Comments on: things found written upon books

things found written upon books

blahblahblah — Mon, 14 May 2007 09:35:55 -0800

We've discussed odd bookmarks, but what about the humble inscription? Start with two lovely efforts to collect inscriptions, including the Book Inscription Project and ~~Inscripticateded~~ Dedicated to the One I Love, which tracks inscriptions found at used book stores. Read up on the history of inscriptions at the Library of Scotland's wonderful Private Life of Books, and discover how inscriptions change the value of books. And pity the poor author, who often has to come up with interesting inscriptions for book tours. Have you seen or written any good inscriptions?

By: dios

dios — Mon, 14 May 2007 10:06:21 -0800

Another great post from Metafilter's most consistently outstanding poster, blahblahblah. My mother taught me to love books. As a child, I was taught to never beg for a toy or a sweet, but if I ever wanted a book, I could have any and all that I wanted. So I had an amazing collection growing up. My mother inscribed every book she gave to me (and anyone else to whom she gave a book). That practiced carried over to me. I always inscribe every book I give (unless it is a collector's piece). Sure, it probably ruins the value of the book, but I don't ever give a book with the idea that it will be sold. It's a gift to the person. Some of the links treat inscription as something done by the author only, but viva la inscription by the giver!

By: peacay

peacay — Mon, 14 May 2007 10:15:24 -0800

Great post, thanks. My father gave me a Complete Works of Shakespeare and signed it 'Yours mathematically,' which remains a valued snip of his wry sense of humour.

By: washburn

washburn — Mon, 14 May 2007 10:20:08 -0800

Some things that happen in books should stay in books.

By: wemayfreeze

wemayfreeze — Mon, 14 May 2007 10:28:17 -0800

The Darth Vader inscription is pure gold. Great stuff, blah.

By: puddsharp

puddsharp — Mon, 14 May 2007 11:11:10 -0800

My friend got a pretty funny inscription in copy of "Naked" by David Sedaris at a reading. It reads: Dear Glen, So glad to finally meet you. David Sedaris

By: nickyskye

nickyskye — Mon, 14 May 2007 11:18:59 -0800

You're right dios, blahblahblah, does create really interesting posts. This one too. What a cool site! Love those images of books with writing and inscriptions in them. Always enjoyed people's notations, thoughts and writing of any kind in a book, as part of the book's meaning to somebody, both the giver and the reader. Like bookmarks, I find the writing in books evocative, part of the treasure of the book itself. And it's neat knowing where these books-and-their-inscriptions were found, "Found in the O Street Mansion, DC. March 2007" on the street or wherever. Sad somehow: ""Happy Father's Day 1995 You've always been like a father to me, and I love you for it. FJ (John)" A 1995 copy of LIFE With Father. Found at the Stone Ridge School book sale in Bethesda, MD. April 2005"

By: madamjujujive

madamjujujive — Mon, 14 May 2007 11:57:49 -0800

Really nice links! I have to get this deadline monkey off my back before I can really explore them, damn... just wanted to say thanks for now.

By: mckenney

mckenney — Mon, 14 May 2007 12:01:58 -0800

"Keep on Truckin'! Love, Jesus". Dude, I always knew Jesus and R. Crumb were simpatico.

By: lostburner

lostburner — Mon, 14 May 2007 12:32:31 -0800

My mother inscribed every book she gave to me (and anyone else to whom she gave a book). That practiced carried over to me. Me too. It's a good practice. These links are surprisingly poignant, and make me want to give books to people and write nice inscriptions in them. It usually makes me feel sad to see a small window into the past.

By: sy

sy — Mon, 14 May 2007 13:08:53 -0800

Great post. One thing I always do is write my name, the date, and the place where I bought it in every book I buy. Not an inscription per se, but I recommend it because taking old books off the shelf brings back old times and places too. Best inscription I ever got: "Raise more hell!" in my copy of Molly Ivins Can't Say That, Can She? It was at a regular book signing, of course, but she looked like she meant it.

