John Francis Dean - My First Mentor and Inspiration

Yesterday, I learned of the passing of John Francis Dean (2/11/1936  -  2/29/2024). Looking back, John probably had the greatest impact on me in the conservation and preservation field. I shared some of my experiences with him in a post here several years ago.

After emigrating from Great Britain to the United States in 1969, John F. Dean managed the preservation program at the Newberry Library before establishing the apprentice training and conservation program at the Johns Hopkins University in 1975. He went to Cornell University in 1985 to establish and develop the Department of Preservation and Conservation. He is widely recognized as one of the major proponents of preservation programs at academic libraries and was the 2003 recipient of the American Library Association’s prestigious Paul Banks and Carolyn Harris Preservation Award. A thread throughout his career arc is David Stam who as as Director of the Newberry Library brought him to the U.S., then as Director of the Library at Johns Hopkins brought him there. They remained life-long friends until David's passing last February. David was University Librarian at Syracuse when I arrived there ...

John Dean (2nd from left) with Yoko Sampson demonstrating
during one of the frequent tours he gave of the program at
Johns Hopkins. The image is undated, but could have been during my time.
Image from the Johns Hopkins University graphic and pictorial collection. 

I was introduced to John at the start of my freshman year at Johns Hopkins in 1981. Like many students, I needed a work-study job, and being a faculty brat my parents knew the campus options well… So, “son, the library hires a lot of students… Shelving books is boring, but there’s this Englishman in the basement who has a book conservation program and manages preservation…” Sounded interesting, went down, talked to John Dean, and got the job. That experience, and all the people who worked there changed my ideas, interests, and goals. This was a fully developed program with circulating collections repair and rehousing (my job, largely), rare book, and paper conservation. They also managed the library binding program that was substantial in those pre e-journal days…

I was put to work learning how to repair the heavily used books from the circulating collections, make basic enclosures for brittle items, clean stacks, … Because of the nature of the program John created at Johns Hopkins, I was exposed to all levels of work, something that deeply intrigued me so that when I wasn’t training for bike racing or studying, I also volunteered with the paper conservator, and just observed the goings on. John encouraged this interest by inviting me to observe presenters brought in like Tini Miura, exposing me to other aspects of the field. Knowing that I was a semester ahead, he encouraged me to take an internship in Germany to see what impact that experience might have - That experience led me to apprentice there after graduation and then experience my own sort of journeyman years.

John F. Dean striking a pose while at Cornell.

In 1993, I began work as a rare book conservator at Cornell where I was reunited with John. He had left Johns Hopkins in 1985 to start the conservation and preservation program there. While Cornell did not have the apprenticeship program, it was a very broad and comprehensive program that included commercial binding, circulating book repair, box making, special collections conservation in books and paper, and reformatting that included the then nascent digitization. Thanks to that exposure, I developed a far greater understanding of the complexities of the field and how they all interconnected. This was quite different from single item treatment in a private practice where those interconnected parts were not always obvious. Like at Johns Hopkins, the program he created was very active in the training of other professionals through internships and workshops. It was one of those interns, Marty Hanson who was the Preservation Administrator at Syracuse, and who later lured me away from Cornell to establish "my own" conservation lab while earning my MLS. The ultimate work-study job. John was also very involved internationally, especially in Southeast and East Asia so that interns from there were not uncommon either. He was also very successful in sponsoring and supporting consortial preservation efforts. John "retired" from Cornell in 2005.

John Dean and I getting ready at the inaugural
Brodsky Lecture in 2005.
Photo: Steve Sartori, SU Photo and Imaging Center.

In 2005 I was fortunate to be able to help create and then lead the Brodsky Series for Advancement of Library Conservation at Syracuse University Library. It was only natural that John was invited to be the first speaker on the topic of Conservation and Preservation in the Digital Age. From my introduction at the inaugural lecture:

John Dean our speaker for this afternoon’s inaugural event will speak on “Conservation and Preservation in the Digital Age,” a topic he is uniquely qualified to speak on as a result of his leadership in such activities at Cornell. John Dean is Cornell University's Preservation and Conservation Librarian.  He received his City and Guilds of London Institute medal in bookbinding in 1956, a Master of Arts degree in Library Science from the University of Chicago in 1975, and a Master of Liberal Arts degree in the History of Science from the Johns Hopkins University in 1981.  Following his six years apprenticeship, Dean established and lead four major preservation programs beginning in 1960, at the Manchester Central Research Library (England), the Newberry Library (Chicago), the Johns Hopkins University Library (Baltimore), and, since 1985, Cornell University Library.  He is author of several works on conservation and preservation management, has taught conservation and preservation management at the University of Maryland, Syracuse University, the University of Alabama, and the State University of New York at Albany, and is a member of several national and international preservation committees.

