A. J. Valente

The photo you see is of myself standing in front of the South Lee Mill in 1997. When the writer began the study of 19th Century papers, naturally the focus was on Dr. Hunters great book "Papermaking." Although, obtaining detailed information was still a stretch, and so one wonders why nobody had ever written a book specific to 19th century U.S. paper-making. The old saying is, "watch what you wish for," and in 1996 I uncovered a large correspondence of a hand (and machine) mill in South Lee, MA dating from 1822 to 1859. It seems most paper mills of the period pulped their own correspondence, and that's why historians have had such difficulty putting together the pieces. So, it's been a labor of love, taking all the disparate stories and articles and weaving them into a book, but now it's done and ready for all to read and enjoy. I'll be going out on the road now, looking to find new anecdotes that, hopefully, will go into a 2d edition of "Rag Paper." You can keep track of my progress on my web blog: www.ajvalente.com.