In an age where everything is increasingly digital, why do we love paper so?
It’s the delicate scrollwork of a printed design. The fragrance of a leather book. The way a thick sheet of paper folds under your hand, pushing back up at your fingers . . .
What do I bring home from Florence? Paper, gloves, and wine.
Florence is famous for two kinds of paper designs: the printed variety, inspired by traditional Renaissance patterns, and carta marmorizzala — handmade, marbled paper.
Florentine paper history: travelers first brought marbled paper, “Turkish paper” or ebru (art of the clouds) to Florence in the 16th century, and it was not long before local artisans began producing it. Florence is now one of the few places in Europe still making hand-marbled paper. Giulio Giannini e Figlio, founded in 1856 and located across from the Pitti Palace, is the oldest marbled paper maker in the city.
In Venice, I found a shop with leather books, journals, Murano glass writing pens, all hand tooled. The quality of the work, really breathtaking. I brought a small journal back for a friend, and one for myself. The books were so very beautiful, I doubt he has used his. I know I have not. It’s a thing to remember, that when a notebook is so special, one hesitates to mark in it . . . it defies rough drafts. It asks for Shakespeare. Who can live up to that?
My mother says that my family has always had the book disease. In college, I would go hungry to buy a book I wanted.
Fine paper and books bring pleasure to those who love them.
Independent booksellers are jewel-like. They offer a curated selection of books — it is as much about what is not there as it is about what is there. Which edition of a classic book did they choose? How are things displayed? What volumes are next to one another? These bookstores offer the serendipity of finding things we might never see otherwise.
The Faulkner House Bookstore is one such favorite. Shakespeare & Company in Paris. Front Street Books in Alpine, Texas.
My book disease is a problem as I downsize my life. My daughter has one more year in high school, and rather than rattle around in a large house for another year, we are moving into a condominium. I may not be retired yet, but downsizing my life so that I can travel more is an appealing idea. But going from a 3500 square foot house to a 1400 square foot condo presents challenges – downsizing many possessions, but not with choosing which furniture to take.
It’s the books.
Who comes? What goes?
Yes, I use the Kindle app on my iPad, but the books we choose to live with say something about us. And the physicality of being in the room with books is most definitely not the same as having the collection digitally. Library you say? Well, if I were better at returning things, perhaps.
Even with the downsizing move looming, my daughter Catherine and I brought home another half-dozen books from the Faulkner House Bookstore when we were in New Orleans. She picked up a lovely edition of Pride and Prejudice. You’ll see the the same Canterbury Classics design for Persuasion to the left.
My husband Drew loved American history — particularly biographies of the presidents. When I look at his shelves of books — at Doris Kearnes Goodwin’s Team of Rivals, and Gore Vidal’s Lincoln, I can see him.
Books tell stories about various points in my life. The group of art history books and a collection of Edith Wharton remind me of my college years. Percy Shelley brings to mind the crazy, deconstructionist professor ranting in front of the class. I see the yellowing paperback of A Moveable Feast, and all of a sudden I am at Shakespeare and Company when I was seventeen. George Whitman sold me that book.
What to let go of? It’s not so easy.
Drew’s brother Eddy has worked on his own library with these criteria, choosing particularly good editions of books, gradually getting rid of poor paperback copies. I think that’s going to my strategy for culling down collection: creating an elemental collection of editions of the books I want to live with, using digital editions of books when it makes sense, and selling books back to the second-hand bookstore.
I leave for Italy in two weeks, and I will inevitably come home with more paper. I use Florentine stationery for notes at work, birthday greetings, small thank-yous, and the notepads for lists and thoughts. The sensuality of the thick, creamy paper with the delicate designs pleases me. I will go visit the man of the leather books in Venice. I promise to share . . .
Thank you for visiting!
I’m writing and traveling full-time now, and if you like my work, please subscribe to my blog via email.
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Additional Information on paper:
McDonnell, Sharon. “The Magic Of Marbled Paper.” National Geographic Traveler 28.2 (2011): 29. Hospitality & Tourism Complete. Web. 15 Apr. 2016.
Lumsden, Susan. “Marbled Paper from Florence.” The New York Times 13 December 1987
I enjoyed reading your piece of writing, was very interesting, I wish I could also listen to it. Thank you Ann for bringing such lovely inspirations to minds.
Thank you — perhaps one of these days, I’ll bite the bullet and learn pod-casting :-).
Reblogged this on Dream Big, Dream Often and commented:
I pulled this lovely post from the archives on Ann Cavitt Fisher!!
I loved reading your post as it so speaks to listening. Thank you.
Thank you for reading and for your kind comment.
I’ve tried reading books digitally, but it always seems as though I’m cheating myself out of the experience. It sounds like you may have the same issue? Good read!
Thomas, I feel the same way. While I do read books on my iPad, I would much prefer to hold the real thing. It simply isn’t the same.
Ciao! I loved this article! And I, too, love paper. I don’t think of myself as a collector, but I can’t stop at least looking at all kinds of paper and notecards, never mind buying writing paper, notecards, journals,or any other paper that I find that would make for a memorable message to someone. We had the opportunity to visit Prato, Italy four years ago this coming fall. I had purchased two handmade leather bound journals prior to our trip. One, I used to write in while we were there. The other still sits unmarked up in the bookshelf beside my bed. I don’t know when it will be used. It may just sit there, waiting patiently for a good story to line its pages. Grazie mille!
Grazie a lei! I’m in Venice now, and yes — there is more paper coming home with me. I am visiting the leather bookstore later this afternoon to take pictures of the owner and look forward to sharing later. Your untouched journal will undoubtedly be used at just the right time for just the right thing.
That’s beautiful paper. I have a ton of books too. A lot of them I haven’t yet.
Buon Viaggio!! How wonderful!
Grazie mille!
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Nice! I have been waiting for new posts from you! 😉
I’m living in box city as we work on unpacking . . . finally calm enough to began writing again :-).
Well, I’ll be waiting… By the way, I was nominated for the Liebster award! Ain’t that awesome?
Very interesting, I also watch for bookmarks. I found some special ones in turkey.
Yes, they can be lovely. I also love just the bookseller’s bookmarks — finding one in a book years after you’ve bought it — transports you back to that place and time.
Lovely post and I must I’m the same with notebooks if they’re too beautiful I couldn’t possibly write in them. My favourites are the ones that are just covers and you can change the paper inside.
That is a brilliant solution. I’ll look for one on this trip.
I can’t reply with a pic otherwise I’d show you but I had one made for me. So useful and your work always looks pretty ?
Just put a post up with a link to yours pic inc. 🙂