Bookmark Collectors Virtual Convention

Hi everyone.

I'm Lauren. In January 2006 I founded BiblioBuffet, an online literary salon devoted to the subjects of books, reading and related subjects. Not surprisingly, bookmarks is one of those. The column in which Laine Farley, my co-writer, and I write about bookmarks is called "On Marking Books." New columns are put up every other week. Between Laine and I we have written about our bookmarks on tea, milk, typewriters, early radio, poetry, perfumes, toothpaste, x-rays, women's suffrage, cigarettes, bacon, bubble gum, shorthand, bookmark artists, royalty, Christmas, sewing machines, the development of bookmarks, gloves, and much more. Other things about which we've written include interviews (one with Alan Irwin) with other bookmark collections, bookmark competitions, and how the bacon bookmark become a legend.

My collection began at least six years ago when I visited a small but famous bookshop in Ojai, California called Bart's Books. In the section where they kept the old books. I noticed an old olive-colored book entitled <I>The Love Affairs of a Bibliomaniac</I>. I pulled it off the shelf only to have it fall open to pages 55-56. Tucked neatly at the beginning of the chapter entitled “Baldness and Intellectuality,” a bookmark particularly apropos to its location, sat quietly: hair. Specifically, a clump of golden brown hair, male from the length of it. It had lain undisturbed for so long it had even left visual stigmata on the page under it. I was enchanted and remain so.

It is the only bookmark I own that stays in the book and the only one made of hair. But that experience has grown into a collection of more than 1,300 bookmarks. Most of them have been bought on eBay as I prefer antique ones. But I don't have any preferences as to material or age. It's kind of a "if I like it I'll buy it" thing. A number of bookmarks have been given to me as gifts, and I treasure these. The prices I have paid have ranged from free to about $350.

I do have a nice organizational system I have created for the two-dimensional ones, but the three-dimensional ones are still in boxes. I want to get them out, and have finally found some display boxes that I think will work well.

This convention was Alan's idea, and I was thrilled that he asked me to be part of it. We are looking forward to meeting and getting to know so many of you. Please do join us.

Hi. I'm Jen Funk Weber. I'm a children's author and needlework designer. In an effort to marry the two pursuits, I began the Needle and ThREAD: Stitching for Literacy program, which revolves around bookmarks. Stitchers craft bookmarks and donate them to libraries and schools where they are used as prizes and awards for reading accomplishments. We also teach people--adults and children--how to stitch bookmarks, and we sell bookmark patterns, donating a portion of the proceeds to literacy projects.

Hi,

My name is Wayne Clowery and I have been collecting something or other since I was in grade school. As far as bookmarks go, I have two distinct collections.

The first is of bookmarks that I have received free from bookstores around the world. If they only give me one, I ask for a few more. If they are left lying to one side of the cash, I help myself to two or three of each different one available. I have never organised these bookmarks. They sit in a drawer of my desk and when I need a new one for a book I'm reading, I know where to go to get one.

The second is related to my present collecting addiction. I collect hotel related epemera, collectibles & memorabilia and within that scope falls bookmarks issued by hotels as gifts or as advertising. I have both two and three dimensional bookmarks and I have been slow to get them as organised as I would like. My medium term goal (when I retire in 3 years) is to mount a vitrual museum of my hotels collection and there will be a section on hotel bookmarks, to be sure.

I look forward to the success of your virtual convention. What a great idea.

Cheers,

Wayne

I am Lois and have been a long-time bookmark collector. To read about how I started collecting bookmarks and the types I collect, follow this link to the website of The Ephemera Society of America:

http://www.ephemerasociety.org/articles/howicollect.html

The article is illustrated with examples from my collection.

Lauren interviewed me several years ago for her "On Marking Books" column, which was a lot of fun. I am really looking forward to the Bookmark Collectors Virtual Convention.

