Do you remember how to reboot your old PC running Windows 95 when it froze up? How about the process of uploading music to your Zune or iPod Shuffle? Even further back, remember returning video rentals to Blockbuster (be kind and rewind)? All this stuff is knowledge that many of us had to acquire in order to utilize the technology of the day, back in the day. And it is all completely irrelevant now.
Here at M&T, we’re big fans of skills and knowledge that do not go out of date. Things our great-grandpa knew and our granddaughters will know; things that have brought productivity and fulfillment to countless generations. I’m talking about the timeless skills of handcraft. Not with the latest LED-loaded gadgets, but with simple tools and dexterous hands. So it makes sense that we seek to publish articles and information that will not go out of date like a quaint old microwave-oven cookbook or radial-arm-saw guide from the 80s. We want everything we publish to outlive us.
As you may know, the early issues of the magazine are sold out – they’ve gone on to become collectors’ items, occasionally available on eBay for sometimes outlandish sums. While amusing, this has always bugged Joshua and me, because we want the contents of those issues to be available into the future in physical, printed form. A few years ago, we republished the first three issues of the magazine in book form; now, it’s time for the next collection. Issues Four and Five are gone, and Issue Six is nearly there. So after some effort (not the least of which was indexing the whole thing), we are pleased to announce that Four Through Six is off to the printer and open for pre-orders!
Four Through Six is more than a simple reprint of Issues Four, Five, and Six. There are new essays from Megan Fitzpatrick, Joshua, and yours truly that pull back the curtain on the inner workings of the M&T publishing world. From raising the 200-year-old timber-frame shop to developing our (occasionally cantankerous) editorial voice, these behind-the-scenes takes bring new insight to the content of these issues. And there is so much good stuff in this collection. Axes in the shop… green woodworking… Eric Sloane… restoring wooden-bodied planes… Japanese woodworking… furniture conservation… I could go on and on. The book is almost 500 pages.
And we’re offering free shipping until next month if you’re a Daily Dispatch subscriber. If you’ve already signed up, you can find the coupon code under the “Membership” tab. If you haven’t signed up yet, it’s just $5/month and you get a $10 shipping discount. Check it out!
–Mike