The Difference Makers

Product Description

by Marc Adams

Thanks to the internet, you can see a lot of interesting work with ease. But it’s easy to forget that the vast majority of the images on your screen are of pieces that are derivative, merely acceptable in their craftsmanship and were made by people at the beginning of their journey.

When you encounter true greatness it is shocking, inspiring and a bit humbling. The hair on your neck might stand on end. Your stomach might lurch like you were on a roller coaster. You might want to quit your job.

Encountering this kind of greatness is also an incredibly rare experience these days.

Since 1993, Marc Adams has invited hundreds of the best craftsmen and women to teach at his woodworking school in Franklin, Ind., which has grown to become the country’s (if not the world’s) largest. Every year, thousands of students soak up the instruction from a who’s who list of woodworkers and artists in multiple disciplines.

Every year, Marc has expanded the school and brought in a different mix of new instructors and veteran ones. As a result, he has figured out who is the best. He’s seen their work. He’s seen them at work.

Now Marc has selected the 30 best men and women makers that he’s worked with for his new book, “The Difference Makers: 30 Contemporary Makers; 30 Remarkable Stories.” It’s a sweeping journey into the work and lives of a diverse group of people, from pure traditional woodworkers to people whose brain is from the future. Furniture makers. Toolmakers. Luthiers. Sculptors. Engravers.

Each chapter reads like a short biographical novel – recounting the person’s life and how they became the artisan they are today. Then Marc offers an analysis and interpretation of their work – why it’s special – and tells a few stories about what they are like in the workshop.

And then there’s a gallery of the person’s work. Even if you never read a single word of “The Difference Makers,” Lost Art Press think you will spend hours poring over the photos.

All of this is wrapped up in a beautiful and huge book – 11” x 11” and 260 pages long. The large and square format of the book allowed us to reproduce the images as large as possible. The book is printed on a heavy and coated #100 stock – the nicest and smoothest paper Lost Art Press could find. Like all their books, the pages are sewn together and bound with fibre tape so the binding will outlast you. The book is hardbound with the boards covered in cotton cloth. And the entire package is wrapped with a long-wearing full-colour dust jacket. It is made in the United States (Tennessee) using domestic materials.

Lost Art Press are honoured to have worked with Marc and the 30 outstanding people featured in this book. Collecting their stories took Marc decades. Writing it all down took more than two years. And Lost Art Press are proud to present it to you so you can be inspired by it for many years to come.

Artisans & Artists in the Book:

Julie Bender
Garry Knox Bennett
Michael Cooper
Michael Dubber
John Economaki
W. Patrick Edwards
Michael Fortune
David Franklin
Chris Gochnour
Scott Grove
Garrett Hack
Jeff Headley & Steve Hamilton
Michael Hosaluk
Silas Kopf
David Lamb
William “Grit” Laskin
Steve Latta
Po Shun Leong
Thomas Lie-Nielsen
David Marks
Darrell Peart
Binh Pho
Frank Pollaro
Stephen Proctor
Paul Schu¨rch
Alf Sharp
Tom Stangeland
Malcolm Tibbetts
John Christopher White
Kathy Wise

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