Earlier this week, Vol. 1 Brooklyn ran a post about the telling nature of literary tote bags which we couldn’t help but love over here at Flavorpill. And, since imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, we decided to do a spin-off for today. Are you ready for a brief follow-up quiz, readers? We certainly hope so.
1. You are a financially successful urban dweller who loves to travel and who reads this almost-monthly lifestyle magazine for young professionals with an interest in design and global affairs. You probably wear a pair of “architectonic” glasses and are an irrepressible Anglophile. Praytell, what tote do you carry?
Image via neuronwave’s photostream
Answer: Monocle
2. You are an eager acolyte of Dave Eggers and probably volunteer as a writing tutor at one of the 826 locations across the nation. You also love this monthly magazine because it’s “quirky,” and because you couldn’t get enough of Sedaratives or Nick Hornby’s “Stuff I’ve Been Reading” column. You probably also want to ensure that a hip person of color screen-printed the bag “lovingly” in San Francisco. What tote bag could you possibly carry?
Answer: The Believer
3. You are a loveable curmudgeon who supports independent publishing houses and enjoys literary fiction, non-fiction, and poetry from authors near and far. You’ve probably read Heinrich Böll or Jean-Christophe Valtat and don’t mind attending crowded readings in DUMBO. What tote bag do you carry?
Answer: Melville House
4. You wish to appear witty and urbane when shopping for organic produce and jam, so you carry this tote during your trips to the grocery store. Even though you are often frustrated with the fact that this publication is a weekly, and therefore incredibly difficult to keep up with, you still manage to read a 10,000 word article about the current state of the banana industry when you get the chance. What tote bag do you carry?
Answer: The New Yorker
5. You have vaguely socialist beliefs and like to support the underdog, not-for-profit publishers which are constantly on the verge of collapsing, due to the fact that they are “committed to publishing in innovative ways works of educational, cultural, and community value that, despite their intellectual merits, may be deemed insufficiently profitable by commercial publishers.” What tote bag do you carry?
Answer: The New Press
6. You enjoy reading books in translation and are probably a world-weary polyglot, though you’ll feign modesty and say you’re French is “barely passable.” You also don’t flinch when someone says they enjoy “high-end mystery and noir” because you feel the same way. And, if you were in New York last week, you probably went to their literary quiz night and won a few of Alina Bronsky’s shot glasses. What tote do you carry?
Answer: A wrinkled Europa Editions tote, of course
7. You are an urban dweller committed to supporting libraries and you’re not afraid to show it through your tote bag. You’ve probably spent a few hours in the Rose Main Reading Room, or you’ve at least wandered through at some point to gaze at the oak tables and 52-foot tall ceiling depicting “vibrant skies and billowing clouds.” What tote bag do you carry?
Answer: The New York Public Library
8. You love political satirists and frequently go to readings at a certain big box bookstore, where you pick up paperback editions of popular fiction and nonfiction titles, or while away the hours in their café before you have to meet a friend in Union Square. What tote do you carry?
Answer: Barnes & Noble’s Stephen Colbert Tote Bag