
Klutz Press: books built for learning stuff - whatrocks
https://www.charlieharrington.com/create-wonderful-things-be-good-have-fun
======
jbcass
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...

~~~
linguistbreaker
Dude! We were regulars at the store off El Camino when i lived in Palo Alto in
the 80's. We probably bought 10 Aerobies there. Then you had a pretty good
mainstream bout through the 90's. Thanks for the foxtail, juggling, harmonica,
timer games knots and all the frivolity. I swear Klutz shaped my personal
ideology.

~~~
linguistbreaker
Also, I can hang a spoon off my nose.

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jbcass
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.

------
imurray
I originally learned to 3 balls from the Klutz juggling book as a kid, and
still have largely fond memories of it.

I have a slight sour taste from the very end of the book, which discourages
people from trying to go to higher numbers such as 5 balls. So after learning
3 balls, I set juggling aside. Much later, after meeting jugglers and seeing
what people could do in videos online, I was inspired to learn a lot more...
including 5 balls.

If you want people to excel, don't tell them they shouldn't expect to be able
to do things, and that it's not worth the effort.

~~~
Swizec
I remember a Discovery Channel documentary that said it was easier to teach a
complete novice how to juggle 5+ balls than it was to take a self-taught
3baller and get them to 5.

Something about learning 3 on your own makes it almost impossible to shake the
bad habits to get to 5+

~~~
credit_guy
A lot of people hold this belief that knowing how to do X with an "incorrect
form" is worse than not knowing at all, if you want to progress at doing X.

In programming we have debugging. You have a program that does X, but with
some bugs. You later improve the program by removing the bugs.

Why can't we do this in "real life" as well? You learn how to add multi-digit
numbers from right to left. You then later relearn that by going from left to
right. You learn to swim with your head above the water, then later learn to
keep your head in the water, and turn it every two strokes to get a quick
breath.

In fact, I read about this concept of "debugging" bad habits exactly in the
context of juggling. Seymour Papert covers this in Mindstorms [1], p 111. He
explains that the most common "bug" that prevents people from performing
3-ball juggling is following one ball with the eyes. Once you are aware of
that, you the fix is quite easy: keep your eyes pointed at the apex of the
ball's trajectory. In a later chapter he goes on to say that other things can
be "debugged" as well; one example is relearning skiing to replace a v-type
position to a parallel ski position.

[1] [https://www.amazon.com/Mindstorms-Children-Computers-
Powerfu...](https://www.amazon.com/Mindstorms-Children-Computers-Powerful-
Ideas-dp-0465046746/dp/0465046746/)

~~~
egypturnash
I am a pro artist and IMHO almost _every single artist in the world_ probably
started by learning terrible habits that they had to painfully unlearn. In
modern times an astounding number of them (myself included!) have a period
where they resist this painful process with cries of "It's my _style!_ ".

~~~
scarecrowbob
I identify with this quite deeply.

One thing that your idea prompts is thins: as I have gotten better at learning
things I have gotten better at just adopting as-close-to-perfect form as I can
from the get go.

When I learned to play guitar at age 20, I had horrible form, and I did go
through a period of unlearning habits (after a period of trying to have a
"style" LOL).

When I learned to play pedal steel guitar in my late 30s, I was careful to
start with good habits from the get-go. Same with snow skiing, banjo, and
yoga. :D

I dunno how I'd approach this lesson when dealing with younger folks... it was
a painful process, but learning that starting with good habits/ form makes
things so much faster and easier is maybe just a thing people have to
experience on their own.

~~~
credit_guy
I learned to swim on my own as a little kid. 30 years later, I decided to join
swimming classes; I saw that swimming is extraordinarily complex. There are
too many things to learn at the same time for someone to be able to pay
attention and learn proper form for all of them. Inevitably, you'll learn
proper form for one thing, and incorrect for many others, then, with one good
habit in the bag, you can start focusing on the next one, then the next one,
then the next one. From time to time, you will fall back to the old habits for
some certain part of the motion, so you'll need to revisit it, and debug it
again.

Tom Brady, who many people consider the greatest quarterback in the history of
American football, still has a throwing coach (Tom House [1]), and he's still
debugging his throwing motion. After 20+ years of throwing in a professional
league.

So, for sure, unlearning habits is difficult, but learning only proper form
from the start is probably an exceedingly rare exception. I think for most
people the process of learning will involve learning incorrect form first, and
attempting to fix this later.

[1]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_House](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_House)

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jbcass
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?

