Eliot was a young man working in his family’s printing business—a modest office where postcards, restaurant menus, pamphlets, and books were brought into being. Of all the things they printed, books were Eliot’s true love. He read whenever he could, and it was his quiet honor to be the first reader of every newly printed volume, its pages still warm with fresh ink.
He was the youngest in the family, with two older sisters. Their father led the business as its head, while his sisters served as his right hand, managing much of the daily work. Despite being well into his twenties, Eliot was far more often under his sisters’ protection than they were under his. He accepted this with a mix of gratitude and mild embarrassment, never quite feeling the need to challenge it.
