The Library History Buff
Promoting the appreciation, enjoyment, and preservation of library history
Library Bookplates
Collecting bookplates is a collecting interest for a significant number of people and can be a serious undertaking. Collecting institutional library bookplates as opposed to private library bookplates is a less costly undertaking. Both library bookplates and library bookplate collecting have been around for many years. I was fortunate enough to obtain a collection of library bookplates that was assembled by Essae Martha Culver who was executive secretary of the Louisiana Library Commission and later Louisiana State Librarian. She retired in 1962 after 37 years of service and died in 1972. Most of the bookplates are from the late 19th century and early 20th century. Some examples from the Culver collection:
This
bookmark which is part of the Culver collection is for the remnants of the
personal library of John Adams which is housed in the Boston Public Library.
There is a national traveling exhibition entitled
"John Adams Unbound: On the Road!" on the
John Adams Library that will be displayed at twenty libraries from 2009-2012.
Other bookplates:
Bookplate used by the American Library Association's Library War Service in World War I. There are several different bookplates that were used.
I
almost destroyed this bookplate for the St. Louis Mercantile Library trying to
remove it from a book. It's so elaborate, I couldn't resist trying. I included
it in a philatelic exhibit on mercantile libraries. For some good advice on
removing bookplates from books take at look at
Book Collecting Basics by Lew Jaffe.
A
bookplate for the George T. Turner Philatelic Library, a private library that
has been dispersed. Brian Birch is a collector of bookplates used by philatelic
libraries and maintains a
website which shows many examples.
Bookplate Links:
The Libraries and Culture Bookplate Archive
Lew Jaffe's Bookplate Blog: Confessions of a Bookplate Junkie
"Bookplate Collecting Basics" by Lew Jaffe
Lewis Stark Bookplate Collection at the University of New Hampshire.
American Society for Bookplate Collectors & Designers
Bookplate Registry at the University of Notre Dame
This site created and maintained
by
Larry T. Nix
Send comments or questions to
nix@libraryhistorybuff.org
Last updated: 04-13-09
© 2005-2009 Larry T. Nix
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Library History Buff Blog.