About Us

Glatfelter has been producing paper for books for more than 140 years. Books are integral to what we do and who we are as a company. That’s why we started the Permanence Matters campaign in 2008, to educate the literary community on a subject about which we are extremely passionate.
 
But who better to explain our company’s passion for books than a man who shares the name on the door? We’d like to introduce you to our CEO, George Glatfelter, the great-great-grandson of the company’s founder.

George Glatfelter: "A book is a promise"

The Glatfelter Company was founded in 1864 by Philip Glatfelter, my great-great-grandfather, shortly after the Battle of Gettysburg was fought only 20 miles west of the paper mill. Recently, going through the attic, my wife found a framed piece of paper that read, “This is said to be a piece of the first sheet made at the Old Spring Forge paper mill.” How many things do we have that endure and remain intact for nearly 150 years? My last laptop lasted three years.
 
The purpose of the spoken word is to convey meaning. The purpose of the written word is to memorialize meaning. Can you imagine how our world would be different without the written word? No Bible or Koran. No Gettysburg Address. No Catcher in the Rye. No way to capture and sustain the great ideas, perspectives and whimsy of mankind.

Personal, powerful print

I read my first words in the early days of school. Dick, Jane and Spot gave way to Uncle Wiggly (the long-eared rabbit gentleman), then the Cat in the Hat, the Hardy Boys, Chip Hilton, Huck Finn, Fagan, Tom Joad, James Bond (shaken, not stirred), Atticus Finch, Harry Potter. All of these characters came alive for me in the pages of my books, many of which I still own. Folks who have grown up without this exposure to literature have missed an important element of our culture. I spoke to someone recently who thought Michener was a beer. How sad. (Of course, we all know it’s a tire!)
 
Over the past two decades, an increasing amount of information has migrated from the printed page to various electronic devices. I think that’s great ... for data. I don’t believe it’s nearly as good for ideas, concepts or stories. I can’t remember the last time I was moved by a book downloaded from the Internet. There is no passion, no power. Just ... data.

I read constantly, both for business reasons and personal enjoyment. When I want to be informed on a subject, I’ll be as quick as anyone to Google it. When I want to wind down and enjoy, it’s with a print book. I begin each book by reading about the author on the back end leaf. I want to make the connection between the author and their words. For me, this bond helps the story come alive. It personalizes the experience. I’ve read books on electronic devices. I absorb the information, but not the feel. Without the feel, it’s not a book.

The art and artistry of books

What makes a book special? What aspects of the printed word do we value? To me, it’s all about the enduring nature of literary art. Art that moves us, inspires us, causes us to grow in ways that we never imagined and then enables us to pass that same gift to others — in different neighborhoods, languages, and generations. That is the power of the written word contained in books.

Many books today are printed on cheaper paper. The paper feels limp when new and turns yellow in a very short period of time. Why any artist would record their life’s work on a non-permanent substrate that will degrade in less time than it took them to write their book is beyond comprehension. It is a sad commentary on how we define value today.
 
Then and now, a book is a promise. A promise of a journey to an unknown place.

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