{"id":1343,"date":"2014-04-28T18:38:50","date_gmt":"2014-04-28T18:38:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/southtampamagazine.com\/?p=1343"},"modified":"2016-07-18T03:04:33","modified_gmt":"2016-07-18T03:04:33","slug":"collectors-bound-by-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/southtampamagazine.com\/collectors-bound-by-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Collectors Bound by Life"},"content":{"rendered":"<div\n\tclass=\"ngg-galleryoverview\"\n\tid=\"ngg-gallery-0690ae94c4ac4ae5f87697c1a932b697-1\">\n\n    \t\t<!-- Thumbnails -->\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"ngg-image-0\" class=\"ngg-gallery-thumbnail-box\" >\n\t\t\t\t        <div class=\"ngg-gallery-thumbnail\">\n            <a href=\"http:\/\/southtampamagazine.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/old-tampa-book\/a0068024.jpg\"\n               title=\"Client Jarib Rodriguez stops by the bookstore on his lunch break to sift through the many out-of-print books.\"\n               data-src=\"http:\/\/southtampamagazine.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/old-tampa-book\/a0068024.jpg\"\n               data-thumbnail=\"http:\/\/southtampamagazine.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/old-tampa-book\/thumbs\/thumbs_a0068024.jpg\"\n               data-image-id=\"588\"\n               data-title=\"a0068024\"\n               data-description=\"Client Jarib Rodriguez stops by the bookstore on his lunch break to sift through the many out-of-print books.\"\n               class=\"ngg-fancybox\" rel=\"0690ae94c4ac4ae5f87697c1a932b697\">\n                <img\n                    title=\"a0068024\"\n                    alt=\"a0068024\"\n                    src=\"http:\/\/southtampamagazine.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/old-tampa-book\/thumbs\/thumbs_a0068024.jpg\"\n                    width=\"120\"\n                    height=\"90\"\n                    style=\"max-width:100%;\"\n                \/>\n            <\/a>\n        <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t\t\n        \n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"ngg-image-1\" class=\"ngg-gallery-thumbnail-box\" >\n\t\t\t\t        <div class=\"ngg-gallery-thumbnail\">\n            <a href=\"http:\/\/southtampamagazine.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/old-tampa-book\/a0068050_1.jpg\"\n               title=\"Printed in 1798, the American Gazeeter is one of the oldest books that the Browns have collected. Valued in the thousands, it has a pull-out map that shows how North and South America were divided during colonial times.\"\n               data-src=\"http:\/\/southtampamagazine.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/old-tampa-book\/a0068050_1.jpg\"\n               data-thumbnail=\"http:\/\/southtampamagazine.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/old-tampa-book\/thumbs\/thumbs_a0068050_1.jpg\"\n               data-image-id=\"589\"\n               data-title=\"a0068050_1\"\n               data-description=\"Printed in 1798, the American Gazeeter is one of the oldest books that the Browns have collected. Valued in the thousands, it has a pull-out map that shows how North and South America were divided during colonial times.\"\n               class=\"ngg-fancybox\" rel=\"0690ae94c4ac4ae5f87697c1a932b697\">\n                <img\n                    title=\"a0068050_1\"\n                    alt=\"a0068050_1\"\n                    src=\"http:\/\/southtampamagazine.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/old-tampa-book\/thumbs\/thumbs_a0068050_1.jpg\"\n                    width=\"120\"\n                    height=\"90\"\n                    style=\"max-width:100%;\"\n                \/>\n            <\/a>\n        <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t\t\n        \n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"ngg-image-2\" class=\"ngg-gallery-thumbnail-box\" >\n\t\t\t\t        <div class=\"ngg-gallery-thumbnail\">\n            <a href=\"http:\/\/southtampamagazine.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/old-tampa-book\/a0068069.jpg\"\n               title=\"This limited edition copy of Barcia\u2019s Chronological History of the Continent of Florida was printed in 1951 and has only 999 copies. This book is No. 983 and is valued at $200.\"\n               data-src=\"http:\/\/southtampamagazine.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/old-tampa-book\/a0068069.jpg\"\n               data-thumbnail=\"http:\/\/southtampamagazine.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/old-tampa-book\/thumbs\/thumbs_a0068069.jpg\"\n               data-image-id=\"590\"\n               data-title=\"a0068069\"\n               data-description=\"This limited edition copy of Barcia\u2019s Chronological History of the Continent of Florida was printed in 1951 and has only 999 copies. This book is No. 983 and is valued at $200.\"\n               class=\"ngg-fancybox\" rel=\"0690ae94c4ac4ae5f87697c1a932b697\">\n                <img\n                    title=\"a0068069\"\n                    alt=\"a0068069\"\n                    src=\"http:\/\/southtampamagazine.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/old-tampa-book\/thumbs\/thumbs_a0068069.jpg\"\n                    width=\"120\"\n                    height=\"90\"\n                    style=\"max-width:100%;\"\n                \/>\n            <\/a>\n        <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t\t\n        \n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"ngg-image-3\" class=\"ngg-gallery-thumbnail-box\" >\n\t\t\t\t        <div class=\"ngg-gallery-thumbnail\">\n            <a href=\"http:\/\/southtampamagazine.