It was John Dean who introduced me to the field when I was a work-study student in the conservation lab at Johns Hopkins, urged me to go to Germany to apprentice as a bookbinder, and has been a true mentor and friend. I can think of no one more appropriate to inaugurate this series.

John's lecture can be viewed and downloaded here. He speaks about his own training starting on page 7 of the transcript.

With John at the memorial gathering for David Stam at the end of April 2023.
Despite the best intentions, it was the last time I was able to see John. 

John, thank you for everything over these decades. You and your program saved me while in college, and you were the best mentor and role model I could have hoped for as an academic library conservation and preservation professional.

Rest in Peace

See the obituary here.

Addendum: May 4, 2024

Display from the memorial celebration for John held at
The Kendall in Ithaca, NY. It was good to be able to say goodbye
with his family and friends and colleagues from Johns Hopkins 
and Cornell. Many fond memories were shared that showed the 
the profound and meaningful impact he had on the people around him
whether personal or professional.
There was often no separation between the two.

Dietmar Klein - The Passing of my Meister

It was with sadness that I took notice today of the passing of Dietmar Klein 10/14/1943 - 2/22/2024), the bookbinding Meister I apprenticed under, in posts shared on social media. As almost always happens in moments like this, one reflects on the impact of that person on ones life, and in this case career. 

Working in the Conservation and Preservation as a work-study student while at Johns Hopkins and then interning at the Germanisches Nationalmuseum in Nuremberg inspired me to embrace bookbinding and conservation as a career. As my time as a college student was winding down, I escaped campus (and some exams) to interview at the three binderies in Germany that responded to my query about apprenticing. Ones of those was the Kunstbuchbinderei Dietmar Klein located in Künstlersiedlung Halfmannshof, an artists' colony in the heart of Germany's industrial heartland of the Ruhr Valley. that alone was enough to entice me to accept their offer to apprentice. I described the adventure of getting there, and my experiences as an apprentice in "The Ponderings of a Bookbinding Student- Part 2".

Me between my Meister Dietmar Klein and his wife Regina Klein
at my Lossprechung in July of 1987. The Lossprechung marked
the successful completion of my apprenticeship. Frau Klein would
receive her Meister shortly after.

I came into this apprenticeship older than the average apprentice at the time, with direct experiences in the field, and from a different culture (even though I was German, I grew up and studied in the US). While these experiences, especially working in binding and conservation helped me hit the ground faster, they could also be a kind of liability as I was not the clean slate that one often desires with apprentices, leading to friction. But, as I was often reminded, "the apprentice is always in the wrong, the Meister in the right, and on the off chance the apprentice might have been right, they were still in the wrong." As someone else told me, "Lehrjahre sind keine Herrenjahre" ( "Learning years are not earning years" i.e. one starts on the very bottom rung in every respect ). Having the proclivities to get ahead of myself didn't help either. In something I came to regret later, my apprenticeship was shortened from 3 years to 2 based on those previous experiences. I also only experienced 1 year of Berufsschule (trade school) rather than 3 based on my age and education. It was what it was, as we say today. 

The whole crew in my final year: Me, the other apprentice Nicole,
the Meister, and the Gesellin (soon to be Meisterin).
Photo: Ruhr Nachrichten, 9 December,1986.

In the end, I passed my Gesellenprüfung (journeyman's' exam) and was given this advice from the Meister - "now you can set about to prove that you are better than your exam results, a better situation than turning out to be a disappointment after". A long career in various roles has taught me that this is so very right. As an apprentice I focused on the essentials of the work, but was exposed to so much more in those special jobs that came into the shop. Our bread and butter was large batches of 100+ journal volumes/week that we bound for regional municipal, corporate, medical, legal libraries. We also did repair and rebind work for individuals, as well as special commissions such as presentation bindings, guest books, fine bindings, and restoration work. As an apprentice, I was regularly tasked with contributing to that work as my experiences allowed including disbinding, sewing, forwarding, ... Gold tooling and finishing were not part of that, but in a small shop like ours with 3-4 people doing the work, there was ample opportunity to "steal with the eyes" by observing and keeping notes. 

The skill that I came to most appreciate was the ability to "work", by which I mean the ability to look at a job (1 volume or 100), see what was needed, organize that work, and complete it without losing track of the process. Through that repetition I also learned to internalize so many processes that they became second nature. I could think about the next step (or other projects and things) while working on what was at hand and didn't need to think about how to fold that end sheet, sew that book, make those cases, stamp titles, ... It also allowed me to focus on the details. While my work as an apprentice was essentially library binding by hand, those organizational skills scaled up for special collections conservation work and everything in between. Even now, when I no longer bind or conserve in my day job (and I haven't done any binding in a year and a half) those experiences allow me to jump right back in, albeit at a slower pace (for lots of reasons).

