Here’s a little stick of curly maple, edges rounded, inlaid with brass stripes, crafted by my friend, Jerry Collins (the one who built my standing desk). He calls it a “doodad,” but it works for holding a book open. Of course, some books seem to come with a built-in bear trap hidden in the spine, causing them to spring shut at the slightest opportunity, and this is too lightweight a thing to work on a book with that obstinate a disposition.