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A lucky bibliophile is one who also has discovered the love of, the art of the bookplate. Bookplates can be intensely personal (as personal as the taste of the owner's library itself). They may incorporate monograms, figures or symbols that are important to the bibliophile, mottos or any element that is deemed shorthand for the owner's life. There are some fine, mass-produced bookplates out there that are tasetefully done and recall the classic woodblock print approach to the genre. There are also nice examples that are semi-custom, ordered from printers with one's name, etc. incorporated into a pre-existing design template (much like ordering custom stationery). There's also the wonderful adventure of having a bookplate designed specifically -- image and text -- for oneself.

A lucky bibliophile is one who also has discovered the love of, the art of the bookplate. Bookplates can be intensely personal (as personal as the taste of the owner's library itself). They may incorporate monograms, figures or symbols that are important to the bibliophile, mottos or any element that is deemed shorthand for the owner's life. There are some fine, mass-produced bookplates out there that are tasetefully done and recall the classic woodblock print approach to the genre. There are also nice examples that are semi-custom, ordered from printers with one's name, etc. incorporated into a pre-existing design template (much like ordering custom stationery). There's also the wonderful adventure of having a bookplate designed specifically -- image and text -- for oneself.



The earliest extant bookplate is from 1450 (above). Books from that time and for many centuries afterwards were primarily in the posession of only the rich or the scholarly. This was partly to do with the cost and care of manufacture (as well as the literacy rate). Before Guttenberg's invention of the printing press, books were transcribed by hand, and illustrated by hand. They were the mark of wealth or intellect, and more costly examples incorporated jewels and fine metals. The Duc du Berry's famous tome, The Book of Hours was a prayer book (many of the most richly ornamented examples were religious in nature) was one of the most expensive books of its day, and a tremendous source of pride to its owner. Its commission and cost distinguished him as a man of power and culture.

Because of the cost of books (and, at times, their rarity), owners took great care to identify their property. As early collections of books were frequently in the houses of wealthy nobles, the earliest bookplates incorporated a family's coat of arms (like Queen Victoria's bookplate, right). Later examples, fueled by the artful flourishes of calligraphy that were freely seen in the era of the handwritten word and letter were dominated by the owner's monogram. Now, as books have become more plentiful and less costly, it is the bookplate that has risen in value, and afficionados have begun to collect them in earnest. Organizations like The American Society of Bookplate collectors and Designers (1922) were founded as collectors became more numerous.

There's no one source for this type of work. Any sort of media is possible (oils, watercolors, pen-and-ink, woodblock, linoleum block). The first step would be to find an artist. Local galleries, art associations are a good start, as well as artist-centric Web sites like wetcanvas.com or bookplate.org. Prices vary widely by artist. You should both agree on a concept (an initial sketch, and a list of elements to include, correct spelling for all text elements). Depending on the artist and medium (the example at left is by artist Andrew K. Gott), you may negotiate more than one concept. After the work is done, it needs to be photographed, either digitally or with a traditional camera (which would then be digitized). From there it can go to a traditional print shop for reproducing. Some media, like print media (woodblock printing, linoleum block printing, etc.) allow multiple bookplates to be struck from the same master element. The finished bookplate will have a more antique feel, as the ink will lay on the paper instead of being laser-photocopied onto it.


Where can I find this?

http://bookplate.org/
http://www.wetcanvas.com/
http://www.agott.com/