Patterns in Wood
The craftspeople behind the Victory Edition and presentation boxes
As I detailed a few weeks ago, 27 copies of Master and Commander and ten presentation boxes will feature teak salvaged from HMS Victory. Obtaining the wood was one thing; finding the right people to transform the wood into objects of beauty was another. Fortunately, I have found three remarkable craftspeople to do so. It is my pleasure to introduce them.
HMS Victory Book Covers – Dan Eklund
Preparing the “boards” (in bookbinding parlance) for our edition is more than simply cutting the wood to size. The design requires precisely placed holes and grooves through which the cords on which the book is sewn can travel; a 0.5mm-deep shoulder must accommodate the leather on the spine of the book; and beveled edges must conform to the reader’s hands. I needed to find someone who could take the diagram I had created and transform the 1-inch-thick planks into precisely crafted covers for the book.
Late last year, when asking around Tucson for who might be able to do this, one name kept being mentioned: Dan Eklund. The only problem… at that time of year, Dan is a very busy man. Perhaps you can guess why.
Professionally, Dan worked on the Gemini 8M large telescope project at the National Optical Astronomy Observatory in Tucson, AZ. While a good telescope for a home enthusiast will have an aperture measured in inches or centimeters, the ones that Dan helped build are measured in meters.
Dan is an exceptionally skilled woodworker. He brings the same commitment to precision that is needed in construction of large optical telescopes. Before the teak from Victory even arrived, Dan carefully crafted an initial prototype of the covers using 5mm-thick Baltic birch. I was absolutely delighted with it as a proof of concept, especially the placement of the holes where the cords would attach the covers to the book. Was it pretty? No. Did we decide to make a few changes? Yes, a millimeter smaller here, two larger there. But I was grinning from ear to ear. It was a massive step in realizing my vision for the Victory Edition; it was in my hands, and it felt good.
The teak is now here and in Dan’s workshop. Dan has started the long process of transforming thick, teak planks into precisely machined covers for our HMS Victory edition. The first step is milling the boards to ensure that any bowing or warping – the products of decades of exposure to wind and water – is removed.
Once the milling process is complete, Dan will begin crafting the covers, a process that requires tools like a laser-calibrated system for ensuring that the holes drilled in each board align perfectly with the hemp cords onto which the book’s pages have been sewn. As Dan’s crafting process continues, I will post updates. In the meantime, I am so excited to have a craftsperson of Dan’s experience on the team.
HMS Victory Presentation Boxes – Callum and David Robinson
I am also delighted to announce a new partnership to create ten custom presentation boxes that will accompany select copies of the HMS Victory Edition of Master and Commander. Callum Robinson, Co-Founder of Scotland’s Method Studio, and his father, master woodcarver David Robinson, are joining forces to create custom boxes that will incorporate wood sourced from HMS Victory. They are remarkable artisans and craftspeople. Indeed, they are both in such high demand that I was reluctant to approach them with a proposal from a small private press in the Arizona desert. Little did I know that I only needed to utter one name to begin a fruitful conversation: Patrick O’Brian.
“I'm a huge fan of the series,” wrote Callum, in response to my initial inquiry, “though not quite so huge as my father who introduced me to O'Brian's books. He is a HUGE fan, and virtually squealed when I mentioned this to him.” A common love of the book series combined with Callum and David’s generous spirit has led to this new, dynamic partnership.
Method Studio
Callum and his wife, architect Marisa Giannasi, are the thinkers, designers, and makers who run Method Studio.
"Architects of objects since 2009. Hidden amongst the trees - Method is a multidisciplinary creative studio, specialising in the creative direction, design, development, project management and small batch manufacture of remarkable bespoke objects and content."
Over the past fifteen years, they have designed and crafted boxes, cases, furniture, and art installations in their studio-in-the-woods about 20 miles east of Edinburgh. Their client list is a who’s who of luxury brands… Burberry, Bentley Motors, Hermes, Vacheron Constantin, Fortnum & Mason, and Edinburgh Castle to name a few.
The creations of Method Studio are both classic and innovative, age-old and modern, beautiful and useful, echoing themes familiar in O’Brian’s books. I think Stephen Maturin would have appreciated this "object" commissioned by legendary Swiss watchmakers Vacheron Constantin to house a one-off tourbillon minute repeater.
