So I’m back to this thread after a turn at the wheel. What am I up to now? I’m teaching part-time at Stanford a class on creativity. I’m also writing (at a snails pace) an adventure novel. And I spend a lot of the summer in a little town along a river in Idaho. Where we’re driving right now...
Thanks for all the kind words! I’m humbled! I’m trying to respond to everyone but the software or admin tells me I’m “posting too much” so I have to slow down. Let’s see how this post does...
Thanks for the kind words! I have been gone from Klutz for almost 10 years. Scholastic runs it now and they have their own vision. I’m yesterday’s news!
In response to the idea that beginners should not be taught in ways that need to be unlearned later on if they take it to higher levels: I agree. However, I also believe the greatest impediment for most people to learning anything is internal. But that’s not to say it’s some psych out thing that can be overcome w a better attitude. Internal problems are entirely real and need respect. Confusion and frustration are central to the learning experience and a good teacher makes it central to teaching as well. Richard Feynman is a great teacher and his books do not teach stuff you need to unlearn even though he teaches simplifications all the time. I cannot say the same about all of my books! Apologies!
If I could do a new Klutz book it would be something that was in the pipeline when I left that I was calling The Top 100 Facts of All Time. I still have a long file of candidates. The other day on Reddit there was a subreddit on stuff that seemed like fiction but wasn’t. The top entry was the Richard Parker story (Edgar Allen Poe is involved, check it out). I appreciated that because the Richard Parker story got me started on the whole idea many years ago.
The books on science that we did were the fruit of a fabulous collaboration between us and the SF Exploratorium, the finest museum in the world (personal opinion). Paul Doherty, PhD physics MIT, was their chief scientist and the source of all scientific knowledge as far as I was concerned. Our other mentor was Martin Gardner for all things magic and odd. Check out Martin’s wiki article sometime. His brain was bigger than anybody’s. We worked w him on titles that were on magic or mischief...world class guy.
I was a parent Of two boys during that chapter and marinating in kids. I remember I got turned down by LEGO when I first went to them for a license to do a book but the boys told me not to take no for an answer. We ended up doing a deal because I pretty much had to. Btw, when Klutz was only about ten minutes old, I got a note from a scientist describing a little book he’d written on how to solve a new puzzle that was just getting traction. I turned it down because I figured any puzzle that was so hard people needed a book to solve it would never take off. His book sold 8 million copies later that year when he sold it to a big NY publisher. I’m still not sure where my logic went wrong. Does anybody still have a copy? The Simple Solution to the Rubik’s Cube by J. Nourse?
The Klutz ideology (so to speak)was embodied by Calvin. He was my ObiWan. We had a corporate mantra, WWCD? Still works even today. Btw, the Aerobie was invented by our good friend Alan Adler who also invented the Aeropress, the coffee maker that’s got a large online (and offline) following. Alan is an engineer’s engineer. He only makes stuff that works...
I’m John Cassidy the founder of Klutz Books and right now I’m sitting shotgun in a long car ride. I’m so impressed that people have 20 year old memories this sharp. If you want to know about Klutz back in the day, Ask Me Anything...