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In the Interim, 2010
Publishing in the Electronic Age, 8 May 2010
When I first started in the publishing industry, thirty-five years ago, the parameters and the processes of publishing were far different. Press type and hot wax. We wrote the articles on old Selectrics and took the text to a typesetter located 30 miles and two mountain ridges away. The type was returned to us in long strips of photographic paper, paper that we have since discovered ages to a deep brown (one of the problems of using the original layouts to create the cd versions of TSC). It took nearly 15 years of publishing TSC and a computer revolution to convince Jim Dorsett to switch from a behemoth typesetter to a far smaller and more versatile Mac LCII. The introduction of the computer to the mix in 1990 sped up the process and meant we no longer had to keep large jars of rubber cement on the layout tables. Now, twenty years later, all of our publications are done on computer and the majority are being published on small silver discs rather than the traditional hardcopy format. The shift has created a whole set of issues none of us thought we would have to contend with when we first started in the business.
We are busy working on the first issue of The Community Planner and trying to figure out, not the page length, but the technical glitches. While electronic publicatons have a number of distinct benefits, not the least of which is the pleasure of writing without worrying about length or whether the articles can be shoehorned into a specific format, they also have some distinct problems. We had initially thought we would have the first issue available on the market May 1st, but as my father used to say, "with apologies to Bobby Burns, the best laid plans weren't developed by the publishing industry." Our challenge with this new publication is how to make traditional text base documents work with video, powerpoints, spreadsheets, and a host of other formats.
That said, we are all excited about the new project. The first issue of The Community Planner focuses on planning the planning process, including how to do a concept map, a flow chart, and a gantt chart of a process; understanding state enabling acts; and determining appropriate levels of public participation.
One benefit we have discovered is that in making The Community Planner work, it has given us a host of other ideas for the miniature side of the company. A couple of years ago, while clearing out a closet, we discovered a "how-to" slide show that Jim and Helen developed for use by miniature clubs. It was based on the "English Country Kitchen" developed by Helen and Pete Westcott. I am hoping to transfer the slides to a digital format so we can burn the presentation to cd-rom and re-release the project by mid-summer, along with volumes 4 and 5 of The Scale Cabinetmaker. Watch for a summer sales special when we release the next two issues. A new "Best of TSC" volume is also in the works, based on the original "Beginner's Workbench" articles, with some extras thrown in.
A Changing of the Guard , 28 February 2010
I admit it. Despite strong family ties to the High Plains and a birth certificate that lists Lewistown as my point of origin, I really hate snow. More precisely, I hate shoveling snow. This winter has marked the return of winter to Virginia, a return perhaps long overdue and not particularly welcome, but a return nonetheless. The snow effectively hid the gravel and railyard debris to the east of the depot, decreased the walk-in traffic in Cambria, and turned the busy street silent, broken only by the rattle of chains as the snowplows went by. While our dogs enjoyed their daily romps, we were far more inclined to settle in with a hot cup of coffee and our laptops, spending the days working on projects put off during gardening season.
One such project, long in the "what if" process, finally found form during this winter's snows: a new publication, The Community Planner. While it is a how-to publication, in the vein of The Scale Cabinetmaker, it is not a miniatures journal. Its introduction marks the first time Dorsett Publications, in 47 years, has published something other than scale publications. If you came to this website through our front page, the addition is apparent. The publication does not signal a shift away from the miniatures hobby but an inclusion of another set of passions. The Scale Cabinetmaker was based on Jim and Helen's passion for scale modeling, Helen's passion for interior design and architecture, and Jim's passion for social history and writing. When Dorsett Publications passed to the next generation of Dorsetts, Carol and I brought a new set of passions to the editorial table.
