Editing The Pen Addict 99/transcript (section)

== Field Notes Edition ==


'''Brad Dowdy:''' It's called the Shelterwood Edition. And in case you're living under a rock, you're well aware of what this is. And just in general, what Field Notes has done for this colors release, I'm going to fail at totally describing this. But basically, what they've done is the covers of the Field Notes are made out of wood. Yeah. So what they've done is, and you have to watch the video to appreciate this.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Oh, the video is so good.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. The video is amazing. To understand how they came about this and how they actually. This is easily the most technically advanced Field Notes they've done.

'''Myke Hurley:''' I had a very quick exchange with Jim Kudor. We just exchanged a couple of messages. As I do every time now that the new Field Notes comes out, I just, you know, I feel like I have to personally congratulate him. He said this. He said it was really, really hard to do. Like, but it was well worth the effort. But I feel like, I don't know this, I feel like they've been working on this for longer than just the gap between editions. Like, I feel like this is one that they've been trying to do for a while.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' There is no way that they completed this between Cold Horizons and this. I mean, this is like a six month or more project, I would imagine. It's insane. So what they've done is they found this wood, this American cherry wood, and it's sliced so thin. You have to watch the video to get a grasp of what they accomplished here. They sliced it so thin it's able to be used as – it's able to be glued to – it's glued to a paper like cover stock on the inside. But the exterior is the thinnest sheet of cherry wood, and it's bound to the craft paper.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yeah, it's bound to craft, yeah.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah, the craft paper covers. But what's funny is it doesn't feel much thicker than a standard cover. It obviously is. And you can hear me flicking it there.

'''Myke Hurley:''' So here's – I don't have mine yet. They'll be here before next week, but that's not the point. Question number one, what happens if you bend it, the book?

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Nothing really. They're stiffer than any other field notes just in general. But, you know, I can curl it back, you know, and touch the right side to the binding, you know, no problem at all. And it bounces back. It keeps a little bit of curvature in it. So, like, if you keep it in your back pocket, I imagine it's going to mold a little bit.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yeah, I've heard that these ones, they kind of keep that.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' And also, if you're not using them, like, if you just unpackage them and unband them, they kind of pop open. Does that make sense? Yeah. Like, they don't sit flat closed. I think just the wood is something about them, the way it's made. It doesn't allow it necessarily to lay flat. But obviously, when you press something on it, it does. And, you know, just when you hold it, it stays closed. But when they're sitting there individually, they kind of – the covers pop open, if you will. I don't know a good way to describe that. But it's crazy because it totally feels like wood because it is wood. And you see all the – what's the word I'm looking for? All the lines in the wood. What's that word? Yes, all the wood grain. Like, each book is different, right? All the grain waves. Just look.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Each book is its own individual design, if you will. And then how they put the field notes stamping on there, it's like it's integrated straight into the wood. It doesn't feel like it's going to scrape off or anything like that, which is an impressive feat in itself. They must have used some kind of special ink for that. But – and it's also got – they use the American – America is Beautiful paper.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yeah.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' That heavier weight paper, soft white with the green lined.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah, so it's Finch Fine Soft White 70-pound tech stock, the same beefy stock you loved in our America, the beautiful edition. So, like I was saying in the very beginning, this is – technically, this has to be the hardest edition that they've ever put out. I can't even think of one that's close. That would be half as difficult as this to put out.

'''Myke Hurley:''' And what's your thinking? Do you like them?

'''Brad Dowdy:''' This is one of my least favorite editions they've ever released.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Oh.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' I will never use this book.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Why?

'''Brad Dowdy:''' You just wanted me to jump to the chase, didn't you? Yeah. You couldn't stand it anymore. I actually wouldn't have even opened it if we weren't doing this podcast.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' So, a few things.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Where to begin? It's not visually appealing to me.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Okay. So, okay. Point one. Brad's crazy. Carry on.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Mm-hmm.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' It's – I'm very old school field notes. I like my solid colors and my basic prints and simple grids and things like that and variations within. Now, that's not field notes' fault. I mean, they have to do this. I mean, they're not making notebooks for me. They're making notebooks for everybody. But, you know, the proof in the pudding for me is if I line up ten editions across the table here, which one am I going to pick up and use? I'm going to pick up America is Beautiful before I pick up this edition to use. And I wasn't a fan of America – America the Beautiful edition. And I've come to respect that edition more after this edition. I seem to be, from everything I'm reading, like so far in the minority, it's not even close. Like the amount of praise I've seen heaped on this edition is more than I've seen on maybe every other edition combined. Maybe outside of Night Sky. Night Sky people went nuts over.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' But for me personally, it's not going to be one that I use, so therefore it's not one of my favorites. Like I'll use – you name it. I'll use almost any edition ahead of using this. I'm just not interested. The wood thing doesn't speak to me personally. Like I said, it doesn't mean it's not off the charts amazing. Like I said, it's easily the most impressive – it might be – it's the most impressive edition they've ever done.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Also the largest. And the largest. And it's not even close. 75,000. They almost ought to not put limited edition in here. They just should say edition of 75,000. You start losing that whole limited cachet when the numbers are 75,000. Well, no.

'''Myke Hurley:''' I don't know if I – unless you're joking, I don't know if I agree with that.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. I mean, I know. I can understand that.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Because it's limited because they'll make it once.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Right. I agree. I agree. But I imagine it's that large because I don't understand how they can do this for the cost that they provide these.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yeah.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' So I imagine that went into the edition size. They have to make such a huge edition run just because this has to be cost prohibitive, which is a huge compliment to Field Notes that they're able to do this for that price. But for me personally, I will never – I won't say never. But I don't see me ever writing in one of these books just because I'm not interested in it. I'd rather write and drink local. I wasn't a fan of Cold Horizons at all, but I would totally grab my Cold Horizons before using one of these.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Brad, you surprised me so much. Seriously. I'm very genuinely very, very surprised about that.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Let me ask you a question.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yeah.