Why you should write in your books now

The sun is starting to set on the golden age of the printed book.

The number of book titles published may well continue its yearly increase, but the total number of printed copies of all those titles has already begun to diminish. Partly this is due to the dysfunctional Potlatch economics that book publishers and bookstores have been mired in since the Depression.

Excess copies of books are intentionally printed, so they can be stacked high in stores in the hopes of forcing publishing success. This is followed by an expensive retreat of millions of books to the pulp mill. Our present hard times are delivering punishing body blows to this untenable model. But the truly decisive factor in hastening the end of the era of printed books is electronic books.

Ripping the paper handcuffs…

The digitization of books, together with the proliferation of electronic-book readers, will be a boon for readers—much as digital photography has been a boon for photographers. Imagine combining what we love about books with what we love about computers. Books will finally be freed from the paper handcuffs they’ve been shackled with for a millennium.

In not too many years hence, electronic books will be utterly irresistible. We will sit around on porches (or the virtual equivalent), shaking our heads and saying, “Can you imagine when all our books had to be printed? Unbelievable...”

But as with nearly all progress, we will lose a few things along the way. We will lose the physical evidence that a particular book has been read by a particular person.

…but holding on to what’s real

For the most part, losing this physical evidence won’t matter. The best part of reading is what is left inside us. We absorb the books we read into our beliefs and memories and feelings. The accumulated result lingers, we hope, as some kind of wisdom. This is true whether we absorb the book in print form with our eyes, or listen to it as an audiobook, or read it on an electronic device.

Moreover, we now have entrancing digital representations of our personal libraries in which we can assemble and visit colorful images of our books, read our reviews and add to them, remind ourselves of our ratings and modify them, see what others say about the books on our virtual bookshelves, and have a dialog with those readers.

My own virtual library, existing somewhere in the cloud, is an aspect of 21st century reading I now jealously embrace and would not be without. As I write this in the year 2009, it still seems miraculous to me that a slim electronic device will soon contain all the books I have read in my lifetime, along with my quirky, annotated record of having read them.

But having been born during halftime of the 20th century (in the 1950s), I’m old enough to want to be surrounded by old fashioned books—real books, firm of spine and fluttery of pages.

Inside my paper books (which happen to surround me at this moment, since I’m writing in my home library) are my signatures, the dates I began and finished, where I was reading, a boarding pass or train ticket, a newspaper review, a clipped obituary on the author.

Pages are marked and passages underlined. Nestled inside my dust jackets are printouts of email exchanges with friends who recommended the book, and occasionally correspondence with the author.

This old library delivers delights to me. I pull a book from its shelf and feel again the ephemera and favorite passages I would have forgotten.

Footprints in the reading sands of time

A few years ago I asked Levenger customers whether they wrote, or didn’t write, in their books. We received over 2,000 responses to what we learned was a most provocative question.

Responses were about 60/40 in favor of those who write (whom I call Footprint Leavers) vs. those who refrain (Preservationists). Passions run high in both camps, and curiously, both groups justify their positions in the same way: their love of books.

Footprint Leavers want to show their love with love letters in the margin, while Preservationists show their love through abstinence, leaving their books pure as the driven snow.

I make no attempt to hide my own position on this topic. I am a card-carrying, foot-stomping Footprint Leaver. A few years ago I was tolerant in my view toward Preservationists, and even praised them for their contribution to the thriving used-book market, from which I have purchased hundreds of books myself.

But today, with the flood tide of electronic books soon upon us, I’ve changed my mind.

Now I think that if you have children or other loved ones who will someday inherit your books, you should write in them now. No matter how strongly you may lean on the side of the Preservationists, you need to know this: your handwriting inside your books may be their passport to preservation.

Life: affirming, in the margins

Marginalia has proved pivotally important in scholarship. Dr. Will Provine, professor of history of science at Cornell, has traced the history of evolution by reading the marginal notes of scientists in their journals and books. Owen Gingerich, professor of the history of science at Harvard, traced the surprising truth about Copernicus’s impact on astronomy through the handwriting in hundreds of copies of his De revolutionibus.

