The joy of making books

At this stage in its existence, Richardson & Bluhm book publishers is not doing well enough to allow its principals, or anyone else, to quit the day job. But it's sure fun making books, and fun has something to say for itself.

Given a choice of things to do Monday, I spent part of it tinkering with the existing product. I added a couple of introductory essays to our edition of Tom Paine's Letters to the Citizens of the United States, letters from 1802-1805 that are surprisingly relevant, as the young republic struggled with the pull between individual liberty and federal power.

Next I fiddled with the book that started it all, The Imaginary Bomb, a short novel that has drawn nice reviews both as a free podcast and as a stand-alone book. I've punched the package up with the (in)complete text of the unfinished sequel, The Imaginary Lover, and a sneak preview of the new novel of freedom and nonviolent resistance, The Imaginary Revolution. The revised I-Bomb becomes a great way to get up-to-date on the events of the Imaginary Era and whet your appetite for things to come. And folks who enjoyed the podcasts of the first draft of the first two chapters may be intrigued by the changes — especially the identity of the new narrator.

In the last month or so, I've branched off into the realm of classic science fiction, with an edition of Arthur Conan Doyle's immortal tale of exploration and dinosaurs, The Lost World. The plan is to whip together two more editions that collect the other four stories of Professor George Edward Challenger. Sure, it's been done before, but not by people as nice as the Richardson & Bluhm menagerie.

The newest addition is 6 Monsters, a half-dozen of the scariest tales conjured by the great literary minds of the 19th century, including "Frankenstein," "Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" and Henry James' intriguing ghost story/psychological drama "The Turn of the Screw." You might find these out there, but not under one roof.

The marvelous folks at Lulu are standing by to print these gems on demand for you, whether you want to buy single copies or stock up and get all of your Christmas shopping done in one place. Thanks for clicking through and taking a look and, if you find something you like, snatching it right up. When Richardson & Bluhm becomes a name to be reckoned with, you'll be able to say you have some of its earliest editions. Imagine that!

B.W.'s Shameless Book Plug: 6 Monsters

Getting a degree in English can be tedious at times. The classics of literature do not always make the most compelling reading. But every so often you'll come across a terrific bit of writing that is still a page-turner after a century or two.

For the scary season, the vast staff of Richardson & Bluhm print-on-demand books has compiled a half-dozen of the best page-turners in literature, from names you might have caught a time or two before like Edgar Allen Poe, Robert Louis Stevenson and such.

Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado" is a matter-of-fact tale told by a fellow who'd had enough and decided to bury a (presumably) former friend alive behind a brick wall. Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Rappaccini's Daughter" is about a man who builds himself, well, a daughter. "The Turn of the Screw" is a ghost (?) story that leaves readers guessing 100+ years after Henry James wrote it.

Anchored by "Frankenstein" and "Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," 6 Monsters is a lovely little pile of classics. Click here to learn more and be among the first to order your very own copy. Act now — it's only two weeks to Halloween! And feel free to explore where it says "More from B.W. Richardson and Warren Bluhm, editors."

B.W.'s Book Report: The Lost World

If Professor George Edward Challenger was the only memorable character he ever created, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle still would be a mighty figure in the field of adventure literature. Instead, of course, Challenger is — rather than being the main achievement of Doyle’s career — simply further evidence that the man who invented Sherlock Holmes was a creative genius.

The Lost World introduces this remarkable amalgamation of bombast, persistence and confidence and conceit with a flair: He engages the narrator, reporter Ed Malone, in a fistfight, largely for no other reason but that Malone is a reporter. The altercation leads to the street, where a police officer breaks up the fight. When Malone chooses not to press charges, a friendship of sorts begins. Doyle brings Challenger, Malone and two other adventurers — Lord John Roxton and Professor Summerlee — to South America in this first and most well-known of five tales about G.E.C.

Creators of the film versions of this tale usually feel the need to introduce a woman into the cast of four men in pursuit of Challenger’s fantastic tale of dinosaurs living in the South American jungle. In the fabulous 1925 film we are introduced to Paula White, daughter of the late Maple, played by the charming Bessie Love. She adds a point of conflict, as both Roxton and Malone have their eyes on her. But as you’ll see if you’re encountering the story for the first time, there’s hardly time in this lost world for such matters.

The scenes of a brontosaurus walking the streets of London and creating general havoc have inspired countless films ever since, but the filmmaker’s reinterpretation of a brief moment in the story’s climax marks another departure from Doyle’s original vision. That one might have been necessitated by technical realities, as the group’s return to England does have a lot of talking in it, and “talkies” were a couple to three years away.

The modern reader needs to make a few accommodations to Doyle’s era, as the author introduces a supporting cast that includes a loyal, friendly and simple-minded “negro,” as well as shady and “swarthy” foreigners. These references date the narrative a tad, but there’s a good reason The Lost World has remained a legendary tale for nearly a century now, generating at least three more film versions and even a television series: It’s a wonderfully rousing adventure story.

You may have noticed that the book cover pictured does not match any of the editions that have been available over the years. That's because I've been reading The Lost World as I prepare it to take a place next to the other print-on-demand publications in the growing Richardson & Bluhm stable. It will be available within a few days.

