A Website on Paper (Patreon)

In 2019, Low-tech Magazine makes the jump from web to paper. We publish a 732-page perfect-bound paperback, which is printed on demand and contains the 45 most recent articles. The book will be launched next week, but Patrons can already order it. 

Because the book is based on the same electronic documents as the solar powered website -- all articles were converted to Markdown, a lightweight markup language based on plain text files -- the content is almost identical. 

We only edited parts of texts that were not understandable without the accompanying images. Although images are an important part of the appeal of Low-tech Magazine, we believe it is more useful to have the text in printed form.

Why Paper?

Why do we publish a paper version of the website? First of all, many people prefer to read longer texts on paper: it is easier on the eyes than a computer screen, it offers distraction-free reading, and it is always immediately ready for use. 

Second, reading on paper is the most resilient practice: the content is accessible without the need for a computer, the internet, or a power supply. Obviously, the book can be read when the solar powered website is down due to bad weather.

Just like the solar powered website, the book is designed for maximum sustainability. To fit as many articles in one volume as possible, the book has tight margins, justified text, and a gutter that adjusts for the effects of "perfect" book binding. Printing happens on demand, meaning that there are no unsold copies. Lulu.com works with printers all over the world, so that most copies are produced locally and travel relatively short distances.

More Books

A second volume, containing all articles published between 2007 and 2011, will appear later in 2019. After that, the series will continue with more or less yearly updates. 

Patrons

The first three commentators on this post receive a book for free. Others can buy it straight from Lulu.com.