Long before it was commandeered by Google®, Microsoft Word, and other residents of the internet, the bookmark was an essential aid for any avid reader.
According to Wikipedia, “Bookmarks . . . are thin marking tools used to mark a reader’s progress in a book and to help return to the previous reading session.” The entry goes on to describe some of the materials from which bookmarks are made.
Bookmarks came on my radar when I was looking for an appropriate one for the current book I started last night. It’s a visually lovely book, dense in content, and quirky; and I wanted more than a clipped coupon from the newspaper or an errant sales receipt to mark my progress.
I considered one with an owl that claims “I read banned books.” But this isn’t a banned book. Next was the one I bought in a small bookstore in the Upper Peninsula that features a beautiful line drawing of a black bear (actually two bears staring at each other) that has bear facts on the back. Or the one from Barbara’s Bookstores, a Chicago staple since 1963 that is still going strong. And the one from Motor City Brew Tours that is not.
I almost chose the one I got in Omaha when we attended the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting. It shows the ubiquitous Warren Buffet saying, “Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.” But I decided to save that one for a book on investing.
In the end, I chose a leather bookmark I bought in Westminster Abbey years ago. It’s long and narrow and printed in gold on a blue background. It is perfect for my purpose.
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