The E-Sylum:  Volume 10, Number 6, February 11, 2007, Article 13

THE ART OF THE EX-LIBRIS

We've had several discussions about bookplates in the past, and I
recently came across a web site devoted to the art and collecting
of bookplates.

"The close relationship between the Ex Libris, Books and the Bibliophile
has been an established tradition over the centuries since the invention
of the movable type in the XVth century, by Guttenberg [1]. Without books
and bibliophiles who love them, there wouldn't have been ex libris, at
least till recently, as we will discuss later.

"Indeed, ex libris - Latin expression meaning «from the books of…»-,
or bookplates, as they are called in the English language, were born
out of the need to identify the book's ownership being thus a sign or
mark of ownership of books that compose one's library.

"As a mark of possession, it begun to be a manuscript inscription with
the owner's name or his owner's hand painted armorial. But after the
invention of the printing press, ex libris became a small printed label,
pasted into the volume's back cover binding, bearing its owner's name
and a sign of personal identification, usually an armorial device
artistically executed through wood cut or wood engraving process
begun to be used."

To view the web site, see: jvarnoso.com/exlibris

  Wayne Homren, Editor

	coinbooks.org Web

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