Although we've always been told not to write in books, an English professor is glad some people have.
Professor Heather Jackson has spent the last 15 years examining annotations left in books of all kinds. These written remarks in the margins tell a great deal about the culture of a particular society and the reading habits of the past.
"If you look at the notes made in books you can see, for example, how someone in the 19th century read an 18th-century biography or history, why a reader liked or disliked a certain book, how readers argued with the authors on politics, religion, law, and philosophy or how a play was performed in the 1920s," Jackson says. "These remarks can be an excellent source of historical information."
In years past, people were actively encouraged to mark their books, Jackson notes, "but this all changed when school texts and library books became public property and marking books became a sinful thing to do." Her research has encouraged her to begin annotating the books she owns, "but I always stress that you should only annotate books that belong to you."
Marginalia: Reader's Notes in Books, 1700 - 2000 will be published next year. Her research was supported by grants from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and the Connaught Fund.
CONTACT:
Michah Rynor
U of T Public Affairs
(416) 978-2104
michah.rynor@utoronto.ca