We are just about to run out of copies of “The Joiner & Cabinet Maker” and are ordering a second printing. We have compliled a list of typographical errors that we want to correct in the second printing. If you have found any grammatical or factual errors, please send them to chris@lostartpress.com, and you will have my gratitude.
The other news on “The Joiner & Cabinet Maker” is that we hope to issue an audiobook of the original text of the fictional tale of young Thomas and bumbling Sam. This would be offered as a download for $8 (or so) or an audiobook CD for $12.
I first got the idea to do the audiobook from Roy Underhill. He suggested doing the book as a short film and casting Megan Fitzpatrick as the love interest for Thomas. Wait, I don’t remember Sally being Thomas’s love interest.
Anyway, after Roy’s suggestion, I was approached by a reader who asked if he could record the book on tape for a class of autistic children. He thought the tale and the associated handwork to build the packing box would be valuable to the students.
And that made me think that perhaps an audiobook might be fun for everyone.
It took seven days and seven nights, but I just dropped off the last of the pre-publication orders of “Make a Joint Stool from a Tree” at the U.S. Post Office.
We still have cleaning up to do – our sun room is full of packing detritus and there are still a few odd packages where things went wrong. But before tending to those tasks I decided to sit down the with book for a little bit. All in all, I’m fairly pleased.
I’ve received the following questions from readers about the book as a physical object. Here are the answers.
1. Why switch to a larger size? “Make a Joint Stool from a Tree” is 9” x 12”, which is considerably larger than the 6” x 9” we have been publishing since 2007. We decided to use the larger format because this book has more visual information than any of our other titles. And so we wanted to publish the photos and drawings as large as possible.
2. Why switch to color photos? As many of you know, I prefer black and white for my books. But other authors like color. Jennie Alexander and Peter Follansbee thought color would be best for this book. I agreed – especially after seeing the red stools.
3. Why a dust jacket and the plastic shrinkwrap? The dust jacket suits the large size of the book, and the shrinkwrap protects it during transit.
4. Why no glossy paper? With all the other changes, some readers expected us to switch to glossy, coated paper. Instead, I chose uncoated paper for several reasons. First, uncoated paper is more readable than glossy paper. I dislike the glare from glossy coated paper. (Yes, you can get coated paper with a matte finish, but what’s the point of that?) The second reason I chose uncoated stock is that it suits the subject matter. This is not a highbrow museum title – it’s about getting down to business with a hatchet. One last word on the paper: It wasn’t a cost decision. The price difference between coated and uncoated stock is inconsequential in my book.
Before I go, let me say just a couple more things about this book. First, I want to thank Peter and Jennie for taking a chance and letting Lost Art Press publish this book. Taunton Press would have been glad to publish this book. An academic press would have also pooed its ivory jodhpurs to get a book like this. It was an honor to work with both authors on this project, one of the highlights of my career in publishing.
Second, one of the reasons Jennie and Peter signed on with Lost Art Press is that we return a far, far greater share of profits to the authors. And the reason we can do that is because of the surprising, unflagging and (at times) almost embarrassing support of our customers. So thank you for all your support, economic and emotional. With the help of everyone who has purchased Lost Art Press stuff I was able to walk away from a great corporate job in June and not worry if my kids would be able to afford the koala ramen they love so well.
To help The Wood Whisperer defend his site against an ongoing DDoS attack, we are auctioning off copies of Lost Art Press’s first book, “The Art of Joinery,” which is out of print and is priced at $500 (ridiculously) on Amazon.
There are three uncirculated, mint copies in this auction. The top three bidders each win one copy. The bidding starts at $17, the original retail price of the book. To bid, leave a comment stating your bid. The auction ends at midnight Sunday, March 11, 2012.
We will ship these books anywhere, and 100 percent of your bid goes to Marc and Nicole Spagnuolo at The Wood Whisperer site – Lost Art Press will pick up the tab for shipping.
— Christopher Schwarz
Note: Tomorrow we auction off a copy of Charles Hummel’s “With Hammer in Hand,” the fantastic hard-to-find book about the Dominy workshop. The book on auction was donated by a reader of this blog.
Jeff Burks is a finish carpenter, dogged researcher and definitely a member of the “inner circle” of the world’s wood nerds. His healthy obsession with old books and trade magazines in particular has led me down some fun rabbet holes.
And this week, he has done it again with an article called “How to Plane a Piece of Wood,” which was printed in the June 10, 1892, edition of English Mechanic and World of Science and Art and likely penned by Joseph Gregory Horner.
The author of this fantastic piece of writing is one of the “cranky old dudes” who show up in these trade magazines from time to time to show young apprentices how it is done. I love the cranky old dudes (and they love to e-mail me).
So while your boss isn’t looking or you are pretending to listen to your spouse, download this article from Jeff’s web site, carpentryarchive.org.
It is, quite possibly, one of the most entertaining articles on planing I’ve ever read, and I’ll bet you a doughnut that you’ll start using the expression “a veritable donkey’s bridge” after you read it.
Thanks to Jeff, who has given me a lot to read this week. More to come, just as soon as I finishing packing these outstanding book orders.
As a nerd who saw my fair share of the scummy bottoms of school garbage cans as a kid, I take a dim view of bullies. So for the next couple weeks, we at Lost Art Press are going to hold some auctions to raise money to help The Wood Whisperer fend off a nasty DDoS attack – because defense against this crap costs a lot of coin.
To kick things off, we are auctioning off the final leather-bound copy of “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest” (which normally runs $185), which I will ship anywhere in the world on my dime. This is a hand-bound book, made by artisans at The Ohio Book store in Cincinnati. It is made to last several lifetimes.
So here’s how the auction will work. I’m going to start the bidding at $50. If you want to bid, leave a comment stating your bid. The highest bid that is posted BEFORE midnight on Friday, March 9, wins the book. Yup, I’ll ship it to Japan, Iran or even any of the -stans. That is as long as your payment clears.
Note that 100 percent of your bid will go to Marc and Nicole Spagnuolo. I’m not making a dime.
During the weekend we’ll post more auctions, including some copies of the out-of-print “The Art of Joinery,” which some nutjob is selling on Amazon for $500. Plus some Lost Art Press T-shirts that are no longer available.
Stay tuned. And stay strong, Marc and Nicole. You aren’t alone in this.
We are just about to run out of copies of “The Joiner & Cabinet Maker” and are ordering a second printing. We have compliled a list of typographical errors that we want to correct in the second printing. If you have found any grammatical or factual errors, please send them to chris@lostartpress.com, and you will have my gratitude.
