23 March 2010

RIP . . .ex libris?


i read. sometimes, i read a lot. and, more often in the past, i buy books. yet, i admit, that i never thought to use bookplates in my books. i've passed them in the bookstore, occasionally notice them in books, but i never thought of myself as a bookplate person.

and what does that mean, anyway? while on the googles after reading this article on the death of the bookplate, i realized that you don't have to be 'somebody' to use bookplates. as a matter of fact, it seems that'everybody' uses bookplates. even regular people, like you and me.

apparently, bookplates have been on the minds of several people lately. here's an article on bookplates from the irish times (yes, THAT ireland, where, as of this writing it is 8 degrees C in dublin which is the equivalent of the temperature here in greenville, sc. and, according to thomas cahill, "They saved the books of the Western world and left them as gifts for all humanity." but, i digress).

don't let names like rudyard kipling, charles de gaulle, george washington and harpo marx intimidate you. HARPO MARX!?!?!?!

maybe reviving an interest in bookplates will save the printed book itself? i doubt it. but a bookplating project for your own library? that's a good thing.

happy reading . . . no matter the format!

1 comment:

  1. You might also ne interested in my weekly bookplate blog
    Http://bookplatejunkie.blogspot.com

    Lew Jaffe

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