I am going to be 73 in a few days and the only memory I have is of them being called "pocketbooks." No idea why that name was given to them but, if you think about it, wouldn't you rather be called a "pocketbook lady" than a "baglady." :-) Perhaps, when they were created, they were in the shape of a book and could hold things that you would normally place in your pocket. Is that "off the wall of what"? Your creation/pocketbook is beautiful.