Signature Bindery

Yesterday, we sadly said good-bye to our beloved shop cat Millton. For nearly 15 years he was our friend, companion, mouser, and soulmate. He and his brother Bartleby came to us and Porridge Papers as kittens, and he spent the whole of his life surrounded by old books, paper and the many people who loved him including his countless fans who walked down the street and only knew him through the shop windows. For half my career he has been there, always greeting me at the door when I arrived- even up to his final days. Millton, you were loved by all. Go find Bartleby and Dante and play in the eternal, mouse-filled pastures of Elysium.

Rex mortuus est, vivat rex!

( and yes, Millton spelled his name with a double-L )

Looking for some insight… I’m intrigued by the ruled lines on the first page of this signature. Can I assume that this was a typesetter’s composing proof of some sort? It is only on the first leaf, front and back. I am well familiar with these rules on manuscript leaves but I haven’t come across a printed page with them.

I had a fantastic get-together with Michael at this morning. It was a great opportunity to talk books and see some amazing stuff! I was honored to have in front of me these two hand-written documents by J.R.R. Tolkien: one an unpublished essay discussing the central themes of his work; the other, the professor’s hand-drawn diagram showing the lineage of the Half-Elven. A great morning in a wonderful bookshop!

Popped in quickly to the in New York to take a poke around. Sadly, I won’t be around for the new installation being installed.

Reason #14 for why it is good to have a bookbinder as a friend: they can make you a working battle horn!

Geeky book moment: I just purchased this 1851 edition of Harper’s New Monthly Magazine, volume 3 because it contains “The Town-Ho’s Story” by Herman Melville. Printed here separately, this is Chapter 54 in his epic novel, Moby Dick. The publication of this excerpt was the first time any part of Moby Dick ever appeared in print, even predating the English and American first editions by one and two months, respectively. Thank you for indulging me, now back to your regularly scheduled life.

We recently enjoyed the opportunity to repair and rebind a Fourth Folio of William Shakespeare (1685). There were many small tears throughout the pages, as well as about a dozen pages that had the margins cut off right to the printed borders. Sadly I’m guessing there was a decent amount of marginalia that a later owner didn’t appreciate. We extended out all those margins, repaired the title page, removed a very inappropriate modern binding then rebound it in a more period style. Always a treat to work on old

Milton’s subtle way of telling me that Sundays are not for working.

I don’t know how I am expected to get any work done when customers brings work like this in for me to fix….

We had to say a very sad goodbye to our Danté. He was the very embodiment of a curious cat. We always have known that there is a risk to having shop cats, but their presence in the bindery has always been filled with joyful moments. Unfortunately he ingested a good length of sewing thread without our realizing it and it created a fatal blockage. It is a more somber, quiet bindery right now but evidence of his existence in our lives is everyone. Go find Bartleby and bug him til we meet again!!

Apparently I have opened a cat café at the bindery.