Edgar, Oscar and Elizabeth Small
How many people have a new era in his life from reading a book. ~ Henry David Thoreau, Walden
For me it was not reading, but the reception of a book that marked a new era in my life. In the summer of 2000 is a boy, I had just met while studying in Paris for a weekend in London with a gift for me. No special occasion required a gift was meant as a sign of reflection. What I took fromThe crumpled paper bag that has served as a gift to wrap an old edition of the works of Edgar Allan Poe.
The look on my face must have been real dismay, because, though only known to me for 10 days, had chosen the perfect gift. Ancient book? Control. Favorite author? Control. French Connection? Control. (Preface of the book was written by Chateaubriand.) In a few of our conversations to this point I must mention my collection of old books in the grass, perhaps, as we hikedlibraries in the past 'Latin Quarter' of Paris. Armed with this tidbit has taken the time to a weekend otherwise wild and crazy in London had to find a book for me, and the first few seconds when I held the book in my hands, I realized a new era in my life was begun. I want to hang this guy better.
Fast forward a few years. The boy from Paris and I had married a few years when I got home and immediately noticed that our dog had rushed to the door to greet meback. We had just adopted Oscar from the local shelter, or "sent to reform school," as my husband calls it, and despite being fully grown since he was still towards the end of his puppyhood. In other words, it was all that could have chewing teeth. You know what I mean? I quickly realized that Oscar was not well, and I could hear the nails clicking on the wooden floor in the guest room.
That's the part where I tell you my collection of old books in the usualthe guest bedroom. When I finally have the courage to peek, I saw more precise than parade will be described. It was like the Tasmanian Devil and Cookie Monster across the room, had spun shredding, tearing, salivation and ribs on the road. Oscar was ruthless. Eight million dollars of Target Sat intact pillow on the bed, while patches of old books dragged across the ocean of Paris were poised like snowflakes. Voltaire, Proust, Racine, gone, gone, gone.Despite equal access to the latest books less sentimental value for me, he decided, to my most precious books, his canines sharp argument. Of kindness, happiness, or a short time, Oscar had shredded my precious book of Poe, even if the spine was cracked and come off, as he gnawed on it. Discipline doggie was the last thing on my mind, I fell like confetti sprinkled on the floor in tears. Oscar slipped out of the room with visions of the juvenile jail in his head, his tail between his legs.
Nowfast forward a few years. Her fragile books that have escaped the total destruction of Oscar-legged in the back seat of my car, and we want to respect our way of Elizabeth Klein in New Iberia. Elizabeth continues to Bayou Bindery, a businessman, I realized during the Louisiana Book Festival in October. With open mouth I have the before and after photos on display at the festival, because I honestly do not know that my books bargain could be restored. The dramatic pictures think Extreme-bookMakeover-made a believer of me and a few weeks later I was in Los Angeles 31, damaged books in tow.
The Bayou Bindery is located in a charming cottage in downtown New Iberia, and when I arrived the door was wide open to let in more daylight. Elizabeth makes bibliometric miracle in a work area clean and charming, photos and memories from friends and relatives, a beautiful chandelier and decorative bird themed functions occur. And even if the car isElizabeth is not where you live, you feel a bit 'like being at home. When you are done with elements appealing to the press calling the book in a corner, frame sewn on the floor, and the scalpel and other instruments to the wall on the business in hand.
After a quick look at my damaged goods, Elizabeth asks, "Do you have a dog?" She must have seen the cruel bite wounds. I tell the story of Oscar, has, among which the Book of Poe and the importance of it for me andmy husband. We decide which is the first that should go under the knife, especially when he tells me that his mentor (more about her later) had just restored the Poe family bible for an exhibition at the Library of Virginia.
Although at this point I like my book Poe must be restored to the Bayou Bindery hear, feel the bottom of my worries. Elizabeth asked me politely to what he asks all his clients nervous that it was "original" of the damaged books are being attacked: "DoYou want to look only to the book? Or do you want to be able to read reality and give to your children? "He was absolutely right, restored the book would do the most perfect Christmas gift for my husband. (Though not a surprise.)
And the magic of the work of Elizabeth is that the book is not retrieved a shiny, soulless, out beyond recognition. And 'the historical character of the fascinating book, only stronger. You can reverse the damage caused by aging innards of the book, or they canattach more cosmetic work as in the case of a dog. "I like working with my hands," he says, and is completely at hand, which dismantled a damaged book skillfully assess and address the underlying problems.
