OT - Important new Kickstarter campaign
DiscussionsFolio Society Devotees
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1dlphcoracl
This has already been posted on the LT Fine Press Forum and the LT George Macy LEC Forum and it is especially relevant to the FSD audience.
A Kickstarter campaign has been started by Bruce Kennett to create and publish a complete set of the fantasy stories by W. A. Dwiggins called Athalinthia Stories. They will be accompanied by over one hundred original illustrations Dwiggins created for these stories, illustrations which demonstrate an astonishing range of ideas and techniques. Dwiggins was a master book designer and graphics artist in the United States, comparable in stature to Bruce Rogers.
Bruce Kennett has spent much of his lifetime studying the career of W. A. Dwiggins and he published a superb biography via another Kickstarter campaign several years ago. This is a labor of love for him, an attempt to bring all eleven of the Athalinthia Stories under one roof (book) along with the 130 drawings and paintings Dwiggins created especially for these stories, many never seen before.
The standard edition is exceptionally well-priced at $60 and the binding and printing will be done regionally in New England (note: Kennett lives in Vermont) from firms Kennett knows personally and can oversee and supervise during the creation of this book. For FSD-ers of many stripes and reading interests, this project should be a no-brainer. Link below.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dwiggins/new-w-a-dwiggins-book-athalinthia-...
dlphcoracl
A Kickstarter campaign has been started by Bruce Kennett to create and publish a complete set of the fantasy stories by W. A. Dwiggins called Athalinthia Stories. They will be accompanied by over one hundred original illustrations Dwiggins created for these stories, illustrations which demonstrate an astonishing range of ideas and techniques. Dwiggins was a master book designer and graphics artist in the United States, comparable in stature to Bruce Rogers.
Bruce Kennett has spent much of his lifetime studying the career of W. A. Dwiggins and he published a superb biography via another Kickstarter campaign several years ago. This is a labor of love for him, an attempt to bring all eleven of the Athalinthia Stories under one roof (book) along with the 130 drawings and paintings Dwiggins created especially for these stories, many never seen before.
The standard edition is exceptionally well-priced at $60 and the binding and printing will be done regionally in New England (note: Kennett lives in Vermont) from firms Kennett knows personally and can oversee and supervise during the creation of this book. For FSD-ers of many stripes and reading interests, this project should be a no-brainer. Link below.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dwiggins/new-w-a-dwiggins-book-athalinthia-...
dlphcoracl
2coynedj
I am totally unfamiliar with Dwiggins' work. Can you tell me/us more about the stories themselves?
3dlphcoracl
>2 coynedj:
In his lifetime, W. A. Dwiggins was NOT known as an author. Rather, he was a noted book designer, graphics artist, type designer, and puppeteer. He wrote the eleven Athalinthia Stories privately, drew or painted a series of over 130 illustrations for them, then attempted (unsuccessfully) to publish the complete set of stories and accompanying illustrations.
The time period and precise location of these stories were never specified by Dwiggins although they have overtones of Central Asia (Uzbekistan), the Caucasus (Georgia, etc.) and Persia (The Book of a Thousand and One Nights). These are NOT sci-fi, dystopian, apocalyptic stories which take place in another planet or universe thousands of years in the distant future. Rather, they are human stories more akin to folk tales which illustrate and poke fun at the human condition, the fallibility and foibles of humans. They are closer to the FS classic Georgian book 'The Knight in Panther Skin' by Shota Rustaveli or the Kelmscott Press classic "A Book of Wisdom and Lies', a collection of fables and tales written by Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani between 1686 and 1695. There is an underlying optimism to these stories, however, and the word that best describes them is "enchanting".
The illustrations and artwork Dwiggins created for these stories are varied and astonishing, as can be seen on the Kickstarter website and other links. So......... we are dealing with a series of fantastical tales and fables in strange lands never gathered and published in one source book, extraordinary artwork and illustrations, quality printing and publishing, all for $60., less than the price of the average Folio Society book.
This is the proverbial no-brainer.
In his lifetime, W. A. Dwiggins was NOT known as an author. Rather, he was a noted book designer, graphics artist, type designer, and puppeteer. He wrote the eleven Athalinthia Stories privately, drew or painted a series of over 130 illustrations for them, then attempted (unsuccessfully) to publish the complete set of stories and accompanying illustrations.
The time period and precise location of these stories were never specified by Dwiggins although they have overtones of Central Asia (Uzbekistan), the Caucasus (Georgia, etc.) and Persia (The Book of a Thousand and One Nights). These are NOT sci-fi, dystopian, apocalyptic stories which take place in another planet or universe thousands of years in the distant future. Rather, they are human stories more akin to folk tales which illustrate and poke fun at the human condition, the fallibility and foibles of humans. They are closer to the FS classic Georgian book 'The Knight in Panther Skin' by Shota Rustaveli or the Kelmscott Press classic "A Book of Wisdom and Lies', a collection of fables and tales written by Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani between 1686 and 1695. There is an underlying optimism to these stories, however, and the word that best describes them is "enchanting".
The illustrations and artwork Dwiggins created for these stories are varied and astonishing, as can be seen on the Kickstarter website and other links. So......... we are dealing with a series of fantastical tales and fables in strange lands never gathered and published in one source book, extraordinary artwork and illustrations, quality printing and publishing, all for $60., less than the price of the average Folio Society book.
This is the proverbial no-brainer.
4mr.philistine
>1 dlphcoracl: Magnifique!
Shipping of $126 (more than twice the cost of the book) outside the US has been explained on the FPF thread here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/342369#7862878
Shipping of $126 (more than twice the cost of the book) outside the US has been explained on the FPF thread here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/342369#7862878
5dlphcoracl
>4 mr.philistine:
The exorbitant shipping costs for residents outside of the U.S. is indeed the fly in the ointment and I should have mentioned this. It may well prevent this wonderful project from being sufficiently funded.
The exorbitant shipping costs for residents outside of the U.S. is indeed the fly in the ointment and I should have mentioned this. It may well prevent this wonderful project from being sufficiently funded.
6JacobHolt
>2 coynedj: I read one of the stories at the following link and liked it enough to back the project: https://archive.org/details/LFADwiggins0153.
7kb-42
I never heard before of Dwiggins and well, it is definitly interesting, but the shipping costs kill me...
8Cat_of_Ulthar
Tempting but pricey.
9folio_books
>8 Cat_of_Ulthar:
Indeed. If I was going to get it I'd have chosen the leather edition Pricey++ . Lovely illustrations, though.
Indeed. If I was going to get it I'd have chosen the leather edition Pricey++ . Lovely illustrations, though.
10Cat_of_Ulthar
>9 folio_books:
Isn't it beautiful. I might go for it, despite the postage charges.
Isn't it beautiful. I might go for it, despite the postage charges.
11dlphcoracl
>9 folio_books:
The deluxe leather edition is being bound (if this gets fully funded) by Gray Parrot, a master bookbinder. Parrot did the full morocco bindings for the folio-sized masterworks by Barry Moser's Pennyroyal Press, e.g., Huckleberry Finn, Het Achterhuis, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Through the Looking Glass, Frankenstein, etc. Even if it is only quarter-morocco with reproductions of Dwiggins's watercolor paintings over boards, $360 for a custom Gray Parrot binding is a bargain. Add on the use of a Mohawk superfine paper as text paper for good measure and the price for the deluxe edition is/was quite reasonable.
The deluxe leather edition is being bound (if this gets fully funded) by Gray Parrot, a master bookbinder. Parrot did the full morocco bindings for the folio-sized masterworks by Barry Moser's Pennyroyal Press, e.g., Huckleberry Finn, Het Achterhuis, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Through the Looking Glass, Frankenstein, etc. Even if it is only quarter-morocco with reproductions of Dwiggins's watercolor paintings over boards, $360 for a custom Gray Parrot binding is a bargain. Add on the use of a Mohawk superfine paper as text paper for good measure and the price for the deluxe edition is/was quite reasonable.
12folio_books
>11 dlphcoracl:
But then you add on the postage to the UK. And then I remember I don't collect fine press books, just Folio Society. Very nice indeed, but ...
But then you add on the postage to the UK. And then I remember I don't collect fine press books, just Folio Society. Very nice indeed, but ...
13mr.philistine
>5 dlphcoracl: With 8 days left to acquire $972, the project appears to be taxiing down the runway. :)
14dlphcoracl
>13 mr.philistine:
Excellent news indeed. For all practical purposes, it has already been funded. I suggested to Bruce Kennett that if he were within reasonable reach of his $48,000 goal to fund the Kickstarter campaign he could easily ask standard edition subscribers to add another $5 for the standard edition and add $25 for the deluxe edition.
The shipping costs to send outside of the United States still are a head scratcher to me. Nevertheless, if one can look past or rationalize it, especially with the very reasonable $60 cost for the standard edition, this will prove to be a delightful book that is well crafted. W.A. Dwiggins was a unique talent and this book is well aligned with many tastes and niche interests amongst FSD-ers.
Excellent news indeed. For all practical purposes, it has already been funded. I suggested to Bruce Kennett that if he were within reasonable reach of his $48,000 goal to fund the Kickstarter campaign he could easily ask standard edition subscribers to add another $5 for the standard edition and add $25 for the deluxe edition.
The shipping costs to send outside of the United States still are a head scratcher to me. Nevertheless, if one can look past or rationalize it, especially with the very reasonable $60 cost for the standard edition, this will prove to be a delightful book that is well crafted. W.A. Dwiggins was a unique talent and this book is well aligned with many tastes and niche interests amongst FSD-ers.
15mr.philistine
$48,000 goal ACHIEVED !!! ...and we have take-off :)
16Shadekeep
Campaign is closing in just over an hour and is at 106% funded, in case anyone wants to get in before it ends.
17antinous_in_london
>16 Shadekeep: Was tempted, but $126 shipping to the UK killed it for me. I purchased a book from Century Press in Canada last month & the international shipping was only US$16 even though it was double the price of this edition (so had a higher insurance value etc).
18English-bookseller
I have never taken part in a Kickstarter campaign and have only a superficial knowledge of the mechanics involved.
Is there some obvious reason why The Folio Society never uses them to launch an expensive Limited Edition?
It would seem on the face of it a good way of gaining a minimum number of definite buyers for an expensive project.
Is there some obvious reason why The Folio Society never uses them to launch an expensive Limited Edition?
It would seem on the face of it a good way of gaining a minimum number of definite buyers for an expensive project.
19whytewolf1
>18 English-bookseller: There's a considerable extra cost involved. I believe Kickstarter takes 5% of gross sales or thereabouts. That's a great deal for a newer publisher who needs exposure or one that may not have an infrastructure that's up to handling a very large project, but Folio already has a pretty robust platform and marketing operation. I think Kickstarter is a service that Folio simply doesn't need.
20Shadekeep
>19 whytewolf1: That would be my take as well. Kickstarter is typically for foundling organisations looking to get going and build recognition. That being said, FS might conceivably use crowdfunding for some kind of side project if they ever develop one. Thornwillow has used it for broadsides and some books, and one could argue they are both established and well known within the community, so it's not impossible. But by and large I see FS as distinct from most KS use cases.