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/old-tampa-book\/a0068090.jpg\"\n               title=\"Old Tampa Book Company owners David and Ellen Brown.\"\n               data-src=\"http:\/\/southtampamagazine.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/old-tampa-book\/a0068090.jpg\"\n               data-thumbnail=\"http:\/\/southtampamagazine.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/old-tampa-book\/thumbs\/thumbs_a0068090.jpg\"\n               data-image-id=\"591\"\n               data-title=\"a0068090\"\n               data-description=\"Old Tampa Book Company owners David and Ellen Brown.\"\n               class=\"ngg-fancybox\" rel=\"0690ae94c4ac4ae5f87697c1a932b697\">\n                <img\n                    title=\"a0068090\"\n                    alt=\"a0068090\"\n                    src=\"http:\/\/southtampamagazine.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/old-tampa-book\/thumbs\/thumbs_a0068090.jpg\"\n                    width=\"120\"\n                    height=\"90\"\n                    style=\"max-width:100%;\"\n                \/>\n            <\/a>\n        <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t\t\n        \n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"ngg-image-4\" class=\"ngg-gallery-thumbnail-box\" >\n\t\t\t\t        <div class=\"ngg-gallery-thumbnail\">\n            <a href=\"http:\/\/southtampamagazine.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/old-tampa-book\/a0068149_1.jpg\"\n               title=\"A few of the titles that line the walls of Old Tampa Book Company.\"\n               data-src=\"http:\/\/southtampamagazine.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/old-tampa-book\/a0068149_1.jpg\"\n               data-thumbnail=\"http:\/\/southtampamagazine.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/old-tampa-book\/thumbs\/thumbs_a0068149_1.jpg\"\n               data-image-id=\"593\"\n               data-title=\"a0068149_1\"\n               data-description=\"A few of the titles that line the walls of Old Tampa Book Company.\"\n               class=\"ngg-fancybox\" rel=\"0690ae94c4ac4ae5f87697c1a932b697\">\n                <img\n                    title=\"a0068149_1\"\n                    alt=\"a0068149_1\"\n                    src=\"http:\/\/southtampamagazine.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/old-tampa-book\/thumbs\/thumbs_a0068149_1.jpg\"\n                    width=\"120\"\n                    height=\"90\"\n                    style=\"max-width:100%;\"\n                \/>\n            <\/a>\n        <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t\t\n        \n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"ngg-image-5\" class=\"ngg-gallery-thumbnail-box\" >\n\t\t\t\t        <div class=\"ngg-gallery-thumbnail\">\n            <a href=\"http:\/\/southtampamagazine.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/old-tampa-book\/a0068157_1.jpg\"\n               title=\". Ellen enjoys collecting cookbooks but she also likes the colorful, antique children\u2019s books such as The Magic Flutes, published in 1929 and valued at $150.\"\n               data-src=\"http:\/\/southtampamagazine.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/old-tampa-book\/a0068157_1.jpg\"\n               data-thumbnail=\"http:\/\/southtampamagazine.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/old-tampa-book\/thumbs\/thumbs_a0068157_1.jpg\"\n               data-image-id=\"594\"\n               data-title=\"a0068157_1\"\n               data-description=\". Ellen enjoys collecting cookbooks but she also likes the colorful, antique children\u2019s books such as The Magic Flutes, published in 1929 and valued at $150.\"\n               class=\"ngg-fancybox\" rel=\"0690ae94c4ac4ae5f87697c1a932b697\">\n                <img\n                    title=\"a0068157_1\"\n                    alt=\"a0068157_1\"\n                    src=\"http:\/\/southtampamagazine.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/old-tampa-book\/thumbs\/thumbs_a0068157_1.jpg\"\n                    width=\"120\"\n                    height=\"90\"\n                    style=\"max-width:100%;\"\n                \/>\n            <\/a>\n        <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t\t\n        \n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"ngg-image-6\" class=\"ngg-gallery-thumbnail-box\" >\n\t\t\t\t        <div class=\"ngg-gallery-thumbnail\">\n            <a href=\"http:\/\/southtampamagazine.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/old-tampa-book\/a0068273.jpg\"\n               title=\"David Barry of Griffin Book Binding\"\n               data-src=\"http:\/\/southtampamagazine.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/old-tampa-book\/a0068273.jpg\"\n               data-thumbnail=\"http:\/\/southtampamagazine.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/old-tampa-book\/thumbs\/thumbs_a0068273.jpg\"\n               data-image-id=\"595\"\n               data-title=\"a0068273\"\n               data-description=\"David Barry of Griffin Book Binding\"\n               class=\"ngg-fancybox\" rel=\"0690ae94c4ac4ae5f87697c1a932b697\">\n                <img\n                    title=\"a0068273\"\n                    alt=\"a0068273\"\n                    src=\"http:\/\/southtampamagazine.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/old-tampa-book\/thumbs\/thumbs_a0068273.jpg\"\n                    width=\"120\"\n                    height=\"90\"\n                    style=\"max-width:100%;\"\n                \/>\n            <\/a>\n        <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t\t\n        \n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"ngg-image-7\" class=\"ngg-gallery-thumbnail-box\" >\n\t\t\t\t        <div class=\"ngg-gallery-thumbnail\">\n            <a href=\"http:\/\/southtampamagazine.