My home office has become somewhat of a library with the volume of books that I consume. In fact, my home office is now referred to as Bernard’s Bookshop by a number of family and friends who stop by, perhaps not only to see me, but in search for their next read.
Blame it on the day job as a critic and literary agent, but part of my process of reviewing work in this ever-growing list of books in my home is by writing notes throughout, often rendering the pages littered with Post-it notes and unidentifiable scrawl. Sometimes, I will lend these books out to friends or family, and they will not only get a chance to read a great book, but also see the ghastly scribble along its margins. If, by some miracle, they can even read the annotations, I have often wondered whether this is an annoyance, or whether it added to their reading experience.
Like ‘dog-earing’ the pages or taking the book into the bathroom in true George Constanza style, some view writing in the margins of books as a form of defacement, while others see it as a personal interaction with the text that value adds to their overall reading experience. Personally, I wouldn’t recommend writing any notes in your library books, or those that have loaned you a book short term, or even if you have picked up the latest James Phelps non-fiction from Bernard’s Bookshop. But taking notes in your own purchased book is a sure sign that you are actively engaged in the love of reading and most readers will find it an adventure to go on that journey with you.
I once thought I was one of few who would partake in this activity, but in reality, this practice is common enough to sport its own name. It is known as marginalia, and it has a remarkable history. Some literary giants, including Mark Twain and Edgar Allan Poe, were known for their annotations in their books, and as a keen collector of first edition books, I would love to own a copy of a Twain or Poe marginalia novel. Unfortunately, I also like to eat, so that’s not happening anytime soon.
Edgar Allan Poe once wrote in an essay appropriately titled Marginalia, ‘In getting my books, I have always been solicitous of an ample margin; this not so much through any love of the thing in itself, however agreeable, as for the facility it affords me of pencilling suggested thoughts, agreements and differences of opinion, or brief critical comments in general.’ Marginalia provides a glimpse into the reader’s thoughts, interpretations, critique and, yes, sometimes predictions about the story that is unfolding in front of them.
Like my original collection of books from many years ago, my notes also serve as a personal archive, capturing my own intellectual journey and growth over time. During my time as an undergraduate student, master’s student, then finally a PhD student, I was active in note-taking in a range of literary and academic books. Flash forward to today, and I can see the benefits firsthand by reflecting on my own knowledge and comprehension from the world of literature that I once consumed.
So, next time you borrow a book and see some scribbles, or perhaps think twice about writing notes in your own book, don’t question it for another second. Marginalia is real, it is special, and it is not defacing the book by any means. Books are living, breathing entities that evolve when you engage with them. If I had more opportunities to read annotated books, I would relish in the opportunity. •
ABOUT SAMUEL BERNARD
Samuel Bernard is a Literary Agent at Zeitgeist Agency in Sydney, Australia. he is also a freelance writer, book critic, and editor, writing regularly for The Weekend Australian and Good Reading magazine and was annas previousy the editor at Verge Literary Journal in 2022 and 2023.
He graduated with a Master of Writing in 2020 and began work on a PhD in Creative Writing at Monash University in Melbourne, before deciding that his passion is in the literary industry rather than academia. In 2023, after a few truly incredible meetings with the talented Benython Oldfield, he joined Zeitgeist Agency as a Literary Agent.
In 2022, he joined an awarding-winning tech startup company as a PR Manager and was awarded a ‘Top Writer’ by Medium for his articles on ‘Women in Tech’.
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