Welland Man’s Books Hit 1.1 Million Mark
By Joop Gerritsma
Tribune Staff
Welland
Meet Steve Krar, Welland's newest millionaire. A “millionaire in satisfaction, not in money" the author of technical text books and manuals is quick to explain.
Also a millionaire in copies of books sold.
Since he wrote his first book 42 years ago, Krar and his team of co-authors have published 57 different titles, all on the subject of machine tooling and computer numerical control. Publishers' sales records sent to him show that 1.1 million copies of books he authored or co-authored, have been sold in countries around the world.
But "play me down in your story, will you," he says. It’s not about me. It is about the books. I could never have done it alone.” Over the 42 years, 15 different co-authors have been part of the team, all experts in their field, "and my wife,” he says.
His latest book is “Computer Numerical Control”, co-authored with Arthur Gill, a retired Niagara College professor, and Peter Smid, who currently teaches at the college.
One of Krar’s previous books,” Technology of Machine Tools” has sold more than 600,000 copies and is in its fifth printing. He wrote it together with Bill Oswald and Joe St Amand. Krar says he expects it will go into its sixth printing within a year.
One million copies “is a milestone in itself. Very few technical authors ever reach that,” he says.
Some of the books have been translated into Spanish, French Korean, and Greek and were published in Montreal, Singapore, Korea, and Japan. In total, 11 companies throughout the world have published the books.
Krar is especially proud of his 12 year involvement with the Vocational Industrial Clubs of America (VICA), an organization that promotes technical training for students at the high school level through annual competitions.
It all started in 1959. Krar was teaching machine shop at a vocational high school in Guelph and could not find a text book that was up to the standards he wanted. When he started talking about writing one himself, it was his wife Elsie who gave him the final push he needed. She offered to type the manuscript for him and “Machine Shop Training” was born.
At that time Canadian publishers were just moving into the field of technical publishing, a field they have by and large left to the Americans says Krar. For instance, the first edition of the best-selling, “Technology of Machine Tools”, was published in Canada, the second and third were co-published in the U.S. and the next two editions were published only south of the border, as will be the sixth edition.
Having moved to Welland from his native Hungary when he was four years old, Krar returned to the city from Guelph in 1962 as technical director at Eastdale Secondary School. He retired from there in 1974.
At age 76, what keeps him going?
"What really interests me is to be as good as I possibly can be in the trade area I was in. Technology is what drives the economy. That was true 40 years ago and it is even truer today.
"Most people don't realize the economy of a country is based on its manufacturing base,” he says. “A high manufacturing base gives a high standard of living. I am a strong believer in quality.”
What’s next for technical author Steve Krar?
There is still lots to write about. He has six book projects on the go and in the past two months alone he has studied four new technologies “that two months ago I did not even know existed.” He and co-author Gill are heading south of the border to Atlanta, Georgia, for a technical educational conference of VICA and for book business.
“I am shooting for 100 books and two million copies”, he grins. “I haven’t lost the zest for what I am doing.”
In the long term, at the young age of 76 and with a father who lived to age 99, he is confident he can make it.