Barking Bookplates I

Barking Bookplates

By

Millicent Vetterlein

(Reprinted with permission from “Bark”, Summer ’04)

In the 16th century, hounds, whippets and books were the SUVs and diamonds of European nobility – these most visible badges of affluence, prized by owners, are now esteemed by collectors the world over for their identifying tags and labels.

Safeguarding and identifying such cherished possessions as a hound or a Bible in the Middle Ages crated a new métier for artists and artisan. The need for a metal collar or a customized bookplate became occasion to decorate and adorn. Thus, a miniature art from emerged. A coat of arms might embellish a metal collar or become the ornamentation on a newly acquired manuscript.

While countless tapestries show the ornate wide collars of the hounds, the 550-year-old history of the emblem of identification known as the ex libris, or bookplate, is less well-known.

Primarily a European phenomenon, bookplates evolved from coats of arms to become far more illustrative labels. Usually placed on the inside front cover of a book, the words ex libris (meaning “from the books of …”) would be printed or scripted, followed by the owner’s name or signature along with a design or image – together forming a kind of monogram, or a literary tattoo. Within a framework of several inches, these delightful, expressive paper rectangles often told a story or held a secret. And in every period of plate making, one can find canine images. Pedigreed patricians, humorous mongrels and specific pets are all represented.

Barking Bookplates II

No wonder the canine image has been chosen by so many booklovers for their plates – the dog is almost universally symbolic of protection, fidelity and duty, as well as companionship. Well-know bookplate designer and collector Edward Gordon Craig observed, “A bookplate is to a book what a collar is to a dog.” People who cherish both books and dogs are reluctant to part with either without promise of safe return.

While artistic value of bookplates had long been appreciated, it was not until just over a hundred years ago that plates moved from functional private ownership into the hands of collectors.

Today, societies of collectors exist in more than 50 countries, and Internet correspondence makes collecting easy. Most plates, including historic ones, can be purchased for under $10, making them a very affordable collectible. Distant friendships grow as one expands a collection, or focuses on a type, a theme or a breed.

Barking Bookplates III

Artists are still creating these miniature works of art. Methods of etching, woodblock and silkscreen are popular, along with traditional printing techniques and even computer-assisted creation.

A commissioned plate in a limited edition signed by the artist may fetch several hundred dollars. Plates not used in a personal library can be traded to launch a collection.

Designing one’s own ex libris – or “Ex Webis” for Internet junkies – is also possible. The designing of a plate can involve a wonderful collaboration with an artist. (this booklover’s bonus has not been lost on the past few centuries’ weather folk, who’ve commissioned designs from artists and engravers such as Albrecht Dürer, Marc Chagall and Kate Greenaway). The unique result is often a memorial to a special pet or a celebration of the dog in one’s life – Call of the Wild author Jack London used a picture of a wolf on his bookplate. But whatever one’s interest, the bookplate aficionado will be warmly welcomed into this growing collecting specialty.