Paul Lewis Csank

was not a man who did things halfway.

A native of Cleveland, he began studying psychology at The Ohio State University before turning to law, following his brother Jim into the profession. He earned his degree from Cleveland State University College of Law and went on to build a genuinely distinguished legal career. His corporate and banking practice grew into the firm of Csank & Csank, with more than 25 attorneys and offices in Cleveland and Palm Beach, known for attracting serious clients and handling serious money. He was good at the law. Even during those years, his interests extended well beyond it. He spent time with his friend Peter Keisogloff, a rare book dealer, and with Art Feldman, an art dealer, talking about books, art, and the broader currents of culture. He was also a member of The Rowfant Club, a prestigious bibliophilic society in Cleveland. He was, always, somewhere else in his mind. In a London antiquarian shop. At a Parisian book fair. Running his hands along spines in Munich or Florence or Rome.

In 1979, a friend flew him by helicopter over Southwest Florida and set him down on Boca Grande for the first time. That was enough. He bought a condominium at Boca Grande Club in 1981 and spent winters on the island for the rest of his life. Over time, Boca Grande became not just a place he returned to, but a place where he was known. He was certain in his judgments, and more often than not, right about the things that mattered to him. People who spent time with him understood that he would tell you exactly what he thought, and that the conversation would rarely be dull.

In 1987, he purchased Peter Keisogloff Rare Books, a Cleveland institution dating to the 1920s, and continued building what became one of the country’s most respected rare book dealerships. His son Aaron grew up in the business alongside him, learning the trade at close range and showing real instinct for it.

In 1991, Aaron died in an accident.

Paul left the law that same year. Life, he said, was too short. The rare book business, with its attention to what survives and what is lost, became the center of his working life. He did not speak about grief in a way that invited others in. Those who knew him understood that it remained with him, shaping the years that followed in ways he rarely articulated.

The rare book world suited him. It rewarded expertise and conviction, and it gave him reason to keep traveling in search of things worth finding. With a vodka on the rocks or sambuca in hand, he could hold court on almost any subject, often at length, and of- ten memorably. On Boca Grande, he served on the board of the Johann Fust Community Library and was instrumental in its transition from a private institution to a Lee County public library branch. The decision expanded access to one of the island’s most cherished places and remains part of his imprint on the community. In later years, he continued his involvement as a volunteer consultant on rare books to the library, a role he maintained until his death.

On St. Patrick’s Day in 2014, Paul collapsed in cardiac arrest outside his Boca Grande Club condominium before a bike ride with his wife of more than 60 years, Carole. Neighbors and first responders intervened quickly, and after a series of improbable measures, his life was saved. Physicians at the Cleveland Clinic later described his survival as nearly impossible. Paul accepted this assessment, expressed gratitude, and seemed to regard it as confirmation of something he had long suspected.

He lived as though death were someone else’s problem. He arrived at 86 fully spent in the best sense. A man who practiced law on two coasts, traded rare books across three continents, found his island and stayed, and held his opinions without apology. Those who knew him will remember not only what he accomplished, but the force of his presence while doing it.

He is survived by his wife, Carole Jean, née Nicholson; his daughter, Melissa “Mel”; and his brothers, James and Thomas, and their families. He was preceded in death by his son, Aaron. Services will be announced.