Today, I was saddened to hear about the death of Henry Nijhof. I did not know the man, but I did have two brief encounters with him during the summer of 2006. While perusing the endlessly interesting books at Nijhof and Lee a helpful white-haired man approached me and asked me if he could help me clear my obvious amazement. I quickly grabbed a random design topic amongst the thousands darting in my head, and blurted out “typography!” He kindly prompted me to a shelf and highlighted a couple new arrivals. His knowledge was quick, his movements reserved, and his help was balanced. Honestly, I was split in my assessment of the man’s customer service because it was helpful without being overbearing and too kind, much like a soft gust of wind. I returned to the shop a few days later to discover that they were opening a shop accross the street. I did not get to interact with Mr. Nijhof that day, but I could see delight in his eyes as he was setting things in motion for his new store. The death of this man got me thinking about the place of the bookseller in today’s society. I was fortunate enough to grow up with a few very helpful booksellers. They had a personal interest in what I read and strived to bring their customers great titles. So, today I contemplate the death of the book salesman and the state of books in our society today. For sure, they are no going to disappear, but unfortunately I think we are losing the sense of community that can grow around books and bookstores. I’m sure everyone here at GraphicHug who has had the opportunity to visit this man’s legendary store will shed a tear of respect. But I’m sure Nijhof and Lee will go on to continue being an unending and invaluable resource to graphic designers everywhere. Chris Vermaas wrote an insightfully endearing obituary here. (Yes, it’s a bit blog-on-blog..so sue me.)