Boe Rushing reports from the Colorado Antiquarian Book Seminar – it’s day two.
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I just left the seminar picnic and I’m hoping to get some quality sleep tonight. Many of the seminarians and some of the faculty are exhausted. Today was a wonderful day for me personally. I’m already blown away by how generous and sincere the faculty are with sharing their knowledge. I’m also making some friendships that I hope to continue.
After a brief segment on how to handle books, Rob Rulon-Miller and Kevin Johnson spent almost two h
ours on Bookselling 401. I personally got more out of this session than all of the reading I have done up to know on bookselling. I could go home now and be happy. But I’m not ready to go home yet.
Kevin Johnson’s story really affected me. He walked away from a career with the CIA and went into bookselling full-time, operating as Royal Books in Baltimore. He talked about how “books saved me.” Both he and Rob have such a passion for this business it is contagious. It really has inspired me to go at this full tilt. Now I just need a plan.
After a break Dan DeSimone gave a very interesting talk on reference tools for the book trade. At lunch I had a good discussion with faculty member Barry Spence, who is a bookbinder in Shelburne Falls, Mass. He is a very cool guy and clearly understands bookbinding and conservation.
After lunch Dan Gregory with Between the Covers gave a two-hour lecture on computers and databases. He has a great sense of humor and I can’t imagine someone more qualified lead this discussion. His work with their website is very impressive.
After a break we split into three groups – Barry, Dan, Rob and Heidi Congalton, from Between the 
Covers, gave us a hands-on exhibit of books, which included binding styles and materials, techniques of printing and illustration. As I mentioned earlier we also had a picnic tonight which was a great chance to get to talk to other students and some of the faculty.
After only one full day I can say that I am truly impressed. The faculty obviously love what they do and want us to succeed. I feel so fortunate to be here and feel like anything is possible going forward. Pretty cool.
Regards
Boe Rushing