The Meister in his happy place doing gold finishing.

Following my apprenticeship I headed to Ascona, then back to the US and lost touch with the Kleins. On my "honeymoon" in Germany as I was driving between relatives, I saw the exit that lead to the Halfmannshof where the Kunstbuchbinderei was. It had been 7.5 years since I left, and I was filled with a sense of apprehension as I pulled up into the parking lot and looked towards the bindery. I got out of the car and my wife and I walked in. The Kleins were surprised to see me again and we had a good long visit. Showing the bindery to my wife brought back many memories, and when we left we promised each other to keep in touch - we still are.

Kleins visiting me at Syracuse University Libraries in 2009.
They were on a big USA trip ...
Note the Bonefolder caps we are all wearing.

In 2009, the Kleins visited me in Syracuse on their way across the USA. It was very good to see them again, and to show them the Conservation and Preservation program I was leading at Syracuse University Libraries, the kinds of work we did for the special and circulating collections, and tell them how my experiences with them helped shape me and to develop the skills I needed to complete and mange the work, as well as teach students and work-study students.

Thank you Herr Klein for all that you taught me. You helped me become who I am (and prove that I was better than my apprenticeship grade).

His family are in my thoughts.

Rest in peace | Ruhe in Frieden

An article (in German) about his life and work can be found in the WAZ.

The Prodigal Binding Returns

Once upon a time, isn't that the way most tales start, I organized my first national traveling exhibition for the Guild of Book Workers. That was the 10/92 - 3/94 traveling Fine Printers Finely Bound Too (Download @ 13MB). Organizing and shepherding that exhibit were an adventure, especially as I had never undertaken anything like that before ... Lots of teachable moments. 

Due to unfortunate circumstances, I also ended up designing the catalog by myself with a VERY tight deadline (HAD to be published by the opening), and had no experience doing that sort of work beyond those as high school yearbook editor a little over 12 years earlier. Fortunately, I had an excellent photographer. The rest was up to me. I worked with what I knew, namely WordPerfect 5.0 and the very limited typefaces I had available. Those were the days. Choices were informed by what I was infatuated with at the time. Not everyone was happy, but it was out on time. Again, a learning experience.

Cover to the printed catalog of Fine Printers Finely Bound Too.
(Download @ 13MB)

One of the things I made sure of was that there were plenty of copies in sheets. Binders crave books in sheets, and there were many wonderful works for inspiration within those pages. I then set about binding 2 copies in 1993. The one on the top one was for me, the bottom one a commission from the then Guild president who was also the preferred bookbinding supply vendor for most of us. The technique described is what in German is referred to as the Franzband, THE fine binding structure for full-leather bindings. Frank Mowery presented on the technique at the 1990 Guild of Bookbinders' Standards, so read his Journal article, "The Logic and Techniques of German Bookbinding", and see the presentation handout here.

Fine Printers Finely Bound, Too. The Guild of Book Workers, New York, 1992.

Sewn on 3 frayed out cords; gray "zig-zag" endsheets and sewn red leather joint; graphite top edge; red and gray endbands. Covered in full chagrin leather with multicolored onlays in black, gray and sharkskin. Tooled in gold and blind. 24 x 16 x 1.5cm. Bound 1993.

 

Fine Printers Finely Bound, Too. The Guild of Book Workers, New York, 1992. Commissioned copy.

Sewn on 3 frayed out cords; gray "zig-zag" endsheets and sewn red leather joint; graphite top edge; red and gray endbands. Covered in full chagrin leather with multicolored onlays in black, gray and shark skin. Tooled in gold and blind. 24 x 16 x 1.5cm. Bound 1993.

When she retired and sold off her business, that copy disappeared for years before reappearing at an auctioneer where I got outbid. 

The first auction after eBay. I got outbid ...

It then reappeared on a dealer site for A LOT of $$. I was flattered, but yikes ... 

Dealer listing. I was flattered ...

Then they retired, sold off their stock, and this book went to another auctioneer. 

The final auction ...
Probably could have gotten it for less, but pizza dude rang the bell, so "hail Mary" bid it was.

This time I was successful, and the prodigal book returned home to be with its sibling.

Both, reunited after over 30 years ...

And, because he couldn't help himself, Fritz Otto took a close look at it. The textured shark leather onlays intrigued him...

"Interesting texture on this shark leather, and you did ok binding it ..."

A Brief History of Book_Arts-L (1994 – 2023)

By Peter D. Verheyen
This article is adapted from the original, published in the Guild of Book Workers' Newsletter, Number 270, October 2023.

