Timothy Snyder | On Tyranny

When we–Claire and Mandolin–first began this print project in June of 2022, Roe v. Wade had just been overturned, we were in the middle of a pandemic, and it was a midterm election year. We both felt as though we wanted to *do* something to express our discontent, and the only way we knew how to do that was to make something and put it out into the world. 

We were sitting in Mandolin’s shop, Grapheme, talking about what to print that might meet the moment. Claire had been contemplating Timothy Snyder’s On Tyranny and suggested that we print the first lesson, “Do not obey in advance,” which seemed apt given the anticipated effects of the Supreme Court’s ruling.

We started with what we had: a friendship, a history of political activism, paper, ink, and a press. 

As the months went on, Mandolin reimagined the first print and began printing all the tenets from the book, using a colorwheel as a guide. She gave them away to be used as mailers, for motivation, or for inspiration. 

Now, two years later, the state of the world is only more grim, and we’re in another election year. Over the last 18 or so months, Mandolin has printed the remaining tenets and Claire put together a website with links to Snyder’s discussion of the text as well as some of our own thoughts on the tenet and/or description of the printing process involved. 

Timothy Snyder is professor of history at Yale and author of several books about the history of authoritarianism in the 20th century, specifically in the Eastern European context but also, increasingly, in the context of the United States. His book, On Tyranny, has been a popular guide and educational force since it came out in 2017, and his new book, On Freedom, is forthcoming in September 2024.