A modern take on Dante's masterpiece: Hand-lettered, beautifully illustrated, printed letterpress, and hand-bound.
Latest Updates from Our Project:
We have a parable to sow...
over 5 years ago
– Fri, Dec 04, 2020 at 12:11:30 AM
As backers of the Thornwillow edition of Dante's Inferno, I wanted to make sure you are aware of our newest campaign, currently live (and thriving!) on Kickstarter.
For the first time ever in a fine press edition, we are proud to present:
Thornwillow is publishing the first ever fine press edition of Octavia E. Butler’s visionary masterpiece, Parable of the Sower. Letterpress printed and hand-bound, the Thornwillow edition is available in a range of versions, from classic paper, cloth, and leather bindings, to an array of unique artists’ books incorporating unconventional materials such as limp vellum, burl wood, wool, Baltic amber, lapis lazuli and gold. Featuring historic U.S. Geological Survey maps, which trace the heroes’ journey across the ravaged California landscape, as well as indices of record-breaking wildfires and events from our own times, the Thornwillow edition ties past, present, and future together to create a book which will honor Butler’s extraordinary legacy and preserve this important story for the (dystopian) future.
We have been delighted by the enthusiastic reception this new project has gotten, and as we enter the final week, wanted to be sure to reach out to you while the project is still live. If you are already one of the many backers who have lent their support—THANK YOU! And if you have not yet had a chance, be sure to check it out before the campaign ends next week.
Wishing you all a happy and healthy holiday season, with highest regards from the Press,
Luke Pontifell
Avoid the circles of Hell... be part of a broadside revolution...
over 5 years ago
– Wed, Aug 12, 2020 at 07:30:22 PM
Dear Friends of Thornwillow
On the eve of a presidential election and in the midst of an unprecedented pandemic, we have decided to deploy our resources as a printer and publisher of handmade limited editions to unite our communities in support of civic participation and to call out for change. Thornwillow is proud to present:
Three new letterpress-printed, hand-crafted broadsides to inspire and provoke, to engage our communities, and drive action to create change.
From Martin Luther to Martin Luther King Jr., the printed broadside has long been a symbol of resistance and a sign of change. It is a powerful medium for conveying important, even revolutionary, ideas—ideas worth sharing, worth preserving, and worth fighting for.
Anchoring the project is our Redacted Declaration of Independence. Printed letterpress in 3 colors, the Redacted Declaration Broadside beautifully reproduces our most important founding document, both celebrating its noble goals and unflinchingly exposing its inconsistencies and faults. Changing colors and marginal notes reflect centuries of change, from a damning rebuke of slavery (cut from Jefferson’s earlier draft), to the gradually expanding meaning of “All Men”, to the struggles for equal treatment which continue today. Though we still adamantly believe the Declaration to be a roadmap to a worthy destination, we know we have a long way to go to achieve its lofty ideals.
In this journey toward justice, we are led by the immortal words of Frederick Douglass, and our Power Concedes Nothing Broadside is a rallying cry. It was Douglass who said, “If there is no struggle there is no progress.” Therefore, our heritage is the continued struggle for liberty and justice, and our legacy will be the more equal world we leave behind.
Be an Agent for Change — VOTE 2020
In supporting this campaign and backing one of the tiers, you will not only receive finely printed works of art; you will also make it possible for us to create and distribute a new VOTE 2020 Broadside to urge our community members to do their civic duty. Two years ago, we invited members of the Boys & Girls Club to visit the press and print a similar broadside, which we distributed to local students turning 18 in advance of the midterm elections. This year we hope to reach even more young voters, but we need your help to do it.
To this end, we are offering several Thornwillow titles at significantly discounted prices to backers of our “Agent of Change” tiers, including Abraham Lincoln: Defender of Freedom, Frederick Douglass: Portrait of a Free Man, and Barack Obama’s Inaugural Address. Each “Agent of Change” tier includes 50 VOTE 2020 Broadsides to be sent to a community of your choice—be it a school, your city hall, or your favorite grassroots organization (perhaps in a swing state). In recognition of your essential role in spreading the word and engaging our communities, your name will be prominently featured on the Subscribers’ Register accompanying each set of broadsides.
Civic engagement is our right and responsibility—with this campaign, we hope to do our part. Please join us—back the campaign, and be an agent for change.
Best regards from the Press,
Luke Ives Pontifell
Graphic art for graphic times... Announcing EDGAR ALLAN POE TALES, MYSTERIES & CONTRIVANCES
almost 6 years ago
– Sat, Apr 25, 2020 at 06:25:22 AM
As an established Thornwillow collector, I want to make sure you know about our newest publication. We have been working on it for more than two years and I am pleased to announce that our next project, EDGAR ALLAN POE: TALES, MYSTERIES & CONTRIVANCES is off to a great start on Kickstarter.
Few authors have left a legacy as enduring and influential as Poe’s. The first author to make his living as a professional writer, he not only composed some of the most famous and haunting short stories of all time, but single-handedly invented the genre of detective fiction, and was one of the earliest authors to explore the bounds of science fiction. In the span of his short life, he produced a groundbreaking body of work that has defined the genres of horror and mystery for the last two hundred years.
The edition features original artwork by celebrated tattoo artist John Reardon. We are printing on paper, the ink he usually reserves for human flesh.
And one of the full leather bindings will feature one of a kind artwork actually be tattooed directly on the binding.
As Friends of the Press know, we rely on you to make each Thornwillow publication possible. Now, more than ever, is the time to unite around the written word.
We did not choose Poe with this moment in mind, and we launch this campaign knowing that your attention, your worries, and your resources are being pulled in many directions. But though we did not imagine this book as an allegory for what the world is currently experiencing, these visceral writings of Edgar Allan Poe increasingly seem to speak to us and to our world as we are living it today.In our darkest hours, we turn to art to ignite our imagination, to feed us with ideas and inspirations, to distract and entertain us, to bring us together around shared stories and shared experiences.
