One way to judge the merit of an idea is to see how long the results of that idea stay around. A long time ago I thought it would be a good idea if somebody published a book of measured drawings for building reproductions of furniture from the American Arts & Crafts period of the early 20th century. Back in 2011 I wrote about how long it took for me to realize I might just be the guy to take on the project. Click Here to Read “Why I Wrote Shop Drawings for Craftsman Furniture”.
“Shop Drawings for Craftsman Furniture” was originally published 16 years ago, in 2001. People liked it well enough that I published several more books in a similar vein. Fine Woodworking magazine named it as “One of 27 Books Every Woodworker Should Read” and five years ago my publisher combined books one, two and four into the “Great Book of Shop Drawings for Craftsman Furniture”.
That book was successful enough to be reprinted a couple of times, and for the latest printing my publisher decided to upgrade the book physically. It now sports a hard cover and the paper inside is smoother and heavier. It’s more durable and the images are clearer and crisper. It’s a much nicer edition at the same price as the original. The images below show a few of the pages inside,
