Mitzi Perdue

A Family Book Can Be a Priceless Investment

Imagine something terrible for a moment. If you lost your memory, as in Alzheimer’s, you would have lost one of the most basic factors that makes you you. 

Without memory, you’d have trouble making good decisions; you’d no longer have a foundation for judging what works and what’s important. Further, you wouldn’t make a lot of effort to protect things that ought to be important in your life because you’d no longer know why they’re important. Worse, you wouldn’t even know that they’re important at all.

But what about your family’s memory?

• Can you be as sure that your family’s memory of where they come from is a healthy and intact as your own memory?
• Does your extended family remember where the family business came from, what made it what it is today, and what sacrifices, efforts and tenacity went into making this wonderful family business you have today?
• Even if current family members know these stories, will future members of the family know them?

In the view of Scott Citron, a publisher of coffee table-style family histories, a book can play a powerful role in helping family members answer “yes” to the above questions.

Maintaining a record of one’s family or business provides future generations with a way to understand and appreciate their past. Books can be permanent, lasting reminders of the importance of the hard work, dedication, and personal passion that went into building the business.

As Citron says, “Memories create context. Without context, mankind has no appreciation of where it’s been or where it’s going.”

He’s also aware that books are in a format that will last, while digital content could be inaccessible a generation from now. Technology means that formats and equipment used to access content maybe be entirely obsolete in a shorter time than you think.

Just try to access content stored in Lotus 1-2-3 or WordStar. They were once the standard for their particular content, yet they’re now virtually obsolete.

The rate of technology and file format refresh, means that digital content you create today could be inaccessible tomorrow.

Books are different.  “Books,” Citron points out, “withstand the vicissitudes of trends and times and are permanent anchors through the years.”

What goes into Citron’s books?

“What we provide is more than a shoebox of random memorabilia. At their best, these books tell stories using photographs, text, charts, maps, and graphics to distill their subject into handsome and lasting keepsakes. Meticulously researched and produced, Legacy Arts & Letters produces handsome, one-of-a-kind publications that celebrate the past and inspire the future.”
Citron’s particular niche is quality.  “Quality and craftsmanship are becoming lost arts,” he points out. “At Legacy Arts & Letters we strive to produce books of the highest quality using archival inks, papers, and binding techniques.”

For those interested in discussing or engaging in a project like this, Scott Citron would love to hear from you.  E-mail him at   scott@legacyartsandletters.com or telephone him at:  917 573 7472.