What is a bookplate?
A bookplate, or ex libris (latin meaning from the library of), is a label placed on the inside of the front cover of a book to identify the owner of a book. These are often decorative and in the past were considered a form of art. Bookplates have become an object of collecting, often times with the bookplate itself worth more than the volume in which it is attached. Check out the blog of Confessions of a Bookplate Junkie for some beautiful pictures, descriptions and tales of bookplate collecting.
The American Society of Bookplate Collectors and Designers (ASBC&D) was organized in 1922 to further the study and collecting of bookplates. Today, the ASBC&D membership includes more than 150 individuals and 50 institutions. The purposes of the ASBC&D as stated in the first Year Book are: “To cultivate the spirit of friendship and mutual helpfulness among collectors and designers of bookplates; and to assist in the further development of the bookplate.” The history of the bookplate as well as an abundance of information about famous engravers and designers, collecting, and bookplate images of well-known readers can be found at Bookplate.org.
Bookplates are invaluable to the avid reader who likes to share and borrow books. Never again can you forget who a particular title belongs to – and hopefully your books will have the same benefits from bookplates.
Check out these site for custom, affordable bookplates:
If you search online, there are also sites offering free, printable bookplates that you could print on sticker paper.
Rather than put bookplates on all my books (I have a few), I keep a pile of my bookplates on my bookshelf and before lending a book, stick one inside the front cover or one of the beginning blank pages. Since I started using bookplates, I have noticed a better return on the books I loan. The presence of the bookplate serves as a gentle reminder to the borrower of the book – and makes it so you don’t have to hint to for a book to be returned (I am not good at that!).
Bookplates make great gifts. If you are buying a present for someone who loves to read but are wary of picking out a book, a bookplate is a unique, personalized gift that shows a lot of thought. Bookplates last the life of a book, so your gift will live on and be remembered whenever the reader picks up a book with their plate in it.
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Oh my gosh I found this post fascinating! Thanks for sharing the history of this and those bookplates are so beautiful! What a great idea to have your own to put in a book before you lend it out!
I had no idea!!