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Dr. Blatchley and His 'Nature Nook' Return to Dunedin

A year of effort by members of the Dunedin Historical Society, coupled with contributions from Dunedin businesses, organizations and citizens, will come together on Sunday, Nov. 11 at the Dunedin Public Library at 2 p.m.  On that day, the reprinted leather and soft cover copies of Dr. Blatchley’s writings in his “My Nature Nook” will be available to the public for purchase for the first time since 1931!

Dr. Willis S. Blatchley, in the early 1900s and himself a snowbird from Indiana, bought the property we now know as Weaver Park; there he built a home which has withstood two hurricanes. Impressive, yes! But the gem of his property and what has endured for over 80 years is the story that comes out of his simple platform, his “nook” as he called it, that he constructed on a “leaning oak tree.” From his “nook” he collected notes on the plant, fish, animal and human activity that surrounded the then 1700 citizens of Dunedin. His collection of diary notes and experiences were printed in a book he entitled “My Nature Nook.”

According to George Nigro, chairperson of the re-printing project, “it is the only written personal narrative, in existence, about life in Dunedin in the early part of the 1900s.”

Out of print, out of copyright and difficult to find, the Dunedin Historical Society undertook one of their most ambitious projects to save the book from what has been called the dustbin of history.  Less than a handful of rare copies have been donated to the Museum, but, in the quest to find additional copies, an 18-month long Internet search yielded only one additional copy.  “There are possibly more copies out there,” says Susan Littlejohn, president of the Dunedin Historical Society, “we just can’t find them.”

Ron Barnette, city commissioner, who often plays the role of Dr. Blatchley in the annual "History Comes Alive" said, “what our Historical Society has done is remarkable in this re-printing; visitors, tourists, historians and, most importantly, our children, now have the unique opportunity to read about life in our city in a time that was and will never be again.”

Margaret Word Burnside, co-editor of Tampa Bay Magazine, said of the re-print, “…this was a noble project.”

Vinnie Luisi, curator of the Dunedin Museum said, “this city pulled resources together to make the project a reality, it is a testament to how our fellow citizens believe in and love, so deeply,  our City.”

George Nigro continues by saying, “Keep a lookout for the City’s channel 15 TV spot, whichCourtney King, public information services manager, and her team, produced about Dr. Blatchley and his book, it is just great!”

Refreshments, a discussion with our own, current day "Dr. Blatchley," and the fascinating story of the re-printing will precede the opening of book sales.    Just in time for Christmas, leather bound, limited edition, sequentially numbered, copies will be available for $100 each, and soft cover copies for $25 each. 

Following the Nov. 11 event, copies of the book will be available for purchase exclusively through theDunedin Historical Museum. There are only 150 limited edition copies of the leather bound volume; pre-orders may be arranged by visiting the Museum. Almost two dozen copies of the 150 leather bound copies have already been earmarked for patrons and sponsors, therefore, pre-order now in order to avoid disappointment.  

Author's Note: Special Thanks to AlphaGraphics of Dunedin for publishing the book; Dave Barry of Griffin Bookbinding for binding the book; Jim Goins for photographing the book and, finally, Courtney King and her team for producing the video for TV.


 

University of Tampa Press


LANKES: HIS WOODCUT MINIATURES
Slipcase
Full Leather
Japanese Mulberry Paper
 
 
 
LINES FROM NEUCHANTEL
Dark Blue Quarter-Linen Spine & French Marbled Papers 35th Anniversary Edition
 
 
 
 
LINES FROM WILDWOOD LANE
Drawings by Jeanne Clark Meinke
 

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Lines from Wildwood Lane, is a collection of drawings by Jeanne Clark Meinke. Her work has appeared in magazines and newspapers such as The New Yorker, Gourmet, Bon Appetite, The St. Petersburg Times, and Tampa Review, among others. Depicting connections between everyday people and objects, Meinke says, "I don't go around looking for subjects to draw, they must say something to me, because I know them when I see them." With an introduction by Peter Meinke. (Also available from the publisher in limited edition hardback, hand bound with French marbled paper and green quarter-linen spine by David H. Barry at Griffin Bookbinding, St. Petersburg, Florida, signed by the artist.)











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THE BOOK SLIPPER
 

PRESS RELEASE

March 5, 2009

 

The Book Slipper
19230 SW 90th Lane Road
Dunnellon, FL 34432

Contact: John Cross 352-465-1971

               David Barry 727-254-7962

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:


Damaged and ruined books could be a thing of the past as the result of a remarkable, simple invention representing the first major beneficial change in book publishing in centuries.


The “Book Slipper” will be seen for the first time at the 28th Annual Florida Antiquarian Book Fair, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, March 13 - 15, 2009. Also, more than 115 national and international book dealers will be at the Coliseum 535 Fourth Ave., North, St. Petersburg, Florida.


Countless numbers of priceless and valuable books have been destroyed in the 14 centuries since the first book was bound. These treasures were reduced to trash not by barbaric hordes or political despots, but by their owners and readers.


This unbelievable waste was caused by a few simple bookmaking design flaws uncorrected to this day. The major flaw occurred when making it easier to turn pages bound into a book, the head and tail of the spine became the weakest parts of the book.


When removing a book from a shelf, the user pulls the top of the spine with one or more fingers. Because of the weakness of this delicate part, it not only hurts the top but causes the book to pivot on the bottom, creating even more damage.


The very weight of the pages tends to pull them away from the top of the spine making it easier for harm to occur with any use. Another potential cause of damage is books sticking together on a shelf.


The “Book Slipper” offers book owners and users a way to prevent these abuses and protect their valuable possessions. While several exhibiting book dealers at the Fair will have examples of the new device on display, more information will be available at the Griffin Bookbinding booth.


David Barry of Griffin Bookbinding in St Petersburg made the “Book Slipper” prototypes and will be at the Fair all three days.


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