Historians of this century will likely rue the advent of electronic books, as historians of the 20th century rued the telephone and how it sucked into black oblivion human exchanges that were previously immortalized in letters.

Sometimes the accidental and ancillary end up being more important than what people assumed would be important. A photo of the Grand Canyon from the 1920s is of marginal interest today—unless there happens to be a vintage artifact in the frame.

Archeologists can often extract more information from an ancient civilization’s trash piles than from its monuments. The wine stains and incidental writing in the Sarajevo Haggadah are part of what makes it so valuable today.

Your writing is what will make your books cherished artifacts to your descendants. For you don’t have to be Copernicus or Darwin to be important. We are all famous to our descendants.

At a fundraising luncheon last week, I was sitting at a table with Nancy Hurd, something of a legend in our town due to her 40 years of running Delray’s care center for children of the working poor. She told me about the one thing she treasures most from her father. He served in the Philippines during World War II. When he arrived, the Army gave him and the other soldiers a black leatherbound Bible.

“My father was a man of faith. He kept the Bible with him throughout the war, then brought it home. When he passed away almost 60 years later, my mother asked me what I might want to have of his as a keepsake. I asked for his Bible,” Nancy said.

“He had only written his name in it, but I know it had given him comfort at a time when he was alone and probably scared. He had faithfully served his country, put his life on the line, and this holy book had been his companion. I treasure it to this day.”

Our bright future with books

In a flash, electronic books will be as commonplace as laptops and cell phones—and they will be wonderful. They will transform reading in ways hard for us to grasp today.

Today’s young people will think electronic books are normal, because they will be, and children will be curious about the old paper books, as we are curious when seeing Edison cylinders and stereoscopes.

And yet to this day, we still use another Edison invention called the light bulb. Paper books will continue to shine a bright light, but with a different focus.

I believe high-quality printed books will be produced for a very long time. It’s the common hardcover, which does nothing more in its physical state than show printed text, that might be improved upon by being a living, digital book. The new digital books will put pressure on paper books to be better than ever before and to lead with their strengths—luscious paper, imaginative fonts, luxuriously large pages, textures. (In our own line of Levenger Press books, we aim just for such high touch.)

Seize the day (and the paper)

So today, dear reader, when paper books are plentiful and pens abound and we still know how to write by hand, strut your stuff. Use your books as you would a journal.

Where it might be most important of all is with children’s paper books. My guess is that their large format and vivid color will take awhile for the machines to better. But in time they, too, will succumb to the advantages of electronics.

So when you read a children’s book to a loved one, have the child write his or her name and age, write yours (at least your name), write what you feel at that moment, what your young reader said about the book, the date and time and place. A generation or two from now, your little reading companion may cherish that printed book more than we might imagine.

It’s human nature to take good things for granted and not to value something until it is gone. Seize the paper book, seize your pen, seize your own ability to write with your own hand. As they say in Spain, Hay mas tiempo que vida—there is more time than life.

And now tell me, dear reader: What have you inherited in the margin? And what do you want to leave for younger eyes? Just click on the Comments link below. (If you’re reading this as an email, click here and you’ll connect to Comments).

Comments

[Ellen]

I always write in cookbooks, what I changed, who I served, and the like. I also write in nonfiction. I remember loaning my scholarly uncle a book and getting it back filled with Marginalia. It was like having a conversation with him about the book and I loved it.

[Charles A. Burroughs]

I inherited my love for "real books" from my grandmother (1872-1963) who worked at the Boston Public Library for fifty years. Upon her retirement from BPL, she applied for a job with the Boston Atheneum for another twenty years. Of the many books in my own library today, some of the most valued are those that bear her ownership mark and, yes, some with marginalia (in pencil). As for electronic books, I have co-authored one, as recently as two years ago.

