Commonplace Books

Listen to the Audio Overview podcast file above and read the blog below to learn how to make use of commonplace books with your students.

Marie Curie recorded her experiments. Thomas Jefferson collected ideas about democracy. Virginia Woolf captured overheard conversations. What do these brilliant minds have in common? They all kept commonplace books.

In an age of digital note-taking apps and endless bookmarks, there’s a centuries-old practice that deserves renewed attention in our classrooms: the commonplace book. Unlike a portfolio where students selectively choose their best work to showcase, a commonplace book is a comprehensive personal archive of learning—collecting all quotes, ideas, and reflections that catch a student’s interest and might be worth returning to later. This ongoing collection of meaningful passages and thoughts can transform how students engage with and retain information.

What Is a Commonplace Book?

A commonplace book is fundamentally different from a diary or journal. While diaries capture personal experiences in chronological order—recording what happened day by day—a commonplace book is organized around encounters with ideas worth remembering. It’s where individuals collect meaningful passages, quotes, observations, and insights they discover through reading and learning. These collections aren’t arranged by date but rather by theme, subject, or whatever organizational system makes sense to the keeper. Think of it as a personalized knowledge repository that helps students develop their understanding of important concepts and create connections between different ideas they encounter.

The practice dates back to ancient Greece and Rome, reached its height during the Renaissance and Enlightenment, and continues to inspire thinkers and writers today.

Historical Figures and Their Commonplace Books

The tradition of keeping commonplace books has been embraced by some of history’s most influential thinkers, writers, and leaders. Their preserved commonplace books offer fascinating insights into how they developed their ideas and craft—and several are available for public viewing today:

Writers and Philosophers

• John Milton organized his commonplace book thematically, collecting quotes about ethics, politics, and economics. He was particularly drawn to classical texts about virtue and governance, copying passages in their original Latin and Greek along with his own translations and commentary. His commonplace book, now held in the British Library’s manuscript collection in London, reveals his early development of the moral themes that would later appear in “Paradise Lost.”
• Virginia Woolf’s commonplace books, preserved in the Berg Collection at the New York Public Library, showcase her keen eye for human nature. She filled them with overheard conversations, descriptions of people’s mannerisms, and passages from her wide-ranging reading that captured particular moods or psychological insights. Her entries often focused on the inner lives of women and the subtle dynamics of social interactions.

Political Figures

• Thomas Jefferson’s literary commonplace book, held at the Library of Congress, reveals his deep engagement with Enlightenment thought. Beyond political theory, he collected passages about architecture, agriculture, and science, reflecting his diverse interests. He was particularly drawn to writings about natural rights and republican government, which would later influence the Declaration of Independence.
• John Adams and his wife Abigail’s commonplace books, preserved in the Massachusetts Historical Society and available digitally, show their shared intellectual life. John focused on legal precedents and political philosophy, while Abigail collected passages about women’s rights and education. They often exchanged their books, adding comments to each other’s selections.

Scientists and Scholars

• Carl Linnaeus’s commonplace books, held at the Linnean Society of London, contain detailed botanical observations and early attempts at classification systems. He recorded not just physical descriptions of plants but also their medicinal uses, local names, and habitat information, creating a comprehensive approach to natural history.
• John Locke’s commonplace books at Oxford’s Bodleian Library demonstrate his revolutionary organizational system. Beyond philosophical passages, he collected practical information about medicine, economics, and colonial administration. His entries show how he developed his ideas about human understanding through careful reading and annotation.

Artists

• Leonardo da Vinci’s notebooks, scattered across various institutions with the Codex Leicester occasionally displayed in public exhibitions, combine scientific observation with artistic exploration. His entries range from detailed anatomical studies and engineering sketches to observations about light, shadow, and human expression, often accompanied by his distinctive mirror writing.
• William Blake’s notebooks in the British Library reveal how he developed his unique artistic vision. He collected and annotated biblical passages, mythological references, and poetry fragments, often accompanying them with preliminary sketches for his illuminated manuscripts. His entries show the evolution of his personal symbolic system, combining text and image in increasingly complex ways.

