The 2018 Summer Quarterly Edition of Field Notes is right around the corner! I can feel it! I received the “A Note to Subscribers” email couple weeks ago, and most of the summer editions were announced some time in June so far (although Day Game was announced in August, I think). So maybe in the next couple weeks? I say, a good excuse as any to look back at all the Summer editions released so far.
Here they are, with edition size and links to my thoughts on them:
- 2009: Grass Stain Green (1,650 Packs)
- 2010: County Fair (“so complicated”)
- 2011: American Tradesman (5,000 Packs)
- 2012: Day Game (6,000 Packs)
- 2013: Night Sky (15,000 Packs)
- 2014: Arts & Sciences (25,000 Packs)
- 2015: Workshop Companion (17,000 Box Sets)
- 2016: Byline (25,000 Packs)
- 2017: Campfire (30,000 Packs)
What a group, huh. With standouts like Night Sky and Grass Stain Stain, whose praises I've sung many times before, you'd think I’d pick summer as my favorite over any other Field Notes season. But summer also includes some of my least favorites, like Arts & Sciences, Byline, and Workshop Companion. It’s the non-standard format that I don’t particularly enjoy, and 2 out of 3 such editions were both summer releases (A&S and Byline, with Dime Novel being a Fall edition). Clearly, plenty of people disagree with me because Field Notes thought it was worthwhile to make Front Page, a spinoff of Byline, and Pitch Black in the A&S size, as part of their regular, non-limited lineup.
Speaking of spinoffs, Summer also inspired the most number of additions to the regular Field Notes lineup. Besides the already-mentioned A&S and Byline, Night Sky led to Pitch Black (1st version), and County Fair led to, well, County Fair, and they were both summer releases. County Fair was the first one! I still chuckle whenever I see “so complicated” next to the edition size for County Fair.
Despite summer not being one of my favorite FN seasons, it still has plenty of “firsts” worth noting. Here are some of them:
- Grass Stain Green: letterpress, graph grid in new color
- County Fair: Neenah Paper cover
- Day Game: A Drive Into the Gap, first book published by Field Notes
- Night Sky: silver holographic foil, black staples, reticle-graph grid, no “Practical Applications”
- Arts & Sciences: 4.75" x 7.5" size, 2-pack, Mohawk paper cover
- Workshop Companion: custom slipcase, brass staples
- Byline: Reporter’s notebook, wire-bound
What kind of “firsts” is this year’s summer edition going to boast? Not that it has to have any. I just can’t wait. By the way, the teaser image in the “A Note to Subscribers” email was just a straightforward picture of a blue sky with some wisps of cloud and rays of sun. “It’s just a nice summer sky,” they say. Uh huh.
I should mention, Workshop Companion is still strangely available at Field Notes website, here. The only summer quarterly edition that hasn’t sold out yet! Maybe because it’s a 6-pack, with higher price tag? At $19.95, it’s actually become a more economical choice since the price increase, heh.
Anyway, what are some of your favorites in this group of summer releases? Besides GSG and Night Sky, I really like County Fair and Day Game, too.