We are returning T. S. Eliot's masterpiece, THE WASTE LAND, to its roots with this letterpress printed and hand bound edition.
Latest Updates from Our Project:
We have a parable to sow...
over 5 years ago
– Fri, Dec 04, 2020 at 04:15:12 AM
As backers of the Thornwillow edition of The Waste Land, I wanted to make sure you are aware of our newest campaign, currently live (and thriving!) on Kickstarter.
For the first time ever in a fine press edition, we are proud to present:
Thornwillow is publishing the first ever fine press edition of Octavia E. Butler’s visionary masterpiece, Parable of the Sower. Letterpress printed and hand-bound, the Thornwillow edition is available in a range of versions, from classic paper, cloth, and leather bindings, to an array of unique artists’ books incorporating unconventional materials such as limp vellum, burl wood, wool, Baltic amber, lapis lazuli and gold. Featuring historic U.S. Geological Survey maps, which trace the heroes’ journey across the ravaged California landscape, as well as indices of record-breaking wildfires and events from our own times, the Thornwillow edition ties past, present, and future together to create a book which will honor Butler’s extraordinary legacy and preserve this important story for the (dystopian) future.
We have been delighted by the enthusiastic reception this new project has gotten, and as we enter the final week, wanted to be sure to reach out to you while the project is still live. If you are already one of the many backers who have lent their support—THANK YOU! And if you have not yet had a chance, be sure to check it out before the campaign ends next week.
Wishing you all a happy and healthy holiday season, with highest regards from the Press,
Luke Pontifell
April is the Cruelest Month
about 6 years ago
– Sun, Apr 26, 2020 at 07:51:32 AM
April is the cruellest month, breeding / Lilacs out of the dead land...
As a subscriber to Thornwillow's edition of The Waste Land, I think you would agree that this April has indeed been a cruel month. That said, I would like to make sure you know about our newest publication. We have been working on it for more than two years and despite it's horrifying tales, we hope this project will ignite your imagination and bring you joy. I am pleased to announce that our next project, EDGAR ALLAN POE: TALES, MYSTERIES & CONTRIVANCES is live on Kickstarter.
We did not choose Poe with this moment in mind, and we launch this campaign knowing that your attention, your worries, and your resources are being pulled in many directions. But though we did not imagine this book as an allegory for what the world is currently experiencing, these visceral writings of Edgar Allan Poe increasingly seem to speak to us and to our world as we are living it today.In our darkest hours, we turn to art to ignite our imagination, to feed us with ideas and inspirations, to distract and entertain us, to bring us together around shared stories and shared experiences.
As Friends of the Press know, we rely on you to make each Thornwillow publication possible. Now, more than ever, is the time to unite around the written word.
When you subscribe for a Thornwillow book, you are not only adding a beautiful and important work to your collection; you are supporting the work of dozens of artists, designers, authors, editors, and craftspeople who have dedicated their lives to the preservation of the arts and crafts of the written word. More than that, you are joining a global community of book makers and book readers, from The Netherlands to Thailand, from New Zealand to Boston.
Today, I am asking you to join us. Help us bring this edition to life as we work to preserve and perpetuate the arts and crafts of the written word—the very arts that make us human.
Best wishes, and highest regards from the Press,
Luke
PS... Note also the APRIL 30th DEADLINE for the next Thornwillow Dispatch featuring the 11 poems of that were published during her lifetime — without attribution.
Do I Dare Disturb the Universe?
over 6 years ago
– Thu, Jan 30, 2020 at 08:46:10 AM
Do I Dare Disturb the Universe?
Announcing the next installment of the Thornwillow Dispatch:
T.S. Eliot's THE LOVE SONG OF J. ALFRED PRUFROCK
Announcing Thornwillow's publication of "The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock"
As supporters of our campaign for The Waste Land, I wanted to share a very special announcement about the next publication in the ongoing Thornwillow Dispatch series. This February, subscribers to the Dispatch will receive limited edition, letterpress printed copies of T.S. Eliot’s "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock".
Written in 1910 and published in 1915, Prufrock is the earliest of Eliot’s professional poems. Upon reading it, Ezra Pound boldly claimed that it was “the best poem I have yet had or seen from an American”, and though many at the time regarded the work as outlandish, it has since come to be regarded as one of the quintessential texts of the modernist movement. It has even been suggested that, without the publication of Prufrock, Eliot might never have even written The Waste Land!
How can I get it?
You can reserve one by subscribing to the Thornwillow Dispatch before the end of January and receive Prufrock along with all the other goods for your study that come with your monthly subscription. Or you can order the chapbook alone on our website.
Prufrock is the anchor publication for next month's Thornwillow Dispatch. Dispatch subscribers also receive a monthly assortment of beautifully printed goods for your study every month.
The Thornwillow Dispatch is our monthly subscription of finely printed ideas and inspirations. Each month ongoing subscribers receive a box of engraved or letterpress printed keepsakes and ephemera that celebrate the written word. Past Dispatches have included an assortment of limited edition chapbooks, broadsides, and prints that feature editorial and artistic content, as well as finely crafted goods for your study including engraved note cards, journals, and calendar cards.
The Thornwillow Dispatch is for people who enjoy reading and writing, for people who believe that in this age of disposable and intangible communications, objects that are designed to last matter more than ever. Whether you enjoy them yourself, or share them with friends and family, the Thornwillow Dispatch will not disappoint.
