A long tradition in literate cultures, commonplace books (as they are known in England) point to the human need to acquire and notate life as it happens. Writers are heavily weighted in the world of commonplace books. Their love of language, life, observation and search for meaning brings many a writer to the level of hoarder of words, ideas and meaningful quotations.
In Italy a commonplace book is called a zibaldone, which translates to “hotchpotch” or more commonly known “hodgepodge”. The meaning of which is “a confusing mixture.” Perhaps to the historian who finds it, but a commonplace book is a repository of experiences and formulas and ideas as they happen across the author’s life. They have a meaning, confusing because there is no indexing or ordering. One page has a quote from Plato, the next page a sketch of a tree, the next a grocery list. The confusing mixture releases to us the workings and experiences and interests and demands of the author’s life. The confusing mixture is a delicious stew of deep significance to that one person’s life and gives the researcher a beautiful tasty look into their life.
In the Middle Ages, commonplace books called florilegium or “gathering of flowers” focused on religious topics.
These days we have Twitter, Tumblr, Blogspot, WordPress and Facebook. For the more private collectors, there’s Evernote and DevonThink. Even with all those possibilities, I still find it useful to carry around a thin Moleskin journal and scribble observations, quotes and doodles by hand.
Harvard University has copies online of commonplace books from the 16th to 19th century and from many different countries. They are fascinating to look at. You can find them here: Harvard University Open Collections Program
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