[David G. Stone]

Your comments on writing in books is right on, Steve. As I am solidly into the second half of my life on this earth of all my possessions, my most prized are the books I inherited from my Mom and Dad. For example, in front of me as I share with you and your other readers these comments is "Cadet Days" (A Story of West Point) by Captain Charles King, U.S.A (Brigaier-General, U.S.V.)who also authored "A War-Time Wooing," "Between The Lines," "Campaigning With Crook" as well as others. It was published in 1894 (the year my paternal grandfather -Raymond Stone -was graduated from the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis) by Harper & Brothers. On the inside first page is beautifully inscribed, "To Raymond Stone with love from The Author". You see, my grandfather married Esther Suydam King, the daughter of Captain Charles King. My father, Raymond Stone, Jr. was the oldest child (of seven)of Esther and Raymond Stone. Dad, who would have been 109 this coming September, inherited this prized possession as I inherited it from him. Ironically, Dad could not get into the Naval Academy because of his eyes, so he accepted a conditional appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point (Class of 1923), following in his maternal grandfather's footsteps!!

Captain Charles King was a direct descendent of Rufus King, United States Senator,first from Massachusetts and then New York, and a signer of the United States Constitution. Rufus King's brother and Charles King's namesake was the first President of Columbia University. For me, the "fluttering paper" will always be the only choice, and someday our son, Alexander Graham Stone, will view this book (and many others) as his most prized possessions. They will help solidly seal his identity - a reality sadly so many young people today are unable to do. Thank you for your role in my Well-Read Life. Regards,
David G. Stone
1701 Skyline Drive
Sherman, Texas 75092-3140

[L.A. Hernandez]

My greatest keepsake from my oldest son's childhood is a copy of the book "The Flying Hockey Stick". In it my son scribbled over a picture of some lions. When I asked him why, he looked at me with great pride and said,"That's a cage to keep them from catching the people." I can't wait to read it to my grandchildren and tell them the story.

[jim knauff]

Thank you. Terrific stuff sir. I have pretty much become a library patron, preordering new titles as they are released, but from this time going forward when a book is purchased, writing therein will be the norm.

[Veronica]

I was never one to write in my books. I suppose it had something to do with my Catholic school education. After reading this, I am definitely going to start writing in them today. Thanks.

[Royce Carter]

I think the electronic books will be the downfall of reading Everything is too fast-paced now. When I take time to read I go to my reading area, away from all distractions, and take time for myself. We need to slow down and enjoy what has been given to us, before it is gone.
I like to take a book down that I have read and relive the time past.

[Micheal Alan Dean]

I have in front of me the May 31 edition of the New York Times Book Review. On the back is an ad for Bauman Rare Books. Included in the ads offering are copies of Benjamin Franklin's 1769 "Experiments and Observations on Electricity" and William Harvey's 1653 "Anatomical Exercises". While I may never be able to afford such works, and very often rely on computers, how can computers replace these samples of living history?

[Michael J. Koss]

Steve,

You are unfortunately on the money. Our paper bound friends will begin to diminish in number. That said, I recall a terrific interview with Harold Bloom on the Charlie Rose show. Bloom was asked about EBooks and EReaders. I will try to paraphrase his insightful response:

"Imagine you are living a world of electronic books. Suddenly a paperback book is introduced. You marvel at the compact size and revel in the fact that this book can come along with you into the bath or to the beach. It never runs out of batteries on the train. You can annotate n the margins and hand it to a friend at the completion of your journey. Imagine the overwhelming impact such a new device would have upon the world of E Books."

I can't tell you how often I recall that story.

I own two Kindles and have been reading books on Palms as far back as the Palm Pilot, Newtons, iPhones, Blackberries, Ninos, and my first notebook computer...before they were even laptops.

My trouble has remained the same.....I am instructed to turn off the device on the runway...this can last up to an hour on commercial flights.....I am instructed to turn off the device on approach for a minimum of 20 minutes. This is prime reading time!

I won't take a hardbound book to the beach, let alone an electronic device....sand, salt and water ruin everything .....and the last two times I traveled with my Kindle it was DOA on start up....Batteries can be misery.

I do love the Kindle....but long live the Paperback book!

