WMDs Of The 1880s

I am pleased to announce that I have finally compiled my fourth book: WMDs Of The 1880s. Collected within it are a dazzling array of destructive and world altering devices that never were. Divided into: Clockwork Machinations, Voltaic Centrifuges, Focused Ray Emitters, Clockwork Atomics, and Articulated Mobile Constructs. Think you can do a better job of running the world, because everyone else is doing such a piss poor job of it? Then this is a one stop shopping guide to 'pataphysical science dominance. Devoted to the mad scientist in all of us, when all we really want to do is dominate and rule the world....possibly with an iron hand, maybe not.

Tamentai no Origami

I bought this book a few years back as a present to myself. Tamentai no Origami shows the folding patterns for dozens and dozens of geometric forms. Sure it has how to do a "cube", except that is really a Regular Hexahedron or a "pyramid" is a Regular Tetrahedron. But how about a Pentagonal Isositetrahedron? Or a Heptagonal Dipyramid? And they just get crazier from there. I love this book. It is completely in Japanese and I can't read a word of it, but I love this book. Truth be told, you don't really need to be able to read Japanese to enjoy and use this book. There is very little writing. The entire book is filled with very clear diagrams that need no translation. Tamentai no Origami has been invaluable in the development of my "folded space/dimension" drawings.

American Genius: 19th Century Bank Locks and Time Locks

A beautiful book collecting over 400 photographs of locks from the Mossman Collection, which is housed at The General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen in NYC. (Who knew?) The book also includes detailed shots of their inner workings. The locks, in a word, are amazing. Each one unique at the time and an improvement upon the previous one as inventors continually outdid on another. Many of these locks are the last of their kind due to locks and safes being melted down for raw materials during WW1. Handcrafted and many include intricate engraving and casting that would put personal watches to shame. This engraving is often continued into the interior even though it would rarely be seen. Admittedly a bit pricey, but I found a copy at the Strand at a nice discount.

Which brings me to the sad fact that the idea of craft (craftmanship) is, for the most part, lost in the modern age. This book is filled with locks that are completely functional but are works of art. This level of care and attention is rare today. Nice things are still made, but they are the exception and typically insanely expensive. I know big words from someone who draws on napkins, but I hope that, in my own way, I show a level of care, attention to detail and craft in my drawings.

http://www.generalsociety.org/exhibits/default.asp