In 2010, he began offering his artisanal service to the world, to the jubilation of artists, writers, draftsmen, and standardized test takers. To david rees, sharpening a pencil is far more than a mundane task its an art. The artsandcrafts web site etsy recently published an extract from david rees s new book, how to sharpen pencils. Oxford american this is the best treatise on pencil sharpening in a sea of none and diabolically funny. His artisanal service is perfect for artists, writers, and standardized test takers. The thundering roar of a thousand knifewielding hurricanes you just detected is the sound of david rees revolutionary how to sharpen pencils. David rees may well be the worlds first and only artisanal pencil sharpener. I am david rees, artisanal pencil sharpener and host of going. A practical and theoretical treatise on the artisanal craft of pencil sharpening for writers, artists, contractors, flange turners, anglesmiths, and civil servants. Nov 29, 20 expert pencil sharpener david rees provides exacting instructions for proper pencil sharpening in the short film how to sharpen pencils by kenneth price. He slides the finished pencils very sharp tip into a speciallysized segment of plastic tubing, then puts the whole pencil in a. In 2010, he began offering his artisanal service to the world, to the jubilation. If you have further questions about pencils, i can recommend two books. How to sharpen pencils is a hilarious little volume whose presence is essential on any curious persons bookcase.
A real book, how to sharpen pencils, written by comedian david rees creator of the cult comic get your war on. He gives lists of equipment, safety precautions and detailed procedures for every type of pencil sharpening method ever considered. Talking to professional pencil sharpener david rees. David rees, author of the new book how to sharpen pencils shares his equipment and technique, using palomino blackwing pencils. At heart thats what this book is, and good for rees for even trying. Most manual pencil sharpeners work by turning a crank, which rotates blades around inserted pencil heads. Every aspect of pencil sharpening includes its own suite of pleasures. By bringing pencil sharpening out in the open, david rees has lifted a taboo. The challenge in satirizing a technical manual, as this example semisuicidally. One of the things i liked about starting the artisanal pencil sharpening business was that it made me think about pencils in greater depth than i probably ever had in my life.
Apr, 2012 on the surface, david rees s how to sharpen pencils. David has made a living as a humorously serious or seriously humorous expert on pencil sharpening and has stated this is not only the most expensive sharpener on the market, but also the best. After the cartoonist, author and writer discontinued his satirical comic get your war on which ran in. Promoting his new book how to sharpen pencils, david. He first rose to prominence as a cartoonist whose best known work combined bland clip art with trash talk. May 11, 2012 the artsandcrafts web site etsy recently published an extract from david reess new book, how to sharpen pencils. Its a show that allows me to explore in depth things people tend to take for granted. Sending threatening letters to strangers whose names i pick out of a phone book. My new show, going deep with david rees, airs monday nights on the national geographic channel. How to sharpen pencils abebooks shop for books, art. On his new handbook, his upcoming visit to book people and the art of graphite by samantha pitchel apr 12, 2012, 1. Going deep with david rees is a different kind of howto show. The expert guide to sharpening pencils lifehacker australia. Without any sarcasm, wit or puns, rees goes through each painstaking step of sharpening pencils.
No one these days does political satire as savagely and as honestly as david rees, creator of get your war on. In 2010, he began offering his artisanal service to the world, to the jubilation of artists. David rees presents a primer on the artisanal craft of pencil. Nov 27, 2012 the author of a book on how to sharpen pencils, rees has been conducting pencil sharpening workshops across the country. This is a glimpse into a compulsive mind and it is scary in there. Just a man, some high quality cedar, a knife, and an occasional pencil sharper revive a bygone era and a disappearing. Apr 11, 2012 david rees, author of the new book how to sharpen pencils shares his equipment and technique, using palomino blackwing pencils. Artisanal pencil sharpener the art directors club recently shot a documentary video featuring david rees, artisanal pencil sharpener and author of how to sharpen pencils find it in a book store near you. How to sharpen pencils by david rees, the best book ever written and a wonderful holiday gift. Library journal this book is really a mustread for anyone interested in pencils. Artisanal pencil sharpener youtube going deep with david rees s02e08 how the dishes duration. Youll laugh, youll probably cut yourself trying to whittle down your nearest ticonderoga but most importantly, you will indeed learn how to sharpen a pencil if thats what youre really in it for. I think the theoretical stuff applies to matching the device to what the client needs.
How to sharpen pencils by david rees, 9781612193267, download free ebooks, download free pdf epub ebook. I know a little something about working with sharp pencils, and let. You might send him your favorite pencil, but rees more often selects and sharpens a classic no. Pencil sharpening maven david rees turned the nonfiction writing series at the midmanhattan library upsidedown tuesday night with his edgy pencil sharpening workshop. Just a man, some high quality cedar, a knife, and an occasional pencil sharper revive a bygone era and a disappearing instrument of communication. Gothamist this is the best treatise on pencil sharpening in a sea of none and diabolically funny. The extracta meticulously detailed guide to the correct use of singleblade pocket sharpenerswas lavishly illustrated with monochrome photographs of rees at work wearing an apron, a set of headmounted magnifying goggles, and a. It is common for many sharpeners to have a casing around them, which can be removed for emptying the. The event promised a tutorial on pencil sharpening techniques both novel and advanced, and thats what the audience got. How to sharpen pencils by david rees cw pencil enterprise. A little bit, but in his ostentatiousness he gets to the heart of it. How to sharpen pencils, by david rees the new york times. Writer david rees, pokerfaced and pokerstraight, and a selfstyled. David rees was a lecturer at exeter university, england until 1984, when he became a fulltime freelance writer.