I am, by training and temperament, a writer, a social historian, and a rural planner. Carol is a writer and social and political theorist. While I learned how to build miniatures and have spent enough years around Jim, Helen, and The Scale Cabinetmaker to know the tools and techniques of miniature craft, Carol did not. For the first few years after inheriting Dorsett Publications, which effectively went into retirement with Jim, we worked on hauling Dorsett Publications out of retirement and reestablishing the publishing company in the miniature field. The key was the re-release of The Scale Cabinetmaker on cd-rom, a project that is likely to continue for another couple of years until all of the materials are back in print, and writing a beginner's workshop book, which we hope to have released later this year. In the evenings, after the work was done, we repeated a family ritual...sitting at the kitchen table and talking about "what-ifs," the shared origin with The Scale Cabinetmaker.
For the few years, we kept returning to the fact that Dorsett Publications was a hobby pubishing company only. Our family had spent nearly fifty years creating how-to publications for miniatures, and our evening debates centered on whether we should maintain the business as it had been established. With the first snowfall of the season, came an epiphany: Dorsett Publications specialied in "how-to," in hands-on instruction, which did not preclude branching out into other areas of interest.
The Community Planner signals the opening of a new chapter for Dorsett Publications, but it does not signal the closing of earlier chapters. We are looking forward to the adventure, although vague memory reminds all of us that publishing a quarterly can, at times, resemble the experiences of Sisyphus.
We do have a couple of other announcements: Volumes 4 and 5 should be available by the first of April. We are putting the finishing touches on Volume 4 as I write this, and will begin work on Volume 5 next week. Given the temperatures in the front end of the depot (142 year old train stations do tend to be a bit drafty), we have been doing very little in the way of modeling and almost nothing in the way of teaching. We are planning two beginners workbench workshops this summer for anyone in this end of the world and will post the dates, times, and costs when we have firm dates.
...Tis the Season, 10 December, 2009
The winter issue was both a favorite and possibly the least favorite issue each year. Both Jim and Helen loved Christmas, and enthusiastically celebrated the rituals of the season. Filling stockings with odd novelties and yellow pencils and an orange in the bottom. Spending hours wandering the property in Giles, looking for the perfect tree. In the years when they couldn't find such a tree, Jim would cut a Charlie Brown and some extra limbs from neighboring trees, not always the same type, and build the perfect tree by drilling into the truck and adding branches. Needless to say, his "do it yourself" trees rarely lasted past Helen's birthday on December 28th and never made it to Hogmanay. In the evening, after the day had been laid to rest, he would sit next to the tree, tree lights on, room lights off, sip his evening scotch and attempt, once again, to conquer the Nutcracker Suite on harmonica. On Chrismas Eve, after the dinner dishes were washed and put away, and the Chrismas Story was recounted, Jim pulled out his Weavers albums. Indeed, Christmas in the Dorsett household was defined not by "Oh Come All Ye Faithful" but by "Goodnight, Irene," "Clementine," and "I want a size 40 stocking on Christmas Day (It's Almost Day)." At midnight, he would settle back to listen to his favorite Christmas story, a recording of Dylan Thomas's reading of "A Child's Christmas in Wales." Jim Dorsett was Welsh and Scottish and a smidgen of English (despite the last name); Helen was Scottish. Their annual celebrations were the mixture of heritages and self-defined traditions.
Christmas Day involved the rituals more typical to other households, the opening of the presents, the unstuffing of stockings, and the baking of the Presbyterian ham. The ham, which is famous in the family, was basted with a sauce of butter (two sticks), brown sugar (1 cup), dry mustard (two tablespoons), and dark rum (1 cup). The ham reciped originated with the Otterville, Missouri Presbyterian Men's Fellowship Group. Jim was the minister and the men's fellowship group met once per month. Every meeting included the ritual baking of the ham. It should be noted that the original recipe for the ham called for a case of rum, although the footnote on the recipe clearly stated than only a cup should be used in the sauce. When I asked him what happen to the remaining rum, I was told that he would explain it to me when I was older. At six, I suppose, the response made a certain amount of sense; at 40, I'm not so sure.
