THE BOOKPLATE

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 85, 7 October 1933, Page 14

THE BOOKPLATE

A MODERN KEVIVMj

THE TREND OF DESIGN

•The , fashion is slowly reviving for; book-lbyers to have their-own' bbok-i plates, : and, to a minor extent," to collect the bookplates of their friends; and relatives and those bookplates of a bygone,day which may still be:acquired by : exchange or _ . But ...since: -the war bookplates 'have ;,fallen.; : 'iiitO; such disuse that a'generation.thatknew has: almost forgot ten, them,and we hayemany now who 'haye.' never ; seen s y and; barely heard of - this method of mark-; ing', their .owiv books witlv-'their name: oh: an .. artistically' decorated piatc,: writes. Boyd Cable in the ' i Manchester Guardiaiu" -. ■■ •' -.■■- '{': -. ' ' ,"".'■-',

■ 'The Ex-Libris Soei^etyj which■, published a journal, that ran. for years,' has1 ceased to exist, arid .its eighteen volumes can. now only lie' obtained at second-hand b00k5h0p5.....':.,. There is no other society here, so far as I.know, to keep alive the fashion of using and collecting bookplates, although, rather curiously, both in Australia, and, New Zealand,: as well as,in. America,, thero are flourishing '; Ex-Libris or bookplate societies which even, through thi' recent spell of depression" managed to keep going, to maintain or' even ; increase their membership, and- to. hold exhibitions ■or publish booklets showing new designs.. - '. '.'. ,-.-'. ''. '.'.... V Although for centuries' it was the fashion for bookplate design'; to' ;be armorial or. heraldic, aiid; : there ■ are some who retain this ..old. fashion in the reviving one, the-: more general-trend is for the' design to illustrate a, personal occupation or pleasure; or : tendency of the. owner. Sometimes.{ the older and-, tho • newer. fashions . are .blended,, and : a good example, of this Way be. seen in- a- bo'okp'la.te of' the Prince of Wales's.; The plajte, pictures an open old-world lattice : window, flanked on' both, sides "by the" ends -of laden..bookshelves. . Seen through the window is' ( a brig ''under; sail' £a '■ reference to tlio Prince's nautical service and his wide travels), r a;id in the foreground of -the'little picture 'isj'a 'desk with ,a: large "book open upon it-so;.as to display 'on the two facing pages a monogram'''.E."iand,'the: three feathers and "Ich Dien" crest and motto. MIDWAY FASHION. The'inclusion of. a tow .or pile of books might be called a'midway fashion between the armorial —which goes back three to four centuries—and the personal," so that here tho three noimai types are brought neatly into tho ono bookplate. The inclusion of an opeu window in the design ' is ,common, mainly*, no doubt, because it allows the artist to picture some^outdoor interest, and also to-bring in a number of. objects indicating the indoor works or pleasures of the owner. It used to be an almost invariable rule that "Ex Libris" or "Out of the Books of" or "His Book ".should bo attached to the name of the owner, but iif'a number of the latest designs now being printed this is diopped, and only the name is given. And in some esses a dosign js used which -is merely decorative and does not appear'to hkvo any personal connection with the ownei.

Collectors nowadays, .are inclined'to specialise and. to concentrate their efforts on finding specimens of armorial plates, or "Jacobean," "Chippendale," or other lccognised types which belonged to certain periods;'while others hunt for nautical, military, or sporting plates in which the illustration is

based;'on or includes ;■» .nauticai'i.or other item. That of the Princie,.vfo^ example, might V come "under nautical, as would any of the niany. others: which; ■depict: ar-coat' of -arms !in< whiel] i-JB.Xio.ieta. isiof.a- galley or aaehor or . naval -cro iwn,' o.r - other >;nautical object. ~-«„,••:'....■•■■•. - r ,■ Other ,collectors look, for .plates -of any age 'which have- a' c'onnectidn with; their own family. Those .who;.ca,ri trace their family' and it:s ■connections .back. for: even a few: generations, hare » richer field for ; collecting than they might suppose. , Fifty to ,a -hundred years ago the fashion was 'almost a* rule that a family had its .bookplata or! "Ex Libris." ■ '. • ;'..■; OROWINO SMALLBR. ; Tho style of _ ; today, tendsVtowar t ds a small bookplate ;rather; than; ;a • large, f hrec to three and a half 'inches square or oblong being about the limit to allow a reasonable niargiu outside the prinieil portion. When ..pasted; in Tthe-... normal novel-sized book. which^for many '.generations' 'hid to> be 'usted'^for prinJ;ing,--.are' : '''Btilinh.'Tfavbtff;\;.T)fc'a!usa tlie'woodcut lends itself'to ",tl|e 'bold and distinctive design, which-beQqnies the artistic plate.: Lino,printing.-and stencilliiig:are also 'in. spme.faVour»\but many who wish' to 'own - a T 'bobkplato and have to find an artist -to • desiga one : for them get the< drawing; ntade in pen and ink; and have a plate made and prints taken;.by their own printer ia the present-day,methods. ;..;:' There are several ways in which;the collector may pursue his hobby.: Tha most laborious; which' still mayi yield the richer prizes of rare old "plates', is to;hunt through, the stock in the stjeondhand bookshopsVand stalls, -and either buy the book .or bargain for^the pjato from'it. -In making any Biich^search, remember •. that in old .books ■■ a-plate may - ; be found either ."in th;e ,normal position inside tli'b front cover, or' insifle the back cover, and sometimes in/both. Those, with a, longer purse "than;patience may buy-Whole 'batches' of plates from dealers' specialising'in Hheni, or may buy other.. „people's.:. ; collections that ,cOme into'the auction-room,; or. may adrertise-'f§r - what' thefy.-want in1 particular. But the-: average .col* ■lector • follows .'an - easier ). course .'than either of these: two. c If; h^'has; not a bookplate he; gets one designed1 and ipririteclJ Then he ■■ Writes.to.;all 1 ,'friend« • and' -relatives .or" almpst., any,ollo .bb'ithinks.' nvay*owtt f .aj bookplate, encloses a print of this, qwn,-.says he is collecting, : and, begs the favour ,of van exchange. '.•..,., ;.„., !; ;