Samuel Dodd, a Rural Bookbinder's Toolcutter from Bloomfield, New Jersey

  Steve Beare

  B. S. Organic Chemistry, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan 1965

  Ph. D. Organic Chemistry, University of Illinois, 1969

  Steve worked for Du Pont for 33 years in Research & Development in fiber, fabric, and carpet   technology in Dacron, Nylon, Kevlar, and Nomex applications. He retired in 2002 to pursue   research interests in antiquarian books and scientific instruments.

  He began collecting books on 19th century science and technology in 1972. In 1998, he took Sue Allen's RBS course on 19th century publisher's bindings, and became intensely interested in that area.

In 2006, while doing research for Sue Allen on an obscure 19th century New Jersey bookbinder's toolmaker, Samuel Dodd, Steve discovered Dodd’s previously unknown priced stamp pattern book in the Winterthur Library. This led to an in-depth study of Dodd and the identification of books his stamps were used on. Steve has given talks about Dodd at Bryn Mawr's Bookbinding Symposium in March, 2007, RBS lectures in June, 2007 and June, 2008, and a Library Company of Philadelphia lecture in December, 2009.

An online article about the discovery of the Dodd pattern book appeared in the October, 2007 issue of Common-Place, to be followed by a detailed history to accompany a facsimile reprint of the pattern book.