Lawrence

The smart-looking stationery shop turns out to be one dedicated to 'Book Arts'.  Inside are different coloured leathers and marbled papers hanging from wooden poles.  Skillfully bound and gold-plated books are on display.  On the walls are photographs of gifts being given to the Queen and Prince Charles and a signed picture of the President of the United States.

'Those are just our calling cards', says the man behind the desk, 'for people who don't know'.  He continues, 'State gifts actually only make up a small percentage of our business'.

He is of sturdy build and is wearing a beige polo-shirt with khaki trousers.  His dark grey hair is thinning and combed back.  He tells us about an under-appreciated gift to a grumpy UK Prime Minister.  'It was actually a selection of DVDs chosen by the American Film Institute', he tells us, 'and beautifully presented in a hand-made leather box'.  He shows us a copy of the gold inscription.  'It wasn't just a couple of blockbuster videos', he says.  I am impressed.

'And then they went and gave the Queen an i-pod', he continues.  The device, with a pair of speakers, arrived on his desk one day and he was told to 'do something with it'.  He describes the box he created.  'But the Queen's a real techie', he tells us, 'she requested it and we loaded it with songs from Broadway'.

There is no one else in the shop so I move on to ask my question.  From a Venetian family of book makers, the name is an anglicised version of 'Lorenzio'.  He is passionate about his art and shows us a recently printed and bound copy of Tennessee Williams plays.  The cover papers were based on the pattern of a vintage Chanel handbag.  'We thought it was the most appropriate', he says.

At eight and a half thousand dollars, the price tag is beyond my means but I tell him how much I have enjoyed seeing his work.  He tells us about business with the Chinese and Russians.  Some of his work might even be in the Library of Congress.  I tell him I'm going to visit it tomorrow.

'Well look out for my stuff', he says.  'And drop by anytime you're in town'.