So long and thanks for all the "books".
The last postings from the "home" of 28 years, Syracuse University.
The list was home at Cornell University its first year.

On June 1st of this year, Book_Arts-L was migrated from Syracuse University’s servers to Emory University. This date was a month shy of the list's 29th anniversary, an eternity in the online world. But, what is Book_Arts-L, and why did I create it?

The “Internet” as we know it now with the World Wide Web (WWW) was invented by Tim Berners-Lee on April 30, 1993, though its conceptual origins go back even further.. In 1987, Walter Henry at Stanford created the Conservation Distlist, the first discussion group for all things conservation, accessible via email from anywhere in the world, if you had a connection. I got connected to it in early 1989 with a slow dial-up modem and a Compuserve account. Despite its focus, other topics more binding and art related crept in, something I was certainly guilty of contributing to and encouraging. Walter Henry was very patient, but also encouraging of my questions. In 1990, Peter Graham, a librarian at Rutgers, founded Exlibris, an online discussion group for rare books and special collections with many opportunities for exploring topics related to the book arts.

The world was still overwhelmingly analog at the time, newsletters like the Guild of Book Workers’, the American Institute of Conservations', and the Abbey Newsletter, among others, with their calls for exhibits, workshops, and jobs, were eagerly-awaited resources. I was fortunate to spend those early years in places with active book arts and conservation scenes, such as Chicago and New Haven, so in-person activities also played a large role.

In 1993, I moved to centrally isolated Ithaca, NY, where I was rare books conservator at Cornell. Compared to my past haunts, Central New York was a very barren and remote place to practice the book arts.. Attempts were made to form a loose regional group with a newsletter, but this never succeeded in building the active critical mass required for success. Was there any help for getting out of this professional and avocational loneliness? Could these new online tools, like listserv and gopher (a precursor to the web), help? Typo-L, a list which continues to serve the typographic community, was founded in early '93. For much of its first year, however, that list was unusually quiet, with numerous "is anyone else out there" messages. I also happened to be unaware of its existence.

Encouraged by Walter and Peter, I founded Book_Arts-L in June 1994 on Cornell's list server, and it was announced on the DistList and Exlibris. It was my turn to see “who was out there”. I knew about some of the technical details, but was clueless about what I was getting myself into. The subscriber list grew slowly, but steadily, as did participation, and by the end of that first year there were about 400 subscribers with as many postings. When I moved to Syracuse, the list followed me there as well. In 1997, there were 900 members with 3000 postings. Initially, I found myself doing quite a bit of "handholding" as people learned how to subscribe,use a listserv and use email. To some extent this continues to happen, though much more infrequently. With time, most of these challenges faded away, and the list grew to a peak of over 2500 global subscribers. Managing those could have been a chore, but was generally a great deal of fun as one gets to know like-minded people all over the world. Some of my virtual connections are still ongoing and sustaining, and have led to collaborations and other opportunities for both parties. 

Walter Henry offered to host its archives at CoOL, initially on a Gopher server and shortly thereafter to the WWW. The archive remains available to subscribers via the web in different places including the Internet Archives's Wayback Machine (1994-2009). It is my wish to pull all these together in a unified and consistent interface, but that will require some work and goes beyond my abilities.

Not content to simply discuss technical matters, within weeks we were debating the essence of the book. This topic would recur periodically, and it exploded in the spring of 1998 around the question of defining the artists’ book. An "innocently simple" question, looking for a definition of "artists’ book", results in 89 printed pages that are still regularly read and cited. Like many other discussions, it traveled a very circuitous routes, becoming "what is art," the difference between "art” and “craft," the definition of "craft," training, technical competence... While there the ubiquitous "me too" replies, the list and its archive nevertheless became a great repository of collective experience and knowledge about such arcane topics as reconditioning a press, finding a particular supplier, using materials, and how to practice the craft of bookbinding. The quality of postings varies, determined by the expertise of the poster, but even a simple or naive post serves an educational function as well. We all learn best from our own or others' experiences. Sustaining all this learning is an incredible global community of individuals who share generously of themselves. In a few cases, participation has become multi-generational, with parents and offspring contributing to the discussions. Those early days, including beyond Book_Arts-L were the topic of  Bringing us together / Getting us out presented at Hot Type in a Cold World, the Silver Buckle Press' 25th anniversary symposium.

