Today would have been Charles Dickens‘ 199th birthday, and Cooperative Press is pleased to announce that preorders for What Would Madame Defarge Knit? open today in honor of the author whose formidable character Thérèse Defarge inspired Heather Ordover’s book. If it’s been a while since your last literature class, remember that in A Tale of Two Cities Defarge knits and knits, secretly encoding the names of people she will have killed. Vive la révolution?
Don’t worry, there isn’t a murder prerequisite to love this book! Ordover, the creator of popular podcast CraftLit, has assembled an inspiring and thought-provoking collection of 20+ patterns, as well as essays and other tidbits inspired by literature, illustrated by the talented Jen Minnis in a black-and-white woodcut style that pays tribute to Dickensian-era publishing.
And if you’re reading this, chances are good you are a strong supporter of small independent publishers. You may be interested to know that this book will be the first Cooperative Press release where all designers receive a direct royalty share of each sale. Our Fresh Designs series, which will be out later this year, is set up similarly. Instead of a small, one-time payment for their work at the beginning (and not a penny afterwards, no matter how many copies the book sells), designers have an opportunity to earn an unlimited payment for their work.
Take a look at the book’s contributors and designs, and other behind-the-scenes information. As of today’s pre-release, the book is 200+ pages, illustrated.
LIMITED EDITION HARDCOVER — ($45)
Signed, with extras. This is a special creation and will be limited to less than 100 copies, numbered. Shipping is included, as is a PDF copy of the book.
DIGITAL EDITION — PDF ($16.95)
PRINT EDITION ($26.95)
DIGITAL (PDF) + PRINT ($26.95)
E-READER EDITION ($16.95) (For Kindle, Nook, Sony e-Reader, iPad, etc)
