{"product_id":"good-work-the-chairmaking-life-of-john-brown","title":"Good Work: The Chairmaking Life of John Brown","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eby Christopher Williams\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eWhat's a stick chair? You can learn all about them \u003ca title=\"An Introduction to Stick Chairs\" href=\"https:\/\/lostartpress.live\/pages\/an-introduction-to-stick-chairs\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ehere\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eYou can download an excerpt of this book \u003ca rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.lostartpress.live\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/good_work_excerpt_.pdf\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ehere\u003c\/a\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/lostartpress.files.wordpress.com\/2020\/05\/good_work_excerpt.pdf\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Good Work: The Chairmaking Life of John Brown” by Christopher Williams is the first biography of one of the most influential chairmakers and writers of the 20th century: Welshman John Brown.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eThe book’s title of “Good Work” was an expression John Brown used to describe a noble act or thing. He once mused he wanted to create a “Good Work” seal that could be applied to truly beautiful and handmade goods – like the “Good Housekeeping” seal of approval.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e“Good Work” is the kind of woodworking book we live for at Lost Art Press. It’s not about offering you plans, jigs or techniques \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eper se\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e. Its aim instead is to challenge the way you look at woodworking through the lens of one of its most important 20th century figures. And though this appears to be a book on chairmaking, it’s much more. Anyone who is interested in handwork, vernacular furniture, workshop philosophy or iconoclastic characters will enjoy “Good Work.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eAuthor Chris Williams spent about a decade with John Brown in Wales, building Welsh chairs and pushing this vernacular form further and further. This book recounts their work together, from the first day that Chris nervously called John Brown until the day his mentor died in 2008. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eAlongside that fascinating story of loyalty, hard work and eventually grief, “Good Work” offers essays from the people directly involved in John Brown’s life as a chairmaker. Nick Gibbs, his editor from \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eGood Woodworking\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e magazine; Anne Sears, John Brown’s second wife; David Sears, his nephew; and Matty Sears, one of his sons who is now a toolmaker, all offer their views of John Brown and his work.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e“Good Work” also allows John Brown (sometimes called JB) to speak for himself. We purchased the rights to reprint 19 of the man’s best columns from \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eGood Woodworking\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e, the ones that inspired devotion, provoked anger or caused people to change their lives.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eChris then proceeds to show you how he and JB built chairs during the later years together. These methods are different than what John Brown showed in his book “\u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/lostartpress.live\/collections\/books\/products\/welsh-stick-chairs-by-john-brown\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eWelsh Stick Chairs\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e.” And Chris goes into detail that hasn’t been published before. Chris covers the particular tools that JB preferred and gives you more than enough information to build a beautiful Welsh stick chair. But, just to be clear, there are no dimensioned plans included in this book.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eTo honor his mentor’s wishes, Chris instead shows you how to build a chair the way John Brown showed people to build a chair. Yes, there are dimensions. Techniques are clearly and cleverly explained. But there are some things left for you to work out – things that will make your chair your own – not just a copy.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eThe 208-page full-color book is also filled with historical photographs (many never published before) and beautiful linocut illustrations by Molly Brown, one of JB’s daughters. The book is printed on heavy coated paper with a matte finish to make it easy to read. The book’s pages are sewn, glued and taped – then covered in heavy boards and cotton cloth – to create a book that will last for generations. And the whole package is wrapped in a durable tear-resistant laminated dust jacket, which features linocut illustrations by Molly Brown. The entire book is produced and printed in the United States.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eContents\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003ePreface by Nick Gibbs vii\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e1: Editor's Note by Christopher Schwarz 1\u003cbr\u003e2: An Introduction to Wales 4\u003cbr\u003e3: What Makes a Welsh Stick Chair? 10\u003cbr\u003e4: My Life with John Brown 24\u003cbr\u003e5: John Brown, in His Own Words 54\u003cbr\u003e6: The Pace of His Grandmother's Heartbeat by Anne Sears 126\u003cbr\u003e7: A Day in the Life of Chairman Brown by David Sears 130\u003cbr\u003e8: A Family of Makers by Matty Sears 134\u003cbr\u003e9: John Brown's Tool Kit 140\u003cbr\u003e10: Construction of a Chair 148\u003cbr\u003e11: The Throne 170\u003cbr\u003e12: Conclusion 176\u003cbr\u003e13: The Last Chair 182\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cimg style=\"float: none;\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0306\/3197\/files\/chris_smiling_img_6083_480x480.jpg?v=1608049819\" width=\"322\" height=\"483\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.welshstickchairs.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eChris Williams\u003c\/a\u003e is a chairmaker who lives and works in rural West Wales. A professional woodworker since the age of 16, he completed his City \u0026amp; Guilds training in carpentry and joinery. Since finishing his apprenticeship in 1989 he has continued to work with wood, starting out in a joinery workshop then to general carpentry, woodland management, hedgelaying and furniture restoration, all to help subsidise his income as a modern-day craftsman. He first encountered John Brown in the early 1990s through John Brown's cult book \"Welsh Stick Chairs,\" but it would be several years before he met him in the flesh. After spending a decade learning from John Brown and his philosophical approach to chairmaking, Chris has gone on to make hundreds of chairs as well as continuing the legacy of his late friend and mentor John Brown, who died in 2008. Chris continues to evolve this chair form, using traditional hand tools and local Welsh timber whilst also celebrating the idiosyncrasy of the traditional Welsh stick chairs by making each chair uniquely individual. He continues to ply his craft from the small village of Llanybri where he shares his home with his partner, Claire, and four children.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eYou can read more about Chris in our full \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/blog.lostartpress.live\/2018\/11\/14\/meet-the-author-chris-williams\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eprofile\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Lost Art Press","offers":[{"title":"Book","offer_id":31925212708927,"sku":"BK-GOODWORK","price":54.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Good Work Book + PDF","offer_id":31687813038143,"sku":"BK-GOODWORK \u0026 PDF","price":67.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"PDF only","offer_id":31687810809919,"sku":"BK-GOODWORK-PDF","price":27.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0306\/3197\/files\/good.work.2.jpg?v=1751311724","url":"https:\/\/lostartpress.live\/products\/good-work-the-chairmaking-life-of-john-brown","provider":"Lost Art Press","version":"1.0","type":"link"}