MOVABLE STATIONERY Volume 1 Number 2
November, 1993
"Poppin' up" and "Movin' on" A Dialogue with the Bookbinder Bill Streeter with Jill Holden
My name is William W. Streeter, and I would like to tell you a bit about myself. I opened my shop ten years ago, specializing in basic bookding I had apprenticed for two years prior to that general bookbinder who guided me in what I term a "general practitioner" becoming a bookbinder who can handle the range of work required by the general public. As a general practitioner I have catered mainly to book collectors, dealers, and the public as well as taking on the restoration of town and church records. In addition, T also teach basic bookbinding on a full-time basis in my studio. The business has grown to a point that I now have two associates who work with me as bookbinders. Over the years I have cultivated my interest in repairing children's books, especially pop-up and movable books to the point that you could almost call it a specialization. I find great satisfaction in working with these artistic and mechartical wonders. My work with pop-up and movable ®6OKs'has been well received in the field. In my work I adhere to these two basic principles: (1) all materials go into the work, and (2) as prt téchniques as possible are fully reversible. 2"l'There are numerous issues relating to the repair Of pop-up and movable books that I would like to explore in upcoming editions of Movable Stationery and invite your suggestions for additional topics. When talking about the repair of children's books I have come to equate the relationships -
-
among the involved parties with the relationships found in a family. I view the dealer as representing the father of the family, with the mother's role being filled by the book collector, the bookbinder working as the family doctor, and at last the book, acting as a youngster in the midst of the "terrible twos" and not really knowing what is best for itself. We can easily recognize through this analogy that the needs of the father (dealer) are somewhat different from those of the mother (collector). For
example, we certainly could not expect a dealer to have the bookbinder put $200 work of repair into a book worth $150, even if the condition of the book warranted $200 worth of work. The collector, on the other hand, is often very willing to invest in totally restoring a book for the sake of the collection he or she is cultivating. The bookbinder, as the "family doctor, comes from the perspective of wanting to do what is best for the "patient. Now having introduced the characters of my little "popup book scenario, I would like to use this column to open a dialogue among the members of this "family" and our interested friends. For starters, I envision addressing the following issues in upcoming columns: 1. Standards of what should be expected when
sending a book to the bookbinder for treatment. Should these standards become implicit or should the customer know to request certain aspects of care? 2. What is meant by reversible treatments and techniques?
3. Which materials constitute pH neutral materials?
4. What should be our standards for improving the cosmetic appearance of the book? 3. Should pop-up and movable books be deacidified? buffered? 6. How far should the bookbinder carry repairs? Keep in mind that the bookbinder may feel obligated that his or her work carry the book into many generation in the future. 7. What are some of the best materials for replacing worn or missing parts of pop-up and movable books? Where can these materials be obtained? For example, what is the proper wire to use when repairing a Meggendorfer and where can it be obtained?
Your response to these issues is essential for the effectiveness of this column. Please let me