The Journeyman Trunk was created as a portable tailor's studio for the founder Dutch jeansmaker Denham.
Charred wood was used for the release of Loch Lomond Whisky's 50 year old scotch.
Of particular interest to those of us who follow the nautical adventures of Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin is the case they created for Struthers Watchmakers. Inspired by boxes that housed chronometers, the box perfectly mirrors the design cues of 19th century timepieces while at sea.
I love the skill, artistry, and vision that shines through the photos of these masterpieces.
When Callum learned of our edition of Master and Commander, a collaboration seemed destined.
Patrick O'Brian's books were among the first that my father thrust into my hands as a teenager gripped with a dangerous case of wanderlust, and I've always been a great fan - though my father is the real devotee. He's passionate about Aubrey & Maturin, and about working with unique timber to tell stories, so this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity was something we jumped at. We're both delighted to be involved with such an interesting project, infused with so much care and history.
Callum’s thoughtful, intentional approach to craft soon will be articulated in print. His memoir, Ingrained: The Making of a Craftsman will be published by HarperCollins later this year.
The eldest son of a master woodworker, Callum Robinson spent his childhood surrounded by wood and trees, absorbing craft lessons in his father's workshop. In time he became his father's apprentice, helping to create exquisite bespoke objects. But eventually the need to find his own path led him to establish his own workshop and chase ever bigger and more commercial projects, until the devastating loss of one major job threatened to bring it all crashing down. Faced with the end of his business, his team, and everything he had worked so hard to build, he was forced to question what mattered most.
In beautifully wrought prose, Callum tells the story of returning to the workshop and to the wood, to handcrafting furniture for people who will love it and then pass it on to the next generation--an antidote to a culture where everything seems so easily disposable. As he does so, he brings us closer to nature and the physical act of creation--and we begin to understand how he has been shaped, as both a craftsman and a son.
Blending memoir and nature writing at its finest, Ingrained is an uplifting meditation on the challenges of working with your hands in our modern age, on community, consumerism, and the beauty of the natural world--one that asks us to see our local trees, and our own wooden objects, in a new and revelatory light.
The relationship between Callum and his father does not only run through the book, it also drives the creation of the boxes for Master and Commander.
David Robinson
Recognized as one of just 40 Master Carvers in the UK, David Robinson arrived at the art form through a career in landscape architecture.
I loved building big things (still do), but it was the details that really gripped me. In time I began to make more and more of the fittings and furniture for these projects, and increasingly introduced carved lettering and images. The carving has grown organically over the years to become the focus of many pieces… Most of my carving is of wildlife, but I have also created landscapes, flowers and plants, street scenes, even boats and cars.
I cannot help think that David’s carvings of many of the animals encountered by the protagonists of Master and Commander would have delighted Stephen Maturin.
In his eagerness to work on the boxes for Master and Commander, however, David plans to undertake a more nautical approach, hand carving a man-of-war into the teak salvaged from HMS Victory. For the lid of the box, David will carve the clean lines of a ship at sea that will echo the illustrations of our volume. As you can see, he is already hard at work in his studio.
While it might seem ironic that, after the trials and tribulations of getting wood from HMS Victory’s home in Portsmouth to my studio in Arizona, I shipped some of it to David’s workshop in Scotland, it actually seems appropriate. It is far from the furthest journey the wood has made across the seas.
I want to welcome Dan, Callum, and David to the proverbial gunroom. These new crew members are making our edition of Master and Commander a worthy chapter in the storied histories of HMS Victory and Patrick O’Brian.
Other Studio Notes
As summer arrives in the Arizona desert, we are entering crunch time in the production of our edition of Master and Commander. We are attaching leather headbands, adding the final lining to the spine, and preparing to attach the boards to our books. My next update will feature these next steps as the covers of our books are attached and prepared for covering in goatskin and marbled paper.
Overall, I am happy with progress. We are still, amazingly, on schedule for completion at the end of August. I have to admit, I am a bit nervous; rarely does such a project come to a conclusion without some sort of major challenge or interruption. As Jack Aubrey was certainly aware, no battle plan survives first contact with the enemy. But our plan is still intact as we enter the home stretch. If you are so inclined, please scratch a backstay for us (a sailor’s superstition to call for favorable winds and friendly seas). Thanks to all of you for your continued support!
starting to regret not opting for the box... :)