Fritz Otto's Visitor

Fritz Otto was in his studio, exhausted after a long day of bookbinding. He was distracted by his phone and didn't even notice the soft knock on his open studio door.

"Hey, I know it's late, and you probably want to go home, but can I come in?"

Sigh ... "I was closing up, but sure, come in" Fritz Otto said. "What can I do for you?"

"Well, my name is Minerva Conciatore *, and I just graduated from college. I'm still figuring out what to do with my life, but I learned about bookbinding in a 'history of the book' class at the library's special collections. It was amazing, and we even made some simple books. Anyway, I live in town and found you while searching for things to do. I can come back another time if that's better..."

"That's okay. We can talk a bit, but I need to get going soon. 'Minerva,' right?"

"Yeah, my parents are hardcore bookworms, so I grew up with a lot of books, but I never thought of them as something to make. You have some cool stuff on your bench. What's that fish-like thing?"

"That? It's actually fish parchment. I'm obsessed with it. I can't show you the big books on the bench because they're still drying and need to set in that position."

"Listen, I'm tired and need to get home, but feel free to come another time. I'd be happy to show you more and chat. Just drop me a line, so I know you're coming.  You seem to have my contact info already."

"Okay, sounds good. I'll bring the books I made in that class, and something else I was experimenting with."

Minerva left, and Fritz Otto quickly finished sweeping up and headed out, almost forgetting to lock up. Reflecting on this chance meeting, he wondered about Minerva and her interests. Her experiences learning about books and their history made him curious to learn more about what they teach, and he was especially interested in seeing the "books" she made. Bookbinding is a small field, and it's important to encourage each other. He hadn't done much teaching himself, but wasn't shy about sharing his work and bookish experiences. The next day, he received a message from Minerva asking to set up a time to meet again. Fritz Otto checked his calendar since the studio was his personal space, and he still worked with "the boss." He also wanted to make sure he could show her more, but it was more important to see her work and let her describe what she learned and what her interests are.

---

* Inspired by Bookbinder Barbie (her Insta here) who came to visit during the summer of 2019, Fritz Otto Buchbinder has been a “fixture” on the Pressbengel Project blog since August of 2019, and later on Instagram. The benefactor of the other doll, Minerva, is unknown. She arrived in May from an eBay seller, I did not order her, and it was not something I was considering adding. The eBay seller was in Indiana, and a note just said “gift from a fan”. Reached out, but did not receive a response back. The doll was clearly not new, no box …, was wearing little black dress, had no shoes, piercing holes in ears, but no earrings, and her hair was a mess. Still kind of is. That said, all her joints work, she is poseable, and can stand on her own. Not one to not take advantage of a gift and opportunity like this, I ordered some clothes and shoes. We’ll see how often she appears on @fritzottobuchbinder outside of this story. Of course, she needed a name … After a good deal of thinking, I arrived at Minerva Conciatore. Both name and surname are references to living individuals … 😉

We’ll see where the story goes.