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Handmade holiday presents 2014: Photo book of Zoar Ohio

Baumeler/Bimeler cabin built 1817, oldest building in Zoar, Ohio. Photo copyright Linda Theil

This handmade holiday present is a gift to you. If you like, you may download a free iBook version of my architectural photo study titled Zoar Ohio from my Blurb bookstore at http://www.blurb.com/b/5792171-zoar-ohio . 

 I love making personal books using the Blurb software and website to create unique publications that I can print on demand. Since Blurb announced their iBook option a few years ago, every book I publish can be digitally shared using Apple's iBook application. All my books can be downloaded as iBooks at no cost and viewed on any computer or mobile device equipped with the free iBook app.

 This year, a chance conversation reminded me of a series of architectural photographs that I took in Zoar, Ohio in the spring of 2007. I had printed the photos and put them in an album, but thought it would be great to use those photos to create a coffee-table book for my son and daughter-in-law as a Christmas gift this year. They are both interested in architecture so I thought the Zoar book would make a great handmade gift for them. I loaded my Zoar photos into Blurb's Booksmart software, added information about each photo, uploaded the book to Blurb and got a hardcover delivered within 10 days. You can also use Blurb's online service, Bookify, or their ebook/print book designer BookWright. I only just learned about BookWright, and I think I will try it for my next project because it is created especially for books that will be used in both print and ebook form.

 For my Zoar Ohio book, I chose to publish an 80-page, 12-inch by 12-inch hardcover on upgraded paper at a cost of aproximately $75, but most books are not that expensive. Once you have ordered at least one copy of your book, your place in the Blurb catalog is secure and you can reorder any time. 

 My new Zoar Ohio book can be previewed on the Blurb site, and the iBook may be download free from my Blurb bookstore at http://www.blurb.com/b/5792171-zoar-ohio. A free PDF version is also available. Or click on the video link at the bottom of this page for a preview of Zoar Ohio.

Gartenhaus, Zoar Ohio. Photo copyright Linda Theil


Zoar Ohio by Photographed May 5, 2007 by Linda Theil | Make Your Own Book

Resources:
Blurb, http://www.blurb.com/
Zoar Ohio iBook, http://www.blurb.com/b/5792171-zoar-ohio
BookWright, http://www.blurb.com/bookwright
Historic Zoar Village, http://historiczoarvillage.com/
The Communistic Societies of the United States by Charles Nordhoff (New York, 1875) Project Gutenberg, http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/8116
Linda Theil's Blurb Bookstore,
http://www.blurb.com/user/store/LindaTheil

For more examples of Blurb published books by Linda Theil, see the book badges in the sidebar and bottom of this web log or visit her Blurb bookstore at http://www.blurb.com/user/store/LindaTheil
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