For someone who denies being a historian, Jim Meyer distributes a lot of history books.
Chet Susslin / The Citizen
Meyer Bookbinding proprietor Jim Meyer displays an organ grinder in his store on Market Street in Auburn.
Meyer Bookbinding proprietor Jim Meyer displays an organ grinder in his store on Market Street in Auburn.
The owner of Meyer Bookbinding Co. released “Snapshots of the Past” - his latest compilation of historical photos of Auburn - in early December. One-hundred pictures capture bygone storefronts, classic cars and busy citizens as far into the city's past as 1865.
“People are eager for the memories,” Meyer said. “They'll be reminiscing before they leave (the shop).”
About half of the photos were pulled from the personal collection of Meyer, a lifelong resident of Auburn. The other half was contributed by his friends, whom he calls upon for help piecing together the area's past.
Every Friday afternoon for about two years, Meyer would close his shop early and invite fellow local history enthusiasts to share their photographs and memories of Auburn over coffee.
“Some people talk about the Schine's Theatre,” Meyer said. “But these people lived it. They took their girlfriends there to see movies in the late '30s and '40s.”
This circle of friends and acquaintances also helped Meyer date many of the photos in “Snapshots.” Some origins he could pinpoint himself, such as the cover photo. Its listing of the Errol Flynn film “Four's a Crowd” on the Schine's marquee ties the image to Sept. 15, 1938. Meyer could also ballpark dates based on the clothing and hair styles of the people in a particular picture.
Car models are another device Meyer uses to trace photos of old-time Auburn, but his friends provide deeper expertise in the field. Page 85 of “Snapshots” features a car Meyer mistakenly identifies in the caption as a 1946 Buick. A friend would later pin the car's manufacture date to 1948 due to a chrome-plated Dynaflow logo on the car's door. Then a rarity, the automatic transition of Buick's car was advertised through the Dynaflow name.
The 100 “Snapshots” were pared down from about 250 by Meyer and his fellow Auburn history buffs, who often determined a photo's fate by passing it around and weighing its historical significance. Most fall within the middle of the 20th century and capture scenes from Enna Jettick Park, downtown Genesee Street and the city's surrounding neighborhoods. Meyer's favorite photo depicts a man sitting on the corner of State and Genesee streets some time in the 1900s while his dog perches atop an organ grinder.
“This guy probably made his living cranking on the street, collecting pennies,” said Meyer, who also owns an organ grinder he sometimes plays for customers at his shop.
Meyer scanned each photo, attached its caption and sent the package to The Jacobs Press Inc., in Auburn, for printing - which he proudly notes on the book's introduction page. To make the book more accessible during the strained holiday season, Meyer chose to publish it entirely in black-and-white on paperback. From conception to publication, the “Snapshots” project spanned about five months.
Like Meyer's previous publications, “Snapshots” is planned as a limited edition. Two Meyer Bookbinding releases - a collection of Auburn postcards and a reprint of “Auburn Illustrated,” originally released in the 1890s - are entirely sold out and fetch as much as $100 apiece on eBay, Meyer said. He states explicitly that once a book's initial print batch is exhausted, no more printings will follow.
“The fun part is the lure of people knowing that when it's gone, it's gone,” he said.
Customers who act quickly enough to grab a copy of “Snapshots” will witness its endurance as a coffee table attraction. Older readers can pour over the pages reminiscing about Auburn's past, and younger readers can marvel at the stylistic, cultural and architectural differences between that city and their current home. Meyer savors the dialogue the book will spark and welcomes any contributions to the discussion at his shop.
“People misunderstand; they think I'm a historian,” Meyer said. “I've only learned from people coming in the door and telling me.”
“People are eager for the memories,” Meyer said. “They'll be reminiscing before they leave (the shop).”
About half of the photos were pulled from the personal collection of Meyer, a lifelong resident of Auburn. The other half was contributed by his friends, whom he calls upon for help piecing together the area's past.
Every Friday afternoon for about two years, Meyer would close his shop early and invite fellow local history enthusiasts to share their photographs and memories of Auburn over coffee.
“Some people talk about the Schine's Theatre,” Meyer said. “But these people lived it. They took their girlfriends there to see movies in the late '30s and '40s.”
This circle of friends and acquaintances also helped Meyer date many of the photos in “Snapshots.” Some origins he could pinpoint himself, such as the cover photo. Its listing of the Errol Flynn film “Four's a Crowd” on the Schine's marquee ties the image to Sept. 15, 1938. Meyer could also ballpark dates based on the clothing and hair styles of the people in a particular picture.
Car models are another device Meyer uses to trace photos of old-time Auburn, but his friends provide deeper expertise in the field. Page 85 of “Snapshots” features a car Meyer mistakenly identifies in the caption as a 1946 Buick. A friend would later pin the car's manufacture date to 1948 due to a chrome-plated Dynaflow logo on the car's door. Then a rarity, the automatic transition of Buick's car was advertised through the Dynaflow name.
The 100 “Snapshots” were pared down from about 250 by Meyer and his fellow Auburn history buffs, who often determined a photo's fate by passing it around and weighing its historical significance. Most fall within the middle of the 20th century and capture scenes from Enna Jettick Park, downtown Genesee Street and the city's surrounding neighborhoods. Meyer's favorite photo depicts a man sitting on the corner of State and Genesee streets some time in the 1900s while his dog perches atop an organ grinder.
“This guy probably made his living cranking on the street, collecting pennies,” said Meyer, who also owns an organ grinder he sometimes plays for customers at his shop.
Meyer scanned each photo, attached its caption and sent the package to The Jacobs Press Inc., in Auburn, for printing - which he proudly notes on the book's introduction page. To make the book more accessible during the strained holiday season, Meyer chose to publish it entirely in black-and-white on paperback. From conception to publication, the “Snapshots” project spanned about five months.
Like Meyer's previous publications, “Snapshots” is planned as a limited edition. Two Meyer Bookbinding releases - a collection of Auburn postcards and a reprint of “Auburn Illustrated,” originally released in the 1890s - are entirely sold out and fetch as much as $100 apiece on eBay, Meyer said. He states explicitly that once a book's initial print batch is exhausted, no more printings will follow.
“The fun part is the lure of people knowing that when it's gone, it's gone,” he said.
Customers who act quickly enough to grab a copy of “Snapshots” will witness its endurance as a coffee table attraction. Older readers can pour over the pages reminiscing about Auburn's past, and younger readers can marvel at the stylistic, cultural and architectural differences between that city and their current home. Meyer savors the dialogue the book will spark and welcomes any contributions to the discussion at his shop.
“People misunderstand; they think I'm a historian,” Meyer said. “I've only learned from people coming in the door and telling me.”
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