I am really saddened about hearing of an extremely talented bookseller colleague passing our mortal realm.
I remember our Secret Santa gift exchanges on the then-active Booksellers' Board. Back in 2009 (only eleven Christmases ago!), I was lucky enough to have Joe's name pulled to be my Secret Santa.
We would customarily "show and tell" our gifts with the others who elected to join the Secret Santa exchange. Here is my email from December 21, 2009:
Hi All,
I am excited beyond words ... my Super Secret Santa package arrived today!
I actually received it late this morning, but waited until I had finished dinner to open it. I wanted to milk the thrill of anticipation and make that feeling last for hours ... 🙂
Mounds of bubble wrap and peanuts protected the double boxed package. The first thing I saw after I folded through layers of bubble wrap was a square white envelope decorated with a Victorian styled Santa scrap and a funny little poem.
Imagine my complete surprise and absolute delight to open the envelope and receive a stunning fragment from the Constantian era (306-337 A.D.) of a vertical scroll! Best of all, the passage was translated and is from Matthew 2:1 to 2:8 --- the Nativity of Jesus Christ!
What could be a more perfect Christmas gift????
The fragment is beautifully encased in a leather journal-sized binding with marbled papers inside and out. The fragment is protected with clear archival overwrap and, facing it, a tipped-in paper describes the text, the origin and the translation of the fragment.
As if that weren't MORE than enough, another accompanying package wrapped in Santa gift wrap held five delectable Lindt favored chocolate bars.
Some photos of my goodies:
I am so thrilled with my gifts that I composed a little ditty for my Super Secret Santa:Secret Santa
You're not a figment
Of my imagination
With a fragment
In clear lamination
No, You're REAL
And I got a STEAL
From my Super Secret Santa!!!!!
Does this mean I'm good
Since I averted coal?
Or does this mean you're good
Since you brought a scroll?
Yes, You're GOOD
No bundle of WOOD
From my Super Secret Santa!!!!
SANTA, You're REAL
The real DEAL
Because a figment
Doesn't deliver a fragment!
Super Secret Santa, THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart!!!!
Michele
**************************************
I have the beautiful Constantian fragment on a shelf in my living room, carefully framed and preserved. Poignantly, the fragment, having already survived over 1900 years, will undoubtedly survive all of us! But, to me, it will always be a lasting memory of Joe.
Stan, you mentioned Joe's amazing descriptions of the books and manuscripts he listed.
I actually saved one of his listings from 2005, which I will post here so that those who aren't familiar with his meticulous skill and mastery of his chosen genre can observe for themselves.
There is a story behind this listing. In 2005, I lived in Maryland and was friends with an antique dealer in whose eclectic shop I would frequently hang out because of my interest in old photos, ephemera and books. One day, the dealer (his name was Joel) showed me an amazing hand illuminated medieval book that a client had given him to sell. He knew that I collected books and asked me what I thought he should sell it for. He was thinking of trying to sell it for the client in the neighborhood of $1,000. (His shop had a variety of things, but he was more of an expert in Victorian furniture.)
I, of course, knew very little about this genre of book, but instantly recognized that it was something within fine.books' wheelhouse, so I told Joel that I knew someone through eBay to whom I could refer him. I contacted Joe through eBay and told him about the book. I then gave each man the other's number and Joe ultimately purchased the book from the client through Joel. Aside from paying the client a decent sum over twice as large as Joel's initial assessment , Joe also paid a substantial fee to Joel for acting as the liaison to the client, along with a smaller finder's fee to me for brokering the deal.
This all took place in March of 2005. By the end of June, the book was listed and ultimately sold by Joe on eBay on July 2, 2005 for $10,600. The reason I printed and saved the listing was because I was the broker for this deal and I kept the printed listing as a memento.
Sorry for the crooked lines ... my printer must have been glitchy that day. But I'm so glad I saved it, because it's a wonderful testament to Joe's expertise and skill.
Here is an illustration ... it was too large a file to fit in the preceding post and I had to scan it at a lower resolution:
