Accessories

For about two years or so, my husband and I have wanted to order our very own American Library Association (ALA) Yoda READ poster. Today, we finally did. We also threw in the new Superman equivalent, as well as a READ stamp and umbrella, for fun. If I had my druthers, I could have spent whopping fortunes on the range of adorable bookmarks they have too. Maybe I’m a sucker for these types of things but I am not alone. You should have seen the crowds at the ALA store at the conference I went to in Boston in March. So many librarians needing their own Nancy Pearl action figure…

Book lovers in general like having the accessories that go with their bibliomania, especially the bookmark. To use myself as an example, I grab them whenever possible, no matter what the size, shape, kind of paper, image, etc. Actually, that’s not quite true, as I detest wide bookmarks, but apart from that, it’s an almost ridiculous problem. The bookmark must match the book in terms of size and style. I have hundreds of them in a drawer to choose from, and I literally get twitchy if my husband reads a book without one nearby. Some are amazingly attractive, while others are rather boring. I know several people who collect them, too, although most everyone at least appreciates them.

Today’s book is the reason I brought all this up in the first place. It’s a French volume called Bouquiner: Autobibliographie, by a woman named Annie François, who works for Seuil, one of the biggest publishing houses in France. It’s one of those common enough bibliophile books where the author discusses his or her reading habits or quirks, but hers are rather eccentric, and her writing, endearing and humurous. For example, she will neither dog-ear nor bookmark her spot; instead, she memorizes the page number she’s on. Salient passages are marked by the use of her fingernail, so as not to leave an obvious trace. While she reads in the bathtub pretty frequently, one day she gets the uncontrollable urge to dip her paperback in the water to see what would happen. She lies to friends who ask her to borrow her books, telling them that she herself borrowed it until they catch her out by reading the dedication inside the cover. Even though she loves them, she also tosses all dust jackets just because the book underneath is the real and naked thing. You have to love her.

Let me say a word about the term ‘bouquiner’, because it’s really meaningful in an all-encompassing way, and has no equivalent in English. Literally, it translates into ‘to read’, but it could also mean ‘to go about the business of books’, either to sell, buy, or deal in them as well. I love it conceptually and it sounds lovely when you say it aloud.

I would go on about the variations between the French and English books, publishing, and reading habits, but that will have to wait for another day. It’s so hot and sticky in my house that I cannot sit at my laptop for another minute.

Comments

[Accessories Expert, Linda from All Women's Talk]

I just want to comment on bookmarks, which I am personally a big fan of! i even have a little collection of them at home, in different styles and from different countries. Could you please advise me about shops specializing in bookmarks and other "library accessories"?

[yotixon]

Hi

Real nice! Your web site is helpful, Cheers!

[Shaina]

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