Just like our edition of "The Waste Land", the Thornwillow edition of "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" is set in Perpetua, printed letterpress, and bound by hand in a limited edition. Subscribers at the 30pt. Baskerville tier (and above) will receive copies bound in letterpress printed paper wrappers; subscribers at the 100pt. Electra tier and above will additionally receive Patrons Edition copies bound in handmade paste papers, individually numbered and signed by the publisher.
The deadline to subscribe to the Dispatch and receive "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" is approaching fast though! After January 31, 2020, the cost (if any copies remain) will go up and will no longer include the accompanying motif card or broadsides. To secure your copy before they are all spoken for, sign up at the 30pt. Baskerville tier or higher here: www.patreon.com/thornwillow
Best regards from the press,
The Waste Land - How to Spend It...
over 6 years ago
– Wed, Dec 18, 2019 at 02:53:55 PM
The Waste Land in The Financial Times Today
Thanks to your early support of our edition of The Waste Land... the edition came to be... and today is featured in the Financial Times
Help Aim The Canon in 2020
Have you submitted title suggestions to our "Help aim the Canon for 2020" campaign? Help us spread the word. We want to get 1,000 people engaged to make the end of campaign poll statistically significant.
Special thanks to Lauren Renner and Kickstarter for filming this video and to Mark Carranceja and Noisemaker Media for editing it into this video snack.
Our newest project is PROJECT OF THE DAY !
over 6 years ago
– Thu, Dec 12, 2019 at 11:11:24 AM
Announcing our campaign for THE THORNWILLOW MAKERS VILLAGE
Dear Friends,
We have wonderful news from the Press—we have just launched a new campaign, our most ambitious to date, and today it is Project of the Day on Kickstarter!
The campaign supports two great initiatives, working in tandem, to make the worlds of fine printing and hand-craftsmanship more accessible to all.
The Thornwillow Makers Village Community Bookstore
and
The Thornwillow Patron’s Prize for Emerging Artists
We are enormously excited about both of these new enterprises, which will allow us to grow and enrich both our local and global communities as we bring the first bookstore in more than 50 years to Newburgh and catalyze the careers of some of the most talented up-and-coming voices in the literary and art worlds. Both are ready for lift off, but we need your help to make them fly.
Our current campaign is unlike any we’ve run before because our goals are bigger than ever before. Tiers range from workshops and tours of the Press to Thornwillow Dispatch subscriptions (for you or a friend) and even custom printing commissions and book bindings—whether you're near or far, a book reader or book writer, we have something to tiers to surprise and delight... and help you celebrate the written word.
You have inspired us!
Those of you who backed our Death on the Nile campaign are familiar with The Mystery. It was incredibly popular and engaged backers across the globe (from London to Palo Alto and New Zealand to New Mexico) and inspired us to find a way to build on the momentum… SO, for the first time ever, we are inviting you—our readers and our community—to help us pick publications for next year and engage in Thornwillow's editorial direction!
For this to work, though, it is imperative that we engage the WHOLE community. That’s why we have set a number of stretch goals, based on the number of subscribers to our Makers Village Kickstarter Campaign, that invites YOU ALL to participate in shaping the Thornwillow canon.
Every person who backs our campaign for the Thornwillow Makers Village will be eligible (and encouraged!) to participate, so please, pledge to help bring the project to life, then send us your suggestions for:
Quotes from Writers on Writing for a new, letterpress printed BROADSIDE. If we reach 100 Subscribers (at any tier), we will choose our favorite subscriber-submitted quotes and create a letterpress printed Broadside which will be sent to ALL subscribers.
A POSTER-worthy Poem. If we reach 250 Subscribers (at any tier), we will choose our top ten subscriber-submitted poems and poll all subscribers to choose a winner. The winning poem will be printed letterpress in a 16.5” x 21” poster and sent to all subscribers backing tiers with physical rewards. Submissions for the Poster must be in the public domain and fit in the space available.
A CHAPBOOK in the 2020 Season of the Thornwillow Dispatch. If we reach 500 Subscribers (at any tier), we will send a poll containing all qualified suggestions to our backers to determine the top ten titles; then, we will poll backers again to choose the winner from the top ten. The winning title will be published as part of the Thornwillow Dispatch in 2020 and sent to all subscribers to the Thornwillow Dispatch. As a sincere thanks for their contribution, the person who first submitted the winning title will also receive a one-of-a-kind half leather copy for free when the chapbook is finished! Submissions for the chapbook must be in the public domain and fit within 32 pages.
A BOOK. This is the big one… If we reach 1000 Subscribers (at any tier), we will poll all subscribers, first to narrow the field of suggested titles to ten finalists, then again to choose the winner. In 2020, we will launch a Kickstarter campaign for the winning title, and, if funded, will publish it—just like any of our other books. As a sincere thanks for their contribution, the person who first submitted the winning title will also receive a one-of-a-kind half leather copy for FREE when the book is completed! Submissions for the book must be in the public domain.
For each stretch goal we reach, we will compile ALL the qualified suggestions (those that fit the parameters), and in the cases of the Poster, the Chapbook, and the Book, we will begin polling to determine the winning titles after the campaign ends.
