Creativity and Aesthetics

Oct

2020

Heritage Classics Press

“I’d like to introduce you to a longstanding friend,” announced my good friend and colleague, Carl Dobrowolski. “Meet David Dooley…”

As is so often the case these days, our introductions and networking take place on Zoom, Skype, Google Meet, or similar portals. On this occasion, David disappeared from the screen almost as soon as he had made his appearance, but his voice didn’t cut out, so the meeting between him, Carl, and me proceeded.

“I want for us to be able to reprint those great, classical books from the past, books that can be beautifully bound, a joy to hold and handle. I want for people to read the old books, and to enjoy possessing heirloom classics, books they can pass on to their kids and grandkids.” David’s tone was earnest, and the sense of enthusiasm between the three of us grew as we considered, under God, what we might be able to do.

A series of outcomes developed in rapid succession.

The inception of a publishing company geared to this project
The vision for a series of beautifully produced reprints
The strategy to introduce such publications to people all over the world
The participation of a reading audience to help establish the priority of which books to produce first
The opportunity for people to buy in to the print run ahead of the actual production and release of the books
The commitment to financially supporting a missionary partner from revenues that are generated

The mission statement of Heritage Classics Press states:

Heritage Classics Press delivers unique, elegant, durable, leather-bound, heirloom-quality books from the Church’s strong Christian heritage. Enjoy beautiful typographic designs and engaging historic illustrations. An audio version accompanies each book. Revenue from sales of our books supports Christian charities.

The promotional webpage invites readers to consider a range of books and also to take a one-question survey.

Visit Heritage Classics Press HERE and follow HCP on Facebook HERE.

Books Initially Under Consideration for Publication

Bondage of the Will, Martin Luther

In one of the most important books of the Reformation, Luther carefully explains that man’s nature is fallen and incapacitated, thus fully reliant on the grace of God and His sovereignty to free him. Written in 1525, this books still speaks volumes today.

Select Writings of Charles H. Spurgeon

This treasure from the Prince of Preachers contains some of the most beloved writings and prayers of C.H. Spurgeon: According to His Promise. The Prayers of C.H. Spurgeon, The Letters of C.H. Spurgeon, Words of Cheer for Daily Life, and Words of Wisdom for Daily Life.

Creeds, Confessions and Catechisms (of the Protestant Church)

Starting with the ecumenical creeds, this title incorporates the key confessions and catechisms from the Reformation onward: Augsburg Confession, Westminster Confession, Geneva Confession, Helvetic Confession, Canons of Dordt, Belgic Confession, Heidelberg Catechism, Westminster Confession and (Larger and Shorter) Catechism, Savoy Declaration, The 39 Articles, London Baptist Confession of Faith, Luther’s Catechism, Spurgeon’s Catechism.

Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, John Foxe

This classic text written in the seventeenth century chronicles the deaths of martyrs of that time and in centuries before. A challenging book that leaves a testimony behind of dear saints sacrificing their lives for the Savior.

Pilgrim’s Progress, John Bunyan

An allegory penned by John Bunyan, a Reformed Baptist preacher imprisoned for his faith, has entranced and encouraged the lives of millions of believers since its release in the 1600s. It is the most published book in history–apart from the Bible.

And while you are here, why don’t you take the survey? It won’t even take one minute!

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Jan

2020

Thinking About Ford v Ferrari

I am preparing this blog in consultation with my son, Matthew, aged sixteen years. He and I have prepared the text below, so some of the writing is entirely his. He and I saw the movie Ford v Ferrari late last year, and, because we found it thought provoking, I also took Sue to watch it a few weeks later. The movie is PG-13, largely as there is some fallen-world language.

It’s a sports action drama, a period setting from the early- to mid-1960s, the time I was growing up. It was fun to see how authentic the setting was—the style of cars, dress, décor, etc., though it did provoke discussion as to whether the Coca Cola bottles were quite authentic.