For the first few years of TSC, the winter (Christmas) issue would feature toys: a horse pull toy, a child's wagon, a bentwood sled, a 1914 Speedway Roadster pedal car. Through the 20 years of The Scale Cabinetmaker, the pedal car was one of his favorite models. The problem with the Christmas issue, however, was timing. Because of the publication schedule, they put the Christmas issue together in August, specifically in a Virginia August when the heat and humidity match numbers. It is difficult, even with the hardiest soul, to generate much enthusiasm for the season when the humidity and the temperature are hovering around 95. Their third year in the depot, they shared the front end with an advertising firm (Joe Olivaris, who designed the depot and train logo, and Pat Topian). As Jim and Helen were struggling with the roombox for the cover, Joe and Pat were attempting to create a photoshoot of the perfect Thanksgiving dinner. The turkey had been shellaced to maintain the shiny quality and the shape of a freshly baked bird. Under the hot lights, the dead bird, as Helen called turkeys and chickens, got increasingly ripe as the day wore on. Helen was not overly fond of turkey to begin with, and the experience had an unintended result. From that point onward, they served Presbyterian ham at Thanksgiving and Christmas.
It seems appropriate, this year, to celebrate the season with the release of Volume 3 on cd-rom. Volume 3 included two of his favorite models: the 1914 Speedway Roadster pedal car and the 1880 Eastlake Roll Top Desk. The full size version of the desk served as the "corporate headquarters" of Dorsett Publications. Until 1992, when he finally acknowledged that computers might have their uses, he sat at the desk and wrote TSC on an old Selectric typewriter. The keys stuck, the automatic correction ribbon flaked off into the typewriter, and the typewriter only worked about half the time, randomly quitting when it got too hot, or too cold, or too tired.
On behalf of the staff of Dorsett Publications, all two of us plus critters, Carol and I wish all of you the best of the season. May you find joy and laughter in this season of light. (M.H. Dorsett, publisher)
24 September 2009
After a long period of quiet, primarily due to a flood in May, we are finally moving ahead full steam. The Scale Cabinetmaker, Volume 2 was released earlier this week and Volume 3 should be ready for release by the end of the month. Volumes 4 and 5 will be released by the end of November, at which point, we can turn our attention back to the first of the Beginner's Workbench books, which is slated for release on December 1st.
The Best of TSC: The Beginner's Workbench (Volume 8) and The Best of TSC: Beginning Projects (Volume 9) include a wide range of materials from earlier TSCs, as well as unreleased materials. We are really excited about these volume because we are incorporating some slide show materials that were originally designed to be used with miniature clubs. If you have wanted to learn to build miniatures, this book will be a good place to start. The "Beginner's Workbench," the brain child of Helen Dorsett, started in Volume 3 and continued through the remaining years of TSC's publication. Jim had plans to release a beginner's book, but his health in the final years precluded working on the project. These books will mark the beginner's book off Jim "to do" list.
Finally, the Scale Cabinetmaker and Cambria Depot Museum opened Labor Day weekend. The museum is designed to celebrate Jim and Helen's work, not only in miniature but also in full scale--the historic Cambria (Christiansburg) Depot, Helen's passion for nearly a decade. The historic depot has served as the corporate headquarters since 1984. If you are driving through Virginia on I-81, I-77 or the Blue Ridge Parkway, come by and we'll give you the two-bit tour. Exhibits include many of the prototype models from The Scale Cabinetmaker and The Cabinetmaker's Guides, Helen's workshop area, and the history, including the restoration history, of the Cambria Depot. We are located approximately three miles from I-81. We are open from 10 a.m to 5 p.m., Wednesday through Saturdays and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays. If you are coming through the area on a Monday or Tuesday, give us a call (540.382.6431) and we will arrange to meet you.
(Click for a full sized image)Existing Publications: Currently, there are ten volumes in the Cabinetmaker's Guide series and six volumes in the Best of TSC series. In addition, there are still a number of issues of The Scale Cabinetmaker still in stock. You can peruse the catalogs of available titles online.. All publications, unless otherwise noted, are printed in a workbench friendly, looseleaf format and can be stored, when not in use, in a three-ring binder.
