Ex Libris: The Art of Bookplates

A bookplate, or Ex Libris, is a small print for pasting inside the cover ofa book to express ownership. The first books were highly valuable andprestigious objects to own, hence the first bookplates usually incorporatedthe decorative coats of arms of the fabulously wealthy. By the latenineteenth century, bookplates had developed into a highly imaginative formof the engravers and printmakers art in miniature. This delightful bookshowcases bookplates drawn from the rich collections of the British Museum,including works created by some of the most talented artists of their day,such as Albrecht Du rer, Edward Burne-Jones, Aubrey Beardsley and EricGill. Equally it shows how the content of bookplates has evolved over theyears to feature a vast range of allegory and symbolism often incorporatinga pun on the owners name uniquely relevant to that individual. For example,the bookplate for a professor of Sanskrit features Hindu imagery, while aVenetian publisher is associated with a lion, the symbol of his city.Endlessly diverse, surprising and touching, this is a book that will betreasured by art-lovers and book-lovers alike.