Attention Quote by Helene Hanff
“I wish you hadn't been so over-courteous about putting the inscription on a card instead of on the flyleaf. It's the bookseller coming out in you all, you were afraid you'd decrease its value. You would have increased it for the present owner. (And possibly for the future owner. I love inscriptions on flyleaves and notes in margins, I like the comradely sense of turning pages someone else turned, and reading passages someone long gone has called my attention to.)”
About This Quote
Source Book: 84, Charing Cross Road, 1970
Inscribing books adds personal value, linking readers across time and space.
In simple terms: Notes personalize books and connect people.
Key Takeaway
Add personal notes to cherished books.
Themes
literature
connection
legacy
Mood
nostalgic
thoughtful
Type
literary
personal
When to use this quote
- gift giving
- book collecting
- family heirlooms
Key Concepts
bibliophilia
personalization
history
Questions to Reflect On
- Do you value personal notes in books?
- How do inscriptions affect a book’s worth?
A Different Perspective
Not everyone appreciates added inscriptions.
![“[Mid-list writers are now] less greed on the part of both publishers and chain booksellers. It is easier for them to publish and sell only blockbusters and leave the real work to small presses.” quote by W. P. Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e21/w-p-kinsella-12923_blockbuster_mid-list-writers-are-now-less-greed-on-t_561911.jpg)
![“Neither men, nor gods, nor booksellers' shelves permit ordinary poets to exist. [Lat., Mediocribus esse poetis Non homines, non di, non concessere columnae.]” quote by Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/bd4/horace-172_booksellers_neither-men-nor-gods-nor-booksellers-she_23851.jpg)
![“I went to a mosque in Philadelphia with [my wife] in December 24, 1999. And we we went to this mosque in Philly, and I just had such a strong reaction to the prayer. And I was really emotionally - I felt really grounded at that time. And so to be in this prayer and the imam is doing the prayer in…” quote by Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d31/mahershala-ali-6687_attention_i-went-to-a-mosque-in-philadelphia-with_3083.jpg)
