In 2006 I printed my first full-color history of New England asylums. It was born out of my love of both architecture and history, mixed with my even greater love of exploring abandoned buildings. I knew nothing about book design or publishing back then. I just knew I wanted to make this book happen even if I was the only one who had a copy of it so I used Blurb to produce a 90-page overview of the asylums I had explored-- the few I had explored in four short years. The original cover image is of a day room at Grafton State Hospital that no longer exists. A couple of years after I took the photo, the front wall of the building collapsed, taking the bay window with it. I don't remember how many copies of the Blurb book I sold. I do have the receipt for the first sale I ever made though. It's tucked away in my collection of ephemera that has taken over nearly an entire drawer in my filing cabinet. Three years later, after I had visited more locations and done some mo
