Frank Nunan and the Guelph Bookbindery: A Documentary Investigation by Greta Petronella Golick A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Faculty of Information University of Toronto © Copyright by Greta Petronella Golick 2010 Frank Nunan and the Guelph Bookbindery: A Documentary Investigation Greta Petronella Golick Doctor of Philosophy Collaborative Program in Book History and Print Culture Faculty of Information University of Toronto 2010 Abstract The History of the Book in Canada / Histoire du livre et de l’imprimé au Canada and other national book history projects have been a catalyst for research into the local production of print and have highlighted the need for more study of the print trades in smaller centres. In Ontario during the nineteenth century independent weekly newspapers were printed in most villages, while larger towns boasted more than one print shop and often one or more booksellers and stationers. Bookbinders were active members of the book trades selling books and stationery, ruling paper, binding local pamphlets, periodicals, and books, and manufacturing blankbooks for a variety of purposes. Since much local printing was ephemeral in nature, the only evidence of its existence is found in the record books kept by printers and binders. Partial business records and other surviving artifacts of the Guelph Bookbindery, which operated from 1855 to 1978, are both a rich source of evidence of the day-to-day operations of the bookbindery and a key to the intersection of print trades in Guelph, Ontario, and the surrounding counties. This study uses local imprints, blankbooks, authors’ papers, newspapers, directories, maps, assessment records, photographs, museum artifacts, and oral history accounts to reconstruct a history of the bookbindery and its place in the print culture of nineteenth-century Guelph. It documents the ii transformation of a business selling books, stationery, and wallpaper into a commercial bindery, which along with local printers produced large numbers of pamphlets, ubiquitous then but increasingly rare today. It is a view into the microcosm of a dynamic community where print was a vital medium for communication reflecting the cultural, commercial, and entrepreneurial discourse in nineteenth-century Canadian society that reached far beyond its borders. iii Acknowledgments This dissertation journey would not have happened without the support of many people. First, I must thank my thesis supervisor, Patricia Fleming, who initially put me on the trail of the Guelph Bookbindery. Her timely guidance throughout this process, and her expertise in Canadian book history and print culture were immeasurable assets. I thank my committee members, Alan Galey, Heather Murray, and Heather MacNeil, who provided important feedback which shaped the final product. I thank Fiona Black for serving as external examiner and I value her contributions to this thesis. In the course of my research, I met many librarians, archivists, and curators who consistently went the extra mile and who responded with enthusiasm to my requests and discoveries: Richard Landon, Anne Dondertman, Sandra Alston, and Philip Oldfield, Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, University of Toronto; Marie Korey and P. J. MacDougall, Robertson Davies Library, Massey College; John Jacobson, Canadiana Collection, North York Central Library; Allan Walker, Baldwin Room, Toronto Reference Library; Darcy Hiltz, Guelph Public Library Archives; Kathleen Wall, Guelph Civic Museum; Karen Wagner, Wellington County Museum and Archives; Linda Amichand and Darlene Wiltsie, Archival and Special Collections, University of Guelph Library; John Lutman and Teresa Regnier, Archives and Research Collections Centre, University of Western Ontario; Carl Spadoni, McMaster University; Bryan Dewalt, Helen Graves-Smith, and Anna Adamek, Canada Science and Technology Museum; David L. Witt, who reminded me that of eight billion people in the world, I am the expert of my subject. I am very grateful to Joan Rentoul and Michael Nunan for agreeing to participate in this research. Their insights and descriptions of the shop, as well as hand tools and equipment still in their possession left an indelible impression. Marika Pirie generously provided transcriptions of iv letters written by her great-great-grandfather, George Pirie. Betsy Palmer Eldridge, Brian Maloney, Dan Mezza, and Don Taylor, bookbinders and instructors at the Canadian Bookbinders & Book Artists Guild, provided me with a tactile understanding of the processes of bookbinding. My colleagues at the Faculty of Information were important to maintaining my morale and marking milestones along the way: Mary Cavanagh, Keren Dali, Luanne Freund, Leslie McGrath, Scott McLaren, Von Totanes, and Andrea Trevor. I have been blessed with many angels in my life who have gently encouraged me forward: Catherine Adam, Judy Donnelly, Jane Fair, Maria Ferreira, Ricki Golick, Abraham Kloosterman, Gillian Licht, Linda Morse, Dale Paas, Grace Paas, Miriane Taylor, and Evelyn Van Schepen. John Kloosterman taught me true patience and perseverance. Robert Golick has questioned my intentions at every stage, and Danyse Golick has understood my need to do this from the beginning. To my husband and my hero, Steven Golick, I owe the biggest debt of gratitude for this gift of time and the emotional and financial support to finish what I have started. v Table of Contents ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................................................. IV TABLE OF CONTENTS.............................................................................................................................. VI LIST OF FIGURES.................................................................................................................................... VIII LIST OF APPENDICES .............................................................................................................................. IX CHRONOLOGY OF THE GUELPH BOOKBINDERY ................................................................................. X CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................................................1 OVERVIEW ..................................................................................................................................................1 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY .............................................................................................................................1 RESEARCH QUESTIONS ...............................................................................................................................2 RESEARCH OVERVIEW .................................................................................................................................4 STUDY DESIGN ..........................................................................................................................................14 SIGNIFICANCE OF RESEARCH .....................................................................................................................16 CHAPTER 2. SELECTED LITERATURE REVIEW....................................................................................21 INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................................................21 BOOKBINDING LITERATURE ........................................................................................................................21 HISTORY OF BOOKBINDING .........................................................................................................................25 BOOKBINDING EQUIPMENT .........................................................................................................................36 HISTORIES OF THE BOOK TRADES USING BUSINESS RECORDS ....................................................................37 GUELPH SOURCES ....................................................................................................................................40 CONCLUSION .............................................................................................................................................42 CHAPTER 3. A HISTORY OF OWNERSHIP AND BUSINESS PRACTICES OF THE GUELPH BOOKBINDERY..........................................................................................................................................45 INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................................................45 BOOKBINDING SERVICES IN GUELPH PRIOR TO 1872 ...................................................................................46 THE GUELPH BOOKBINDERY AFTER 1872 ...................................................................................................65 CONCLUSION .............................................................................................................................................80 CHAPTER 4. THE BOOKBINDING SHOP.................................................................................................82 INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................................................82 LOCATION AND PHYSICAL SIZE OF THE SHOP ..............................................................................................83