The Legend of the Bacon BookmarkbyLaine Farley
One of the themes I’ve found in researching bookmarks is the odd items left in books. I have over 60 references to articles, often in local newspapers. These articles are of the human interest type or sometimes are used to promote a library event, like a used book sale. I suspect the cub reporter gets the job of interviewing the library staff about these curiosities.
The list of found items ranges from expected objects like tickets, letters, grocery lists, bobby pins, photos and money to more unusual items such as bullets, condoms and a laminated cockroach. A recurring theme is finding a slice of bacon, sometimes cooked, sometimes raw. In one case it was described as "book jerky" because it had been in the book so long.
At first I suspected that the bacon bookmark was an urban myth, but there are those who swear it happened to them or to a co-worker or in England. I began to look specifically for stories about bacon used as a bookmark, and I found many including those at libraries in Salida, CO, Fort Lauderdale, FL, Danville, IL, Multnomah County, WA, Napa, CA, St. Louis, MO and Cincinnati, OH (the source of the “book jerky” reference). Libraries in Lincoln City, NE, Kansas City, MO and St. John’s, Worcester, England also boasted displays of their bizarre bookmarks. The oldest reference is from Omaha, NE which reported that the Omaha Public Library “has a new trophy in its collection of things used as bookmarks—a slice of bacon.” The article wryly observed that “the library staff will not undertake to preserve it.”  
Even the hallowed halls of academia have been sullied by the bacon bookmark phenomenon as reported in Harvard Magazine in 2001, although it allegedly occurred in Enfield, Middlesex, England, and at Columbia they were more likely to find a fried egg. Harvard’s best effort was a pink cake. A preservation librarian at Indiana University was so appalled that she called for establishing the Worst Bookmark of the Year Award after finding a Hostess apple pie inside a book. She also mentioned the legendary bacon bookmark. 
Last year, I was amused to see that Demco, a supplier of library products, sponsored a “Bacon as Bookmarks” contest where library staff could submit stories about the most unusual bookmarks they had found. The prize was a copy of The Bookmark Book. Sure enough, an Ohio librarian told of a book returned by a 6th grade girl with a piece of uncooked bacon in it. “When questioned, she said that her mother had been yelling at her to hurry up because they needed to leave. She grabbed the first thing she could find to mark the place in her book!” Finally, an explanation for how and why so many pieces of bacon have been entombed in books, and a lesson for us all to keep plenty of bookmarks near the kitchen table. As the British Library’s bookmark advises, “Save your bacon—use a bookmark."
Bookmark specifications: Bacon Dimensions: 2 1/2" x 6 5/8" Material: Stiff paper Manufacturer: National Preservation Office, the British Library Date: 1997 Acquired: Washington, DC Public Library gift shop Bookmark specifications: Holey Cheese, What a Bookmark! Dimensions: 2 1/4" x 6 1/2" Material: Stiff paper Manufacturer: National Preservation Office, the British Library Date: 1997 Acquired: Washington, DC Public Library gift shop Would you like a free bookmark from BiblioBuffet? Any book group, book festival, bookstore or individual who can use a bookmark is welcome to one or more. The front has our logo, and the back has our description and room for you to write your “BiblioThoughts.” If you are interested, send an email with your name, mailing address and the number of bookmarks you’d like. Nothing else will be sent, you won’t be bothered with any mail, nor will we share or even keep your address. This is a gift from us to you. Laine Farley is a digital librarian who misses being around the look, feel and smell of real books. Her collection of over 3,000 bookmarks began with a serendipitous find while reviewing books donated to the library. Fortunately, her complementary collection of articles and books about bookmarks provides an excuse for her to get back to libraries and try her hand at writing about bookmarks. Farley’s web site is Collecting Bookmarks (Physical, not Virtual) and she can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it |
