Ex Libris Collection
The Ex Libris Collection consists of nineteenth- and twentieth-century bookplates from private and institutional libraries. Little is known about the history of the collection, but according to an entry in the Report of the Pratt Institute Free Library from June 30, 1918, the decision to being collecting and exchanging bookplates began in 1918 and likely continued through the 1930s, though there is no record of when the library ceased building the collection. The plates feature finely detailed engraving and etching, and serve as outstanding examples of period book art and typography. Represented in the collection are prominent American bookplate artists such as William Fowler Hopson and Joseph Winfred Spenceley, as well as important Dutch, English, German, Hungarian, Swedish, and Spanish artists.
The physical collection is currently housed in the library's Special Collections and may be viewed by contacting speccoll.library@pratt.edu to make an appointment.
For inquiries regarding permissions and use fees, please contact: rightsandrepro.library@pratt.edu:.
Image Credit: Bookplate of Esto Vigilans by F. Francini, 1935. Pratt Institute Libraries, Special Collections.
Learn More - Books from the Catalog
- American book-plates; a guide to their study with examples. byCall Number: 099.3 A425APublication Date: 1968 (Reprint of 1894 edition)
Learn More - Online Resources
- Ex Libris ArtWhatever your own specialization, this website is a place to share our love of ex libris through images and historical articles. It has also been designed to help you track down items available online for your own collection, such as heraldic ex libris with personalized coats-of-arms, ex libris designed by artists and typographers, or bookplates of famous writers, collectors and even celebrities.
- The Bookplate SocietyFounded in 1972, The Bookplate Society is the direct descendant of the world's first such organisation, the Ex Libris Society, 1891-1908, and its creation and successor, the Bookplate Exchange Club. So in 2012 we celebrated the Society's 40th anniversary. Our purpose is to encourage the production, use, collecting, and study of bookplates. We achieve this through our publications, lectures, visits to collections, members' auctions, social meetings, and exhibitions.
- Wikipedia Entry on BookplatesA bookplate, also known as ex-librīs [Latin, "from the books of..."], is usually a small print or decorative label pasted into a book, often on the inside front cover, to indicate its owner. Simple typographical bookplates are termed "booklabels".