Wonderful Middle European Staples

A friend gave me the name of the best bookbinder in St. Louis.  He is semi-retired, but still repairs a few books a year to keep busy, working out of a small bindery he built on the back of his house.

I made an appointment and drove to the bookbinder’s house.  “House” is a modest word for his home, situated in a gated community built shortly after the 1904 World’s Fair.  My first impression: bookbinding must have served this guy well in order to purchase a house like this.

The bookbinder greeted me at the door.  He had white hair and a white beard, and was wearing a full leather apron.  My second impression: this guy was straight out of the MGM costuming department. 

I looked around.  His little bindery had the largest paper cutter I have ever seen.  It reminded me that such devices are called guillotines in Britain, and it definitely could function as a device to remove human heads from human necks.  My third impression: do not irritate this guy.

I handed him the book I needed repaired.  It was printed in 1911.  “Ungarn, im Auftrage des Königlich Ungarischen Handelsministers”.  The spine had fallen off, and I was nervous about opening the book.

BOOKBINDER:  That is a nice art nouveau design on the cover.

ME:  My cousin was the family genealogist, and when he died his widow sent me this book.  It is a keepsake full of information about “the old country.”

BOOKBINDER:  The cover has nice beveled edges.

ME:  On this page you can see a photo of the city where my father was born.  The Schneider family was known for making ornamental iron work, and the balcony on that building may have been made by my great-grandfather.

BOOKBINDER:  Good quality paper.

ME:  Here is a photo of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, who was assassinated three years after this book was published.

BOOKBINDER:  The pages are well-sewn.

ME:  The book is in German, and I may be the last generation in the family who can read it.

BOOKBINDER:  Look at these wonderful Middle European staples.

I looked at the even rows of staples, used to hold the pages together.  I had never seen staples so delicate.

While looking at the delicate Middle European staples, I realized that I saw the book as a piece of my family, connecting me to the part of the world where my father was born over a hundred years ago. 

The bookbinder, however, saw the book as cover, paper, thread, glue, and staples.

I know the bookbinder will do a fine job.  Not only will he be repairing a book, he will be repairing  a part of Schneider family history.

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NOTE: Doug's best stories have been collected into a book: Puppy Out Of Breath.  Price = $11.  You can purchase a copy at  http://www.puppyoutofbreath.com