The Anarchist’s Design Book: Expanded Edition

by Christopher Schwarz

The 2020 edition of Chris Schwarz’s class “The Anarchist’s Design Book” expands upon the original with 200 more pages – at a total of 656 pages, it’s the biggest Lost Arts Press has ever published.

The Anarchist’s Design Book celebrates great furniture pieces that differ markedly from the ornate furniture you see in museum collections, touting the methods of creation that are “… shockingly simple for the beginner. They don’t require a lot of tools. And they produce objects that have endured centuries of hard use.”
Chris takes a look at 18 pieces of essential furniture that combat the prevailing culture of wasteful materialism. Each pattern is a thorough example of how to design logically and naturally, with the goal of creating functional, attractive objects that last for generations. Chris outlines all steps of his process, from prototyping to workshop techniques, always with sustainable practices and human ergonomics in mind. The goal is to give you the road map for designing your own pieces – think of a cookbook that shows you how to cook without the constraints of a particular recipe The resulting style falls somewhere between vernacular craft and simple modernism, a middle ground that encourages woodworkers of all skill levels to take on design challenges of their own.

The book is in keeping with Chris’s celebration of self-reliance (though perhaps it’s more “populist” than “anarchist”) – rejecting the gilded for the stout, the Chippendale for the work table, and putting the design back into the hands of the user. The “furniture of necessity” is built around two basic construction elements, staked tenons and tapered nails, and relies on common tools to make the patterns achievable by any and all. With sidebar technique tips and Chris’s wry humor, this book is equal parts helpful instruction and midday workshop rant. Each furniture pattern is accompanied by copper-plate illustrations, faithfully crafted by Vermont artist Briony Morrow-Cribbs.

8″ x 10″, casebound and sheathed in thick hardback boards that are covered in cotton cloth.

Table of Contents for the Expanded Edition
Supplies

Pages: 656
Binding: HC
Publisher: Lost Art Press