I’ve been looking forward to the publication of this book since I first heard of it, which I believe was in 2010. Originally scheduled to be published in time for Faber-Castell’s 250th anniversary, Faber-Castell Since 1761 was delayed in order to include some of those auspicious worldwide celebrations.
I’ve been told the book will be published this October through Collection Rolf Heyne. There will be an English edition along with the German edition, though it seems only the German version will be available through retailers at first. Here are a few sample pages:
You can download the PDF announcement here.
Just think — you read this book then end up finding yourself at a social gathering where someone casually mentions, say, the A.W. Faber Castell 9000 Zeichenstifte set; you’ll be able to tell everyone within earshot that it came out in 1905/06—the book has now just paid for itself.
I wonder if bookstores will let people line up outside, overnight (save me a spot if you get there first).
Then there’s the screenplay…
Contrapuntalism 
Launch party at the castle?
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I would imagine so.
Someone at F-C described the books as being closer to the hardcover 250th anniversary magazine in style, i.e. emphasis on photos and graphics and less on in-depth history. But at 600 pages long, there’s going to be plenty for everyone’s tastes, I think. Either way, it’s an extraordinary item to have—which was written in our own lifetime—contrary to the occasional books and pamphlets that pepper the last century and a half. I can just picture someone 50 years from now, searching on tomorrow’s equivalent of WorldCat, saying the same things we say today, e.g. “Why are these so rare?!” and “Why won’t any libraries submit them to inter-library loan?!” Or put another way, there might just be one person in the future who looks back at our time and says “Man, they were lucky.”
Imagine it’s 1849, New York, and you stop by the newly-rented office space of a young Eberhard Faber. He’s about to put out a new catalog that showcases the work of his brothers in Stein and Neumarkt, as well as some new offerings of his own. Yes I’m being a little schmaltzy, but the publishing of this book really is a momentous occasion, I think. And not just for those interested in Faber-Castell, but in writing culture in general.
As excited as I am for it though, I can’t help also being saddened by the idea that the same may never for Eberhard Faber in the America; in a lot of ways, that information may be in more peril of being lost.
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If someone at a party casually mentioned the A.W. Faber Castell 9000 Zeichenstifte set, I’d check to see if my copy of the book had been stolen. 🙂
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Oh my gosh, I feel feverish…
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I am currently proof-reading it! It is simply AMAZING! Count von Faber-Castell allows a lot of glimpses into his family albums and has dedicated a lot of time to the “making of”. I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I do…
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Now you’re just teasing us. 🙂
I’m hoping to learn more about the 3 brothers (Lothar, Johann, and Eberhard) from around the time Eberhard left to run the A.W. Faber offices in New York.
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