Wednesday Word: Marginalia

marginalia |ˌmärjəˈnālēə|plural nounmarginal notes.ORIGIN mid 19th cent.: from medieval Latin, neuter plural of marginalis, from margo, margin- (seemargin ).

Writing into a book seems such sacrilege, and I rarely do it, but I think it can also raise the value of the book on a personal level. Especially if it's by somebody you know, perhaps a long-gone relative. Those notes on the margin give a glimpse into the mind of the person who left them. Reading is an intimate experience and reading the marginalia is like reading a diary.