I’ve always been a ‘dog earer’* and just fold down the corner of the book page. If I’ve borrowed the book, a trusty shopping receipt is always waiting to be sandwiched between two suspenseful pages. But I also have a steady supply of bookmarks. Some are freebies and others have a lot of sentimental value, like my laminated Mother’s Day bookmark gifts. The Twelve Apostles from the Great Ocean Rd, given to me by my father in-law, is a keeper. I even have a bookmark that my best friend in Year 7 gave to me with a little message. They don’t call me a hoarder for nothing.
The humble bookmark was used in monasteries in medieval times to hold back the Papyrus scrolls. Most of the bookmarks were made of vellum or leather and were either like its strip form today or a clip on triangle.
In the 17th and 18th century bookmarks were generally made of silk and attached to the book spine, like several hardcover books or diaries today. They later evolved into hand-stitched bookmarks, gold, brass, ivory and mother of pearl and other materials.**
In this century, bookmark is a term used for marking and saving your favourite websites. Even though today, the old fashioned bookmark has become a fashion accessory available in every shade of the rainbow, it still has the same simple purpose – to mark the point where you have stopped reading (and often in my case, fallen asleep.)
They say that wrinkles give you character. I think that’s why I like ‘dog ears’ in my book so much.
* Dog ear – is the expression for folding the top corner of a book page to mark your reading point. The folded page resembles a dog’s ear.
** History Source: Mirage Bookmark
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