Lost Art Press

SAPFM Seeks an Editor for ‘Period Furniture’

Posted on by Lost Art Press

The Society of American Period Furniture Makers (SAPFM) is looking for an editor to its prestigious annual publication, “American Period Furniture.”

The organization seeks an editor who is proficient in both the worlds of writing and woodworking. If you are selected for the job, you’ll be running all aspects of the magazine – both editorial and advertising – plus attending meetings of the organization.

“American Period Furniture” is an excellent magazine; I read the entire thing every year when it arrives in my mailbox. The journal, and the organization’s web site, are why I am a member of the organization. If you are interested in American furniture, it is worth joining – and this is from a person who isn’t a joiner (of organizations). Information on joining SAPFM is here.

If you are interested in applying for the position of editor, you can download the job posting here. Interested candidates can obtain additional information on the job or apply at: SAPFM@comcast.net.

I don’t have any vested interest in this process. I’m not on the search committee – I’m simply a member. And I don’t have any inside information on the position.

— Christopher Schwarz

Don’t Anthropomorphize Your Tools. They Hate That

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With Bowels lank and Head of Mallet
The Joiner longs to taste a sallad.

Old Nosegay quite alert and busy
Has one to sell and asks a tizzey*.

— “Implements Animated – Dedicated to the Carpenters and Gardeners of
Great Britain”  by Charles Williams (1797-1830). Dug up by our favorite and saucy indexer, Suzanne Ellison, from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

* “Tizzey” means “sixpence,” you roughnecks.

Everything that Isn’t Gold

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Progress consists, not in the increase of truth, but in freeing it from its wrappings. The truth is obtained like gold, not by letting it grow bigger, but by washing off from it everything that isn’t gold.

— Leo Tolstoy’s Diaries (1985) edited and translated by R. F. Christian. London: Athlone Press, Vol 2, p. 512.

Special (and Final) Offer on Workbench Books

Posted on by Lost Art Press

We don’t discount at Lost Art Press, and we do not plan on ever getting into price wars with competitors.

Because of our personal policies (crazy as they are), we are discontinuing “Workbenches: From Design & Theory to Construction & Use” and “The Workbench Design Book.” You can purchase these titles for considerably less from Amazon.com and every other retailer, and so we feel silly offering them at full retail. Our customers are paying a ridiculous premium for a signed copy. That’s not a good value, and we don’t feel right asking full retail.

So we are closing out our inventory of these two books and are going to offer free shipping on them until our stock is depleted. We have 83 copies of “Workbenches” in stock, and nine copies of “The Workbench Design Book.” Update: We are now sold out of “The Workbench Design Book.”

So if you want a signed copy of one of these books by mail, this is a good time to do it.

— Christopher Schwarz

Handworks 2013. Be There or be Out of Square

Posted on by Lost Art Press

Clear your calendar, save your pennies and make plans to attend the Handworks event May 24-25 in Amana, Iowa. Lost Art Press will be there with books, tool chests and T-shirts.

If you haven’t heard about the Handworks event, head directly to handworks.co and read up. It’s OK, I’ll wait right here while you do that.

…hmmm….

And hey, what do you think? Pretty cool. It’s an amazing list of hand-tool-only vendors. A great barn. No admission. And there is a brewery nearby. What more do you need?

Be certain to register that you will attend by sending an e-mail to register@handworks.co. There are directions and details on the Handworks site.

— Christopher Schwarz