08/28/2026
Yesterday marked the end of an important era in my life, whereby a 10-year position came to a close. For the past decade, I have been repairing books at a local bookbindery. During this time, I have rebound antique works, some as old as 400 years and others virtually new. I’ve reassembled beloved cookbooks, with bits of food clinging to the pages—a testament to daily usage. There have been beloved children’s storybooks, tattered from love and repetitive bedtime reads. I’ve worked on foreign-language books, songbooks, guests books, ledgers, and photo albums; as well as dictionaries, medical guides, picture books, and menus. There have been handwritten notebooks, personal journals, and poetry books. And I’ve repaired countless religious and other reverent texts. I’ve handled large, antique family bibles—immense tomes that have helped build some serious arm muscles. I have read numerous family histories in the genealogical pages therein, with outdated names such as Horace and Mildred. And I have born witness to the spiritual journey of dozens of individuals, who have made notes in the margins and between the lines of text, as they sought meaning in what they read. I’ve carefully handled old locks of hair and dried flowers pressed between the pages, from people and events most likely long gone. Likewise with news clippings and photographs from decades past. In short, I’ve not only repaired paper, board, linen, and leather, but I’ve been granted access to the personal stories of the people who’ve turned the pages. The narrative of lives and loves of individuals can be found in the marks they left behind. It has been an honour and a privilege to bear witness and anonymously contribute a little something to their legacy.
Yesterday I said goodbye to the good folks I’ve worked alongside. Collaborating and conferring with these fine colleagues has been a gift. I take heart that I’ve made some lifelong friendships in them. What comes next for this gal is to be unveiled in the coming days, weeks, and months. Today, however, I pay tribute to this life experience. I can proudly say that I am, and always will be, a bookbinder.
