Almost Lost Arts

Since the Industrial Revolution, humans have been mechanising and digitising processes previously done by hand. But craftsmanship isn’t lost to the footnotes of history. Meet the makers, fixers, and collectors dedicated to preserving traditional handicrafts. Brittany Nicole Cox repairs antique clocks; Anita Rodriguez and Joanna Keane Lopez build and preserve traditional adobe structures; Simon Vernon roves the British countryside drawing maps by hand; Lee Eun Bum maintains a ceramic tradition from tenth-century Korea.

Almost Lost Arts pays tribute to these artisans, celebrating human ingenuity and tactile beauty. Twenty in-depth profiles and stunning full-colour photography transport the reader to workshops across the globe, from Kyoto to Oaxaca, and from Milan to Tennessee. Two essays - by a calligraphy expert and the curator of Harvard’s Forbes Pigment Library, respectively - explore the experience of engaging deeply with tradition. The book is lovingly curated by Emily Freidenrich and features a deluxe three-piece case with foil stamping.