In the early days, the idea of Book_Arts-L, an online community, or pretty much any presence of our allied arts and crafts on the then-newish internet was not met with universal acceptance. Indeed, there were numerous voices that spoke out against it within the Guild and its membership, as well as other similarly-focused organizations. Among the concerns were gatekeeping, “trust”, fad, and fears for the survival of print publications such as newsletters. When I started Book_Arts-L, I had no idea how long it would last.  Almost 30 years later, numerous other friendly and aligned lists and fora appeared, and then faded. The book arts, and related fields, have also proliferated on social media. While they do provide easy ways to share work, especially images, such platforms are not well suited to long form discussions. 

So, what has contributed to Book_Arts-L’s success? I believe that the most significant factor is [pro]active stewardship – as list owner starting and contributing to threads, and sharing resources, especially during lulls. While lulls in conversation are natural, and often good, in the context of a resource like listservs and for a it can lead to “out of sight, out of mind”. Also, important are actively engaging with subscribers, especially when topics become contentious, along with occasional calls for civility. A global community is a microcosm of society with all that implies, and contexts in one place may not be the same elsewhere. The list language is English, but that is not everyone’s native language – things can be lost in translation. It was my role to make sure that things did not get too heated. These challenges were however a very small part in the history of Book_Arts-L largely because of the [pro]active stewardship.

In 2019, on the 25th anniversary of Book_Arts-L, I made the decision to step back by the 30th, quietly hoping that the list would continue under new “ownership”. In late 2022, I opened that conversation, and very quickly events took on a life of their own. Of great importance to me was also the continued availability of the archive. I was very glad and relieved when Kim Norman and Emory University Library’s Preservation Department stepped forward, especially as they use the same backend infrastructure. On June 1st of this year, the community moved to Emory. I look forward to mentoring Kim as she takes the reins and reshapes the list to better reach its community, all the while moving it forward. At the same time, I will enjoy watching and contributing without the responsibilities. It was an adventure I will always be grateful for. In parallel to the list, I also maintained my Book Arts Web at philobiblon.com. Still an often-accessed resource, it has suffered from neglect in recent years. It will be interesting to see what is left of it, but a snapshot will always be available via the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine.

What follows are some snapshots of Book_Arts-L’s activities these past 29 years. Similar data was shared via a Bonefolder Extras post in 2015. The trends have remained constant.

Where did subscribers come from? As of the end of May 2023, 2376 subscribers came from the United States (2236*), Canada (36), Australia, United Kingdom (18 each), Germany (9), Netherlands, New Zealand (8 each), Romania (3), Italy, South Africa, Sweden (2 each), Austria, Belgium, Colombia, Denmark, Estonia, Israel, Malta, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland (1 each). This number is based on the “domain” of the subscriber with all .com, .org, .edu being attributed to the US. Given that Gmail, AOL, and many other internet providers are international, but based in US, this significantly inflates the US total of subscribers.

In the past 29 years, Book_Arts-L received a total of 90,831 posts that represent approximately 53,000 “threads” or topics that were sent by approximately 7000 “subscribers”. Names online are one of those things with frequent changes, so the actual number of distinct posters will be lower than those 7000, but based on a cursory scan, not by much. There has also been a good level of turnover over the years with subscribers coming and going. That said, the top posters have remained fairly stable, some posting regularly over the lifetime of the list.

The chart below shows the total number of posts by year. The number climbed steeply in the first 3 years, but has been in decline since 2010.

Book_Arts-L Total Postings June 1994 – May 2023.

This same trend can be seen in visits to the Book Arts Web, the website I have maintained with a vast number of links to other resources. Google started offering its Analytics in 2006. Facebook and other social media started becoming more prevalent after the introduction of the “smart” phone by Apple in 2007.

Book_Arts-L and Book Arts Web Overall 2007 – May 2023

The top 20 threads are shown below. As with everything related to posts, sometimes the subject lines of the thread don’t apply at the message level, perhaps having morphed during the conversation. 

Top 20 Threads

Most postings were sent mid-week, with the weekends the slowest. This pattern seems logical, as subscribers have lives outside the book arts.

Book_Arts-L Postings per Day of Week by Year

On June 1st, 2023 Book_Arts-L moved to Emory – Now, onto the next 29...

The full FAQ at Emory with instructions for joining the community here.

Position of the Tongue in Bookbinding

 This fun poster was created by James Welker sometime shortly after 2004. Mark Andersson, then teaching bookbinding at North Bennet Street School is demonstrating a trade binding popular in mid 20th century Sweden at Guild of Book Workers Standards in 2004, and I am teaching the German-style springback at Minnesota Center for Book Arts in 2003. 

Are there other national preferences for tongue position in binding? Asking for a friend.

Down The Rabbit Holes For The William Anthony Conservation Lecture Series

Join me as I jump into some of my addictive, all-consuming, and yet, sustaining rabbit holes in Down the Rabbit Hole: Embracing experience and serendipity in a life of research, binding practice, and publishing, part of the William Anthony Conservation Lecture Series. 

