about this site

Commonplacebook.com has been in existence since 1994. Originally, the site was up at a URL at my service provider because it was really expensive to own a domain name in those days. In 1996, I bought the URL – commonplacebook.com.

Commonplace book (n.): an edited collection of striking passages noted in a single place for future reference. There was a time when commonplace books were a popular way for civilized men and women to record striking passages they found in their reading. Who can forget the electrifying effect that some thoughts have on us when we encounter them for the first time? The commonplace book is a way of memorializing those striking passages so that one can return to them for renewed inspiration.

My Policy on Site Comments

I very much appreciate people leaving comments on pages on this site. I love it that people other than myself read stuff here and are moved by it in one way or another.
Commonplacebook.com is my personal website, so I think of it as my real estate. I pay the bills to keep the site running, so it’s really not a “public forum,” but more like my front yard. If you bring me a plant for the porch, I’ll cherish it. But if you graffiti my house, I’ll clean it up.
So basically, I reserve the right to edit or delete comments that bother me in any way. If that’s upsetting to you, I’m sorry. You certainly have the right to start your own site and express your opinions there. I’d probably even read it every day.