Back in 1987 or so, my friend Theresa Whitehill and I went on a field trip to meet Dan X. Solo. Theresa worked for me for 8 years at my letterpress shop, Zida Borcich Letterpress, and every once in a while we would take a few days off and travel down to San Francisco to rummage around Jim Heagy's zillion-square-foot type and printing equipment warehouse, go to an auction where we charmed the pants off the old printers with their missing digits and wondering looks at our unprecedented femaleness at such events, or go schmooze around with somebody like Jack Staufacher or Peter Koch, just for the heck of it. This was our idea of a very hot time in the old town. Usually we went looking for type and ornaments, or other typological treasures and would finish up the night at a heavy metal or salsa club, madly dancing the night away.

Somehow we heard Dan Solo lived in Oakland and I called him up and made an appointment to go visit him at his house. I can't tell you how many of his Dover type and ornament books still lean against each other on my bookshelves here at the shop. He was humbly diffident about our making such a pilgrimage but to us he was a giant.

When we got to his place it actually turned out that he WAS a giant,,,probably close to seven feet tall, with a melifluous speaking voice and a courtly manner. He was the charmingest man I'd ever met. We told him about my shop and the conversation ranged around people we knew in common, typefaces we loved, and then he took us on a tour of his amazing studio. He had zillions of -- probably -- 8 x 10 negatives with one figure or letter on each one, filed endlessly and meticulously. But the most interesting thing, as I remember, was that he had made all these crazy inventions to do special effects to the type. There was something that looked like a small telephone booth or outhouse and it had some whacky name above the door, like "The Solotron" or something like that, very ultra-futuristic sounding, or "The Oval-o-Matic," that made perfect -- almost perfect-- ovals, something no one could do in those pre-computer days. These are not the real names of his inventions, I know, as it was an awfully long time ago and the real names have receded from my mind. I just remember being struck by his graciousness, that sense of humor and brilliant mind coupled with passionate affection for all things typographic.

One time, several years later, the front door of my shop opened and I looked up to see Dan X. Solo ducking into my shop at 711 North Main Street, in Fort Bragg, where I am still printing away. He and his wife and some friends were vacationing in Fort Bragg. So I got to take him on the grand tour of my shop. I think he really loved it.

And, I really loved your story about him and seeing the samples you chose to include. It must have been hard to pick so few things, as his collection is enormous and very fascinating. I am so happy to hear about this amazing, dear man again. I have to go call him up right now!

Zida Borcich

Gene,

This is the type of story that has me awaiting anything in my mailbox from you. Thanks so much for sharing this little piece of history with the rest of us. What an incredible find for you!

Thanks so much,

Pat