Paul Schratter (–2015)

I picked up this little gem of a book at my local library book sale. Being a Yankee myself, I was intrigued by the title, the cover image, and the quality of the design. It's an homage to an interesting character by his equally interesting friend, who was ninety-three when he wrote the book.

Bill Streeter grew up on a "dirt farm" in Cummington, Massachusetts. His childhood was typical New England: canning, maple syrup sugar shack, self-sufficiency, and a stern father. Despite his intelligence and intellectual curiosity, he had trouble in school because he was dyslexic and dropped out when he was fifteen. He joined the army and was stationed in Nuremburg during the Nazi trials, although he was a cook and didn't interact directly with the proceedings.

Because of his varied interests, Bill had a variety of jobs over the years. He had a country store, was an aide for veterans with PTSD, and owned a luggage and leather repair shop. It was this last enterprise that led him to his true passion: bookbinding. He became an expert and restored many valuable original editions and documents, took on apprentices, and co-authored a book called Before Photocopying. He was invited to speak at Harvard on the latter. Bill was also very involved in local affairs and, among other things, was instrumental in founding the Kingman Tavern Museum of History and wrote several books about local history.

The author, Paul Schratter, is interesting in his own right. He was born in Vienna and escaped to America alone at the age of sixteen. His father and other members of the family died in the Holocaust. He served in the army in the tail-end of WWII then studied at the Maryland Institute of Art, Johns Hopkins, and Suffolk University.

My Friend Bill was published by Levellers Press and is a delight to hold. It has high-quality paper, French flaps, and interesting sketches and photos. For such a small book, I received quite a bit of pleasure reading it.

You can learn more by watching "Bill Streeter: Scholar, Historian, Bookbinder" on YouTube.… (altro)