This book is for W.R., to whom I wish all good things presents 4013 written dedications that were found in books held by the Utrecht Public Library in its English Fiction section.
It contains 7079 titles, 5809 of which I consulted between 20 February and 5 April, 2017, and 1270 of which were either lent out or misplaced.
The order of the presentation follows the one in which the written dedications were found, on shelves marked from A to Z, but detached them from their original setting:
an almost empty page amongst the first few pages of a book, revealing words that cannot be unwritten. No changes were made to the wording.
The dedications vary in style, length and character. What they do have in common is that they refer to a story outside the book: private chats are made public, being both exchangeable and recognizable.