In fact, hes apparently been running an artisanal pencil sharpening side business from his house in suburban new york, which he decided to leverage into this very treatise. An excerpt from david rees newest book how to sharpen pencils, out today from melville house. My favorite use for a david rees handsharpened pencil. David rees, a cartoonist, humor writer and selfproclaimed pencil sharpening artisan runs a truly unique business. Artisanal pencil sharpener will sharpen your pencil for 15. A handheld pencil sharpener is perfect for stashing in a backpack or a pencil box. Well, the whole point of the book was to try to defamiliarize pencil sharpening as an activity, so that people would just approach it from square one again. Yes, its real, says david rees of his budding pencilsharpening business. David rees books list of books by author david rees. On the surface, david rees s how to sharpen pencils. He says people have entrusted 1,500 pencil points to his sharpening business.
Apr 12, 2012 talking to professional pencil sharpener david rees. When i decided to start my pencil sharpening business, it was very much informed by the vibe of the hudson valley, and i knew very quickly that if mine was to be a pencil. David rees is the pencil sharpening authority of the twenty first century, and no finer book has ever been written on the principles and practice of artisanal pencil sharpening. This is how rees artisanal pencil sharpening works. Artisanal pencil sharpening is part of the blackwing experience, an. David rees credits a 1940 shipfitters manual as inspiration for how to sharpen pencils, his stupefyingly exhaustive guide to the art, science and artisanal pleasures of manually shaping a thin. Rees, previously known as creator of the brash, deadpan. He says the things that some of us are afraid to say out loud, and uses profanity at exactly the right time. Artisanal pencil sharpening is part of the blackwing experience. Dec 11, 20 laugh all you want, but sharpening pencils is a serious businessjust ask artisanal pencil sharpener david rees.
Youll laugh, youll probably cut yourself trying to whittle down your nearest ticonderoga but most importantly, you will indeed learn how to sharpen a pencil. How to sharpen pencils david rees download free ebook. In new yorks hudson river valley, craftsman david rees still practices. Manual pencil sharpeners come with various mounting options, allowing permanent installation or temporary installation on a wall, desk top or other smooth surface. He showed rocca a modern reproduction of an antique pencil sharpener. Fortunately this treatise only took a roundtrip twoborough subway ride to complete, but i kept looking up every ten minutes exclaiming, surely this will be about something else than sharpening pencils.
David rees started an artisanal pencilsharpening businessand wrote a book about it. He says people have entrusted 1500 pencil points to his sharpening business. David has made a living as a humorously serious or seriously humorous expert on pencil sharpening and has stated this is not only the most expensive sharpener on. David rees, founder of gets busy with his travel kit to educate viewers about how a pencil should be sharpened. David rees will sharpen your pencil the artisan way. Psychological risks associated with pencil sharpening, from. In 2009, the humorist david rees gave up cartooning and opened up his oneman artisanal pencil sharpening service in beacon, new york, an old factory town along the hudson river. David rees, author of how to sharpen pencils, has described the m430 as.
Shipped with their shavings and a certificate of sharpening, these extrasharp pencils make wonderful gifts. He moved on to his artisanal pencil sharpening service and published a related book. A practical and theoretical treatise on the artisanal craft of pencil sharpening for writers, artists, contractors, flange turners, anglesmiths, and civil servants, with illustrations showing current practice arriving on the shelves of your local bookshop. David rees s book, how to sharpen pencils melville house will be released on april 10. Manual pencil sharpeners generally come in handheld versions and more industrial versions. How to sharpen pencils, an instructional film on proper. I previously visited reddit to answer questions about my pencilsharpening business. Apr 06, 2017 david rees thinks he knows how to sharpen pencils. David rees is very entertaininghis sense of humor is sharp. Be sure to get books one and two, and read the newest strips online on his website as well. How to sharpen pencils by david rees overdrive rakuten. The extracta meticulously detailed guide to the correct use of single.
You may think that sharpening a pencil is easy, but david rees makes it look hard, and that makes all the. A pencil sharpener also referred to as pencil pointer or in ireland as a parer or topper is a tool for sharpening a pencil s writing point by shaving away its worn surface. For tips to help you understand what the availability of each book means and how soon. A practical and theoretical treatise on the artisanal craft of pencil sharpening. The book is powerfully funny a stylistic highwire act, and rees. Jul 29, 2012 david rees credits a 1940 shipfitters manual as inspiration for how to sharpen pencils, his stupefyingly exhaustive guide to the art, science and artisanal pleasures of manually shaping a. How to sharpen pencils is a book, a manifesto and a fullyillustrated walkthrough of the many, many, many ways to sharpen a pencil. In new yorks hudson river valley, craftsman david rees still practices the ageold art of manual pencil sharpening. Rees has been making waves in the pencil world since opening his artisanal pencil sharpening business in 2010. Look for pencil sharpeners with tip saver technology to prevent over sharpening, which helps extend the life and usefulness of each pencil.
Psychological risks associated with pencil sharpening. For david rees, pencil sharpening is an art form new. How to sharpen pencils is the standard to which all future pencil sharpening textbooks must now aspire. Jan 01, 2012 david rees sadly retired get your war on remains to this day one of my favorite political comic strips, but after that ended he hasnt done much on that level. Pencil sharpeners may be operated manually or by an electric motor. Yet somehow david rees tricked me into reading his howto manual on just that. I am david rees, founder of artisanal pencil sharpening. Author david rees discusses artisanal goods movement. He has also been distinguished visiting professor on the english faculty at california state university, san jose. Just as that venture is surely no joke, john hodgman assures, us in his foreword to the book. You will walk away from this book feeling the satisfaction of having both discovered and. Its as real as artisanal cheesemaking or artisanal honey production or artisanal anything else thats. David rees and his oneman artisanal pencil sharpening. A history of design and circumstance by henry petroski, an exhaustive, fascinating history of the pencil.
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