I Write in Books – and I’m Proud of It

One of the comments I often get from people who have read my book ROMAN Reading is “I could never write in my books.” It’s hard to get people to understand the value and pleasure of writing comments, thoughts and reactions in their books. But now I have a book to recommend to them: Marginalia: Readers Writing in Books by H. J. Jackson.

I found this book in the Notre Dame bookstore, and I couldn’t be more excited to read it. From the back cover:

Imaginative and amusing, this book will be a pleasure for anyone who cares about books and reading. H. J. Jackson examines all varieties of marginalia, from casual scribbles to lengthy arguments, and introduces us to annotators both celebrated and unknown whose jottings in book margins reveal much about themselves, their relationships with other readers, and their passionate involvement with books.

I love the phrase “passionate involvement with books.” I think many readers are passionate about their books, but writing comments and reactions in books really shows a reader’s involvement.

I hope to read Marginalia in the next few weeks. I’ll let you know how I like it.