Confessions of a Bookplate Junkie: Bookplate odds and ends 5/17/2015

Saturday, May 16, 2015

Bookplate odds and ends 5/17/2015

Let The Buyer Beware

Shown below is President Herbert Hoover's bookplate.
" The artist Henry B. Quinan made the original drawing for Mr. Hoover's bookplate and incorporated into the design the wonderful title page image from Ein N�tzlich Berg-b�chlein. Quinan retained the antiquarian feel of the early-sixteenth-century mining scene by adding architectural elements in the frame with gnome-like miners at work. Hoover's initials can be seen in the monogram HCH at the bottom of the design."
You can more detailed information at this link:

https://www.ischool.utexas.edu/~lcr/archive/bookplates/33_2_Hoover.htm

This bookplate is currently on Ebay. It is described as follows :

President Herbert Hoover Bookplate and Cut Signature

I sent the seller this information :

"Can you recheck your research regarding this bookplate?
President Hoover's middle initial was C not H
The bookplate shown looks very amateurish and is not shown in any of the
reference books in my library.
Thank's for your help."
Lew Jaffe "

This is the response I received:

Dear bookplatemaven,

'Given the provenance I would say that it was President Hoover's bookplate regardless of the "C". This collection included over 400 signed letters and other ephemera belonging to Hoover's life long friend and secretary. Whoever made the bookplate probably made a mistake. Or. maybe Hoover or Lewis ran across the bookplate and kept it as a novelty. (I'm going with the mistake by the maker)"