Why We Make Things and Why It Matters

November 25, 2013
In this philosophical reflection, Korn (Woodworking Basics), a long-time furniture maker who founded the non-profit Center for Furniture Craftsmanship, takes readers on a journey both spiritual and personal, recounting his life spent as a builder and teacher. Clearly, endless hours alone in the workshop have given him time to think; this introspective study alternates between biographical sequences and navel-gazing, endless questions related to craft and purpose, function and design, bubbling to the surface. As he states, "â¦creative effort is a process of challenging embedded narratives of belief in order to think the world into being for oneself, and that the work involved in doing so provides a wellspring of spiritual fulfillment." When talking about his personal growthâhis attempts to start a business, his battles with cancer , his struggle to create a teaching spaceâKorn is straight-forward and engaging. When he delves into the more abstract and ephemeral notions, evoking the classic Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, the narrative loses both focus and intensity, becoming a hazy, meditative piece. Color photos.

October 15, 2013

Here, furniture maker Korn (Woodworking Basics: Mastering the Essentials of Craftsmanship) shifts from how-to guides to a more philosophical approach to woodcraft. Tracing his evolution as an artist, he chronicles his beginning with carpentry/early efforts, then describes his ownership of a storefront in New York City's Little Italy in the 1970s and his first solo show in 1981 at the Gross McCleaf Gallery in Philadelphia. Korn taught at Anderson Ranch in Colorado and eventually opened a school, the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship, in Rockport, ME. He discusses having cancer as a young man and describes its return when he was older and the impact it had on his life. This book documents Korn's personal philosophy, interweaves art and existence, and is based on a strong belief in his work. He mentions as influential Robert M. Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values, Richard Sennett's The Craftsman, and Matthew B. Crawford's Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry into the Value of Work, as well as other books that have explored similar territory. VERDICT An uplifting title for artisans, novice or skilled, who will benefit from the ideas of a kindred spirit.--Barbara Kundanis, Longmont P.L., CO

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2013
Drawing on his decades of experience handcrafting fine furniture, Korn's previous books have primarily focused on teaching woodworking to neophytes, including the best-selling Woodworking Basics (2003). In this inspired departure from such how-to guides, Korn explores the fundamental reasons why he and other artistically inclined hobbyists and professionals passionately devote themselves to their craft, often for little recognition or monetary gain. Against the backdrop of a consumer marketplace saturated with machine-manufactured goods, Korn asks readers to consider what makes creative work so rewarding, what the nature of those rewards actually are, and what making things can reveal about our deeper nature. In answering these questions, Korn describes his own life as a crucible of self-discovery, recounting how his middle-class Philadelphia upbringing led to carpentry work, then designing furniture, then teaching woodworking, and finally to founding a furniture-making school in Maine. Written with as much attention to polished prose as the author gives to his woodworking, Korn's book is a stirring testimonial for self-fulfillment through craftsmanship, whatever form it takes.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)