Coming off the covers and the spine to reveal the offending food or glue, that holds the wires or broken pages. Elizabeth explained that the books are often the result of the deterioration of the food that was too acidic, and are sometimes in old leafMusic as a book or a magazine cover. He banged a grain pasta will not only remove the old food, but serves as an acid-free adhesive to coat new fabric Japanese. When you sew the sides together is called again, Elizabeth manipulated their laundry with a needle and thread. Years of sewing clothes for their children is worth it.
I was like an old man of three years to ask: "What should I do?" for almost everything that caught my attention in bookbinding. Elizabeth spent the day with patienceexplain how to repair torn pages are missing (with weights and colors of fabric Eastern), leather-wrapped with the dog-mouth-shaped blocks (a process of smoothing, tapering a new piece of leather to fit the width of the old law ), or worn joints (crayons or watercolor pencils are used to match the color of the original). His vast knowledge and collection of tools led me to believe that the University has studied the craft and was a practitionerCraftsmen since then, I was amazed to discover that it is binding only started about ten years ago.
During a trip to visit her sister in Virginia, raised signs along the way a bookbinder of their curiosity, and soon Elizabeth works one-on-one with the binder, who became his mentor. She calls Jill Deiss Cat Tail Run Hand Bookbinding in Winchester, Virginia-champion tie and speaks of her with obvious respect and admiration. "I feel like I'm learning the correctWay. "Although formal training is over, see and learn more from Deiss. This year alone, has attended two courses in Masters Series at Cat Tail Run. Last spring, he learned to repair more than paper, and October was there to learn how to gold leaf on tools. (I will not spoil a surprise, but someone close to Elizabeth is the extraction, a book of exquisite gold leaf this Christmas. hurries his skills to new use!)
Sonever wanted to be an expert craftsman, have just found a new interest and ran with it. A friend of Elizabeth, once said. "Some people come into new projects and he stood on the edge and looked into the hole, but you just walk up and jump right in." And even if it is never a given, a bookbinder, is not exactly a shock. "I'm very task-oriented. I am an individual project." His other "projects" are a nursing career (after many years as a nurse, is now voluntary1 day per week at a hospital in Lafayette), and a school garden at the local elementary school. He beams to attend a real school, where because of the booming basil, the pesto made with the students, "and she loved him! It only proves that if you grow, will eat it. Or at least give it a chance."
We laughed in his work as a school, where he worked in the cellar-bound book repair department of the municipal library. Their instructions were: "Just blow something on tape andthem back into circulation. "Even then, he never thought he would continue to repair after book. And if you an avid reader, she has a collection of his old book. I said," Books speak to you at different times of your life. I like the books to come my way, and then I pass. "
With a steady stream of interesting books, which take the book binding, I do not really need to collect. He has recently worked on the Rough Riders Roosevelt, the McIlhenny familyCollection. (John Avery McIlhenny Tabasco Company, Cavalry Regiment of the left Roosevelt in 1898 to join.) Thoreau A company in California, sent her to Concord and Merrimack rivers weeks for the restoration. And 'particularly fond of the restoration of family Bibles, dating from the nineteenth century French prayer books, the locals send or Second World War battalion yearbooks, in waves that seem to come from binding.
A new project has come their way, as they strolled through the city after lunch. We leanedabout to be opened Bayou Teche Museum for a small preview, if the director is supposed to Elizabeth: "I was hoping you could stop something that I want to see .." When the museum with a huge dusty old book from the main host structure for Frederic restoration on the left, I thought: "Every city should be a bookbinder." Excited like a kid on Christmas morning, Elizabeth opened the ledger, once we're back in bookbinding read the names of the historic hotel in the pastGuests.
People have always asked: "What is the value of this book How much is it worth it?" But Elizabeth is not so much impressed with the monetary value, rarity or first edition-ness of the books. "For me it is interesting to know why people are so attached to them." Many of his customers are elderly people who want to love a book in good condition. "I feel the heritage in the work on these projects."
Elizabeth and her little bookbinding Bayou will now be among the greatThe players in history, when our book of Poe transmitted to the next generation. Garrison Keillor once said: "A book is a gift you can open again and again." And although this is not right for the book wonderfully fragile that I received in Paris, will surely be restored for a Christmas gift.
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