The Book

Carfree Cities

Publication History


Paperback Edition Delivered: Monday 5 August 2002

Once again the printer and binder have done an excellent job. Stock is being shipped to North America (due in early October) and the UK (due in late August).


Done: Tuesday 21 March 2000

I helped unload the first printing at the publisher's warehouse this afternoon. (How that came to pass is an amusing story for another time.) The printer and binder have done a gorgeous job. I'm pleased. You'll be able to buy a copy on Friday, if you're so inclined, but the airmail will cost you. Local stocks are being shipped this week.


Translation Rights Available

It is my desire to make this book as widely available as possible. To that end, the publisher and I are seeking to find publishers interested in acquiring translation rights to Carfree Cities. If your publishing house is interested, (or you know of one that might be) please send mail.


Publication Date

Carfree Cities will be published as soon as stock is delivered from the bindry. We now expect this to occur in late March 2000. The book will not be available in most countries until considerably later due to the slow speed of sea freight. The US publication date is July 2000.


On Press!

18 February 2000

Final PostScript output files were delivered to the printer, Drukkerij Giethoorn Ten Brink, this morning. Finished books are expected in mid-March. At last!


Publishing Contract Signed

27 January 2000

I am delighted to report that International Books (Utrecht, The Netherlands) will publish the first edition of Carfree Cities. The book will receive worldwide distribution through the publisher's established international distribution network. It will also be sold on the Internet by on-line bookstores. The first hardcover edition looks like this:

TitleCarfree Cities
BindingHardcover (sewn)
Paper135 gram matte-coated white
Page count324
Drawings60
Photographs170
Initial print run2,000
Trim size19.8 x 19.8 centimeters
Suggested retail price$29.95
Publication dateMarch or April 2000

Those of you who have been following developments will understand just how relieved to have this little "detail" finally resolved! We worked hard to keep the price low and the quality high.

As publication draws near, complete information about how and where to purchase the book will be posted here. Final proofreading is complete, and only a few production details remain before going to press.

The author's tour now looks like it will be limited to Europe and North America - there have not been enough requests from other continents to justify the time and expense of visiting these regions. However, the North American trip will be extensive. The following stops are now planned for April and May:

  • Boston
  • New York
  • Baltimore
  • Washington
  • Charleston, SC
  • Lubbock, TX
  • Los Angeles
  • Santa Barbara
  • San Francisco/Berkeley
  • Seattle
  • Vancouver
  • Victoria
  • Toronto
Planning for European stops has not yet begun, but there will certainly be appearances in the Netherlands and probably also the United Kingdom, probably in late March and early April. There remains a possibility that I will speak at the Ecocities IV conference, being held this year in Curitiba, Brazil, during the first week in April.

Thanks for your support and enthusiasm. I hope to have the pleasure of meeting many of you during the course of the author's tour.


Status Update

6 January 2000

I am delighted to report that a new publisher for Carfree Cities has been found. While an agreement has not yet been signed, we have reached an agreement in principle. The new publisher has been very active in the environmental arena and has an extensive international distribution network. The book will be available in bookstores and on the Internet. We plan to publish a reasonably-priced first-edition hardcover.

Status Update

6 November 1999

Negotiations have broken down with both of the prospective publishers mentioned in the previous status update, in one case at one second to midnight. However, a small press in North America expressed interest in the book, having found it right here, and is now reviewing the current draft. My correspondent at the Frankfurt book fair reported lively interest in translations. The book will be published in late winter or early spring, one way or another.

The peer reviews to which the book has been exposed will lead to improvements in the text. Photographs are now in hand and ready for printing. A few minor illustrations must still be drawn. Relatively minor text changes are still needed. The book is typeset, cross-referenced, fully indexed, and nearly ready for film output.

Status Update

22 September 1999

Work on the text is now essentially complete. "Final" drafts of the text have been expressed to two publishers. The first, a major academic publisher, has made a definite offer for the book, and contract negotiations are in progress. As things now stand, they will publish the non-North American English edition and also broker translation rights. Strong interest in Spanish, Portuguese, and Japanese editions has already been expressed. Look also for an early Chinese edition. The second publisher is a well-known US university press that may publish a North American edition.

Almost all of the more than 100 photographs are already in hand, and the dozens of drawings are nearing completion. The book is already typeset, although many typographic refinements, the index, and cross-references must still be applied to the DTP files. This work will proceed during the coming two months, while the book is subjected to peer review by both publishers. Assuming no major problems with these reviews, the book should go to press in December of this year.

Publishing Proposal

Announced 15 April 1999, for publication in late 1999.

An advanced draft of Carfree Cities is ready for review by publishers. An early, rough version of the text and graphics is available at Carfree.com

Carfree Cities is written for a general audience and will appear at a time when concerns about cars and their effects on cities are reaching a crescendo. While many recent books consider the manifold problems of urban car use, none has proposed more than palliatives. Carfree Cities takes a comprehensive look at the problems and proposes detailed, innovative solutions. The book is divided into three main parts:

  • On Cities: summarizes the effects of urban transport systems on society
  • Carfree Cities: presents a detailed design for car- and truck-free cities
  • Going Carfree: proposes a variety of means to implement carfree cities
James Howard Kunstler, (Home from Nowhere, Simon & Schuster) has written a stirring foreword. Venice, the only existing large carfree area, is cited throughout the book as proof that carfree cities do work and can be delightful places to live and work.

The quarterly Carfree Times has been published online for two years. The Web site enjoys a considerable following and will serve as an excellent platform to promote the book. The Web site is already used as university-level course material, and when the book becomes available, it will probably become assigned reading in several disciplines.

The draft of Carfree Cities is already typeset, and I will deliver high-resolution film ready for imposition. The book will run 320 pages and will ultimately include more than 200 drawings and photographs. Although most graphics were created in full color, the book is designed for printing on a single black plate. The trim size is 180 x 180 mm. The current draft includes all of the text in relatively polished form as well as most of the photographs and illustrations.

I would be pleased to send the full manuscript to interested publishers.

What Others Are Saying
Table of Contents
Two-page specimen (large file)
J.H. Crawford's C.V.
Technical Details of the Book's Production

Send Mail


Back to Book Home
Go to Carfree.com
E-mail
carfree.com
Copyright ©1999-2002 J. Crawford