Characters and Plot

Based on the true story of Ford’s efforts to build a car that could rival Europe’s prime car, Ferrari, at the renowned twenty-four-hour, high-speed endurance race, the story line goes something like this:

Carroll Shelby is a former race-car driver who had to quit the sport because of a heart condition. Lee Iacocca, a member of the Ford Motor Company’s board of directors in charge of marketing, is challenged by Henry Ford (Junior) to find a way to appeal to an emerging youth demographic—baby boomers—who are attracted to more attractive, high-speed foreign cars. With Shelby, he thinks he has just the man for the job. Shelby decides to build a Ford car that will have capability to win the Le Mans race, and lobbies to have Ken Miles, an old friend, in the driver’s seat. Miles, a part-time racer, part-time auto-mechanic—a British man living in LA with his wife and son—is a hothead who is unwilling to help until the IRS come knocking. And then the need for finance propels him into the position.

After much corporate resistance, the Ford company reluctantly agrees to let Shelby and Miles apply their own ideas in a way that works, even if it does not conform to conventional company values. This climaxes in several thrillingly shot racing motor-racing sequences (the surround-sound effect in a cinema adds compellingly to the experience).

Well Produced

The movie would be entertaining but nowhere near as compelling if not for the strong character acting from Matt Damon and Christian Bale—and the good direction and cinematography that undergirds the production, courtesy the skills of people such as James Mangold. The witty, clever dialogue is the frosting on the cake, as my son insists!

A Key Quote

“There’s a point, seven thousand RPM, where everything fades. The machine becomes weightless, it just disappears. And all that’s left is a body moving through space and time. Seven thousand RPM, that’s where you meet it. It creeps up near you, and it asks you a question. The only question that really matters. Who are you?”

Thought Provoking

The movie elicited several thoughts:

This is a reminder of how the can-do American spirit can propel gifted people to excellence, notwithstanding several circumstantial challenges along the way.
Challenging the status quo—that is bucking the system—is sometimes the only way to get something done.
Life in this world is often fundamentally not fair! (And that is a profoundly biblical line of thought.) Without giving away anything in the movie, suffice it to say that not everyone is rewarded as he should be!
Facts can be as entertaining as fiction; the movie is well rooted in historical fact.

Matthew offered a parting summary: “A movie about American men doing manly, American things in the masculine America of the time.”

View the Trailer HERE: or below

Featured Image Credit: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ford_v_ferrari/pictures

Dec

2019

Anyone Can Be an Author

Does that sound strange?

In my experience, almost everyone has a story to tell. But many people need help in coaxing the story to come out the right way. And then there are the others who have no difficulty in getting the story out, but they need some help in preparing the book for publication.

Amazon offers some remarkable tools to this end. It has been my pleasure to help in two projects in recent months where authors have elected to publish on Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing model. (KDP used to be called CreateSpace, but was renamed.) Simply stated, the program works something like this:

You already have an account with Amazon; to this, you add your bank details so that you may collect payment for sales of your forthcoming book(s).
You have prepared a book and your material is edited and ready for publication.
You upload the typeset text (or eBook) per Amazon’s requirements.
You upload the cover (specifications are given where necessary).
Some internal checks are run within the Amazon system; you have to wait patiently, but not for long!
Your book goes live and people from all around the world can buy or download a copy. All the revenues that come from this are yours to keep, though you have to be proactive in thinking of ways to stimulate the sales of your publications.

Authors have the choice of preparing an eBook first, or a print book first. I prefer to prepare the print book first and then create an eBook permutation.

Because some of the steps require particular care and professional expertise and experience, I either offered (or was asked) to help in the instances of the books below.

HABARI

God’s Timing: A Journey of Discovery … And Eventual Healing (Janet E. Green)

Amazon Info HERE

Lucy has suffered a crushing sorrow and now, to her, the world seems to be a place of chaos and disharmony. She is convinced that she or her family will sooner or later be caught up in some disaster and longs to know what the future holds so that she can be prepared. Although she is holidaying in one of the most beautiful places in the world, her dark thoughts drag her down to the point where she is almost overwhelmed. Is it by sheer coincidence that she is introduced to someone who has the knowledge and absolute proof of what the future holds? Lucy finds herself going on a journey of discovery that almost blows her mind. And at the end of her holiday, there is one last surprise. . .

