New-York tribune., 1900-07-01
BOOK PLATES.
A SPREADING FASHION.
We London Daily News.


out knowing it. At any rate, the barbarous ex-
preston Ex-Lbris had not become current in
his day. In an entry dated July 21. 1868, Mr.
Pcpys writes: Went to my platemakeT, ana
there spent an hour about cOntriving my plates
for my books at the Kings four yards" And
becoming plate it is, reminiscent of the nature
of the Diarsts public calling. The Pepys book
plate has for its design two anchors. laid cross
wise, with the initials 5. Z. connected with
them midwisc, and cOiled cable for ornamental
border. a contemporary of the shady SamueIs
David Logan tells US that 1t is very much
used among persons Of quality to past their
cotcs Of arms before their bookcs instade of
writheing ther names" Book plates. then, were
fashionable more than two centuries ago. And
yet, when Society Of Ex-Librists was founded
eight years since, the fashion regarded a
novelty, and the members laughed AT
cranks. What had happened was first the
spread of a fashion. from the aristOcratic class
principally, to the we'll to do middle classes, and
all sorts Of people who cared. fancied they
cared for books; and next. a rush by collectors
for book plates owned by famous people, or de
signed by famous artists There arose a boom
in book plates The possession of tasteful.
characteristic owner plate FOR ones own books
IS OF course, a laudable desire. There is moth
ing faddiSh in it. But the collection Of book
plates like that of other curiosities became a
anId-lnSOmuch that some minds upset
by visions of a corner in Ex-Libris.' The So
called 'fad was so new that the general pub
Hc did not know what "A hook pIatc'-an ''E,x-
Ltbris-was. According To Mr. Egerton Castle
that learned and enthusiastic Fx-IibriSt. Ger
tam eminent men Of letters were equally in the
daFk- rev years ago your knowing collector
could pick up from the tWOpenny CT fourpcnnv
hoX oook plates that now would fetch scores Of
SulneaS each. An inquirer for book pIatps nj the
second hand shops ran the risk Of beina, offered
collection of ordinary engravings. The author
alTeauy named surmises that the first popular
definition of an Ex-LibriS was given in s.C'asscII's
Encyclopaedia Dictionary as "a piece of papcr
stamped and engraved with a name or device
and pasted in a book to show the ownership -
Inc Dook containing the plate may be of little or
no value But its plate may be the personal
characteristic relic of some historic family or
OF some man great in letters. OF in statesman
SNIP or IN war; and it may be the handfwOrk Of
an Ahrecht DuTer, a Hogarth or a BeyvicL In
course or time Mr.. Sherborns designs the best
produced in our day viii be as much lin re-
quest as those by masters of the past
Hlr arthur Wears. president of the Ex-Iibris
society. traces much of the popularity of book
piates IN the present day to the personal element
IN modern life. We this everywhere-jn the
chorhouS increase in personal journalism the
craze for interviewing and recording the nor
SGnal details of domestic life" DurfDe, tbrea
centuries or so book plates offered a compara-
lively narrow field for designers. For one rea-
son. they were mainly heraldic. The fashion
gre" win the popularizins of the engraver's art.
rms explains why the introduction of the book
plate fashion in America has been SO recent
Up 10 IS+U but few people in the States troubled
themselves about book plates. The ene,ravers
gradually prOpagated the taste giving the book
piaIe It's specially individual character. Indeed
how could it be otherwise? For in the States
iaInlly arms were about rare as ancient
castles Generally and heTaIdically speaking
Uncle sam could scarcely be said to have had
Srandialher He was beginning life, and for
family crest dollar would have served his pur-
pose as well any rampant beast A beast
more domestic than a lion a unicorn would
naturally be suggested the fitting 'Ex-IibriS''
for a collection OF books presented to a univer-
sity by a millionaire packer of Chicago But a
variant of the red hand and dagger might do
fairly well The day of indivduaIsm had
dawned; and exhibition of American book
plates would probably be a revelation of demo-
cratic variety and originality and of personal
assertion. 1t is an interesting reflection that the
book plate of . millionaire who yesterday was
baTman, and who from the point of view of the
HeraldS College. is Il nobody, may in the course
Of a few generations be ''evOlUted' into q family
emblem fit to take rank with the of any
arlstOcratiC Briton whose rObber ancestors came
over with the Conqueror The special charm OF
a modern book plate is supposed to consist in its
individuality. collector looks in il for hints of
the original owners tastes and occupations.
Public companies are following the fashion of
book plates. In these, too collectors will look
for historic significance Take an instance,
the book plate designed by Mr. Linley SambOuTne
for the library of the Oceanic. the newest vessel
of the White Star Line. The Oceanic. being
floating palace. furnished with every conceivable
means of recreation, has fine library, and
glOries in a most appropriate EX-Libris Mr..
SambOurne'S design has two seated figures.
Europa and Columbia. with a white shining
between them out Of the darkness. Beneath the
star is a picture of the famous steamer taken
from instantaneous photograph of the launch.
For the sake of a pleasant and genuine form of
art book lovers will be glad that Mr. Sambourne
has joined the ranks of designers of EX-LibTis-
1t is to be hoped that the fashion may do
something not merely TO arrest the decay, but 10
restore the arts OF the designer and euSrdVer.
Among the artists whose services in this direC-
ton are worthy of recognition Mr.. &. B. Shcr-
born zone of the most prolific Of modern book