Bringing books back to life
In this era of digitalisation, electronic everything, and the instant gratification of social media, there’s something timeless about books: real books, that is, of paper with proper printing, and with that unmistakeable feel and smell!
And so it was refreshing to chat to Hilton book ‘repairer’ Steve Tongue. Whether it’s tatty school library books, a favourite hardcover classic, a centuries-old family Bible, he will painstakingly repair and restore it to what he describes as a “workable condition”.
“One of my current commissions is a family Bible dating back to the early 1900s, with scratches and what looks like fire damage to the cover: but the family wants me to LEAVE those scratches there, those badges of time and use, I suppose you could call them, while repairing the rest of it to a workable condition. My job is to get your book to a workable state, so you can use it, or read it, not put it on your shelf to look pretty!”
Tongue has had a long relationship with books, with nearly 36 years in the book finishing trade (printing, book binding and print finishing on the commercial side).
He qualified in the UK after a three-year apprenticeship in mechanical bookbinding, and when he moved here to SA in 1988, he continued with his trade. “I joined Interpak in Pietermaritzburg, starting on the shop floor, and worked my way into the office doing estimating, internal sales and finally landing up as an account executive.
Sadly, I became a casualty when they liquidated in 2017.”
And so he bought some hand-binding equipment and set up a micro business from his Hilton home.
“I have constant customers from the Ambers wanting book repairs, and I also once did hymn books from start to finish for the Wykeham Collegiate. I do the Merchiston year-end books, and repairs for school libraries (Howick Prep and TWC). I enjoy that and would love to repair more school library books.”
One of his favourite jobs was working on a 1st edition Punch and Judy book printed in Paris in 1780. Another was a John Wesley Journal of Medicine dating back to 1770.
But he’s equally adept at sorting out your favourite paperback that has come adrift, or your children’s long-loved Enid Blyton. “I love what I do,” he said.
“It requires endless patience, and you have to be quite pedantic, but it’s what I do! I have just bought a machine that does gold foiling, so when I have finished rebinding a book, I can now gold-foil the name on the cover or your name on it…” *Contact Steve Tongue at 084 549 5664.