I never solicit reviews of my work. In this business, that is called “logrolling” – I’ll pretend to enjoy your book if you pretend to enjoy mine.
Most of the crap on the backs of books is logrolling. Ignore it.
When we get an honest review from someone who has taken the time to really read the book, think about it and write down their thoughts, we want to share it. Simon St.Laurent wrote a detailed review of “The Joiner and Cabinet Maker” for WoodCentral.com that was posted today. I haven’t seen as thoughtful a review of our work to date.
I spent about a year of my life reading, researching, building and writing the text that accompanies “The Joiner and Cabinet Maker” with one hope. That someone, anyone, would understand why this book was important. How its grounding in 1839 is still relevant in 2010. And what we as woodworkers can take away from the experiences of the fictional apprentice named Thomas W.
Don’t be fooled. Simon’s review isn’t a gush-fest. He’s thought about these issues as much as we have. And for that reason, his review is definitely worth a close read.
Check out the review here.
— Christopher Schwarz