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Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Whole Earth Catalog

(via Wiki) The Whole Earth Catalog was a sizable catalog published twice a year from 1968 to 1972, and occasionally thereafter, until 1998. Its purpose was to provide education and 'access to tools' so a reader could 'find his own inspiration, shape his own environment, and share his adventure with whoever is interested.' Apple Inc. founder and entrepreneur Steve Jobs has described the Catalog as a conceptual forerunner of Web search engines. The Catalog's development and marketing were driven by an energetic group of founders, primarily Stewart Brand, whose family was also involved with the project. Its outsize pages measured 11x14 inches (28x36 cm). Later editions were more than an inch thick. The early editions were published by the Portola Institute, headed by Richard Raymond. In 1972, the catalog won the National Book Award, the first time a catalog had ever won such an award. Brand's publishing efforts were suffused with an awareness of the importance of ecology, both as a field of study and as an influence upon the future of humankind and emerging human awareness. The catalogs disseminated many ideas now associated with the 1960s and 1970s, particularly those of the counterculture and the environmental movements. Later editions and related publications edited by Brand popularized many innovative ideas during the 1970s-1990s.

Original Whole Earth Catalog, Special 30th Anniversary Issue by Peter Warshall + Stewart Brand is a great book, full of practical and inspiring solutions for people like you and me.

Useful link:
http://sb.longnow.org

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