Janet Green has enjoyed writing novels for a number of years. She was born and brought up in Kenya, East Africa, and also lived in central and southern Africa for many years. Now living in England, she draws on her memories of Africa, where her heart still remains, for inspiration. Most of the books she writes are sagas and some of them are seasoned by her strong Christian beliefs. You can find out more about Janet Green by visiting her website and blog at www.janetegreen.org.

It was fun to prepare a publisher identity for this book–Habari Publications–in keeping with the African theme and identity of Janet Green’s writing and other publications.

OLD PATHWAYS

Martyn Ellsworth is a gifted writer whose imagination takes readers into historical fiction.

Journey to Prea: The Judayon Saga: Book 1 (Martyn Ellsworth)

Amazon info HERE

After years of darkness and foreign rule, the High King of Judayon prepares to bring about the long-awaited Restoration which will usher in a new era of freedom for his people. Expectations among Judayon’s faithful are raised as a man named Rulorn begins to proclaim the truth of the High King. In the capital city of Tamaton, four young people, Morikahn, Valroff, Razna, and Eramin, discover that the momentous events of their day will not leave them untouched. Amidst sweeping changes in the land, their lives will be imperiled, their friendship will be tested, and they will find themselves playing a role in the unfolding drama that they never envisioned.Journey to Prea is a work of Christian fiction inspired by the events of the Protestant Reformation.

Martyn Ellsworth is a preacher of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and he has served as a pastor for several years. He and his wife Rebekah are homeschooling their two young children. He enjoys listening to hymns and to sermons by Martyn Lloyd-Jones. He also loves to read The Chronicles of Narnia and books on theology and history. The Protestant Reformation and World War II are areas of particular interest to him.

It was also fun to prepare a publisher identity for this book–Old Pathways Publications–in keeping with the more old world feel and context of Martyn’s writings.

Cover design and identity is key in these kinds of projects and I am thankful for the authors and their creative input into determining how best to put together the various elements that were used! In particular, God’s Timing involved merging and airbrushing several elements into a composite graphic…

Featured Image: A CorelDraw screenshot from the preparation of the cover of God’s Timing. I have used Corel for many years and find it a versatile program for this kind of work.

Dec

2018

Why Work with Wood?

A Natural Aesthetic

I love the qualities that God has given wood: strength, beauty, functionality to mention just a few. One of the joys of living in the USA is the access to good lumber at relatively low prices. Over the years that America has been our home, I have been able to make a few things around the house, including a large shelving system for the den–most important for a bibliophile family such as ours!

My late father (pictured here) loved working with wood. In fact, he was the son of a saw miller. And while I am far from being a carpenter (I love the idea that Jesus was one), I think my father and his father both sent some of their woodworking genes my way…

As much as we live in a digital age, one of the needs all families face is how to manage and store papers. One of my values is functional elegance, so in some less-busy moments, I thought that perhaps something like a top-opening blanket chest could accommodate hanging files to accommodate our paperwork. And that set me on a course of, well, how could I easily (with the few tools I have at my disposal) actually make a chest from inexpensive lumber?

The Outcome

Den Shelving: A large, previous project

The outcome was fairly pleasing; I came up with a way to join pieces of wood, using glue and concealed screws, so as to ensure both strength and some elegance in the construction. Plywood can be flimsy, but, in a strong frame, it serves well, and it likes a nice coat of varnish–Pecan in this instance.

So, in odd spare moments, I set to the project on my screened porch, the only significant tool needing to be purchased being a tenon saw and a device to enable me to cut exact angles accurately. Everything else was served with a regular saw, drill, and screwdriver–oh, and yes, the glue and a few clamps that I used to ensure that everything was kept lined up correctly.

Take a look at the pictures in the slides following!

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Creativity and Aesthetics

Heritage Classics Press

Heritage Classics Press