~~~
gowld
Logic like "you can't sell book to teach things that are hard" is true
relative to the popularity of casual nonfict and fiction, but not within the
niche of people who like learning things. Why would Rubik's cube be different
from juggling?

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drfuchs
They had a small store at on College Ave in Palo Alto for years. It was near
their headquarters, so while you could get every one of their products there,
it also functioned as a kind of beta-test distribution point; some of the
items were sold on a "we're trying this out locally" basis. The whole place
was colorful and inviting, and very kid-friendly.

The store closed in 2009, well after they had become part of Scholastic. The
remaining product line looks to be just a "greatest hits" collection. Sad.

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jbcass
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!

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jbcass
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...

~~~
nstart
Hi John. Wanted to share a story of appreciation!

I've actually got the Klutz friendship bracelet book sitting right next to me.
My sister got it as a gift when we were kids (17 years ago) and I appropriated
it when she didn't use it after a year.

That book not only gave me a lifetime hobby, but it also helped me create my
first business at the age of 15. Helped me learn the lesson that if you
deliver quality, you can sell a product at 20x the market rate. I would sell
the totem pole bracelet designs at a premium to my friends who wanted it for
their girlfriends. I'd sell chevrons and other diagonal based patterns to
friends who wanted their school flag colours. Sold the latter at a premium too
because the material I got with the Klutz book didn't fray after the first
wash (helped me decide what materials to continue to purchase later on).

All this helped pay for several shows and sporting events I wanted to go to.

I continued to make bracelets for my girlfriend (now wife) and those ones are
seated on the table in our bedroom.

That book created a ton of good memories. But it got left behind when I left
home when I was getting married :( .

Recently I discovered it at home and the clip (rusty) still works. And now I'm
teaching my 4 and a half year old son the art of friendship bracelets too.

All that from 1 book. Thank you for all the memories given and the memories to
come.

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jbcass
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...

~~~
te
Sorry, who is Calvin? Can't find any reference.

~~~
Stratoscope
Calvin and Hobbes

Calvin: "That gives me a _fabulous_ idea!"

[https://www.google.com/search?q=calvin+and+hobbes&tbm=isch](https://www.google.com/search?q=calvin+and+hobbes&tbm=isch)

Hobbes: "Uh oh"

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matthewmcg
The _Explorabook_ remains a highlight of my childhood. John Cassidy wrote it
in collaboration with the Exploratorium and included a magnet bar, agar gel,
diffraction grating, mirror, Fresnel lens, Moire spinner, and other fun stuff.
More importantly it was written in a humorous, accessible way that didn't talk
down to you and stoked wonder. For example, the section on light talked about
how lenses worked but also hinted that light had both particle _and_ wave
behaviors (e.g. interference from the diffraction grating), which blew my mind
as a kid.

~~~
turrican
Do you remember if this was the one that had a metal cover, and a page written
from the point of view of a soda can that had been recycled into the cover?

I’m trying to remember the title of my favorite Klutz book and your
recollection sounds the closest.

~~~
OkayPhysicist
That was Earthsearch. Definitely my favorite childhood book.

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dgritsko
Klutz books were a huge part of my childhood. I remember the Koosh book fondly
(came with an eponymous Koosh ball, of course), as well as the Bubble book
(came with a device you could use to make absolutely enormous bubbles).
Recently got the "LEGO Contraptions" book for my son (comes with all the LEGO
pieces you need to make everything in the book), and it's just as great as I
remember the others being. If this post is the first time you've heard of
them, I highly recommend checking them out!

~~~
russellbeattie
The LEGO Contraptions book is great! About six or so years ago I got it for my
12yo son, and I honestly had as much or more fun with it than he did. I had
never played with gears, so learning how they interacted and how the ratios
worked, was enlightening to me. I ended up buying a set of LEGO Technic Idea
books [1], then a massive crane set with motors, etc. just to keep playing
with it all. Seriously, the amount of money I spent as a result of that one
book is obscene.

