In loving memory
of Joe Newman,
our friend and colleague
August 16, 1948—April 21, 2007

Joe Newman, Senior Book Conservator at NEDCC, died on Saturday, April 21, after a long struggle with cancer. He was 58 years old.

Joe was a skilled and talented craftsman and conservator who made many contributions to the fields of bookbinding and book conservation. He was a valued colleague and a generous mentor and teacher. Staff and interns at NEDCC benefited from his connoisseurship and his knowledge of binding history.  During his twenty-three years at NEDCC, Joe conserved many significant titles including the Nuremburg Chronicle, an early copy of the Magna Carta, a thirteenth century illuminated manuscript of Arthurian romances, a studio album of Julia Margaret Cameron photographs, and the English Atlas that belonged to John Custis, George Washington and Robert E. Lee.  His design bindings have been exhibited nationally and internationally.

Joe served as president of the New England Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers in the 1990s and organized the annual standards meeting held in Boston during his term in office.  He spoke about and published his research regarding Mary Crease Sears, a design binder working in Boston in the late nineteenth century.

We all loved Joe’s sense of humor, his wit and his enthusiasm for the world of books.  He will be greatly missed and long remembered.