During the Renaissance and early modern period, a type of journal known as a “commonplace book” became popular with students, scholars, and reading enthusiasts. According to the Harvard University Library, “a commonplace book contains a collection of significant or well-known passages that have been copied and organized in some way, often under topical or thematic headings, in order to serve as a memory aid or reference for the compiler. Commonplace books serve as a means of storing information, so that it may be retrieved and used by the compiler, often in his or her own work.”
