German Title: Reise Nach Tripiti

Author: Hans U Steger

1st Published: Zurich Diogenes, 1967

English edition: Travelling to Tripiti

1st publish: Harcourt, Brace and World, 1968

Binding Structure & Style: Case binding, narrow cloth spine, flat spine, sewing were loose.

Book Owner: Stephanie Abbott

"Reise Nach Tripiti" was a children's book that Stephanie Abbott read when she was a child in Germany. It tells a story about how a teddy bear without ears but only one eye led a group of damaged, torn, worn out and neglected colleagues in a similar sad condition on a hard journey to Tripiti - a country where no children would dislike or discriminate against them but would treasure them and give them love. This story touched Stephanie's pure young heart deeply while she was growing up. The deep feelings and cherishment instilled in this children's book made such an important impact on her vision, attitudes and values in life that this book became her most loved one. Stephanie's heart was broken when she found out that her mother had throw it away when they moved. Ever since then she missed her most treasured book.

Many decades later... Stephanie worked in a law firm that was established in Hong Kong more than a hundred years ago and at the time her son was old enough to read and would understand the meaning behind the story in this book. A good read would not be forgotten, so she searched hard online to find the German edition and while none were to be found, a first English edition published in the USA in 1968 was identified. She didn't know what the condition of the book would be because the bookseller did not upload photos of it online. When it arrived the book had pages that couldn't be turned, covers detached and the spine broken.

Stephanie said, "This children book is very important to two generations of my family, it's like the teddy bear, it can't be abandoned because of its poor condition. Jen, I found you through a friend, knowing that you possess the skills in repairing books and a kind-loving heart, I trust that you can restore it to its former glory."

"Reise Nach Tripiti" was and still is a very popular children's story in Europe a children's classic which was adapted into a musical and often heard on the radio. Although Stephanie has already left Hong Kong with her son, family and the restored book. I know how deeply she felt because I had the same nightmare as well... books being thrown out by Mama.

In the process of restoring "Travelling to Tripiti", I remembered an incident about a broken toy.

Many years ago, when my niece Ada was still a baby in a cradle my father gave her a Tweety Bird, they named it Tweety Baby. The soft toy became her closest companion, her connection with grandpa who lived far away in Canada and provided the abstract thoughts and feelings of grandpa that she could hold and hug in her little hands. Before Ada's 4th birthday my sister-in-law who didn't know how important Tweety Baby's status was in her daughter's mind, threw away the soft toy which had been hugged and kissed for years so much so that Tweety Baby's lips were broken, one of her eyebrows was lost, another was hanging off, and, it also had a serious injury on its front. I happened to visit my brother after work on that day and saw Ada crying her heart out. In a broken voice she asked me to go and try to rescue Tweety Baby. The throwing out incident happened a few hours previously when Tweety Baby ended up going down the garbage chute from the 9th floor to the central garbage room. As collection hours were 4 to 6 pm it might have already gone to landfill.

I went down to the garbage room with my brother. There were four garbage bins, all about 12 feet tall. We helped each other into the dirty smelly binds and searched most thoroughly throughout the broken glass, bones and all kinds of junk for a long time with dirt and dust all over us. With heavenly blessing, we found Tweety Baby deep down in the third bin that we searched. We were finally able to bring her home.

Little Ada with tears running down her face whispering, "Mamie will throw Tweety Baby far far away again when no one is around, Auntie Jennie, would you take Tweety and look after her for me please?" I made a promise to Ada and took Tweety home, bathed it and asked my sister to sew it belly, eyebrows and lips.
I took Tweety with me when my employer appointed me to an overseas post. Tweety who had spend many lonely years with me, as a consequence reunited with Ada 20 years later.

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