(Esprit’s modest contribution to librarianship.)

Ever since I started reading, I’ve known that some books already have a bookmark ribbon.

For what? In order for the reader, after reading a certain number of pages, without RELYING ON MEMORY, he was able to continue reading from the place where he left off before.

I quickly became convinced that this method was extremely imperfect. It’s just pointing out where it left off!

And in interesting, often reread books, much more is required!

So, for many years now I have been using another method that I «invented»: A MULTIBOOKMARKS.

Of course, I didn’t come up with it all at once, completely and in detail, but gradually, seeing the shortcomings of the previous one and perfecting the technique of “multimarking”.

First of all, I divided all bookmarks into two classes:

Mobile (of which there are few) and Stationary (of which there may be a lot in an interesting book).

The mobile bookmark is attached to a ribbon or a strong thread, in appearance it differs from the stationary ones, it is more durable and sturdy. And the length of the ribbon is chosen so that it can be freely used anywhere in an arbitrarily large and thick volume!

I usually make stationary bookmarks from thin candy wrappers or “silver” wrappers of chocolate bars or other similar packages. I cut them into thin and relatively short pieces, and paste them on each paper strip (sheets with lots of ready-made stickers are sold), on which I write the short name of the topic that attracted me, and paste them on the pages so that they do not fall on the text, that is, on the accessible margins of the pages.

In addition, I paste a postal envelope on the inside of the book cover, into which I insert catalog sheets – where and what attracted interest, as well as my comments on the topic. In particularly interesting books, the envelope swells to the size of a small book or notebook, so I have to take them out from the book and place it next to it in a common plastic bag.

This is how I keep some of the books, which at the same time ensures their greater physical safety. (See the article “World Law of Polygraphy”.)

For example, all thirty volumes of the Encyclopedia Britannica. And many other books.

I paste no more than three “running” bookmarks for all the same purposes.

One is to find the most readable place after the break.

The second one is in the afterword section (if long) for the same purpose/

The third one is in the comments and links section.

For example, I pasted a permanent, static one in some interesting place. But it is accompanied by a link in the book. Then I either paste a static one on the link page, or, if I anticipate that I will return to this page of comments and links, I will attach a mobile one too.

This ensures a fairly quick search for the right material.

And today I came up with another type of mobile bookmark. If I’m reading something new and I don’t remember it exactly. WHERE exactly did I stop, because it wasn’t necessarily something that interested me, and in order not to start reading the two open pages again, I put something like a thin clothespin in the place of the page where I stopped earlier.

Such simple and uncomplicated “inventions” greatly facilitate the labor and time of searching for the right material.

If you have any questions, ASK and WE WILL ANSWER!

20 XII 2025