Whole Earth Catalog: Access to Tools
I wasn’t alive in the 1960s, so I really couldn’t experience firsthand what kind of impact the Whole Earth Catalog had on the countercultural movement. My mother, on the other hand, was there, and she had read issues of the Whole Earth Catalog front and back. Out of pure curiosity, I went and bought the Fall 1969 issue (as that was the earliest issue I could get a hold of, as the Spring 1969 and Fall 1968 issues are even more rare and doesn’t surface too often, not even on Ebay).
I was figuring that a catalog founded by Stewart Brand, who was associated with Ken Kesey’s Merry Pranksters, has got to be interesting, and I was right. In the Whole Earth Catalog, I mostly see books being offered here, lots on alternative living, gardening, survival, metaphysics, and so on. Buckminster Fuller gets featured extensively, so you were able to find his books on geodesics and on geodesic domes. There are also tools, magazines, and catalogs too, and so much more. One of my favorites being offered was the Futuro house. I first became aware of the Futuro house watching HGTV (Home & Garden Television) on Extreme Homes (well, better late than never, I guess). Here was a house in the shape of a UFO with that futuristic (in a ’60s manner) look. In the Whole Earth Catalog, it mentions that it was invented in Finland, and as of that time, available in the United States, for $10,000 for just the shell or $14,000 for completely equipped house. When you look at this house, you wonder if it would fly off to an alien planet. It was such a trip, because of its looks, and not only that, did not consume a whole lot of space, so you didn’t have to tear up the environment to have the house planted. I presumed the few people who bought the Futuro house had it hauled by truck, as hauling it by helicopter costed $1000 per 100 miles (from Philadelphia).
Unfortunately come 1973, with the oil crisis and Arab oil embargo, production of the Futuro house grinded to a halt, and it was said no more than 20 were made (although I hear something else to the contrary as only 20 existing in the United States and more existing elsewhere – not sure).
Another interesting thing in the catalog (at least in the Fall 1969 copy I have) is in regards of Rolling Stone Magazine which you could subscribe through the WEC was a picture of a Moog synthesizer, and the mention of it! You have to remember at that time, the public at large didn’t know what one was. Those who saw it thought you had to be a nutcase or supergenius to operate one. The few people who heard of the Moog synthesizer associated it with Wendy (then Walter) Carlos’ Switched-On Bach album, or perhaps Beaver & Krause, Kinglesy & Perrey, or for better known acts, like Simon & Garfunkel’s “Save the Life of My Child” off Bookends or the Beatles’ then-latest offering Abbey Road. Keith Emerson was still a member of The Nice at the time, still didn’t have a Moog, and Emerson, Lake & Palmer was still a year away. Yes already released their self-entitled album that year, but Rick Wakeman was still two years off (Tony Kaye stuck strictly with organ and piano, and only started using some Moog on The Yes Album, before being replaced by Wakeman who had a lot less problems with using multiple keyboards, Mellotrons, and synthesizers than Kaye did).
The WEC had no problem embracing technology either, you’ll find stuff on an early Hewlett-Packard desktop calculator (which was digital, believe it or not!). Of course, that was if you had $4,400 to throw at (and remember, adjust to inflation, it’s probably the 2003 equivalent of $10,000 – but I could be wrong as I’m no economist), which I’m certain not very many people did (except for perhaps the largest of mega-corporations of the time). Home computers did not exist, the Internet did not exist (although the granddaddy of the Internet, known as ArpaNet, was under development, if I’m not mistakened, by the military, at that time). Video games did not exist (they were still under development, it wouldn’t be until 1972 when the Magnavox Odyssey game machine hit the shelves of department stores everywhere, and Atari’s Pong hit the arcades).
It’s amazing what you’ll find with the Whole Earth Catalog, it’s like traveling back in time. Certainly a lot of what was being offered is outdated or long out of print (but not always, some books are still in print, only with updated packaging). But if you want some of these outdated items (books, that is), you can always go to Amazon.com or Abebooks.com. Amazon does sell many used and out of print books, through many of the dealers Amazon deals with. Abebooks.com deals exclusively with books (mostly used), and they’re an outlet to many different dealeres (so expect differences in prices, the shipping and handling, and when to expect your book to arrive).
Many more variations of the Whole Earth Catalog would later follow, right in to the 1990s, like The Last Whole Earth Catalog (1971 – thinking it would be the end of the WEC, but that wasn’t true), The Updated Last Whole Earth Catalog (1974), The Next Whole Earth Catalog (1980), and the Millenium Whole Earth Catalog (1994), and many more. Several versions surfaced in the 1980s that emphasized computer software, and I’m under the impression it became more of a yuppie publication during the Reagan ’80s. But I understand in 1998, in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the WEC, they reprinted the Fall 1968 issue (figuring that few copies survived), but they included some updates, like whether the item being offered is still available (or an updated version of it), while retaining all the original late ’60s print and look. This is truly a fascinating and historical catalog, if you can find a used copy, get it. If you have fond memories of it, then great, I hope you held on your copies.