Over the years I have found myself doing minor repairs and restorations on books in my own collection and occasionally on books that I have sold. None of the projects compares to the amazing work of Japanese artisan and book hero Nobuo Okano.

I recently stumbled on a heartwarming video (below) of the craftsman as he revives a mangled, but precious old dictionary for a customer. In this challenging project: a 1,000-page English–Japanese dictionary, which had been used years ago by its owner, then passed down through time, picked up again in a moment of nostalgia, and finally given to Okano for restoration.

NB: If the video fails to open in your browser, please click on this link to our homepage to view the 10 minute film.