The E-Sylum:  Volume 5, Number 52, December 29, 2002, Article 2

ONE LESS BOOKBINDER

  Dick Johnson writes: "On the day before Christmas I
  delivered a gift poster to my Favorite Bookbinder. The
  poster was for an exhibit of rare bookbinding on exhibit
  at Princeton University (where I had gone recently to
  appraise a collection of medals).  I knew he would love
  the poster and perhaps even want to visit Princeton's
  Firestone Library to view this exceptional exhibit (on
  view until January 15th).

  I learned my FB was declining any more bookbinding
  work. I was crestfallen. He found it was easier to make
  money buying books and selling these on the internet
  than engaging in his once very prominent and lifelong
  profession.  He agreed to leather-bind my upcoming
  book on American artists; "But" he added, "don't send
  me any more bookbinding work."

  "You're getting lazy!" I accused. "I was born lazy!"
  exclaimed the French-born artisan.  But true enough,
  his work tables, once piled high with sensuous and
  colorful leathers, were now covered with books. And
  there was his wife keyboarding away at the computer.

  "Would you call this fine condition?"  She handed me a
  book. "Where's the dust jacket?" asked my FB. "Here"
  she said, holding it up. Wow, this book was far better
  than fine, and from what I saw of the dust jacket it was
  near flawless.

  At that moment I knew he was serious. He was lowballing
  his condition estimates. From experience I know that
  dealers who did this were making certain no one who
  purchased a book sight unseen would return it because
  of condition.

  I am not going to tell you my FB's name or location. I
  don't want him to succeed as a bookdealer.  I want him to
  be forced to go back to bookbinding.  I want to return to
  those days of yesteryear when we talked for hours of
  leathers, and goldtooling, and punches and even the
  diesinkers who made those punches.  I even learned from
  him that the craftsmen who made punches for coin and
  medal engravers were the same men who made them for
  bookbinders.

  The internet has corrupted my FB. My only hope is that
  no one will buy the books he has listed on the internet."

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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