 | |
| Founded | 2007 |
|---|---|
| Founders | Christopher Schwarz and John Hoffman |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Headquarters location | Covington, Kentucky,Kentucky |
| Key people |
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| Publication types | Magazines,Books |
| Nonfiction topics | Woodworking,Hand tools |
| Official website | lostartpress |
Lost Art Press is apublisher of books and videos for woodworkers and hand tool collectors and is based inCovington, Kentucky. It was established in 2007 byChristopher Schwarz and John Hoffman.[1]
The company has published books by modern woodworkers such asNancy Hiller and George R. Walker as well as republishing older manuscripts by woodworkers such asAndré Jacob Roubo.[2][3] They also produce books about woodworkers such asHenry O. Studley andCharles H. Hayward. All of their fifty-eight titles are printed in the United States; they do not sell their titles through mass-market retailers or websites.[4]
The company publishes works that help the modern woodworker learn traditional hand-tool skills. They attempt to restore the balance between hand and machine work by unearthing the so-called "lost arts" of hand skills. Also, they explain how they can be integrated with the machinery in the modern shop to help produce furniture that is crisp, well-proportioned, stout and quickly made. Make Magazine has said they tap into the "growing unplugged workshop momentum."[5]
"The Anarchist's Tool Chest," written by Christopher Schwarz, describes a world where woodworking tools are at the center of an ethical life filled with creating furniture that will last for generations. Schwarz posits that people can build almost anything with a kit of fewer than 50 good tools; the book shows the reader how to select real working tools, and provides instruction for building a proper chest for a toolkit, following the ancient rules that have been forgotten or ignored. The "anarchism" mentioned in the title isindividualist anarchism, specifically "aesthetic anarchism".[6]
Lost Art Press won Covington's Authenti-CITY award in 2022, being called "a mecca that puts Covington on the map for the hand-tool woodworking crowd."[7] The deluxe editions of their two books on Roubo were each named one of the "50 Books of the Year" by theDesign Observer, in association with theAIGA and Designers & Books in 2013 and 2017.[8]