這刻，我正身在Jennifer Li位於香港大嶼山的居室、書齋，同時是她修復書籍的工作室。
在她工作的桌面上，躺著林林總總的修復工具，有壓平書籍用的生鐵熨斗、有縫合書籍用的縫書架和書線，也有製作西洋皮革書時會用到的裝飾工具，大多是來自19世紀的古董。「在製作皮革書時，我都會用上這把裝飾輪，把它置在皮革書封上，用熱力及壓力滾壓出一道、兩道的直紋。」說時她把裝飾輪高舉過頭，給我和攝影師觀察滾輪上頭的細節。
自言是書癡的她，多年下來收集了大批書籍，包括一批心愛但破損的老書。2004年，長年派駐海外的Jennifer回到香港，休遊了四年之後於2008年在灣仔開了一家二手英文書店 —— The Book Attic。她一心想要修好這批老書，趁書店沒有客人時，偷偷在位子上動手修書、練習；後來她更跑到英國追隨古書修復專家Flora Ginn學習，並成為了「英國書藝家協會」在香港的唯一會員。直至2013年時，The Book Attic因抵不住狂飆的房租，她索性收起書店，專注於書藝修復工作，同時也開班傳授修復技藝。
以上是這次訪問內容的節錄，如欲閱讀我們跟Jennifer Li的獨家專訪，可於全球所有零售點或網站購買《OBSCURA》2016年秋冬季號。
At this moment, I am in Jennifer Li’s home bindery on Lantau Island, Hong Kong. Sitting on her working bench were a rich variety of restoration tools, such as an iron weight, a book sewing frame and book sewing threads for repairing books, along with decorative tools for western leather bindings. Most of them were published in the 19th century. “When I bind leather books, I often use this decorative wheel. I heat it and then place it with pressure over a leather book cover to roll out vertical lines one after another.” As she was explaining, she lifted the decorative wheel over her head so that my cameraman and I could take a close look at the details on the wheel.
In 2004, following a long spell overseas, Jennifer returned to Hong Kong. In 2008, she opened a second-hand English bookstore in Wan Chai – The Book Attic. A book fanatic, she acquired a huge collection of books over the years, including some old books she loved and yet, were in poor condition. She wanted to restore these old books. In the beginning, she took advantage of the time when the store was void of customers and did repair work and practiced at her desk in the bookshop. Later on, she learnt from Flora Ginn, an expert in restoring antiquarian books in the UK, and went on to become the sole Hong Kong member of the Society of Bookbinders. Later on, in 2013, in the face of skyrocketing rent, she closed her bookstore and then focused her attention on restoring books, while at the same time teaching the craft of bookbinding and restoration.
Above is an excerpt from the interview. To read our exclusive full interview with Jennifer Li, check out our OBSCURA Autumn & Winter 2016 volume. Available now through selected stockists, as well as online order.
