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“Marginalia” is the formal name for scribbles, notes and annotations found in the margins of manuscripts or books. Academics, authors and readers have added their personal thoughts to texts for centuries. Should we be writing in books, and what is there to be learned from someone else’s annotations? Alex J Coyne digs into the fascinating library of marginalia and why people make such notes.

Why readers and authors make notes

Annotations and notes are interesting and useful, and they potentially decode or interpret the writing for its next readers. Sometimes the first page contains a name, address or special message when a book is given as a gift. According to /r/BookCollecting, it’s a common phenomenon that second-hand book collectors will be familiar with.

Marginalia interpret or add to the text. According to /r/books/, one of the most common reasons people seek out books with annotations is to expand the reader’s point of view. Students, authors and readers might all annotate their books. Research has shown that students deliberately seek out notebooks with annotations, hoping that someone has made the task of summarising the text easier. Annotations have also reached TikTok and YouTube, where readers share books with interesting or unusual writing. Even though the common childhood lesson is not to write in books, annotations can make books more interesting and valuable.

Knights and snails: The weird past of marginalia

Marginalia have been with us for as long as manuscripts themselves, with classic examples of notes in the margins of books dating back to medieval times. Ancient examples of marginalia might have been used purely for amusement, as these digital manuscripts show hand-drawn pictures of knights and snails engaged in battle. For whatever reason, there are many illuminated manuscripts containing this quirk, with authors and illustrators having been aware that they were leaving these “Easter eggs” for future readers to find. Snails and knights, as far as studies can tell, were added just for the interest of current and future readers. Other illuminated manuscripts contain mysterious fairies or nymphs in the margins, while the Voynich Manuscript expanded upon drawing odd plants, pipelines and baths. It’s the ancient equivalent of the doodles someone might have made in a phonebook or textbook, except with some historical context.

Authors and annotations

One of my favourite stories about annotations is the tale of Anthony Hopkins, who was set to play Kostya in the film adaptation of The Girl from Petrovka. Initially unable to find a copy of the book in preparation for the role, he later found a discarded edition conveniently sitting on a bench on his way home. Later, Hopkins found out that it was the author’s personal copy, with annotations, which had been stolen from his vehicle – and presumably thrown out.

What could be better for getting to know an author (or a reader’s interpretation) than annotations? Edgar Allan Poe referred to marginalia as a “playground for ideas”. American poet Walt Whitman enriched his manuscripts with marginalia, collected at The Walt Whitman Archive. Annotations by Homer have also adorned copies of The Iliad, which can be digitally accessed online by those who don’t have access to a small fortune. Voltaire was also known for his elaborate annotations, offering an expansive commentary on his own work. Coincidentally, or perhaps not, he was also an obsessive coffee drinker whose consumption reportedly exceeded 40 cups a day.

Stephen King wrote the manuscript for The dreamcatchers by hand, as he was unable to sit for long periods at a time. The original, handwritten manuscript (with notes) is a collector’s item. Kurt Cobain’s Journals collected the musician’s writings and drawings, offering a rare perspective into what marginalia and scribbles had to say about his life. Many of Tolkien’s works contain notes, which further broaden the author’s personal thoughts.

Fans of Harry Potter should remember that Potter attempted to pass his potions class with marginalia from “the half-blood prince”. Almost any teacher knows the value of annotations and that students often chase after these textbooks first. The annotations within a book can be more valuable than the book itself, especially if the marginalia were inserted by the author.

Annotations: Connections between previous and later readers

Annotations and margin notes can also emerge from a famous reader, like in Vladimir Nabokov’s copy of The metamorphosis by Kafka. Beat Generation author Jack Kerouac left a surviving copy of An unpleasant predicament by Dostoevsky. There also exist copies of The annotated Alice, with some notes from the author. However, marginalia don’t have to be from the manuscript’s original author to be interesting or useful to the next reader.

The New York Times explores the value of classics published with academic annotations for added weight and context. As a student, I found that the academically annotated version of Macbeth made more sense than the text without the additions. Side notes and annotations, especially for classic literature, add context and detail that other editions might lack. For anyone who has read a book and practically memorised its contents, copies with annotations could be the next step in getting to know the text better. For students and academics, annotations and marginalia add depth and context to their journey. If the book is compared with a footpath, annotations might be likened to giving better illumination. If you think you’ve read your favourite book enough, it’s worth looking for annotated copies of any sort. Many books publish annotated versions and even collections of various notable notes from famous works. Annotations are a rare connection between previous and later readers.

The future of digital marginalia

Image by Pexels from Pixabay

Anyone reading this might be wondering about the future of marginalia, set against the backdrop of an increasingly digital world. Will marginal notes become less common over time as ebook sales increase?

Digital marginalia already exist, and anyone can add footnotes or annotations to files. For programmers, annotations exist in the form of code-embedded comments – in some cases, hidden jokes and commentary have delayed famous programme releases before being removed.

The fascination that comes with annotations and margin notes might outlive printed books. With no sign that the usefulness of annotations might stop, feel free to make your own notes in a book (or ebook) before passing it forward to the next reader.