1\.
[https://www.amazon.com/gp/bookseries/B01N9XHU2M/](https://www.amazon.com/gp/bookseries/B01N9XHU2M/)

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douq
So many fond memories of Klutz.

Apparently there's a company called Cassidy Labs that's bringing back (and in
some cases, improving on) some of the Klutz originals (e.g foxtail, now with
an LED so you can play at night). Hope they do well.

~~~
devonproctor
fwiw, Cassidy Labs is in fact from the same folks -- it was founded and is run
by John Cassidy's son.

[https://www.cassidylabs.com/pages/about-the-
founders](https://www.cassidylabs.com/pages/about-the-founders)

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aimor
Home for the holidays I found my copy of the Klutz book of Knots. I spent an
hour on the floor having fun, took the book home, and have been referencing it
all year for everything from shoelaces to extension cords.

Some are more eternal than others (Icky Poo) but as a child I never had one
that I didn't completely devour. Any time I need a gift for a friend's young
child, Klutz immediately comes to mind.

~~~
stickfigure
I was wondering how the OP could have neglected to mention the klutz book of
knots! It came with two lengths of rope (one red one blue, just like the
illustrations). I still regularly use the bowline, sheet bend, and clove hitch
- although my bowline technique is quite different (and much faster) these
days.

The juggling book also worked for me. Good times.

~~~
whatrocks
Because I never had the knots book! And my knots are still suffering for it (I
lost a fishing lure yesterday as a direct result of not having this Klutz book
as a kid).

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iron0013
Their catalog was really something special, including tons of stuff that
couldn’t be found alongside their well-known books in a bookstore. Off the top
of my head: chartreuse fuzzy monster paw gloves, a selection of “fancy” yo-yos
with ball bearings and such, a cigar box that came pre-loaded with an
assortment of covet-able childhood knickknacks. All of it (or at least
everything I ever ordered from them) was highly-curated high-quality stuff—-no
dollar store junk!

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wallflower
If you want to learn how to juggle, I believe the Klutz book is the way to
start. However, I must warn you to be patient and take your time to learn and
practice the very important toss so that it is accurate and precise and
minimalistic. Otherwise, you may end up like me with bad tossing habits who
looks like someone doggie paddling in the air while trying to juggle.

~~~
jfb
This is me. I also learned from the Klutz books, and at the time (when I was
12 or so) I was pretty meticulous. In the time since, however, I haven't kept
the skill up and now I can barely keep three balls in the air.

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jbcass
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...

~~~
dang
Hi John, welcome to HN! Argh, I'm terribly sorry that you were getting rate
limited and have turned that off now (I'm a mod here). Our software does that
because of past abuses by trolls, and the fact that it also affects users who
show up here to discuss their work is the thing I hate most about our entire
system.

Please comment as much as you like. I've also unclogged the pipes so that your
blocked comments have now all gone through.

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ndespres
One of their books that provided endless entertainment to me as a child came
with a working stopwatch and provided prompts for random things to do against
a timer (how fast can you re-lace your shoelaces, do 10 jumping jacks and say
the pledge of allegiance 5 times, draw a gorilla that somoene else can tell is
a gorilla, etc) and compete against the records published in the book, or make
up your own challenges. I found a used copy a couple weeks ago and sent it to
some friends' kids in the mail. Their books felt honest and fun for children,
not pandering, immature, or fake-educational.

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neves
The paper airplanes book is fantastic. More then once I've got a group of 10
children concentrated for a couple of hours just making planes and coloring
them.

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overthemoon
Man, I looooved those books when I was a kid. My parents bought me the Klutz
book that came with polymer clay and it was wonderful. I also had the one for
paper airplanes, which ruled. Almost makes me want to order some polymer clay
again.

[https://www.amazon.com/Incredible-Clay-Book-Klutz-
Press/dp/1...](https://www.amazon.com/Incredible-Clay-Book-Klutz-
Press/dp/1878257730)

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nobleach
I learned so much about Yo-Yos from my Klutz book as a kid. It's STILL on my
shelf... although the wooden yo-yo that came with it is long gone.

