Evening star., 1924-09-07

~ the establishment OF per-
Il sonal library, a library regu-
lated by ones tastes and |
financial resources. With such |
q library. whether 1t is large or
small. comes a certain pride of pos |
session, proper conceit of owner !
ship, which finds satisfaction and eX-
preston Of individuality in ones |
book -plate-that intimate tie between :,
the book and it's owner.
Additionally. book-plates themselves |
are intrinsicallv things OF beauty |
they are the owners stamp, the books
attachments.
DIR Dictionary" declares tirat "a
book plate is an engraving or printed
label. bearing a persons name and
decorative design. which is pasted in
side the front cover of "a book to denote
ownership.
The use Of book-plates is as old as
tie use of books themselves. Before
the printing press was devised. books
were drawn. letter by letter. from
cover to cover. the work being done
by scholarly monNs, since education
was little known out side of the church.
In those days there were no best
sellers To have produced a set of
Dickens would have required life
time of labor. \ book at that period
meant as much to the man who pro
duced il as would a masterpiece to a
modern artist and when a monk com
peted a volume it became the custom
for him to af1iX his name to it, as
painter to his canvas. the signiture OF
the religious taking the form of de-
sign at the beginning of the volume.
and into the design was worked some
motto or the insignia of his family.
Among book-plate designers are some
of the worlds most illustrious mas
ters-Durier, Holbein, Hogarth. Ameri-
n is cd Nv Do,
have come to think of Revere as a
bell-founder by profession. by-night.
cross-country rider, through point of
circumstances and Doetical adventure
But he was something of an artist and
book-plate designer as we'll.
Today the genuine affection for
personal bookplates amounts almost
to a craze. 1t has grown to such pro-
portions that nearly every owner of Il
library has his own bookplate. and
70 sti1l further the cult, to stimulate
interest. not only in bookplates but
In personal collections Of good books
an organiza ton known as the Amer
lean Society of Bookplate Collectors
and Designers was organized i'll
June. 1922. by Rev. Arthur Noll. canon
of ST. Mary'S Cathedral Memphis.
Tenn, and Washington man. Car
lyle 5. Baer of 1919 X street. DR..
Noll was made president and Mr.. Baer
secretary treasurer. with Elisha
Brown Bird of Elmsford " V, one
of the foremost living American de
signers. vice president. In addition
to these men, the board of governors
is composed of Frederick Charles
Blank. the engraver. Boston,: Mrs.
Frank d. Anthony. Albany: Mrs. Het-
tie Grey Baker. New York City. and
Mrs. Frank Shotwell. Omaha.
= :: :: ::
THE purposes of the society are.
first. to cultivate friendship and
mutual helpfulness among collectors
and designers of bookplates: second,
for the publication of a Semi-annual
exchange list for the benefit of col
lectors; third. for yearbook con-
tanning informa ton of interest TO col
lectors and designers. and. most i'm
portant, of all. for, the, formation of
three collections of bo9kplates.
OF these three collections. one was
destined a permanent group. to be
deposited at the Library Of Congress,
in the division of prints. The two
other collections We're to be desig-
mated as travelling loan ones. for the
free use of libraries, schools and
clubs.
Since the inception of the American
Society of Bookplate Collectors and
Designers the amazing fact stands
forth that a collection oil r2,20U Oh inc
finest bookplates in the United States
has been gathered, beautifully mount
ed, classified, indexed and placed on
exhibition at the Library of Congress.
Herbert Putnam, i'll accepting the ac-
QUESTION, writes to Mr.. Baer: ut Will
form a most Interesting and valuable
addition to our collections. and ] wish
TO add to the formal acknowledgment
this word of personal Appreciation.
This permanent collection at the
Library consists Of bookl.lates. books
on bookplates, catalogues, original
drawings, etc
The two travelling loan collections.
constituting 100 selected palteS each.
have been in cons ant use since the
fall of 1922 and have visited by re-
quest, such libraries as those at Vas
sar College, Amherst, Missouri State
Teachers Library, Sandusky Carnegie
Library. Kellogg Hubbard Library,
Montpelier, VT; Carnegie Library.
Pittsburgh: Public Library. Riverside.
Calf; University of Illinois,, Public
Library. New Brunswick, y. j.: Sim
mons College, Boston; Birnlin CHAM
Public Library and elsewhere.
With regard to these travelling col
lections, libraries and institutions are
supplied with them, without cost, in
rotation of requests. In Pittsburgh
the collection of bookplates created
m 1oh Sv,f a o-f hnf Il hnd