Bookplates
By Edward Almack
Published by Methuen & Co: London 1904 1st Edition
"Bookplates by Edward Almack is a scholarly and engaging study of the history, design, and cultural significance of bookplates, written at the height of the late Victorian and Edwardian revival of interest in book ownership and private libraries. Almack approaches the subject with both antiquarian care and aesthetic sensitivity, tracing the development of bookplates from their earliest European origins through successive artistic and heraldic traditions. The work situates bookplates not merely as marks of ownership, but as reflections of personal identity, social standing, and artistic taste across centuries.
The book is organised thematically and chronologically, examining early German and English examples, heraldic and armorial plates, Chippendale and crest designs, and the evolution of modern bookplates at the turn of the 20th century. Almack draws on examples from notable collections, including those held by the British Museum, and discusses prominent engravers, patrons, and styles with clarity and authority. The volume is illustrated throughout with forty-two examples, which serve to visually reinforce the text and provide a valuable reference for collectors, designers, and historians of the book.
Published in London in 1904 by Methuen & Co., this is the first edition and forms part of the attractive Little Books on Art series, here in its original gilt-decorated blue cloth binding. Both informative and visually appealing, Bookplates remains an important early reference work on the subject and would particularly appeal to collectors of bookplates and ex-libris, bibliophiles, and those interested in the decorative arts and the history of private libraries."
Light wear and fading to covers and spine. Pages with subtle age toning and all illustrations present. Binding very good. A nice copy in very good condition overall. Please study photos to further understand condition.