New Publications: In 1976, Jim and Helen Dorsett published the first issue of The Scale Cabinetmaker. Thirty years later, we are re-releasing The Scale Cabinetmaker on CD. The first volume will be available in Summer 2007. Each cd include a full year of TSC (four issues), additional construction and workbench notes, the history of Dorsett Publications and The Scale Cabinetmaker for the year of production, a list of suppliers and other resources for the modeler, and a cumulative index, all in pdf format. Dorsett Publications expects to release two to three volumes of The Scale Cabinetmaker per year.
The Scale Cabinetmaker. The cd-rom versions of TSC include all four issues of each volume, additional workbench notes, the TSC Reading List, and a cumulative index. Available volumes are:
- The Scale Cabinetmaker, Volume 1 (October 1976-July 1977).
- The Scale Cabinetmaker, Volume 2 (October 1977- July 1978).
- The Scale Cabinetmaker, Volume 3 (October 1978- July 1979).
The Best of TSC (Volume 7): The Stanley Whitman House. The plans and instructions for the model were originally published in the first volume of TSC (TSC 1:1-1:4). The prototype model, built by Jim and Helen Dorsett in 1976, was based on a post-and-beam house in Farmington, Connecticut and now resides, on permanent display, in the American Colonial Museum in Bath, England. (December, 2009)
The Best of TSC (Volume 8): The Beginner's Workbench: Tools. The Beginner's Workbench was a series of articles, published during the 20 year span of TSC, that taught beginners basic tool use and modeling techniques. The articles used a photo-text format and step-by-step instructions that walked the beginning modeler through introductory modeling processes. The publication will be a must have for the beginning modeler. (December, 2009)
Ordering from Dorsett Publications
After going ten rounds with various online options (all of which cost Dorsett Publications and our custormers a small fortune and required far more programming capability than any of us exhibit), we decided to take the simpler and more direct approach. Download the retail order form (pdf file), fill it in, and either email, mail, fax, or phone in your order. We can process credit card purchases onsite and it removes the possibility of online theft of credit information. Please see second page of the retail order form for more information. Due to problems with currency exchange (we are located in the non-population end of Virginia), we ask that all payments be in US funds only. Thank you to those customers who have been patient with our trial and error. (mhd)
Retail Order Form
8 June 2009
The best-laid plans o' mice an' men
Gang aft a-gley,
An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain
For promised joy.
--"To a Mouse" by Scottish poet Robert Burns (1759-1796)IN THE INTERIM...14 years later...
Changes always occur in summer, or so it seems in my family. We moved from Montana to Missouri and from Missouri to Virginia in the summer. My father changed from a Presbyterian minister to a university professor, from a professor to a publisher, and from a publisher to a retiree in the summer.
Four years ago, when my father died, I inherited a depot filled with his and my mother's life's work. There was a room filled with miniatures; a room filled with tools and wood and doodads I could not readily identify; a room filled with journals and books still in-stock; a freight room filled with freight wagons and piles of logs waiting to become something smaller; and a depot cat (a small manx who was constantly attached at my father's hip) who hated everyone who wasn't my father.
It has taken four years to sort out forty years of objects and ideas and more than forty years of words. Initially, we had hoped to get TSC scanned and set up as cd-roms (one year/four issues per cd), but the reality of the endeavor, the need to continue making a livingm and substantial shift in profession (from long range county planning to creating plans on a much smaller scale) intruded on the timetable.
This summer heralds yet more changes and the reintroduction of some old dreams:
Cambria Depot / Dorsett Miniatures Museum: When they bought the Cambria Depot, Jim and Helen wanted to establish a museum celebrating railroading and railroad communities, most notably Cambria. The museum and a permanent exhibit of Jim and Helen's work is officially opening on Labor Day weekend (September, 2009). The museum is open by appointment Monday thru Friday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays, and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays and is free of charge. Tours of the museum, the miniatures, and the Cambria Depot can be scheduled by emailing Dorsett Publications or calling 540.382.6431. More information on the Cambria Depot, the museum, and Cambria is available on the Historic Cambria website.
