Have you ever used a book stand?

I borrowed one once, when I had hurt my arm. I couldn’t stand it. The problem, at least with the one I had, is that it had one angle only; not adjustable. So you had to be sitting just so, at the right angle, in order to get a clear view of the book. This was a clear plastic (shaped plexiglass) bookstand with brass hinges.

And to sit at that angle, I had to be at a table in a particular way, which wasn’t the way I normally sat.

Summary: I can see how it would be useful but it wasn’t right for me.

I have several of varying sizes. They were a habit I developed way back in high school & college before computers. The portable wire ones were invaluable when doing research for papers in libraries. They keep an open book on the pages required and restrict those pages from flapping around. The wife has a great book stand with a clear acrylic shield to prevent ingredients from splattering on the pages of her sacred cookbooks, and we have a beautiful pedestaled oak book stand in my room on which the big atlas lives.

I want to thank you for the inspiration solving my puzzle of a Christmas gift for a certain individual.

It also occurred to me that it would make the perfect gift for someone who does a lot of reading.

I haven’t ever used one, but the arthritis in my hands makes it tempting to try one.

I have arthritis in my hands and they tire trying to hold a book open. After much searching on internet I happened on this site: http://www.ezbookclip.com/ Its been a God-send! I use it all the time! They also have little rubber tips so the clip doesn’t tear pages. This is a small, and I think family-owned business. It shows a picture of a clip holding a tall book open and standing.

That looks like a VERY useful invention. Wire (email) those folks & demand your commission. I’m certainly gonna throw some business their way!

@si3tech, That is an ingenious device. My only concern would be how easy it would be to prop the book up at an angle. It seems that the book would just slide along whatever is propping it up.

I bought my mother a device that was designed to hold up a book for you while reading in bed. She couldn’t get the hang of anchoring it to support a heavy book, and neither could I. I do better just using a travel-size pillow beneath my arm.

Reading is such a personal thing that I think it would be a good idea to know something about a person’s reading habits before being sure what’s a perfect gift. I, for instance, virtually never read while sitting up straight, and never at a table.