The Versatile Bookmark

The other day a friend sent me an interesting bookmark. It is a cord with beads on either end for decoration. The idea is that you can leave it in the book as you read and it will not either fall out or make it difficult to turn pages, as paper bookmarks sometimes do. I’ve put it in a book I’m currently reading and am looking forward to trying it out.

An appropriate book for a beaded bookmark

That’s one reason I’ve been thinking about bookmarks. The other is that every time I go to church, I am reminded that there there aren’t enough loose sheets in the program to mark all the hymns. If I don’t bookmark them, it takes me so long to flip to the correct page that I miss the beginning. So each time I say to myself, “I should bring some bookmarks.” Preferably with the words “First,” “Second,” “Third,” and so on at the top, so I know which one comes next.

I collected together all the bookmarks I could find and was interested to see that they fell into several categories.  The first and most obvious is that of standard-type bookmarks with beautiful pictures.

Decorative paper (mostly) bookmarks

There are so many of these out there, and they are so much fun to look at! I really liked the Eowyn marker, because I think Eowyn is interesting, but the metal horse bead on the tassel unbalances it and tends to make it fall out of books. The fact that it is so glossy probably doesn’t help either (not enough friction.) That brings me to the second category—bookmarks that come in different shapes and materials, often in an attempt to improve functioning.

Bookmarks of various materials

So the magnetic bookmark (the small square) is designed to hold tight to your place, as are the book darts. They can be a problem in that they hold on so tightly, it takes longer to remove them to mark a new place. The two clip-shaped ones (the plastic kitten and the metal turtle) are also supposed to hold better, though I’m not sure they really do. If you look carefully, you can see the beaded string bookmark here—another one aimed at improved function as well as decoration.

The others are simply different materials--the lenticular (3D) bookmark, the woven bookmark (which also falls under the category of souvenir, although it was my parents that traveled, not me), and the metal one that is not a clip. Plain metal makes a terrible bookmark, by the way—it falls out of the book constantly.

Paper bookmarks are an excellent medium for advertising and informational messages. After all, they’re just bits of paper and so are very cheap to make. Bookstores in particular use them for advertising (no surprise there). The fact that they are bookmark-shaped means that they are more likely to be kept around and not tossed. Sometimes they remain in books and are rediscovered years later.

Promotional bookmarks

Bookmarks can also be a handy way to hand out printed information--especially if that information is book-related.

Informational bookmarks

Despite having such a wealth of bookmarks, I sometimes use the plain strips of thin cardboard that come in boxes of Red Rose teabags. They’re the right size and thickness, and when I am reading a particularly interesting nonfiction book, I can make notes right on the bookmark. (Alternatively, they can be decorated by visiting children.)

Plain, picturesque, or with jotted notes.

That brings me to the last category—the hand-made bookmark, usually paper, though occasionally woven or made of other material. Strips of paper are easy to decorate, and the fact that it is a “bookmark”, not merely a strip of paper, makes it seem more “gift-y”. (When I think about this, I’m surprised I don’t have even more bookmarks than I already do.)

What a great opportunity to make something fun, for yourself or someone else!

And here are the numbered bookmarks!