[GBW] Fw: "rant"

["sam ellenport (by way of Peter Verheyen <verheyen@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>)" <sam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Dear Fellow Bookworkers, After an absence from this list, I returned to
find Steve Hales accusing the Harcourt Bindery of having done "hack work,"
claiming that our staff is comprised of "barbarians who
committed...libricide."  As the owner of the company since 1970,  this
alleged libricide occurred on my watch and I feel compelled to respond.

For over a century, The Harcourt Bindery has been concentrating on
producing fine leather bindings and restorations.  We enjoy a well-earned
international reputation, and are noted for our commitment to quality.  I
have never had a claim such as this laid at my feet before, nor have I seen
similar charges thrown at other binders.  It is one thing for Steve Hales
to take on the role of becoming the Guild's own Rush Limbaugh, with a
pointed public blast based on misguided information; it is another to
publish and punish without checking his facts.

The membership of the Guild is made up of many generous, sharing craftsmen
of goodwill.  It is rare that public charges like these of Steve Hales come
up, and they should be dealt with quickly.  While the work on the book is
probably as described, the target is totally wrong.  While I do not know
Steve Hales, I do know that he could easily have contacted me before his
public attack.  A quick phone call or email to me or any staff, past or
present, would have immediately established that The Harcourt Bindery has
never owned, rented or leased an over-sewing machine.  Since 1900, all
sewing was (and is) done by hand and, in 1980, that meant hand-sewing by
Julia Grazulis.  I don't doubt that Steve Hales' book was oversewn
(probably before 1980).  I can say that it was not done at The Harcourt
Bindery.

Steve Hales may be a younger man who sees the past through the
present.  Yet the odd note at the back of the book referring to $47 should
have been a brake to Steve Hales' rush to print.  That price is certainly
strange and worth an inquiry.  I put a quick question to a former President
of the Library Binding Institute who confirmed for me that the cost of an
oversewn library binding in 1980 was between $5.50 - $7.00.  $47 represents
a binding cost, seven times the average, that would be paid by no library,
bookdealer, or private client.  Harcourt has always done cloth binding but,
because our work is by hand, we are not competitive with library
binders.  The cloth work we do usually requires some special attention,
repair or restoration, that cannot be done by machine.  Perhaps Steve Hales
was a bit too eager to rush to print than to find this pricing curious,
though I cannot hazard a guess to what it refers.

Also, the fact that Steve Hales paid 4 figures for this book in 2003 gives
little sense of its value in 1980.  It may have been worth only a few
hundred dollars at that time; it probably was oversewn elsewhere; it
possibly was part of a ....well who knows?  There is only a pencil note in
the back.  All I can confirm is that we never had an oversewing machine,
and the book was not machine sewn at Harcourt Bindery.

There is another serious point to be made.  That point is that we, as a
group, have no stated code of ethics and only grope towards that code
developed and written by the AIC.  The GBW New England Chapter has tried to
deal with this issue.  It has held talks and seminar discussions about
ethics, and has held discussions panels of different binders offering
options on "problem" books.  There have also been talks about how budgets
and usage determine the decision making process, often far from the
influence and input of the binder (I have participated in most of
these).  May I suggest that at each Standards Meeting, aside from the
demonstrations and workshops, there be at least 1 time slot devoted to a
discussion about ethics and/or a panel offering suggestions about a series
of "problem" books.  This would go a long way to helping all members deal
with the problem (among others) which Steve Hales decries.

Finally, I would like to thank the following for their considered and
thoughtful input regarding the postings subsequent to that of Steve Hales:
Don Rash, Don Glaister, Karl Eberth, Mel Kavin and Mary Brown.

With warm wishes to all,
Sam Ellenport
Harcourt Bindery
51 Melcher St.
Boston, MA 02210
617-542-5858 (fax: 617-451-9058)
sam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

  *******************************************************************

    In Flight exhibit entries due by July 18!
    More information and entry forms at:
    <http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/byorg/gbw/exhibit.shtml>

    Do you teach in the Book Arts? Then put your name on the
    GBW Study Opportunities List!  Electronic sign up at
    <http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/byorg/gbw/studyopp/studyoppform.shtml>

  *******************************************************************
            GBW: The listserv for GBW member communications

            The GBW website is supported and maintained by
                          Conservation OnLine
              <http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/byorg/gbw>

           For problems, contact Eric Alstrom, List Manager:
                        <GBWweb@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  *******************************************************************