Book Microbiomes

This chapter posits the value of learning to read and interpret non-textual and even nonhuman markings—what we might call eco-annotations—on the pages of the aging books we investigate. Manuscript annotations in a book can reveal patterns of readerly use and interaction; similarly, biomatter on the pages of our books allow us to see unexpected patterns and gain new insights into book production, transmission, storage, and deterioration. My case-study here is foxing, the rust-colored blotches that stain the pages of books. After considering the ways book lovers, librarians, and scientists have attempted to make sense of foxing, I suggest a few approaches one might use to read and revalue biomatter in books as biodata: legible, living records that can reveal new insights about the history of books and about the ecosystems in which they are made, preserved, and eventually cease to be.