When you subscribe for a Thornwillow book, you are not only adding a beautiful and important work to your collection; you are supporting the work of dozens of artists, designers, authors, editors, and craftspeople who have dedicated their lives to the preservation of the arts and crafts of the written word. More than that, you are joining a global community of book makers and book readers, from Palo Alto to London, from New Zealand to Hong Kong.
Today, I am asking you to join us. Help us bring this edition to life as we work to preserve and perpetuate the arts and crafts of the written word—the very arts that make us human.
Best wishes, and highest regards from the Press,
Luke
Our Newest Campaign is Project of the Day
over 6 years ago
– Thu, Dec 12, 2019 at 09:05:55 PM
Announcing our campaign for THE THORNWILLOW MAKERS VILLAGE
Dear Friends,
We have wonderful news from the Press—we have just launched a new campaign, our most ambitious to date, and today it is Project of the Day on Kickstarter!
The campaign supports two great initiatives, working in tandem, to make the worlds of fine printing and hand-craftsmanship more accessible to all.
The Thornwillow Makers Village Community Bookstore
and
The Thornwillow Patron’s Prize for Emerging Artists
We are enormously excited about both of these new enterprises, which will allow us to grow and enrich both our local and global communities as we bring the first bookstore in more than 50 years to Newburgh and catalyze the careers of some of the most talented up-and-coming voices in the literary and art worlds. Both are ready for lift off, but we need your help to make them fly.
Our current campaign is unlike any we’ve run before because our goals are bigger than ever before. Tiers range from workshops and tours of the Press to Thornwillow Dispatch subscriptions (for you or a friend) and even custom printing commissions and book bindings—whether you're near or far, a book reader or book writer, we have something to tiers to surprise and delight... and help you celebrate the written word.
You have inspired us!
Those of you who backed our Death on the Nile campaign are familiar with The Mystery. It was incredibly popular and engaged backers across the globe (from London to Palo Alto and New Zealand to New Mexico) and inspired us to find a way to build on the momentum… SO, for the first time ever, we are inviting you—our readers and our community—to help us pick publications for next year and engage in Thornwillow's editorial direction!
For this to work, though, it is imperative that we engage the WHOLE community. That’s why we have set a number of stretch goals, based on the number of subscribers to our Makers Village Kickstarter Campaign, that invites YOU ALL to participate in shaping the Thornwillow canon.
Every person who backs our campaign for the Thornwillow Makers Village will be eligible (and encouraged!) to participate, so please, pledge to help bring the project to life, then send us your suggestions for:
Quotes from Writers on Writing for a new, letterpress printed BROADSIDE. If we reach 100 Subscribers (at any tier), we will choose our favorite subscriber-submitted quotes and create a letterpress printed Broadside which will be sent to ALL subscribers.
A POSTER-worthy Poem. If we reach 250 Subscribers (at any tier), we will choose our top ten subscriber-submitted poems and poll all subscribers to choose a winner. The winning poem will be printed letterpress in a 16.5” x 21” poster and sent to all subscribers backing tiers with physical rewards. Submissions for the Poster must be in the public domain and fit in the space available.
A CHAPBOOK in the 2020 Season of the Thornwillow Dispatch. If we reach 500 Subscribers (at any tier), we will send a poll containing all qualified suggestions to our backers to determine the top ten titles; then, we will poll backers again to choose the winner from the top ten. The winning title will be published as part of the Thornwillow Dispatch in 2020 and sent to all subscribers to the Thornwillow Dispatch. As a sincere thanks for their contribution, the person who first submitted the winning title will also receive a one-of-a-kind half leather copy for free when the chapbook is finished! Submissions for the chapbook must be in the public domain and fit within 32 pages.
A BOOK. This is the big one… If we reach 1000 Subscribers (at any tier), we will poll all subscribers, first to narrow the field of suggested titles to ten finalists, then again to choose the winner. In 2020, we will launch a Kickstarter campaign for the winning title, and, if funded, will publish it—just like any of our other books. As a sincere thanks for their contribution, the person who first submitted the winning title will also receive a one-of-a-kind half leather copy for FREE when the book is completed! Submissions for the book must be in the public domain.
For each stretch goal we reach, we will compile ALL the qualified suggestions (those that fit the parameters), and in the cases of the Poster, the Chapbook, and the Book, we will begin polling to determine the winning titles after the campaign ends.
As an established Thornwillow collector, I wanted to make sure you were aware of our newest project on Kickstarter. I am excited to announce that we are publishing a letterpress printed, hand-bound edition of the Book of GENESIS, and — for the first time in a fine press edition — we are printing the text in four distinct colors, corresponding to the four known authorial sources. This is Genesis as it has never been seen before.
In addition to a variety of very special bindings including some one-of-a-kind copies with historic artifacts that mark iconic milestones in the history of the Bible, with this project, we also have a special Early-Bird offer which is only available until 11:59 PM on Tuesday October 1st. For helping us jumpstart the campaign, we are offering a discounted price to subscribers who order a half-leather copy at the outset of the project.
The KING JAMES EDITION features an original leaf from the historic edition.
The KING JAMES Edition is limited to only one copy. It is hand bound in full antique calf and hand marbled endpaper and is presented in suede lined clamshell box... AND it includes a genuine leaf from an original edition of the King James Bible that enables the reader, literally, to touch history.
Because some of these opportunities will not be available for long, I wanted to be sure established collectors like you were aware of the project in time to take advantage of them. Please do not hesitate to contact me directly with any questions you may have regarding this newest publication, and thank you, as ever, for your steadfast support of our work.