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/old-tampa-book\/a0068283.jpg\"\n               title=\"Griffin Book Binding is the only place in Tampa Bay to restore your rare and antiquarian books.\"\n               data-src=\"http:\/\/southtampamagazine.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/old-tampa-book\/a0068283.jpg\"\n               data-thumbnail=\"http:\/\/southtampamagazine.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/old-tampa-book\/thumbs\/thumbs_a0068283.jpg\"\n               data-image-id=\"596\"\n               data-title=\"a0068283\"\n               data-description=\"Griffin Book Binding is the only place in Tampa Bay to restore your rare and antiquarian books.\"\n               class=\"ngg-fancybox\" rel=\"0690ae94c4ac4ae5f87697c1a932b697\">\n                <img\n                    title=\"a0068283\"\n                    alt=\"a0068283\"\n                    src=\"http:\/\/southtampamagazine.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/old-tampa-book\/thumbs\/thumbs_a0068283.jpg\"\n                    width=\"120\"\n                    height=\"90\"\n                    style=\"max-width:100%;\"\n                \/>\n            <\/a>\n        <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t\t\n        \n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"ngg-image-8\" class=\"ngg-gallery-thumbnail-box\" >\n\t\t\t\t        <div class=\"ngg-gallery-thumbnail\">\n            <a href=\"http:\/\/southtampamagazine.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/old-tampa-book\/a0068331.jpg\"\n               title=\"David prepares another book\"\n               data-src=\"http:\/\/southtampamagazine.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/old-tampa-book\/a0068331.jpg\"\n               data-thumbnail=\"http:\/\/southtampamagazine.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/old-tampa-book\/thumbs\/thumbs_a0068331.jpg\"\n               data-image-id=\"597\"\n               data-title=\"a0068331\"\n               data-description=\"David prepares another book\"\n               class=\"ngg-fancybox\" rel=\"0690ae94c4ac4ae5f87697c1a932b697\">\n                <img\n                    title=\"a0068331\"\n                    alt=\"a0068331\"\n                    src=\"http:\/\/southtampamagazine.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/old-tampa-book\/thumbs\/thumbs_a0068331.jpg\"\n                    width=\"120\"\n                    height=\"90\"\n                    style=\"max-width:100%;\"\n                \/>\n            <\/a>\n        <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t\t\n        \n\t\t\n\t\t<!-- Pagination -->\n\t<div class='ngg-clear'><\/div>\t<\/div>\n\n<p>Bound by Life<br \/>\nDavid Brown\u2019s penchant for collecting old books has turned into a lifelong addiction, but his wife Ellen still thinks he\u2019s a rare find<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">In his book A Gentle Madness, Nicholas Basbanes discusses how over time, book collectors can become so obsessed with their finds that this \u201cgentle madness\u201d becomes engrained into their psyche, causing them to ascend to a new tier of bibliomania.<br \/>\nAt 76, David Brown exudes every characteristic of the gentle madness that Basbanes has coined for bibliophiles. With paper white hair meticulously parted to one side, David is a composed, well-mannered gentleman who often gets a chuckle out of his propensity to find the rarest editions of the most obscure titles.<br \/>\nA Gentle Madness is one of David\u2019s favorite reads of the past decade. It was given to him as a gift several years ago and is now somehow lost amidst the thousands of novels stacked against the walls of the Old Tampa Book Company, a quaint shop in downtown Tampa that David owns with his wife, Ellen.<br \/>\nTogether David and Ellen, 75, peruse the world for books that might pique their interest or the interest of other collectors. They\u2019re books that most people would simply pass over, but to David they\u2019re gems that represent an era once forgotten, bound pieces of history that caught his eye and will more than likely ignite the curiosity of other enthusiasts.<br \/>\n\u201cHe has a curious mind,\u201d Ellen says. \u201cUnusual things attract him.\u201d<br \/>\n***<br \/>\nChapter one of this bookman\u2019s tale takes place in upstate New York during the 50s. David, then a student at Cornell University, was a handsome young man who worked in a cloak room and accumulated books on classic sports cars on the side. Through mutual friends he met and fell in love with an artsy girl from the Catskill Mountains. Her name was Ellen, \u201cEl\u201d for short. The two wed after college and spent more than 25 years in Rochester until Xerox, David\u2019s employer, eliminated his department.<br \/>\nIt was the best thing that ever happened to him. By then middle-aged, the couple had a chance to start over and write their own legacy. There was never a doubt how David wanted his story to go on. The 3,500 books that he had amassed over the years would help him launch his own bookstore in Tampa, a city they connected with while on vacation.<br \/>\nEllen was mystified: \u201cI couldn\u2019t believe he was going to sell them.