Love is in the air and we know it. These days, more than usual, we see some advertisement of perfumes, another of chocolates, maybe some of jewelry … But if you are like us, that will not convince you. If you are a book lover like us (and you're reading this blog for a reason, aren't you? 😜) you probably know that there has never been such a good lover or friend more faithful than a good book.
If you are looking for a gift that truly reaches the heart of a special person, our proposal cannot be any other: give him a book.
Because when we decided to give it away, we are not only giving a conglomerate of pages, letters and words. We are sharing with someone a worldview of the world covered with stories, characters and literary landscapes that give our brain endless possibilities. And at the same time giving away a book is something very intimate because it speaks both of who gives it and who receives it, says what we are willing to show of ourselves and how we believe that facet can resonate with the other person and make it vibrate with the same story. So giving a book is also a symbol of the relationship between who gives it and who receives it.
And what is the best complement for a book? Well, a special dedication, of course. Some of the most sincere and powerful words have been written in the dedication of a book, because it is something intimate, somehow protected by the covers of the book and by the possibility that the person never reads those phrases. But at the same time we know that taking the time to choose the right words to tell that person why we have loved that piece of history of literature and not another, why for her and why now … Those words can accompany a person deep in your heart.
That's why in this post we present you 10 different styles of dedications depending on who will receive it, the type of the dedication or the occasion. So you can convey everything you feel and want to say.
Do you believe in love at the first page? We do. And with these dedications we can help you check it out for yourself. 🙃
one. Dedication for lovers
We couldn't start with another dedication, of course. No chocolates or anything. The conquest of the stomach is easy, but reaching the intellect of the person you want to fall in love with or who you are in love with is only a challenge for the most daring.
This is a very personal type of dedication and we would advise you to put aside images and recurring phrases of the type Without you I am nothing from Amaral … to give it an original and much more personal touch (which is what counts). If you give a book to someone you love, the book has a connection with you two. Use it. For example: "Maybe the Odyssey that I lived when I lost the train that had to take me to our first date was not so long, but of course, it was just as suffered. ”
2. Author's dedication
If a book is in itself a fantastic gift, imagine what an illusion to receive it with the dedication made by the author himself! If you have the possibility to get it, it is, without a doubt, the perfect gift.
You can try to catch the coveted lyrics of a writer at Book Fairs or major events like Sant Jordi. And we are sure that it will make your crush it melts. Let it not be said that you have not tried!
3. Dedication for occasional readers
It may be that your gift is addressed to someone who lives the passion for reading with another more leisurely intensity. In that case, the title or author of what you give him will tell him rather little or nothing about the reason for your selection. Here the best option may be to emphasize the interests that the person may have and that are in the book, so that he understands the reason for the gift. Something like "I know about your passion for mysteries and how you love to solve them, that's why I give you this black novel… ”
4. Dedication for the advanced reader
For those with whom you share the passion for literature. Here it may be interesting to focus our dedication on the reason for the gift rather than justification. For example: "I hope this novel expands or destroys the horizons of your own world of Science fiction… ” or "Here is the philosophical essay on aporophobia that you missed. I hope it enriches you… ”
In this case we can be as specific or convoluted (see the second dedication) as we want because, after all, we already know that this person has very specific interests and, with our gift, we are only fanning that bonfire that we already know that exists. And, believe us, it is a very good thing that we have that level of knowledge of the other person. It could bring us great things together.
5. Dedication in story
Maybe you also like to write. In that case, if you have a clear message and an interesting idea, you can dare with a dedication in which you explain a mini story that synthesizes everything you want to communicate.
Let's say, for example, you give a meditation book to a friend to learn to relax. Well, nothing better than creating a mini story where your friend is the protagonist and in which you tell a scene in which he enjoys complete stillness and inner peace. You will feel identified and relax before reading it!