~~~
dole
That Klutz wooden yo-yo may well have been the secret sauce to learning, my
cousins and I all bought the Klutz book mostly for it.

Duncan Imperials are thinner and the de facto standard for yo-yos, Butterflies
are good for tricks but a little unwieldly, but the Klutz was a happy medium
between the two and perfect for beginners and we always wound up falling back
to it.

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nate
I have the Magicians book on my bookshelf today. And at 42, I'm still
referring to it! My daughter just had her 6th birthday and wanted me to
perform a handful of tricks. That was one of my first places to look for some
things that'd entertain her and might be suitable to teach forward.

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mitchdoogle
I spent countless hours with these books as a child. My aunt owned a small
gift shop and sold all the Klutz books. Every birthday and Christmas, we'd
visit and she'd let me take one home for free. Among my favorites were:

Magnetic Magic, which featured a metal cover and five ring magnets

Kids Travel: a Backseat Survivors Guide, this was one of my favorites since it
seemed to have a little bit of everything, but I really liked the puzzles
included

The Klutz Book of Magic, with fake thumb for doing a disappearing handkerchief
trick

I even sent a letter to Klutz (using an address from inside the book) asking
for a catalog. I dreamed of owning all of their books and learning everything
they had to offer. Nothing else in my childhood inspired such wonder as these
books.

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dustincoates
I absolutely loved the Explorabook as a kid. I loved even more finding out (at
18) that there was a museum that helped create the book. I still try to make
it to the Exploratorium nearly every time I go to SF.

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russellbeattie
I learned both juggling and harmonica from Klutz books! (I'm horrible at these
things, but that has little to do with the books). I had no idea they were
started in Palo Alto, but it seems perfectly suited. Over the years I've
bought these books as presents probably a dozen times.

What's fascinating to me is that this is yet another product of Silicon Valley
and the Bay Area, even though it has nothing to do with computers. It reminds
me again of why I moved here from across the country 25 years ago.

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nickpeterson
I got the science explorabook as a kid and I really loved it. It had a bunch
of cool diagrams and neat little experiments. Just seeing this reminds me to
buy one for my daughter.

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doodpants
I bought the Klutz Book of Card Games during my high school years in the late
'80s. The best part IMHO was the section on solitaire games, which provided
several superior alternatives to Klondike. I played quite a bit of Yukon
during my freshman year of college.

I still have the book, as well as the deck of cards that came with it. The
tuckbox has held up surprisingly well!

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Upvoter33
Love these books. I particularly loved the juggling and paper airplane books.
Loved learning how to make some cool flying planes.

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chad_strategic
~32 years ago, I used a klutz book to learn to juggling. The book is long
gone, but I still have the juggling balls.

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incanus77
I had, and still have, 30+ years later, the juggling & harmonica books, as
well as the bags and, somewhere, the cassette. Very fond memories. I recently
pulled out the juggling book as my girlfriend took a juggling class with a few
friends while traveling and wanted to keep going once she got home.

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tom-thistime
The juggling one worked perfectly for me.

~~~
mhd
I didn't, keeping the balls/sacks in one plane before me seems beyond my
manual dexterity.

Haven't succeeded with Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, either ;)

~~~
LanceH
Keeping them in that plane is the biggest hurdle to get over for a lot of
people. Try juggling in front of a wall. Or standing over a desk against a
wall (no chasing drops). You can even keep juggling bounces off the wall.
Also, lots of practice with just two balls doing the exchange.

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7thaccount
I had Cat's Cradle, Magician's Book, and I think an Orgami one. Fun times.

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EamonnMR
The Klutz Lego and Paper Airplane books stand out in my mind, but I know there
where a ton of them. One of those few companies that actually managed to nail
'cool.' Not many companies managed to do that back then.

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dmalvarado
Thank you for reminding me of this. As an 8 year old, this was hours of good
fun, and frankly, I viewed them as guides on how to be kid.

I wish I still had them.

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jaredtn
Does anyone have a link for where these books can still be bought? Would love
to gift them to younger family members.

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beardedwizard
Featured on "stuff you should know" this week

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jldugger
So like a textbook?

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PLenz
I had many of the Klutz books as a kid - the explorabook was my favorite.