\u201d<br \/>\n***<br \/>\nThere\u2019s a method to David\u2019s gentle madness. As the owner of a bookstore, he can collect thousands of titles without confining his interests to certain topics. He doesn\u2019t keep \u201cthe good stuff\u201d at home; he wants to sell those. At the Old Tampa Book Company, you\u2019ll find thousands of titles that David handpicked himself. There\u2019s a first edition of The Prince by Machiavelli a signed Andy Warhol book and other titles from centuries ago that are valued in the thousands today.<br \/>\n\u201cThe good books, the valuable ones, support the store,\u201d Ellen says. \u201cThey need to support it because David has this obsession. If he keeps it at home, it won\u2019t sell.\u201d<br \/>\nDavid\u2019s personal collection is limited thanks to Ellen\u2019s strict two-bookcase policy. One case holds her extensive collection of cookbooks, while the other has David\u2019s art books on the primitive Asmat tribe of New Guinea, which he first encountered at an exhibit featured in Ellen\u2019s former Rochester gallery.<br \/>\n\u201cThe reason I like collecting in this area is because it\u2019s very narrow,\u201d David says. \u201cFewer than 500 books have ever been written about this tribe.\u201d<br \/>\nThat\u2019s the beauty of book collecting. While one person might see a title as random and undesirable, another sees a treasure. Sometimes for David, it\u2019s the name on the dust jacket or the title that sets him off. Other times it\u2019s the condition and feel of a novel published and bound centuries ago that lets him know a book is special.<br \/>\nDavid says he has reached a point in his life where he enjoys any book, regardless of its title. Whether he\u2019s rifling through a box of old books that someone left in his possession or thumbing a classic he has read a dozen times before, every collection of pages is a new experience. It is David\u2019s curious addiction has changed the course of his and Ellen\u2019s lives, his gentle madness that has written their story.<\/p>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/southtampamagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/A0068368.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1347\" alt=\"A0068368\" src=\"http:\/\/southtampamagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/A0068368.jpg\" width=\"500\" height=\"319\" srcset=\"http:\/\/southtampamagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/A0068368.jpg 500w, http:\/\/southtampamagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/A0068368-300x191.jpg 300w, http:\/\/southtampamagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/A0068368-344x219.jpg 344w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a>\n<p>Time to Rebind<\/p>\n<p>St. Petersburg studio is Tampa Bay\u2019s only traditional hand bindery<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re looking for a place to restore your rare and antiquarian books, there\u2019s literally only one choice in Tampa Bay: Griffin Book Binding. Originally from Wales, Owner David Barry has more than 30 years of bindery experience. He started his apprenticeship at just 16 years old and left for the United States in 1993, where he established his first bindery studio in Los Angeles. Four years ago, Barry opened Griffin Book Binding at a Salt Creek Artworks studio in downtown St. Petersburg and has quickly established himself as a skilled source for traditional hand bindery.<\/p>\n<p>David and Ellen Brown of the Old Tampa Book Company trust Barry to restore and repair all of their rare collectables, giving the books some much-needed TLC while increasing the resale value. From family bibles and historic first editions to archival clamshell boxes and custom covers, Barry has international clientele that includes book dealers, collectors, libraries, publishers and those who just need a sentimental heirloom mended.<\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s available Monday-Friday from 7am to 2pm by appointment only. Prices are set on a project-by-project basis but Barry is happy to provide estimates. He can be reached at 727.254.7962 or online at griffinbookbinding.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Bound by Life David Brown\u2019s penchant for collecting old books has turned into a lifelong addiction, but his wife Ellen still thinks he\u2019s a rare find In his book A Gentle Madness, Nicholas Basbanes discusses how over time, book collectors can become so obsessed with their finds that this \u201cgentle madness\u201d becomes engrained into their [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1344,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1759,1760,5],"tags":[1696,1695,1694,1697,1693],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/southtampamagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1343"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/southtampamagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/southtampamagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/southtampamagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/southtampamagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1343"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/southtampamagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1343\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/southtampamagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1344"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/southtampamagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1343"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/southtampamagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1343"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/southtampamagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1343"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}