Renaissance Man: Richard Rosenblatt, Book Restorer And So Much More

Richard Rosenblatt leads an artist’s life.

The New York native is a second-generation painter (his father, David, was a noted WWII muralist) whose award-winning art is in numerous private collections and is included in exhibitions throughout the US and Europe. Sometimes he trades his paintbrush for drumsticks to play with his rock band, Prowlers.

In 1986, the Brooklynite left his first career as a Certified Graduate Gemologist to train in-house to be the resident book restorer at Argosy Book Store, located at 116 E. 59th St. Founded in 1925, this third-generation family-owned bookseller boasts six floors of antique and out-of-print Americana, modern first editions, autographs, art, photography, maps and prints, and books in all fields of interest.

Straus Media paid a visit to “the only one in the company that works without a computer” to explore his 39-year analog career in a digital world, and how it allows him to sustain his life in fine art.

How did you become a book restorer?

I found a simple ad in the New York Times, which said, “Wanted: Book restorer.” I thought, “I’ve got manual dexterity. I could learn this. I’m going to go present myself as an artist and someone who could do the job with training.” That’s how they accepted me.

How long did it take to learn this new skill?

I replaced a young lady who was moving to Ireland, who took me under her wing for about a month. She instilled in me the confidence to not be afraid to take things apart and put them back together. One of my colleagues says I have nerves of steel because I’m able to do that.

Over the years, I’ve come to know how to approach projects, how to be careful, and how to use all the proper materials so as not to damage the original intent of the binder.

What usually causes book damage that requires your services?

Temperature, weather conditions, water, heat, humidity, wear and tear. But the worst thing is that people have a tendency to take a book off a shelf from the top of the spine, and in doing so, after many years, it just rips the book apart.

Can you walk me through what the restoration process looks like?

Oftentimes, covers are not even attached, the spine is in really bad shape, or there are tears in the pages, and so all these things I’ll look at first very carefully. I’ll open the book, explore what needs to be done, and where I think I could help the book along, primarily keeping in mind I don’t want to disturb the original intent of the binding.

Restoration is different from a complete rebinding, which takes away the original binding and creates a new one. I’m working with what’s already there. [Editor’s note: The price depends on how much needs to be done and how much time it takes.]

I’ll add a cloth or rice paper. I’ll use a modern bookbinder’s glue, which I put in different places; maybe pieces of the leather have separated from the binding. I’ll use a leather protector and polish, usually on the binding, when the covers are secure and I’m ready to add color. Wear and tear leaves raw and open spots, which, of course, make for unsightly discoloration. I’m essentially using different types of polish to impregnate the leather with as an exact match as I can make with the original leather.

And after that, I’ll simply polish the work, let it sit for a little while, gently rub the polish to the point where it gets a little bit of a shine.

Cloth books are a whole different story.

Does restoration increase, maintain, or decrease the book’s value?

I think, depending upon how careful you are and how little you do to it, it maintains or increases. If you do too much to it, you make something unrecognizable from what it was before, I believe it could take away from the value.

Can you speak to some of your famous restorations?

A first edition of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Literally, it was in his hands because he had signed it, and one of the thrills I get is to put my hand where that person signed, so I feel like I got a little of Dickens’s DNA or I’ve gotten Walt Whitman’s DNA. Unfortunately, I also have Hitler’s DNA.

I once was handed an envelope with about 150 shards of a letter, purported to be written by Thomas Jefferson, that had been crumbled up over the years and in little pieces. Not only did I put it together, but I discovered it was rare, explaining his position on the separation of church and state. It was purchased by someone and then donated to the Harvard library.

Was that a proud moment?

I genuinely don’t feel the pride as much as I do satisfaction, especially with [the Jefferson letter]; it was a real connection to history.

I’m more proud of my work as a fine artist, which my job at Argosy has always allowed me to continue with.

My father was an artist for the Army Air Corps in World War II. After surviving a plane crash, he stayed on the base and created murals for the Servicemen’s Club for the last year of the war. Not too long ago, I went to restore his murals. It was fantastic.

Rosenblatt’s fine art is on view at richardrosenblatt.com and on Instagram @richrosenblattart.

Lorraine Duffy Merkl is the author of the novel “The Last Single Woman in New York City.”