Hello everyone,
I was delighted to finally find a website specialised in collecting bookmarks! I'm also really excited about the oncoming convention, it's like a treat for all the collectors.
I live in Greece, and unfortunately bookmarks are not a very popular item here, therefore, I find most of my bookmarks while I'm travelling abroad or online, otherwise, I make them myself.
It all started 10 years ago, when I had a single cardboard bookmark, which I used for all my reading. I used to read a lot then, about one book every week, and one day I had the idea: if only I had a bookmark for each one of the books I was reading, a book mark that would match the book. I flipped the pages of a few magazines and found some pictures of paintings, animals, fruit and vegetables, I cut them out, used cardboard to make them harder and had them laminated. Tht was it!! I had started the most exciting and colourful collection of my life! I went on making laminated bookmarks, mostly out of stuff I found in glossy magazines. My friends soon found out and brought me cut-outs, in order to make bookmarks for them. It went on like that for about 5 years. The second part of my collection was travelling bookmarks, the ones I bought during my trips, from souvenir and museum shops. I always had them laminated. Same thing for all my friends and relatives, who brought me bookmarks from their trips.
Once I started working, there was mkore money to spend on my collection. I never really cared if it yould have any value. First I bought bookmark calendars and laminated the seperate bookmarks. I've been doing that for about 5 years, that added a few hundreds to my collection. Then I decided to look up for other materials.
Today my collection is divided in two parts: laminated card board (made by me or purchased) and other materials (including metal, wood, leather, cross-stitch, glass, plastic, ribbon, lace and much more) arranged in two huge boxes. I buy my bookmarks online and in bazaars and flea markets. I have never managed to count them, I get lost in the procedure... Everytime I start a book, I look at its cover and instantly think of the matching bookmark, I guess I've made my dream come true and now it works the other way round: there are so many bookmarks and I'm afraid I will never manage to read the equal number of books :-))))))))

Melina

Hello Lauren, I'm equally pleased for having found you. I recently joined a similar group on Facebook, it's good to know there other people out there who enjoy the same thing I do.
As I told you, I've never managed to count them all, but a rough estimate should be somewhere in between 1000 and 1500. There are no swap-meets in Greece, so far I'm the only person I know who collects. I'm sure there are others, but it is not a very popular hobby, so there isn't any publicity or group activity about it. Unfortunately, the bookmark is not e very popular item. You enter a stationery store and ask if they have any, and sometimes they don't even understand what you are talking about... As for displaying them, I don't think it would be feasible, I haven't thought of a way yet. I'm thinking of taking pictures and posting them on my facebook profile, in a separate album.
My favourite bookmarks are a long green pepper (about 20 cm) and a match (also about 20 cm). They were in a glossy cooking mazazine, I cut out the photos, hardened the thin paper with cardboard, cut around the object and laminated it... well I'm not sure you can understand the procedure, it's easy, fun and relaxing :-) and the result is really beautiful and unique.
I'd also like to swap, the first thing that comes into my mind, which might interest you is bookmarks with landscapes from my country. There are plenty and I can easily find them. There are also publisher's bookmarks, advertising books, distributed for free in every bookstore, I don't collect those, but I can find as many as you like. I could laminate them for you, if you like :-)
Anyone who's interested, don't hesitate to e-mail me.

Hi everyone. To answer your question, Lauren, retirement is great (I'm another retired librarian and archivist), and, yes, I continue to travel and look for old bookmarks and pagemarkers. Several of my most spectacular finds have been in Paris, where I have purchased several antique writing sets that include ,matching pagemarkers. They are in their original boxes. Very beautiful. And Melina -- how do I find the bookmark group on FaceBook? I already found the bookmark group on Yahoo. All these new connections are great!

Hello all, Glad to be a part of this first-ever bookmark convention. Lois, I know your work as I used some of your research on the In My Book® history of bookmarks page when I put my website together many years ago.

If you're in the market for some NEW bookmarks (that are also greeting cards), please visit our website IN MY BOOK® during the convention; and be sure to type in the special code for FREE SHIPPING (see below).

During the weekend of the on-line convention, I'm offering FREE SHIPPING with any size order. Just be sure to add the code "BMCVC" in a note when you check-out; you will not be charged for shipping (even though the zen-cart says you will be charged). Please feel free to email me with your questions or comments about our card line...and please take advantage of our FREE SHIPPING offer!

IN MY BOOK® Secure on-line ordering. The cards are great with the gift of a book, with a gift certificate or just on their own.

Hi, Natalia.

I am glad to see you made it to the presentations. I plan to re-join the Yahoo group soon.