The lecture will be at 6:00 CST on September 30, the workshop for students of the Center for the Book and staff of the Conservation and Collections Care Department  on the "Ur"-Bradel binding will be on October 1st and 2nd.

View the recording on the University of Iowa Libraries' YouTube Channel below or via this link. Lecture slides with notes can be downloaded here.

Below the adverts for the event.

For more information on the lecture, see the William Anthony Conservation Lecture Series page at the University of Iowa Libraries, or the events calendar.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by University of Iowa Libraries (@uiowalibraries)

Hope to see some of you there.

Start-up Costs

Starting up is always an investment. If you're going to do good work, you really need a dedicated space that meets your needs. So, after my return from my apprenticeship in Germany and the School for Book Conservation in Ascona (read about my "path" starting here), my father and I built a bench in two parts with storage and other features. We got my set-up this going as quickly as I could to keep my bench skills up and earn some $$ while looking for a job as a conservator. VERY important to work with others at this early career stage for professional development and mentoring. Then, of course, I needed supplies, some equipment, ... My father, as was his habit, kept track and made sure I did as well. While the dollar amount is no longer available, I recently rediscovered this pie-chart he made to remind me. 

Pie (and other) charts, the bane of my existence. 🙄

Set-up was for bench and equipment like vacuum pump and home built suction box; travel for the MARC train from Baltimore to DC and Bookmakers, then owned by Gus Valetri. That was in a tiny office space in an old DC office building; subscriptions were Designer Bookbinders, Institute of Paper Conservation, IADA's Maltechnik-Restauro, Abbey Newsletter, Guild of Book Workers, ...; books, well you can never have enough of them, but I started small (and enjoyed the 40% discount from working at the campus bookshop part-time); photo documentation equipment; supplies included papers, board, leather, dyes/pigments, hand tools.

The benches as first set up in my childhood basement.

Here, the 2-part bench with flat files and storage on one side, light table / paring surface on the other half. I still use the benches and presses... The press on the bench served as the model for the Arnold Grummer Quiknip, a great press for those starting out that will give a lifetime of service. The flexibility to break the benches down in their component parts made it easy to modify (read bring them down to a more normal desk height) due to changes in mobility..., something I describe in Bookbinding and Adapting to Life Changes. 

When taken apart, the bench with both halves and drawers
could fit into the back of a late-1980s sub-compact.
Above my first car! Same color/style, too. It gave me 6 years of
very reliable service, despite its reputation.

I still keep track of expenses and income, but it would not be prudent to tally all that up, especially for the books... 

Bookbinding and Adapting to Life Changes 2

In my post "Bookbinding and Adapting to Life Changes," I wrote about changes I've made to my studio equipment and how I approach some tasks... One of the things I mentioned was the challenge of using a board shear (Kutrimmer 1070) when one cannot push down on the foot clamp peddle. Being seated on a scooter makes it even more challenging... The wheels on my old indoor scooter were small diameter, but when I needed a new one this fall the wheels were larger, and I found that I could force myself on the clamp. That worked, but was a bit hairy (tipping danger) and caused the light board shear to wander.

Well, as we say in German, "what one doesn't have in the legs..., one needs to have in one's brain." (Was man nicht in den Beinen hat muss man in der Birne haben.). But, a small ramp... Hmmm. Sooo, threw together a simple ramp made of staggered off cuts of thin pink foam insulation board held together with a rubber band.

Very sophisticated construction... 🙄 First test. Will it work?

Fritz Otto was worried he'd have to hold the ramp
in place as it slide on the carpet while I moved back
and forth on the scooter. But, it worked. Just a few tweaks...

On to board shear ramp Mk. 2. This ramp has one more thickness of pink foam board (5 total), binders board top, e-flute corrugated bottom, some glue and packing tape to hold pieces in place, and velcro to hold it in place on the carpet. 

Much more robust and sophisticated construction.
It's also almost twice as wide.

Velcro hooks on bottom to keep it from moving on the carpet.

I should be in business for 80% of my cutting needs. I'll take it. For those other times, Hope is always happy to help. The independence will feel good though.

[Edit 13 March, 2021]

Thanks to Jeff Peachey I even have a very solid and attractive wooden "forever" ramp now.

The incline and Jeff's message. I love the twisted humor.

Packing and Shipping Art - An Adventure

 Martha Edgerton, book conservator and artist, was one of my first supervisors and mentors when I was a wet behind the ears and ahead of myself work-study student in the Department of Conservation and Preservation (1981-84) at Johns Hopkins. I've always admired her work so was happy to give Human Enclosure II, a powerful statement on the parallels of slavery and mass incarceration here in the United States, a home. It's been wonderful to keep the connection with her all this time. 

