“When we are collecting books, we are collecting happiness”-Vincent Starrett

A few years ago, a friend told me that if a person owns 1000 or more books, they can consider it a library. Obviously, my new goal was to reach this number and have my own little library at home. Buying books is definitely a separate hobby from reading books and I soon noticed that I was a bit obsessed with both- my friends call me a bookworm but at heart, I am more of a book dragon, someone who hoards books. For me, Starrett’s quote hits deep because my collection does bring me happiness, both while reading and just by looking at my shelves. But I realised rather quickly that it was not just about buying new books but also about connecting with the books I had already read. This meant that if I truly love a book I desperately need several copies. This was when I discovered special and collector’s editions– books with sprayed edges, maps, hardcovers, paperbacks with different covers, character art on the pages, etc. Many books have not only one version depending on the publisher’s decision, book subscription boxes or because different countries decide to release different versions. Personally, I own about 7 different copies of Pride and Prejudice and aim to collect every version of the Letters of Enchantment Duology. It is definitely a commitment but since the books had such a great impact on me I feel like each version carries a different piece of myself. 

Many small businesses have started to paint the edges of books themselves. This offers a truly unique copy of the book. This could be something fun to do in the classroom as well- students come up with ideas and design their own special editions or sprayed edges based on their reading experience (on paper rather than actual copies). Here, it would be interesting to discover different interpretations or impressions the book left and it could then be used as a great starting point for discussions.

Here are some of my favourite special editions:

“There are bits and pieces of yourself scattered in every book you read“- Unknown

Special Editions are not the only way to create unique books or extend the fictional work. Harry Potter, Star Trek and Star Wars, Wednesday, Emma, Maneskin and Song Mingi. But what connection do books, tv shows, movies, bands and Korean Idols have? All these different media carry a great fanbase, communities that try to creatively and actively participate in their fandom’s world. The first time this phenomenon gained a lot of attention was with the Star Trek Franchise, fans from everywhere started writing fanfiction, and creating fan art or merch and through this, they kept the fandom alive even when the official story was already over. This participatory culture found its origins in the development of the technological and online sphere. Today participating in a certain fandom is rather easy due to the countless social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok or even ArchiveOfOurOwn. But how exactly do fans contribute to their fandoms and what impact does it have? As already mentioned people can create their own fanart by drawing or painting the characters or specific scenes. Here, it is interesting to see the different perceptions of the characters as everyone has a unique reading experience so the given attributes for each character can be perceived completely differently every time. This does not mean that some people did not read carefully enough or are wrong but just that they imagined the character this way. Sometimes artists even purposefully change a character’s features to either look like other characters living this specific scene or to project themselves into it.  This makes the characters appear in real life and not only on a book’s page, they do truly become alive. Another way to expand the duration or length of a story is by writing or reading fanfiction. Here, writers can rewrite scenes or create new ones modelled after canon facts or the big what-ifs. The newly created narratives are not entirely connected to the original work but fans take inspiration from them to write something new. Fanfiction can be seen as interesting and refreshing as it highlights the story world and its characters and gives them a certain kind of movement instead of remaining static texts- it offers new dimensions. Here, people can interact with the original texts which makes the whole ordeal appear more vivid and real. 

Participatory or fan culture can also be an interesting topic for classroom discussions. It has become such a vital part of digital life that everyone has come across it in some way. Here students can brainstorm and collect forms of fanart they have encountered before. It is surprising to see how much it is present in our daily lives. Other fun and interactive exercises would be acting out scenes or writing tasks. In year 6 we read Wilhelm Tell and our class did not understand the story so no one participated in class. To change this our teacher sorted us into groups and assigned one scene for each group to prepare. Because we only had to focus on one scene we had more time to actually understand what was written in it and by learning the text by heart, acting it out and even preparing props we started to think about it on a deeper level. Everyone uniquely prepared their scene, some groups just acted out the text, and others rewrote it so it would be easier to understand. In the end, everyone saw a visualised version of the complete book and class discussions became easy as we were part of the preparation process and had the ambition to learn and understand the German classic.  Another task my English teacher in Years 11 and 12 continuously gave us was writing about the books and texts we had to read. The Importance of Being Earnest? “Please choose one of the following characters and write a letter from their perspective. What would they write about? Who would they address the letter to? What emotions would they show and what tone do you have to use?” Walkabout? “Imagine being one of the siblings and writing about your thoughts and emotions” Ready Player One? “Rewrite the ending. What would you like to add to it or cut out?” Shakespeare’s Sonnets? “Rewrite your chosen poem using a language register you would use among your peers.”

And there are many more opportunities to create an interactive learning environment when talking about fan and participatory culture which might help motivate students.

Are you a bookworm or a book dragon? Maybe both? Do you collect several editions of a book? What is your favourite special edition? Have you ever created fanart? What do you think about participatory culture?

Lisa A.