I got a new toy! It’s a rather heavy toy. Cast-iron. With black paint and stencil. And a wheel crank that resembles a ship’s steering wheel. Except cast iron, like I said. It arrived in a heavy box with thick extruded foam as packaging (FedEx guy wasn’t pleased, but then again, he never is). Why would a bookseller get excited about a hunk o’ iron, you ask?
It has a date on it, which isn’t unusual for things around here. It reads 1893, which isn’t even particularly early for things around here. But it’s a tool. Obviously not a book, but it’s for books. Why it has a label that reads “Best of Show, Columbian Exposition” I’m not exactly certain what that means, but it sounds cool.
Give up yet? It’s a book press. See? Isn’t she pretty? I showed her off tonight at our NOBS Forum of Show & Tell.
