Caring About Book Care

by Raya Kuzyk, PW Daily for Booksellers -- Publishers Weekly, 12/22/2004

In his continued attempt to bridge the gap between book lovers and conservationists, Bern Marcowitz has made some strides in educating the masses on the gentle art of book care. Recent outreach initiatives have included demonstrations at BookExpo America and the New York Public Library, articles for trade media like the Independent Online Booksellers Association, regular distribution of literature on book protection, storage and repair and a seat as resident book care expert on Brodart's Web site.

Though his core audience makes up everyone from the layreader to the reseller, "the wall between those who sell books and those who sell book care products is slowly coming down," he says. AbeBooks recently began offering Brodart discounts on its site, as well as tips on book care and links to books about proper book care.

Marcowitz, along with fellow dog enthusiast Margot Rosenberg, is a co-consultant for Brodart's Book Supplies Division, co-owner of the Dog Lovers Bookshop, and co-author of Care and Feeding of Books Old and New: A Simple Repair Manual for Book Lovers (St. Martin's/Thomas Dunne, 2002), which was profiled here earlier this year.

"Books are organic," he says as a testament to the pleasure he takes in his business. "They contain that wonderful carbon molecule."