The work is part of a larger series about the Atlantic slave trade titled The Amazing Race: The Atlantic Slave Trade Through the Pages of Book Art acquired in part by Special Collections at Johns Hopkins' Sheridan Libraries along with other works by Martha. Back in 2017, I was able to see many of those works as part of a larger exhibit at the Libraries titled Freedom Where I Stand that included many historic documents along with works of art that spoke to those themes.

Josephine Baker in Freedom Where I Stand

In the online catalog for the exhibit. 
"The theater box represents the barracoons used to temporarily jail
captured Africans until enslavement and mid-Atlantic transport.
It also speaks to the subject of mass incarceration."

I purchased the piece from a large exhibit held in Baltimore at the Creative Alliance back in July. After the close of the exhibit it took a long time to get the work shipped, and then when it arrived it was damaged in transit. Talking with Martha, she asked to complete the needed conservation treatment and shipped it back to me. That was November 30th, and it took over 6 weeks to make it back to Syracuse. 

COVID is real! USPS is everywhere and its employees very exposed.
Value them, they are essential!

Martha had her assistant LuLu help secure the elements and pack it up. The two of them did a great job (Martha is a very good teacher). LuLu's small fingers were no doubt an asset and really able to get in there.

LuLu preparing it for its journey.
Little did we know how long.

So, for the same reason I asked Fritz Otto to unpack. No damage this time. 

It was nice to see everything supported and secured so well.

Big supports, but very light.

The right tools for the job.

Even little supports where they were needed.

Everybody needs a hand, sometimes.

Almost done.

All done. So glad there was no damage. Thank YOU LuLu.
Perhaps we'll have a chance to meet someday.

The work really makes you think about the Black lives destroyed by slavery and mass incarceration. We can and must do so much better.

A Bookbinder’s Journey 2 - Video Online

A Bookbinder’s Journey: My analog and virtual life in the book arts

48th Susan Garretson Swartzburg ’60 Memorial Book Arts Lecture
Lecturer: Peter D. Verheyen
Thursday, Oct. 17th, 2019
Wells College, Aurora, NY

Details at:
https://wellsbookartscenter.org/48th-susan-garretson-swartzburg-60-memorial-book-arts-lecturer-peter-d-verheyen/
 
Video below. Slides with notes here

A Bookbinder’s Journey 2: My analog and virtual life in the book arts

A Bookbinder’s Journey: My analog and virtual life in the book arts

48th Susan Garretson Swartzburg ’60 Memorial Book Arts Lecture
Lecturer: Peter D. Verheyen
Thursday, Oct. 17th, 2019 — 6:00 p.m.
Wells College, Aurora, NY

Details at:
https://wellsbookartscenter.org/48th-susan-garretson-swartzburg-60-memorial-book-arts-lecturer-peter-d-verheyen/

Lecture poster by Leah Mackin,
with imagery derived from fish skin.

Bookbinding and Adapting to Life Changes

In The Ponderings of a Bookbinding Student- Part 3, I mentioned some of the reasons for returning to the US from Germany in 1987, even though returning was perhaps not the initial plan. One of the things that happened in the spring of my last apprentice year (and 2 short months before my exams) was that I was diagnosed with a form of muscular dystrophy. At the hospital the doctor said, "so what are you going to do now?" Hadn't thought about it, was still bike racing, and thinking of my life and career... "Well, you won't be able to get a job and will need to go on disability..." Ah, well, that's a problem then, and that statement alone made it easy to return to the US. Effects of this progressive disease weren't obvious for a very long time, in part because I continually adapted to those changes. Part of that was getting a job in academia with great health insurance, and  acquiring new interests and skills in my day job such as digitization and management.

In Blade Runner (1982), Roy and Pris asked Sebastian (Who had challenges of his own) for help with their life expiration dates...

We've got a lot in common.
What do you mean?
Similar problems. 
Accelerated decrepitude.
I don't know much about bio-mechanics, Roy...

In terms of my binding and teaching, the impact started to be noticed around 2003 when traveling to teach workshops became too strenuous, especially since one is "always on," and that for at least two long days, back to back. I continued to teach classes from my home studio until 2012ish when I decided I needed a break, in part to do my own work and not worry about having to clean off the bench once a week. I still welcome former students and selected others who want to use equipment and/or otherwise talk shop.

The impact is also felt at the bench where I have increasing issues with stamina and some fine motor skills such as sewing endbands or holding a finishing tool… I have no intention to stop binding, but rather will adapt by changing structures and other aspects. It creates some interesting design challenges, and for those things I can't do, I ask for help... Adapting to changing circumstances and adjusting ones career/artistic/life goals is essential regardless of circumstance. Sometimes we just need to roll with it, something easier said than done.

Last spring, after having avoided the bench because of problems getting up off the scooter safely and trying to stagger back and forth (always holding on) to get things out of my flat files, work at the stamping press (on another bench), sit on an adjustable stool that worked with my "standard" standing height benches, ..., I made the decision to have my benches reduced in height so that I could work comfortably seated on my scooter.

Original bench height (ca 36"/91.5cm), great for working when standing,
Seated on a scooter, not so much.

New bench height (ca 28"/71cm), equivalent to standing. Much better!

Bench for stamping press, a few inches higher than the old bench height.
Platten about chest height, great for looking at the stamping area.

About the same working height, except now from the scooter. Much better...

So, now I can comfortably work at my benches, but there are still plenty of challenges to working such as the declining fine motor skills

• The bio-mechanics and ergonomics of endbanding (stamina and fine motor).
• No work around yet, but maybe make some boxes that I put to either side to rest arms/elbows on.
• Being able to exert downward pressure to keep rulers in position and keep things from slipping in general.
• A rubber mat helps keep the cutting mat from slipping around...
• Holding/using finishing tools very strenuous, even to do a straight line.
• Using board shear.
• Well, took 2 years, but check this ramp out.
• Ask for help! Only way to do it, unless... Hmmm...
• Bigger books more unwieldy, smaller ones easier to handle/work on.
• Less "full" bindings, more 3-part bindings, that thing I call the modified Bradel binding (Gebrochener Rücken) as component parts can be easier to handle.
• DON'T blame every problem on the disease/condition. Everyone screws up/has accidents at some point. Learn from them, recover if possible (or start over), and move on. Questioning everything not healthy...
• Exhibits, maybe not so much anymore... Less pressure can equal more fun. Find other outlets for sharing work and experiences. 

Cathryn Miller of Byopia Press recently published a fantastic post on this topic on her blog. In it she describes many of her hacks and adaptations that allow her to keep working on her books.

I'm going to keep at it, binding that is, but have also gone back to my trains and building kits such as the pigeon shack. LOTS of detail work to keep the fine motor skills on notice, but not as costly when screw-ups happen.

H0 (1:87) birds for the pigeon shack below...

Pigeon shack with those birds - Detail work!

The articles shared on this blog about vocational rehabilitation, mostly of WW I veterans with lost limbs have given ideas for hacks I may try at different times. Likewise articles in the popular press like "We Are the Original Lifehackers" from the NYTimes. There is also the "Disabled List" is a disability-led, self advocacy organization that is creating the opportunities in design that we always wanted. The Disabled List is a curated list of creative disabled people who are available to consult, and the site has enough images to give ideas for adapting. Then, there are our future surgeons - scary and bemusing at the same time. Made me remember a retired surgeon who was also a bookbinder and sewed the most amazing endbands. [Edit: See also this op-ed from the LA Times, Op-Ed: When my fingers stopped cooperating, I had to rethink making art, 7/28/19. Here, another relevant article: A Silent Roundtable Discussion on Disability and Inclusion in Art Conservation, 12/26/20. See also My Parents are Hackers, 9/25/22]

Taking advantage of opportunities for growth at work, developing other (related) interests such as writing (I love my ergonomic keyboard) and contributing that way have also been sustaining and satisfying.

Looking back 30 years, watching an older binding student with Parkinson's sticking with it despite the challenges was almost like looking at my future self without knowing the details of progression. Almost like the ending of the "Fairy Tale for Bookbinding Apprentices:"

... This made the Meister very sad and depressed, so much so that he never wanted to create another masterpiece. He didn’t even want to teach anymore... His hair grayed, his vision deteriorated so that he saw his gilt lines double, and his hands shook when he held the type-holder over the stove.. He rubbed his hands over his eyes and dreamt that the wise Bone Folder was still in his pocket where it had always rested. In his dream it spoke to his heart, “don’t be sad great Meister. You shared your talents before they could leave you, and your generosity was so great that you even let me go. Now, I still shape beautiful headcaps, but in someone else’s gentle hands. You still live though. Rise up, and continue to tell all the stories you told me. Then I will be with you in spirit and can help you. Your pen is your new tool now.”

This made the Meister perk up. Once again, the wise Bone Folder was right. Everyone has something to share and pass on. Meister Franz’s gifts will enable others to sustain themselves. He will keep nothing to himself until he closes his eyes for the last time, and then he will go, satisfied to have lived for his art and craft, and those that practice it.

Maybe too dramatic? Maybe not? What are your stories? Though the details may vary there are always similarities, and hacks. Let's share.