End of An Era and Thank You
About this time of year eleven years ago, I was waiting to see what would happen when my first book “Shop Drawings for Craftsman Furniture” was published. It had taken awhile to move from idea to tangible form, and I didn’t know what to expect. My instincts proved to be good, there was a serious and continued interest in reproducing the furniture of Gustav Stickley. Several other books followed and unlike most woodworking books that come and go, this one has stuck around and has been through six printings.
My life changed more than I could have imagined. Ellis Walentine of Wood Central wrote a favorable review that got my website noticed, another fan offered me the job I have now as a magazine editor, and the guy who added my book to Fine Woodworking Magazine’s list of “27 Books Every Woodworker Should Read” is now my boss at my day job with Popular Woodworking Magazine. You can read what those guys said at this page on my original website craftsmanplans.com.
Last winter, John Kelsey, the editor and publisher who decided to take the risk in the first place called to talk about compiling my first three books into one new edition. While I’m not crazy about the title “Great Book of Shop Drawings for Craftsman Furniture” the book that will soon appear is closer to what I had in mind originally, and an improvement over the previous books. It isn’t radically different, but I reworked the introductory text, added some new photos and picked over the drawings and page layouts until my new editor was ready to shoot me.If you have an interest in Arts & Crafts furniture from the early 20th century, as it was originally designed and made by Gustav Stickley, Harvey Ellis and others you’ll find it a valuable resource with drawings for 57 of the best pieces of the period.
A few days ago, I realized that I was down to my last two copies of the original book. Before I pull the plug, I want to take the time to say thanks to all of those who have purchased my books. You’ve made life better for me and my family; you’ve helped pay my son’s college tuition, two timing belts on my car and the vet bills for sewing the cats back together. One thing I would like to mention is the reality of the publishing business. The author is last in line, and gets paid the smallest portion of the proceeds from book sales. When you buy directly from the author, you make a significant difference. This is true for me as well as for my friends Glen Huey, Ron Hock, Darrell Peart and David Mathias. We all appreciate the support from our readers.
The new book should be arriving any day now, and if you’ve reserved a copy I’ll be sending you an e-mail to let you know when the books arrive.
Note: While “Shop Drawings for Craftsman Furniture”, “More Shop Drawings for Craftsman Furniture” and “Shop Drawings for Craftsman Inlays & Hardware” will be combined in the new “Great Book of Shop Drawings for Craftsman Furniture”, and will no longer be available, all of my other books are still alive, well and available including:
“Shop Drawings for Greene & Greene Furniture”
“Shop Drawings for Craftsman Interiors”
“Woodworker’s Guide to SketchUp”
and the book I rarely talk about “The Complete Kitchen Cabinetmaker”