edition of the title for the 15th anniversary of its publication. But the information itself? Free to everyone. 

This is the sixth book of mine that I have made free. The others are here:

“The Anarchist’s Design Book”
“The Anarchist’s Workbench”
“The Art of Joinery”
“Roman Workbenches”
“The Stick Chair Book”

It’s my intent to make all of my titles free in time. This book, with 45,000 copies in print in three languages, is our best-seller.

— Christopher Schwarz

After much analysis and debate, we have decided to put “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest” – our bestselling book – on sale for the month of March. Until March 31, the book is $34 – that’s 34 percent off the $51 retail. Plus, all copies sold through us are signed by the author and include a nice wooden bookmark (more on that below).

We don’t do sales. So why are we doing this? During most of the pandemic, the printing plants we use were closed or operated on a skeleton crew. Paper was scarce. And other press supplies (like cover cloth) were impossible to find. So when we managed to get a book on press, we had to place a sizable order.

In 2021, we ordered a big run of “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest” to get us through the uncertain time. It was our 15th printing of the book. And now, we have way too many copies. So many that we cannot fit them in our warehouse in Covington, Ky. They are spread out in expensive storage lockers all over the city. 

We are near-desperate to make space so that we can fit everything into our warehouse. So we are reluctantly putting “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest” on sale.

Because this book is a part of the foundation of our business, we wanted to make this event special. So all copies bought through us are signed individually by the author (me!). And we are including a nice U.S.-made wooden bookmark with each copy during the sale.

The bookmark features a quote from humorist Nick Offerman, who is a fan of the book. The first time Megan and I met Nick was in Louisville, Kentucky, at a coffee shop. When we were about to arrive, we texted Nick that he could look for me – a tall bearded fellow – and Megan – a white-haired goddess.

Nick texted back: “I’ll be brandishing an incendiary device.”

That “incendiary device” turned out to be a copy of “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest,” which he asked me to autograph. It was the oddest moment in my life – Nick Offerman asking me to autograph a book.

The bookmarks are birch, made in Michigan and quite durable (as they are laminated).

Like all our books, “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest” is made in the U.S.A. and printed on quality materials you don’t find in modern books: The pages are sewn together then glued with fiber tape. Then wrapped with heavy hardbound boards covered in cotton cloth.

This book has changed the way that thousands of people do woodwork. Many have told us they quit their corporate jobs as a result of reading it. If you’d like to read what all the fuss is about, this is an excellent opportunity. 

— Christopher Schwarz

P.S. We have notified our retailers that they are welcome to put the book on sale during March (and we have lowered their wholesale price as well). We try to be as fair as possible.