The Todd Blog

Julie over at Lone Prairie had a contest. The point was to explain in which book you would place a custom-designed bookplate and why. The winner of the contest received a complimentary, custom-designed bookplate that they could place in the aforementioned book, and others, if inclined.

Well, I won!

Julie Neidlinger, designer, artist and blogger supreme, is designing me my very own bookplate. And I’m ecstatic.

Here’s my winning entry:

If I were to receive a complimentary bookplate, I would affix it to my AP Stylebook. I know…I know…it’s not romantic or whimsical or any other positively wonderful adjective to describe the type of book in which one typically puts a bookplate. But it is my most treasured tome. Without my stylebook I am as useless as a telephone without an “8” key.

But much bigger than my personal effectiveness, the stylebook speaks to a time in our history when there were standards and clearly defined parameters for behavior. Today, we are seeing a lawless land full of lawless people — mostly on the blogosphere — showing no respect for the grammatical foundations our forefathers (Strunk and White, Turabian, et al) laid. With my stylebook in hand, I ensure that at least one corner of the vastly expanding blog-world will be free from major grammatical oversights and improper state abbreviations.

Julie is crazy creative and I’m sure she’d be more than willing to design a custom bookplate for you — at a nominal fee, of course. Head over to Julie’s blog and peruse her posts. You won’t be disappointed – and you may win free swag. I’ll be sure to post the final creation when it’s complete.

Thanks Julie!

Happy Halloween — if you’re into that kind of thing. If not, Happy Reformation.