Twin Cities book bindery perfects the ancient art of restoration
FRIDLEY, Minn. – Using century-old equipment to restore century-old books is an ancient craft, but one that's still very much alive. In this week's Finding Minnesota, John Lauritsen shows us how a Fridley book bindery is writing their own story.
"The biggest problems are mold, mildew, water damage or fire damage," said Greg Campbell.
If there's such a thing as a hospital for beat-up books, Campbell-Logan Bindery would be the place. They get novels, Bibles and family heirlooms sent to them that have been through the ringer and back. If dogs are a man's best friend, they're also the bindery's best friend.
"Dog owners are some of our best customers," owner Campbell said.
His father Allan started the business, a place where old books get new life and where new books get their binding for the first time.
"There are very, very few that still do hand-binding as we do it here," Campbell said. "Everything we do here is hand-operated."
It's a skill handed down through generations. Campbell's son Duncan is a third-generation book binder. He uses leather, and even cloth from Japan, to give printed words a voice.
"Methodic. A lot of attention to detail," Duncan Campbell said. "When people walk in they say, 'I can't believe people still do this,' or 'I made four phone calls and finally found you.'"
The before-and-after comparison is pretty telling. The Campbells have repaired books that are 500 years old. And they've done it with machines that you might find in a museum. Their cast iron book presses are a century old but as effective as ever.
From sheering to sewing to printing, the bindery can restore a wedding album or bind a college thesis. They work with pretty big names too. Recently, they tackled a project for author Dean Koontz. Occasionally, they get some odd requests.
"We had one guy bind all of his emails one time. He had this big stack of emails that he was sending back and forth to his girlfriend. And we bound it for him. Why? I don't know," Greg Campbell said.
Even with technology replacing many traditional books, the Campbells have learned that their business is like a story that never ends. Each generation is a new chapter in this unique trade.
"There are still going to be people who want books," Greg Campbell said. "It's fun to see someone come in and pick up their book and cry because it's so beautiful now. It was such a mess when they came in."
Since no two books are alike, the Campbells say they can restore anywhere from seven to 10 books a week. For more information on how they do this, you can click here to access their website at wefixbooks.com.