About the shop's name
The Rajah Press was not always a jewelry shop. When it started in the early 1960s it was a whimsical business operated out of a post office box, started by my grandfather—a manifestation of his imagination, love of treasure hunting, and belief that objects and ideas could have many lives.
He created the press after learning about these upside-down comic strips illustrated by the comic strip illustrator Gustave Verbeek. The strips could be read both right-side up and upside-down. Having only ever heard about them, he embarked on an adventure to locate a copy, share it with Verbeek’s descendants, and republish the book for others to enjoy.
In his words: “My family, who had been following the treasure hunt, were as amazed and amused by what Verbeek had done as I was, and so we decided that we would publish a book of these, though we really didn’t quite understand the implications of such a decision. Nevertheless, the world needed to know about Verbeek and his unusual genius, and Dorothea Verbeek deserved to see these elusive strips.”
The name RAJAH is an acronym for the names of his kids and wife: Richard, Ann, Jane, and Helen. When my grandfather died, I knew I wanted to give that name and his legacy a second life. I hope that his optimistic spirit can live on by giving new stories to old artifacts. I’m honored that you’ve joined me on that journey.
He created the press after learning about these upside-down comic strips illustrated by the comic strip illustrator Gustave Verbeek. The strips could be read both right-side up and upside-down. Having only ever heard about them, he embarked on an adventure to locate a copy, share it with Verbeek’s descendants, and republish the book for others to enjoy.
In his words: “My family, who had been following the treasure hunt, were as amazed and amused by what Verbeek had done as I was, and so we decided that we would publish a book of these, though we really didn’t quite understand the implications of such a decision. Nevertheless, the world needed to know about Verbeek and his unusual genius, and Dorothea Verbeek deserved to see these elusive strips.”
The name RAJAH is an acronym for the names of his kids and wife: Richard, Ann, Jane, and Helen. When my grandfather died, I knew I wanted to give that name and his legacy a second life. I hope that his optimistic spirit can live on by giving new stories to old artifacts. I’m honored that you’ve joined me on that journey.