6. Poetic dedication
Similar to the dedication in the story, a poetic dedication can capture powerful images and metaphors so that the event is a literary ‘product’ itself. In this case, unless you dare with your own poetry, you can look for a poem that has a close relationship with the theme or content of the book. For example, if we talk about literature, we could quote the great Pablo Neruda in a poem like this:
«So when the teeth of the literature
They tried to bite my honest heels,
I passed, without knowing, singing with the wind
towards the rainy warehouses of my childhood (…)«
Although if you are a genuine brave person, we encourage you to let your imagination fly and write your own verses. You probably won't stay like Neruda's but you can talk about more personal things, which have more meaning to both of you, and above all it will be much more valuable that you put the personal effort of writing literature for that special person. Do you know what they say is "worth a try"? Well, in this case, it's very worth it.
7. Dedication to launch indirect
Yes. How good are those books that serve as an excuse to launch hints or advice to friends or family. And if you accompany it with a dedication that has just emphasized the message (more than anything in case it has not been clear), then better than better. Let's say someone you know doesn't cook very well. You could dedicate the following:I trust this book so you can carry out the most important mission of your life: don't starve us (let me cook for myself). ”
8. Direct dedication to the heart: memory
Ok, yes, we already know that this title may sound somewhat ambiguous and that with all the previous dedications we also wanted to win the heart of that special person. OKAY. But we will explain what is special about this type of dedication. It is no longer just the dedication, but the gift itself.
We tell you with an example. Do you know those muffins that you ate as a child that were sold in the oven under your house and that on Sunday mornings your father was going to look for you to have breakfast together? And the great sensations that still come to you over the years whenever you accidentally smell a batch of freshly made muffins?
Well the same but with the books. If that person has ever told you that a book marked his childhood or that he read something that reached his heart at a certain moment in his life … bring that bit of his life and his memory to the present is a gift in capital letters, which will make him see that you listen to what he tells you, that you look at the details, that you have bothered to look for that book so old that it is not even edited and that you have also made a dedication that has just made it clear how special that person is for you. For example: “So that when you reread the stories of this bunny you will be the baby that leaped from puddle to puddle without caring what he should or should not do. I would love to jump in the puddles with you one day;) ”.
9. Short dedication
They say that the good if brief … And you know how the saying ends. If you don't have a clear idea about what to say or, on the contrary, you want to say too much, maybe cutting for the healthy is the best option. A dedication of a phrase is more than enough if your words encapsulate a good message.
It is not easy, but the result is worth it. An example could be: “May each page resist you in existence ” or "May this book be tender to you to bite loneliness. ” If we also remember that it is Valentine's Day and what better time than now to be a little more daring, we can complete the brief dedication like this: “May this book be tender bread to bite you to loneliness… And if it isn't, I let myself bite a little. Whatever it takes to make that smile look. ”
10. A great dedication for a small reader
There are families that include their children in celebrations of all kinds, whether wedding anniversaries or something smaller like Valentine's Day. But if there is a child in your family or environment, we believe that there will never be a better gift than a book.
Because how important are the first contacts with literature and what power they have when creating new readers. So if you are going to give a book to a boy or a girl who has just started in the literary universe, we recommend that you make a dedication that motivates him to continue reading and that he remembers with affection after a few years. In these cases, something brief and special may be the best way to dedicate: “May this book be the first of the many lives and adventures that await you in the world of literature. ”
Once that little reader grows up and remember that his love for literature began with a gift that you gave him, you will know that it will have been worth any time you have invested in thinking about the best dedication to give a book this Valentine's Day. And since we also love our readers very much, don't think that you are going to leave this post without our dedication for you:
"Between pink and pink, your majesty choose"
Francisco de Quevedo
Why this one? Because it belongs to one of the Castilian classics and we think it reflects our purpose very well when talking about books, writing about books, breathing books. ♥
There are a thousand options out there for each one of us. We just have to choose. And we are fortunate to have centuries of great literature. That's why we believe in him first page love.
For that reason and because the previous quote is not without humor, irony. They say that Quevedo told the queen when he wanted to win a bet with his friends and should insult nothing more and nothing less than his Real person. That's why he dedicated those words: "Between pink and pink, your majesty is-COJA." And is that the classics, the great stories that sometimes intimidate us a little … they are still real and human stories, with humor, stories that are waiting to be discovered by the reader of any time.
If you are still not sure which book you will choose to stamp your dedication, check out our selection of books to give on Valentine's Day. Will there be crush?
