Saturday 11 April 2009

Bookmarks

I'm taking part in 'Bookmarks VII: Infiltrating the Library System' organised by The Centre for Fine Print Research at the University of the West of England. This an annual series of international distributions of bookmarks made by book artists.

I began my research by interviewing Peter Scott, bookseller and bibliophile. Peter has amassed a collection of thousands of ephemeral items found inside books, from the common faux-leather tasseled National Trust souvenirs to unexpected items such as army cap tallies, slices of bacon and bus tickets.

As Peter says in the interview, which can be downloaded as a podcast from the title link above, "Bookmarks, whether they’re ready-made or serendipitous, make an interesting study on their own because they are part of – not of bibliography – but of readership – the actual use of the book."