Michael J. Koss
mjkoss@koss.com
Twitter:@Michael_J_Koss
http://soundofkoss.typepad.com/

[Matt Boutte]

I long for a Kindle. The very idea of not having to deal with ever diminishing shelf space sounds terrific.

But one of the joys of books, for me, is the ability to share them. I love nothing more than to be able to loan or borrow a book.

Ebooks make this impossible. While the publisher may reap additional revenues as a result, I think the readers lose. Not to mention the inevitable impact on the lending library...

[Heather]

In China nowadays, there are many Christians whose family's most cherished possession is a single page that was torn out of a Bible. They don't even have the money or the access to a full copy of the entire book. So, I daresay that the advent of the electronic format of books could make the chasm wider between the haves and the have-nots of the world -- an "unintended consequence," as they say in Congress. Let's not let that happen!

[Lynn O'Connor]

Loved your essay on: "What's happening in the margin?" I'm a big time footprint leaver, and now, as a Levenger junkie, I've added leaving lots of those yellow/green paper devices --I don't know what they are called-- that allow me to write on the page without wrecking the book (although I continue to underline of course). I am also a serious Amazon junkie, with deliveries almost every day. As a researcher/knowledge worker some of this is grant funded, so that serves as an excuse for my excesses.

I have a Kindle of course --but for me, it still has a problem and I turn to paper when I am seriously skimming, which I do all the time. What I do with a book when it arrives is look at the cover, read inside the cover, read the foreword, acknowledgements (they are important as they tell me what group the writer belongs to), the Table of Contents, Introduction, and then quickly look in the index, for subjects of particular interest to me --are they mentioned. Finally I skim/speed read in part by whizzing through, hitting all the chapter titles, subtitles, and moving more slowly when I hit a section that interests me. This is where I am underlining, writing notes in the margin, putting that yellow or green paper on a page with scribbles. This whole process I can't do with a Kindle, nor with the computer. A blog that interests me and that has many parts to it gets printed out.. If I really love a book and it's heavy going, lately I have started to mindmap, or add it to an already ongoing mindmap on a related topic.

Sad though this might be, in recent years I have been absorbing much of the information I need from blogs. You are so right about where we are going, and how even five years from now we won't understand what we were doing with all these paper books. I'm not sure what technical advance will make it possible for me to run through my process, digitally, but I'm sure it will happen. However, for now, I need to be able to run through a book, which requires holding it and having each section appear like magic. This is an interesting question: are you a footprinter or a conservationist? Thinking about research, I wonder which personality traits or factors would significantly correlate with reading style.

Lynn

[Paul Douthit]

Great article and very thought provoking. I read and write a great deal in my profession. For many years I spent a good deal of money on rare or significant printed books. At the same time I think that the e-reader is a good idea. Keep up the good work!

[danny bloom]

This was a terffic blog post, sir. I say that ebooks will be the death of civilization. Why? Because ebooks are not for thnking. They are just games to "read' on a screen. They are not books. Please don't go down this road, sir. Printed books on paper are the key to our survival as a species. Don't believe me? Read my blog.

http://zippy1300.blogspot.com

[Weber Baker]

Ok, to follow up on another post. I never wrote in books. Yes, it was a Catholic School lesson. If we wrote in our books (which we bought, by the way) they took our fingers, held them together and rapped the tips with a metal ruler. Really. So it took me 40+ years to get to the point where I could even get a writing implement to touch a book page.

But I am glad I did!

[Joseph]

good blog,
I am one of those that "respects" books and does not write on them, but you made me realize that is nonsense, I will make them my own from now on, I like your blog, will tell my girlfriend and her friends about it,
thanks.

[Steve Leveen]

Dear Joseph,

Many thanks for your kind note about my blog. You inspire me to keep at it. I look forward to more dialog with you. Until then, enjoy your new-found freedom to write in your books.

All best wishes,

Steve

[Tadhg]

I always write in the margins my thoughts, reactions or a word that sums up an important fact, and then index that at the front or end of the book for ease of reference. Then I only need know the book(s front or end) in question to check a fact or remind myself.