A Time of Thanks and Progress
Clamshell Cases and Finishing the Anchor Edition
Progress, Thanks and the Future…
I am tantalizingly close to completing the Anchor Edition. Indeed, about a dozen copies are now complete with the exception of affixing the labels to the spine of the book. Thus, I anticipate that the full edition of the book will be finished by December 23.
As we head into the Thanksgiving holiday, I am grateful to my backers for their support, enthusiasm, and patience. This has been, by far, my largest and most complex book project to date. As I have been working to bring it to completion, I have been thinking about lessons learned, next steps, future projects, and much more. I look forward to sharing these thoughts. For now, however, I want to share more details on some final steps. Then, it is time to get back to the studio!
Clamshell Case
I promised a few surprises will be included in the clamshell case – otherwise known as a solander box. So, now that I am so close to finishing the books themselves, I wanted to share the box that I will be making. The “bones” of the box are the same leather and hand-marbled paper as your copy of the Anchor Edition. However, I have added a few details that I hope will delight you.
Perhaps the most exciting addition is that the spine of the case now features a label made out of teak salvaged from HMS Victory. Rescued from the hull of Victory – as a part of the major restoration work she is undergoing – this is a tangible link to the Royal Navy of Jack Aubrey. Master woodworker Dan Eklund has taken very thin offcuts from the process of crafting the covers for out Victory Edition and laser-engraved them with the book title and author. This means that every copy of our edition of Master and Commander comes with the option to have a small piece of this most historic ship.
The inside of the case features the “Map of Part of the Mediterranean Sea from Malaga to the Island of Minorca” published in the Journal of the Late Campaign in Egypt (London 1803) by Thomas Walsh. This is the same source as the map of Mahon Harbour that serves as the book’s endpapers and complements the book perfectly. I refer those who wish to learn more about this particular source of maps, Georgian map-making, and endpapers to my previous post about Endpaper Design and Georgian Maps.
For the box, I decided that, rather than simply lining each side of the box with a single image, I would create a triptych, spreading the map out across the two boxes and the connecting spine. Visually, I find this to be a much more dynamic presentation.
For those who did not order the clamshell case as a part of the original Kickstarter campaign, it is not too late. I have added some for purchase on our website for a limited time. If you want your book to come in this beautiful box, order it before December 16. It will take a few weeks longer for your book to arrive, but I truly believe it will be worth it.
Completing the Anchor Edition: Final Steps
If you ordered the Anchor Edition without the clamshell box…
Your book will be ready for shipping the week of December 23.
Please remit your final payment on our website before then.
Here is the link for Early Bird Kickstarter Backers
Here is the link for regular Kickstarter Backers
To ensure proper delivery, please make sure that you enter your current mailing address when making payment. We will use this address for shipping, regardless of the one used in the original Kickstarter campaign.
If you ordered the Anchor Edition without the clamshell box but would now like to add it to your order…
Please remit your final payment on our website before then.
Here is the link for Early Bird Kickstarter Backers
Here is the link for regular Kickstarter Backers
Make sure to add the Clamshell Box to your order when you submit final payment.
The final deadline for ordering the box and submitting final payment will be December 16, 2024. After that, we will be unable to accept any additional orders for the box.
Although your book will be ready for shipping the week of December 23, we will hold off shipping it until the boxes are finished in late January.
To ensure proper delivery, please make sure that you enter your current mailing address when making your payment. We will use this address for shipping, regardless of that used in the original Kickstarter campaign.
If you ordered the Anchor Edition with the clamshell box…
We will send you payment details and collect delivery information once the box and book are ready to ship together in mid- to late-January. We will contact you through both email and Kickstarter messaging when the time comes.
Bloody gorgeous
Splendid work, as expected!