By Barbara and Ken Beem You could just write your name in your book. But fortunately for the rest of us, readers and collectors of books for the past 500-plus years have found a better way to personalize their treasured tomes. They have glued onto the inside of the front cover a bookplate, an individualized marking, an ex libris. And while some people are focused on the books to which they have been affixed, there are others who want just the bookplate. When books were first available for private libraries, they were chained to something permanent, just as tea was once locked into a chest. What we take for granted today was a precious commodity years ago. And those wealthy enough – and privileged enough – to own a personal library full of books considered it a valuable thing. Of course they would affix their name to each volume. Years later, when corporate barons wanted to display their wealth, as well as showcase their culture and decorative sense, they filled libraries in their huge mansions with books. A large percentage of these mostly leather-bound volumes were probably never read, nor were they collected in a conventional manner. Instead, agents were routinely sent to the Continent to procure entire libraries that were just as much for show as were the marble busts and porcelain vases displayed elsewhere throughout the mansion. No matter. The bookplates were a way to identify the owners and, additionally, make the books seem more special. About a century ago, someone decided that bookplates were appealing, not only for their historic value, but also for their aesthetic beauty. And bookplates became a collecting category unto themselves. It would be nice to say that this was the beginning of a new craze. But according to Lewis Jaffe, a Philadelphia resident who is a respected bookplate collector, this simply is not the case. There are, he estimates, only about 200 people in America who actively collect bookplates, although collectors can be found in many different countries. Still, “for the lack of a better word, it is a gentlemanly hobby.” Imagine collecting something where there is a genuine camaraderie between enthusiasts. “This is not a hobby with fierce competition,” he said. Although auctions can spark a flame between two people who both want the same thing, this is an exception rather than the rule. In fact, for those who wish to begin their own collection, fellow collectors are generally a useful resource. Jaffe has been collecting bookplates for 35 years or more. Long interested in ephemera, he cannot remember when he decided to focus on bookplates. “As to a precise moment in time, I don’t remember when it was. Something, somewhere, perhaps it was a specific graphic, appealed to me. “I must have seen something at a paper show or something and thought, ’Isn’t that pretty?’” Jaffe said he probably did some reading on the subject to learn more and then, “one thing led to another.” Now, collecting bookplates is “a huge part of my life.” In the beginning, bookplate collecting is not an expensive hobby. Beginners often procure a few bookplates and then connect with other collectors. Soon, they are trading duplicates. Because some bookplates can be purchased for a dollar or less, this does not require a major financial outlay. Those seeking bookplates, particularly those new at the genre, can often get a start on a collection by attending a good paper show. Jaffe noted that on the East Coast, there are sizeable shows in Allentown, Pa., and Hartford, Conn., but there are others in other parts of the country and beyond. At a show, dealers are likely to exhibit bookplates in binders, frames, or boxes. Because it is the graphics that generally attract new collectors, they often find themselves simply buying anything that is visually appealing to them, continued Jaffe. At some point in time, though, collectors begin to concentrate on a category. It might be a specific artist. Or it might be a thematic interest. Jaffe noted that many people specialize in bookplates with illustrations of owls, and many Spanish collectors focus on Don Quixote. Or perhaps it is a certain point in time or style, featuring, for instance, Art Nouveau or Art Deco design elements. “This is when collecting bookplates begins to become an expensive hobby.” Jaffe, who now focuses on 18th century American bookplates, is on the hunt for those associated with historical figures like George Washington and Paul Revere. Because there are collectors who seek anything related to these and other famous personages, the crossover-collecting factor drives up the price. For an example, Jaffe said that anything relating to Nathaniel Hurd, a noted engraver and contemporary of Revere, is considered desirable by many silver enthusiasts, thereby elevating the price of bookplates for which he made the engravings. Indeed, buyers often seek items that “transcend bookplate collecting,” and this is costly. Bookplates are “99 percent of the time” made of paper, but Jaffe has seen examples made of parchment, leather, and fabric. As to the method of printing, it can encompass engraving, woodblock, and pen and ink: “any way something can be printed.” Although self-adhesive bookplates were introduced in the latter part of the 20th century, “a fine book owner would not be interested in using them. They tend to disintegrate and damage the book.” Determining a specialty is not the only choice a bookplate collector has to make. Because some bookplates are found still attached to the inside of a book, the decision has to be made as to whether that plate will be removed or the entire book will be saved. “If it’s a banged-up copy of a Reader’s Digest book that you got for 50 cents, this is a no-brainer. And if it’s something from George Washington’s library and there are little notations sprinkled throughout the volume, it would be criminal to separate the bookplate from the book,” Jaffe said. But most cases fall somewhere in between, and it is left to the historical discretion of the collector to make the call. If the decision to remove the plate is made, there are several methods by which this can be done. The most effective, in Jaffe’s mind, involves boiling water, paper towels, and tongs. Because the glue used to attach the plate is water-soluble, this is usually not a difficult process. The procedure is not unlike removing a wine label from a bottle. Condition of a bookplate is more important to the collector than the condition of the book in which it is found. Sometimes, though, bookplates come with an unwanted musty odor, one that can infiltrate and ruin an entire collection. There are numerous ways to cope with this, Jaffe said, including the use of kitty litter or bleach. Collectors do not seem to agree in general which way is best. Nor is there any one method of storing and displaying a collection that is favored by all. “There are probably as many methods as there are collectors.” Follow Lewis Jaffe at http://bookplatejunkie.blogspot.com. He recommends the following two organizations for collectors: The American Society of Bookplate Collectors, www.bookplate.org/ and The English Bookplate Society, www.bookplatesociety.org |