& Robert Darnton
Robert Choate Darnton (born May 10, 1939) is an American cultural historian and academic librarian who specializes in 18th-century France1. He is a prominent figure in the field of book history and has made significant contributions to our understanding of reading practices, particularly in relation to commonplace books.
Darnton's career highlights include:
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Director of the Harvard University Library from 2007 to 20161.
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Professor of European History at Princeton University, where he taught for nearly 40 years8.
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Recipient of numerous awards, including a MacArthur Fellowship, the National Book Critics Circle Award, and the National Humanities Medal8.
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Author of over two dozen books on various aspects of French cultural history and the history of books8.
Regarding 202207081938 - Commonplace books, Darnton has written extensively on their historical significance and cultural impact. He views commonplace books as a crucial tool for understanding how people in the past read and made sense of the world around them. In his essay "Extraordinary Commonplaces," Darnton explains:
"Time was when readers kept commonplace books. Whenever they came across a pithy passage, they copied it into a notebook under an appropriate heading, adding observations made in the course of daily life5."
Darnton argues that commonplace books were not merely collections of quotes, but represented a "continuous effort to make sense of things10." He emphasizes that reading and writing were inseparable activities, and by keeping an account of one's readings, a person "made a book of your own, one stamped with your personality10."
Through his research and writings, Darnton has helped to revive interest in commonplace books as a subject of historical study. He has shown how these personal collections of knowledge can provide insights into the intellectual and cultural life of past eras, particularly in understanding how people engaged with and interpreted the written word79.