Trying men's souls all over again

Writes Thomas Paine in the eighth of his Letters to the Citizens of the United States:

The independence of America would have added but little to her own happiness, and been of no benefit to the world, if her government had been formed on the corrupt models of the old world. It was the opportunity of beginning the world anew, as it were; and of bringing forward a new system of government in which the rights of all men should be preserved that gave value to independence.

Even as the ink began to dry on the Declaration of Independence proclaiming a break from the tyranny of European-style government, a faction began plotting to re-forge the chains and re-establish Europe in the new world.

When Thomas Paine returned to the United States in 1802 after a decade and a half abroad, he saw the leftover effects of a presidential administration who didn't trust the people to exercise the blessings of liberty appropriately. The ongoing influence of that thinking was evident 20 years later when that president's son was elected president himself, as if one family had the right to the keys of power like a European monarchy.

Into the 21st century the tug-of-war continues. Some find it altogether appropriate to eye a candidate for leadership simply because he or she bears the name of Kennedy, or Bush, or Clinton. Senators and congressmen's sons and daughters, wives and husbands, succeed to their position as if it were a family heirloom. And each succeeding administration finds new ways to clutch remaining bits of liberty from the hands of the people. But that's not the new style of government Thomas Paine and his fellow patriots envisioned.

These Letters to the Citizens of the United States, and Particularly to the Leaders of the Federal Faction strike me as more relevant than ever — and so I offer them as a free eBook or, should you prefer someone else to do your printing and binding, as a book for sale.

Click on the eBook image to download these important words — and see the context of what I wrote about here and there and again of late. Click on the words book for sale for more about the dead-tree edition or click on the Richardson & Bluhm logo for our full line of lovely editions.

Ripples of positive action

These reflections have borne what to my knowledge is the first poem inspired by "Montag ... etc." The eloquent PintofStout left this comment with "Rinse. Repeat.":

I'm not sure if you allow pingbacks or anything, but I thought you'd like to know this post (and the many before it) sprouted a subconscious seed in my brain that has burst forth to life. A poem hath bloomed: Shipwreck (link goes to the intro blog post). Thanks.

Follow the links and you'll find an intriguing little creation about, well, let him explain. I'm tickled to have jarred something loose in PoS's brain — thanks for letting me know!

When a person starts taking positive action, it has a ripple effect. The series of posts that jogged PoS's poetic prowess was a ripple of its own. Not long ago my longtime long-distance pal Wally Conger tossed out a mysterious Facebook entry in which he wrote something to the effect of "That's it! I'm going to get started on some longtime Web business ideas." I recall thinking, "Hmm, I wonder what that's about," and kept my eye out for the results.

A few weeks later Wally sent me a bulk e-mail — from a new e-mail address — announcing his new eBook, Fire-Up Your Cash Flow Over A Donut and Coffee in 10 Minutes — Or Less! It's a quick read packed with thought-starters and ideas and led me to Wally's new Web site. In his site's introduction, "Let's Smash Wage Slavery," he describes the place as "a storehouse for ideas, comments, discussion, and even products targeted to free you from the ugliness of tyrannical work structures."

Positive action yields positive action: I resolved to write. And not just write, but to jump in the way Ray Bradbury put it in his wonderfully inspirational book Zen in the Art of Writing:

Every morning I jump out of bed and step on a landmine. The landmine is me.

After the explosion, I spend the rest of the day putting the pieces together.

Now, it's your turn. Jump!

So, every morning since July 20, I've been stepping on a landmine every morning. And I've been reading, too. Wally's eBook led me to other eBooks and free stuff out there in the ether. The concept of the free eBook especially caught my attention: It looks fun and and easy to produce, and I've learned a lot from a handful of the eBooks I've found. Some are original like Wally's, and some are repackages of interesting public-domain stuff.

Sunday, I noticed how those first two weeks of writing kind of flowed together thematically. Just for fun I tossed them together into an eBook — you may have already noticed the link to Preserve the Embers; Stoke the Fire sitting up there in the upper righthand corner of this page.

And it was fun, too — so much fun that by the end of the week you should start seeing more eBooks in that corner. One is a convenient edition of Tom Paine's Letters to the Citizens of the United States, which I've written about these three times of late. I figure you might want to see what got me so excited.

And another is a scaled-down eBook version of Refuse to be Afraid, the book-book I announced with some fanfare before getting sunk by the dread quotidian. Think of it, for now, as my Smiley Smile, the bits of a big project that got bogged down, a glimpse at what may eventually emerge later.

The eBooks are free; you can print them out (as I do, old-fashioned tree-killer that I am) or read them on screen. And I'm also converting them into print-on-demand mini-books. It feels counter-intuitive that people would spend money for a physical version of something they can have for free, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. And it gives me a chance to remind folks of the other Richardson & Bluhm products that are out there.

Reactions like PintofStout's (and Sunni's shout-out a few days earlier) are evidence of the ripple effect and momentum that positive action produces. Now, I wonder what it was that inspired Wally to get off the dime and launch his venture? What splash caused the ripple that is Fire Up Your Cash Flow?

Download Richardson & Bluhm books for free

It has taken me some time to grok why we should offer our books as free downloads, and I'm not sure I can explain why even though I now grok.

All I know is I've just reset the download price to zero for my The Imaginary Bomb and Warren Bluhm's Wildflower Man and The Adventures of Myke Phoenix.

So, go nuts. Enjoy the stories. Then buy the books for your shelf. Or, if you want to buy or barter for a signed hard copy, e-mail me.