Educational Benefits of Commonplace Books

Research and classroom experience show that commonplace books can offer distinct advantages over traditional note-taking methods. These benefits extend beyond simple information retention, helping students develop critical thinking skills and create lasting connections with the material they study. When implemented consistently, commonplace books become powerful tools that support both immediate learning and long-term academic growth.

Active Engagement with Text – When students maintain commonplace books, they transition from passive readers to active participants in their learning. The act of selecting passages worthy of recording requires critical thinking and evaluation. Students must consider what resonates with them and why, developing their analytical skills in the process.

Personal Connection to Learning – Commonplace books allow students to build personal connections with the material they’re studying. By collecting quotes that speak to them and adding their own reflections, students create meaningful associations that enhance both understanding and retention.

Cross-Disciplinary Thinking – One of the most powerful aspects of commonplace books is their ability to foster connections across different subjects. A student might connect a scientific principle to a literary metaphor, or link a historical event to a current news article. This cross-pollination of ideas helps develop more nuanced and sophisticated thinking.

Writing Development – Regular practice in selecting, transcribing, and responding to texts helps students develop their writing skills naturally. They begin to recognize effective writing techniques in the passages they collect and often incorporate these elements into their own work.

Implementing Commonplace Books in the Classroom

Getting Started

1. Introduce the concept by sharing historical examples and discussing the purpose of commonplace books
2. Provide clear guidelines/suggestions about what types of content to collect (quotes, ideas, questions, connections)
3. Have students use a spiral notebook and plan out what topics they might include in their commonplace books. Have them create sections in their notebooks for each of their topics.

Regular Practice

While it’s important to provide time for students to work with their commonplace books, it’s crucial to understand that not every class session will generate entries for every student. Unlike assigned journals or portfolios where students must produce regular content, commonplace books should only capture what naturally resonates with each individual student.

Provide opportunities for engagement without mandating entries:

• After reading assignments, allow time for students who encountered meaningful passages to record them
• During class discussions, let students know it’s fine to pause and jot down ideas that spark their interest
• When reviewing past material, encourage students to make connections with previous entries if they see them

Remember that some students might find several quotations or ideas worth recording in a single class, while others might not add anything for several sessions. This variation is natural and should be respected – the value of a commonplace book lies in collecting what genuinely interests each student, not in meeting quotas or maintaining a regular recording schedule.

When students do share their commonplace book entries with partners or in class discussions, emphasize that they’re sharing examples of what resonated with them personally, not displaying required work. This helps maintain the authentic, self-directed nature of the practice.

Digital vs. Physical Formats

While traditional commonplace books were handwritten, modern students might prefer digital formats. Both approaches have their merits:

Traditional notebooks offer: – Tactile engagement with the material – Freedom from digital distractions – Proven benefits of handwriting for memory and learning

Digital formats provide: – Easy organization and searchability – Multimedia integration – Backup and accessibility across devices

Let students choose their preferred format while emphasizing the importance of consistent organization and regular engagement.

In our fast-paced digital world, the deliberate practice of maintaining a commonplace book can help students develop crucial skills in critical thinking, reflection, and synthesis of information. By introducing this time-tested tool in modern classrooms, we can help students become more thoughtful readers, writers, and thinkers.

The commonplace book offers a powerful antidote to the superficial engagement often encouraged by social media and quick-fire digital consumption. It teaches students to slow down, engage deeply with ideas, and build meaningful connections in their learning—skills that will serve them well throughout their academic careers and beyond.

Start implementing commonplace books in your classroom this semester:

1. Schedule a 30-minute introduction session to show students historical examples and demonstrate how to select meaningful passages
2. Set aside 5-10 minutes at the end of each class for voluntary recording and reflection
3. Create your own commonplace book alongside your students, sharing one meaningful entry each week to model the practice
4. Connect with other teachers in your department to develop subject-specific prompts and discussion questions that encourage thoughtful collection of ideas
5. Share your students’ success stories with colleagues and administrators to build support for this valuable learning tool