In search of the reperior anonimus

by gwenwifar
July 22, 2004

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Ah, the reperior anonimus, that shy and elusive creature that remains a mystery to us all, though we are often allowed a glimpse at its presence. Commonly known as the AnonymousFinder, the reperior anonimus is a little known sub-species of the Homo Bibliophilus, the Common Booklover.

There are three sub-species of Booklovers - bibliophilus bibliophilus, the Common Booklover (BL), bibliophilus liberator, the Bookcrosser (BC) and the reperior anonimus. All sub-species are indistinguishable from each other and Homo Sapiens Sapiens, Common Man (CM) until confronted with one or more books. Then the species are easily identifiable. CM will commonly just glance at the book(s) and move on. BLs will normally take a closer look. They have been observed browsing titles and authors, reading back covers and even scanning a few pages. Then if the book is found pleasing, the BL will take it to his/her nest. BC on the other hand, will take just about any book, often hunting them down, while BL merely pursue them. Bookcrossers are also known to look for or add numbers to books and obsessively keep track of them. BC are the only BL sub-species known to leave books they find satisfactory behind, a phenomenon known as release, or to share them amongst themselves freely.

The reperior anonimus is much harder to identify, as AFs exhibit mixed behaviors. AFs will act as a BL (or even CM) in the presence of a book, but occasionally will adopt BC behavior when confronted with a release (we will call this a find). It is unclear how this influence works, but it seems only partial as, though the AF will go as far as to take the book and add to the on-going records kept by BCs, they will not keep such records for their own books, or join BCs in their releasing, or in fact any other, activities. AFs are also not known to hunt or even pursue books, though, since AFs only reveal themselves briefly and in a protected environment, it is hard to know. One of the greater mysteries surrounding this species is why this influence doesn’t extend further. We will attempt to shed some light on this mystery by watching CM and BL, the groups of potential AFs and BCs, react to their first find.

The first find

It is a little known fact that all BookLovers, BookCrossers and AnonymousFinders start out as Common Man. Then a small (and getting smaller) section of the CM species, for reasons not very clear, respond to an attraction to books and become BLs. This usually happens over a long period of time and requires evolution in most cases, though it has been known to happen instantly. Whether this change (and those to follow) was dormant in the CM’s genes all along, or was brought about by outside influences is unknown. However, it is not possible for this change to occur without the presence of books.

Some BLs are then exposed to BCs. These are rather common, though largely unknown to CM and BL in general. This contact may happen in various ways. The BL may come across the BCs HQ by accident, or be led there, or even find the BC records while digging through other pages, but the preferred method is a find. The BL, or less commonly the CM will find the release and then some will take the next evolutionary step. This is not without some complications, however.

“Should I turn it in somewhere?”

For the CM, releasing something of any value is unthinkable. So every CM’s first thought is that somebody must have lost the book. They will most often leave it where it is, be it for lack of interest or in case the person who lost returns to look for it. This is where we begin to separate those who are destined to evolve to some degree from those who will remain CM. The hopeless CM will not even look at the book, or read the sticker on the cover. Some will read it, but are strangely unable to understand it.

“But it says here, “I’m not lost””

Since nothing comes from nothing, if the book was not left by accident, i.e. lost, then there must be a string attached. Maybe you’ll somehow be charged for this book later. Maybe you’ll get a ton of junk mail every day for a year. Maybe there in anthrax or a bomb inside (they are making them smaller and smaller these days). Maybe somebody with a strange sense of humor is waiting around the corner for you to pick it up to accuse you of stealing it. Better leave it alone. Some may decide to take a chance and take the find home, but most seem committed to keeping it a secret. The tracking numbers are never used, and outside their circle no one is to hear of this find. These may eventually evolve into AFs or even BCs in time, but most likely will remain CM. The odds that this transformation will occur are greatly increased if the finder is a BL, rather than a CM.

“When do you want it back?”

Even when BC try to tip the odds through means of a controlled release (directly giving the book to someone, rather than leaving it to be found), and explain the concept to someone they think will relate, there are those who will never grasp the idea. They will always want to know when BCs want the book back, or keep books that were meant to be free on their shelves, never to be opened again. The best these can aspire to is AF status, but more likely than not, these too will remain CM or BLs.

“Great concept”

There are those who do grasp the concept. Some will journal the find, add to BC records, probably even release the book again, but stop at that. They like the idea but have no inclination to be a part of it. At least, for the time being. These are AFs. Given the time and the opportunity they may evolve into the final stage, BC. However, if the evolution stopped at AF the first time, it seems unlikely that it will continue at a later date.

The best finds transformations to watch are the instant BL to BC. These are rare, but occasionally, BL will see the book and something just falls into place. They read the label, the covers, the sticker, the label again, examine the number and scan a few pages. Surprise. Interest. If you’re lucky you may see a new light in them. It may a cheap novel found by a 18 year old BL, a book you know they’d never read, but yet they take the book and proudly walk off with it. You know the transformation is complete. There walks a BC. Most often however, the find is just the beginning. It is unclear at this time what happens during the next few minutes/hours/days, but when this individual emerges, the behavior is completely altered. Never will the new BC look at a book the same way again.

“So now what?”

So now that we have the taxonomy sorted out, we propose to observe as many of our finds as we can, and keep records of our observations. Maybe by cross-referencing our notes with the journal entries, or lack thereof, we can come a step closer to the biology of that elusive species, the AF.