By: verstegan

verstegan — Mon, 14 May 2007 14:34:15 -0800

Evelyn Waugh was a brilliant inscriber of his own books. My favourite example is the copy of his war novel, Men at Arms, that he sent to Cyril Connolly. (Unlike Waugh, Connolly had not served in the Army, and his sole contribution to the war effort had been as a fire-fighter in London during the Blitz.) The inscription read: 'To Cyril, who kept the home fires burning.' See also: Reading a Book's Life Story Through Readers' Marks in Books Towards a History of the Manicule (on instances of fingerposts) John Adams's Forty Most Heavily Annotated Books Marginalia and Other Crimes (previously, and further)

By: languagehat

languagehat — Mon, 14 May 2007 15:43:55 -0800

Nice post! My most annoying inscription-related experience involves my oldest book, a battered, rebound copy of De rebus gestis Alexandri Magni regis Macedonum. Liber tertius by Quintus Curtius Rufus (Philippus Giunta, Florentia, 1507). The last page has an illegible owner's signature and the date 1539. Whatever jerk rebound it at some point cut the pages so drastically that the annotations in the margins, in lovely Renaissance script, are chopped in half. Abi in malam rem! Me, I put my name and the month and year on the flyleaf, adding the place if significant ("June 1988, Athens"). And I write my own annotations in pencil, so a future owner can erase them as desired. (I refuse to buy books with notes in pen or—far worse—magic marker.)

By: rw

rw — Mon, 14 May 2007 15:44:52 -0800

For more on the subject of inscriptions and marginalia, I recommend the book Marginalia: Readers Writing in Books by H.J. Jackson. According to Jackson, Boswell's Life of Johnson is the the most marked on book of all time and the poet, Coleridge, was famous in his time for elevating marginalia to an art form (many people desired books marked by him). Her descriptions of marginalia by T.H. White were especially poignant. Ever since reading this book, I ask at used book stores for marked-up books -- so far to no avail. Also, I want to have my books printed and bound on demand to my specifications with wide page margins (just like the old days). Also, I have many stalled projects of creating books with inscriptions and marginal notes as gifts for friends (more difficult if you can't get books printed to spec).

By: languagehat

languagehat — Mon, 14 May 2007 15:46:58 -0800

Previous thread on marginalia (with bizarrely emphatic remarks by Faze leading to much discussion).

By: UbuRoivas

UbuRoivas — Mon, 14 May 2007 16:33:41 -0800

Nice post. I particularly love picking up second-hand books with inscriptions from partners (of the time), especially if they are dated long enough ago that I can imagine either or both of the erstwhile couple either married with kids, or dead. I am reminded also of this: she: "What? You haven't read any [author]? Here, take this...oh, hang on..." *scribbles out dedication*

By: gemmy

gemmy — Mon, 14 May 2007 18:01:21 -0800

My favorite inscription is "To my Dream Wife! Happy Birthday!", written in a used copy of Irving's A Prayer for Owen Meany. The book was a gift from this nice guy I was working with at a dig in Arkansas, given to me at my birthday dinner five days after we first met. It was a reference to a dream one of our co-workers had the night before. It's my favorite because we really did end up married! ;)

By: blahblahblah

blahblahblah — Mon, 14 May 2007 18:33:44 -0800

Thanks for the compliments, and the great links. I meant to also include this list of expensive signed books online from AbeBooks, which you can compare with the most expensive books of 2006. I treasure my signed copy of The Power of Light by Isaac Bashevis Singer, though I also have a copy of Mr T Comic #1, signed "I pity the Fool - Mr. T," so there's that.

By: zamboni

zamboni — Tue, 15 May 2007 01:27:29 -0800

Apropos to the discussion - Billy Collin's poem Marginalia.

By: Lezzles

Lezzles — Tue, 15 May 2007 07:17:19 -0800

It's called the National Library of Scotland.

By: ormondsacker

ormondsacker — Tue, 15 May 2007 08:18:25 -0800

Best head-scratcher in my collection is a Ross McDonald private eye novel with careful penciled annotations through the first half of the book... "Dec. 17", "Dec. 18", Dec. 20"... and so on through to February, each a few paragraphs apart. And then they peter out. I was rooting for the guy to make it. "Ex Libris Memphis Book-Lending Society" "Property of the U.S.S. Forrestal" "With 'Love'" (heh.) The infuriating "To a lovely fan, [illegible]" (on a 1920's Tarzan novel) "With a tip of the deerstalker, August Derleth"

By: Lentrohamsanin

Lentrohamsanin — Tue, 15 May 2007 08:25:11 -0800

I have an old Penguin paperback of Kornbluth and Pohl's Wolfbane where someone has kissed the inside back cover while wearing (now very faded) lipstick. I think I've mentioned this before, but I also have a copy of Madame Bovary with every reference to footwear underlined. Pity the poor thesis advisor on that one...

By: aine42

aine42 — Tue, 15 May 2007 16:07:20 -0800

Wonderful post. Most of the inscribed books I have are from author signings I attended or those which were inscribed by the person who gave them to me, but I have a couple I found in used book shops. It seems like I get a little extra gift if I find a book at the second-hand store with an old inscription in it. Makes it feel as if I've found a once-loved, but now homeless, book and am giving it a new home.