The Cambria Toy Station, started to support ongoing preservation efforts for the Depot and the Lee Surface Building (Cambria Emporium), has reopened in the streetside waiting room, following a flood in May. The Toy Station was closed for two months while we dried out the floors (American Chestnut, so floor replacement wasn't an option), repainted the walls, and upgraded the building's infrastructure. Not surprising, the Cambria Toy Station specializes in wooden trains and lots of blocks.
The Cambria Emporium, an antiques coop started by Helen Dorsett in 1986, which also flooded in May, is open for business. Over the last two years, the Emporium has undergone a major facelift. We rebuilt the foundation, replaced 36 windows, redid the brickwork, and remodeled the first floor.
And now to The Scale Cabinetmaker. Volumes 2 through 5 will be available by October 2009. The pages have been scanned, images have been cleaned up, and we are currently adding in the final bells and whistles.
January, 2008
During Christmas, we added one of Jessica Ulm's photgraphs of the Cambria Depot to the front pages of the Dorsett Publications and the Cambria Depot websites. You can see more of Jessica's photographs online. Jessica took the time lapse photograph a couple of weeks before Christmas. It is the depot's first photograph since the new paint job was completed (walls and trim during the summer and the roof in early November).
The Cambria Depot has been home to Dorsett Publications and The Scale Cabinetmaker since 1983 and was home to Helen and Jim Dorsett from 1989 until their deaths in 1990 and 2005. On cool mornings and in the late afternoons in spring and fall, it was not unusual to see my father sitting on the rear side steps of the freight room (actually the kitchen in the apartment), sipping coffee, and watching a train pass on the mainline tracks of the Norfolk Southern, fifteen feet away. Because of the building's construction-- a melding of railroad tressles and timber frame-- the building rarely shakes with the passing of the long lines of coal cars. On the other hand, if you want to have a conversation on the phone, you have to go into their apartment at the rear of the building or in one of the waiting rooms in front. Indeed, many of the phone conversations over the past quarter of a century have been punctuated with "hold on while I close the door..."
The fate of the Cambria Depot and The Scale Cabinetmaker are inextricably woven together, so it seemed fitting to give both a face lift in preparation for the 25th anniversary of the Depot's restoration.
Watch for TSC Volumes 2 through 5 to be released over the next nine months. In addition, we will be releaseing a least one new volume in the Best of TSC series: The Beginner's Workbench and Notebook. At a reader's suggestion, we are also looking at developing a new Cabinetmaker's Guide for furniture from the 1940's and 1950's, although it will probably be released in 2009.
August, 2007
With the launching of this website and the reintroduction of The Scale Cabinetmaker to a new readership, "In the Interim" is also being resurrected. Every issue of The Scale Cabinetmaker included a column titled "In the Interim." It was Jim Dorsett's quartely diary of the journey he and Helen made during the 20 years TSC was in print. He was an enthusiastic essayist, and the Interim column gave him a chance to write short essays on the month to month happenings at Dorsett Publications and at the depot. TSC readers followed, from issue to issue, the progress of restoring the depot, of exploring new ways of approaching old problems in miniatures, and the changing circumstances at Dorsett Publications and in their lives. In a sense, it was Jim's "What's new?" column, although he probably wouldn't have used a contraction in the title.
Resurrecting "In the Interim," is the starting point for finishing (or continuing) what my parents left unfinished with their deaths in 1990 and in 2005. For the last three years of his life, Jim Dorsett tried to navigate the unchartered waters of online publishing and cd production. He wanted TSC re-released because he felt there was still a need for the materials and whole new generations to entice into the world of making miniatures. He wanted a website for Dorsett Publications so that he could create an educational tool for the modeler and have a place the essays he couldn't afford to print in TSC. Some of the essays had to do with miniatures; most did not. We will periodically be adding some of his "not related" essays to the website, and, keeping with tradition.
In the meantime, welcome back to Dorsett Publications. In addition to The Scale Cabinetmaker, we also publish the 10 volumes in the Cabinetmaker's Guide series and six volumes in the Best of TSC series. We invite you to explore our website, including the original "In the Interim" columns. We will add new materials to the site as time allows. Check here for news and a guide to what has been added. (mhd 8/112/07)
