The Woodworker Series
by William Fairham, Evans Bros. publishers
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In 2015 I dived deep into early 20th century woodworking technical publishing, searching for books that were highly regarded by both readers and trade journal reviewers. That search covered the post World War I years 1920-1935 with a focus on carpentry and woodworking books and journals. Woodworking was one of the hand crafts that provided both mental and physical rehabilitative benefits along with providing skills to build furniture and accessories for the home. Most trade unions operated their own structured technical training programs which were not available to the average person. This was also the period in which British Manual Arts Education evolved from the Slöjd educational traditions of Sweden. Slöjd, or Sloyd, has become popular as the role of handcraft in every day life has gained importance.
Early in the 20th Century, Evans Bros. Publishers of London, England, engaged William Fairham, educator and author, to produce The Woodworker Series, an ongoing series of technical books adapted from their journal The Woodworker, the premier crafts serial for both amateur and practical crafts people. Fairham was a practical woodworker, i.e., a tradesman. He learned his skills at the cusp of the century, bringing experience in 19th century hand tool technique combined with early 20th century workshop machinery. He later became involved in the Manual Arts Education system, teaching these skills to students in technical schools and military rehabilitation services.
The Woodworker journal featured how-to articles and reader contributions. The editor of The Woodworker, James Carruthers Smith Brough, with technical advise from William Fairham, selected the most relevant and useful of these articles and reader contributions to publish what became The Woodworker Series. Fairham authored and edited the majority of the series titles while Brough, as Editor In Chief, was responsible for production and publication.
A side note: World War II saw the destruction of much of London, England. Evans Bros. lost the majority of their records, publishing stock and materials during the war. I communicated with Evans Bros. regarding copyright. Their response was that the Fairham period titles were open for republishing.
After the war, Evans Bros. engaged Charles Hayward to update the Fairham books and to author new titles. Curiously enough, neither Hayward nor Evans Bros. referred to or gave credit to Fairham. I prefer the Fairham books as they draw from the hand tool traditions of late 19th century Great Britain as well as from the emerging Manual Arts Education methods. Comparing the Fairham books to the Hayward books of the same titles. I found that Hayward, while a professional craftsman, lacked that turn of the 19th - 20th century first person Manual Arts Education approach I value. It was Fairham's educator/craftsman approach that I sought and found in the first books of The Woodworker Series.
What happened to William Fairham? The archivist at Evans Bros. could not answer that question as a result of the tragic loss of their offices. Searches through various British genealogical, publishing, archives and libraries did not reveal what happened to Fairham. I can only assume that he, as with so many, died and left no extant records. Perhaps someone more experienced in genealogy will uncover his life story post World War I.
Of all The Woodworker Series titles I purchased (yes, I bought every Fairham and Hayward title in existance. Librarian skill-sets come in handy) and read through, four stood out as important instructional texts for today's worker in wood. Here are the three that I returned to publication between 2015 and 2018. Each is available in trade paperback through most online book retailers as well as many Brick and Mortar shops. If you buy through my IngramSpark Direct feature, your book is printed and shipped direct to you. No middle retailer, just you and me. Plus all titles are discounted!
- WOODWORK JOINTS: HOW THEY ARE SET OUT, HOW MADE AND WHERE TO USE THEM by William Fairham 1920
- WOODWORK TOOLS AND HOW TO USE THEM by William Fairham 1922
CABINET CONSTRUCTION, edited by James Carruthers Smith Brough 1930
Why Print On Demand? To keep the retail price affordable and available internationally. Modern POD trade paperbacks and even casebound books are long lasting. These are not the pulp paperbacks of the 1940's through 1970's. Trade paperbacks are printed on acid free paper and bound with a long lasting adhesive. Covers are acid free, laminated flexible card stock selected for longevity and wear resistance.
Why did I not go with the industry standard library binding hard cover? Library binding features sewn pages (most often on a Smythe or similar production binding machine), glued to a reinforcing material and bound in a buckram or similar rough textured cloth. Covers are either left blank or blind foil stamped. Spines are blind foil stamped. Sometimes a paper cover is added, however for most libraries, the blind stamped cloth cover is preferred.