Confessions of a Bookplate Junkie

This Week In Bookplates 1/22/2012

2012-01-23T12:00:00.001-05:00

I received the following e mail from Michele Behan

"Apparently, I've been a little lax in keeping up with your blog, because I just now noticed a post you made on June 15, 2011 asking for help with mystery bookplate artists. I don't know how I missed that post the first time around.

Anyway, in that post, you showed a bookplate for Gertrude Brown signed by a mystery artist named J.K.

After I enlarged the image, I noticed that the initials were made on opposite sides of the bookplate, with the J to the left of the nameplate and the K to the right of the nameplate.

That is the same style of signing and the same initials (J.K.) as on my Ellis Parker Butler bookplate:"

It is very hard to see the initials .without a magnifying glass.
The J is to the right and beneath the left circle
The K is to the left and beneath the right circle

PBS station KCET is doing an excellent three part blog about Olive Percival.It is very informative.

Here is the opening paragraph followed by links to the first two postings.

"Who is Olive Percival? An author? A gardener? A toy maker? An advocate for suffrage, animals and trees? A collector of Japanese art? An insurance clerk? A photographer? A bibliophile? A designer of paper dolls? A curator of bookplates? She was all of these and more. UCLA librarian Lawrence Clark Powell likened her to a modern-day Emily Dickinson, while writer Hildegard Flanner positioned her as "a prominent figure in Southern California." Assembling a list of Percival's attributes runs the risk of omitting key details about this multifaceted personality. Yet it is a risk worth taking to ensure her place among the respected artists of the Arroyo."

Olive Percival in her garden

http://www.kcet.org/socal/departures/landofsunshine/highland-park/who-is-olive-percival.html

http://www.kcet.org/socal/departures/landofsunshine/highland-park/olive-percival-artist-in-the-arroyo.html

This tissue paper bookplate from my own collection was done by Olive Percival for Clare Ryan.

Clare Ryan( Talbot) later wrote Historic California in Bookplates.

The photo below is of Clare Ryan Talbot (age 74) taken during the Jack London Square book show.

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Mystery Bookplate

Does anyone out there know anything about this bookplate ?

It is American, probably early 19th century and the owner's name looks like Gandy.

Your help is always appreciated.

Bookplatemaven@hotmail.com

See You Next Week.

The Bookplates of Donn P Crane

2012-01-13T08:15:00.005-05:00

Christmas card by Donn P.Crane

Bingo- The internet paid off again.
Several weeks ago I wrote about Guthrie Y Barber's bookplate by D.P. Crane .
A few days ago, to my delight and surprise I received an Email from the artist's grand daughter, Ann B.Crane.
How thoughtful of her to contact me . She took the time to send bookplate scans along with some very useful links.
Her grandfather's full name is Donn Philip Crane
Here are some of the bookplates he designed.

The Artist's Bookplate

His Son's bookplate

His sister Bessie's Bookplate
His Daughter Betty's Bookplate

Guthrie Y. Barber was a family friend,
The next two plates are from Crane's brother in law's family

I copied the biographical information shown below from this site:
http://www.biographicalwiki.com/index.php/Donn_Philip_Crane_%281878-1944%29

Donn Philip Crane (1878-1944)

Donn Philip Crane
from babylonbaroque.wordpress.com
Born:	1 Sep 1878 Springfield, Missouri
Died:	22 Apr 1944 Chicago, Illinois
Father:	Day Otis Crane
Mother:	Georgianna B. Morhisen
Siblings:	Donn Philip Crane Bessie M. Crane
Spouse:	Alice Florence Jones
Married:	11 Oct 1911 Chicago, Illinois
Children:	Betty Crane Donn Philip Crane

Donn Philip Crane was born September 1, 1878 in Springfield, Greene County, Missouri.

His parents are Day Otis Crane and Georgianna B. Morhisen. He had one sister,Bessie M. Crane.

Donn married Alice Florence Jones October 11, 1911 in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois.

They had Betty Crane and Donn Philip Crane.

Donn was one of the first American Fantasy Artists. He illustrated children's books.

Donn died April 22, 1944 in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois. He is buried at Oak Woods Cemetery.

[

Leonard D.Greco Jr. is a lifetime fan and admirer of Donn P. Crane . Here is a link to the very informative blog he wrote about Mr. Crane and his book illustrations.

http://babylonbaroque.wordpress.com/category/donn-p-crane/

Thomas H. Buchanan is an artist/blogger who also wrote about Donn P. Crane.

http://mydelineatedlife.blogspot.com/2010/11/man-who-lived-in-world-of-dreams.html

If you have any Donn P Crane bookplates or ephemera in your collection please send a scan and it will be added to this blog posting.

Bookplatemaven@hotmail.com

One final note. I encourage you to send me information about your bookplate collection so we can include it in one of the upcoming collector profiles.

Do Not Disturb Signs

2012-01-08T18:02:00.005-05:00

If you are in the Seattle Washington area you might want to visit the Davidson Gallery to see their bookplate exhibit. Alternatively , follow this link.
http://www.davidsongalleries.com/subjects/exlibris/exlibris.php

I purchase cardboard Do Not Disturb Signs when I see them at paper shows.Most of the ones I have accumulated were used between 1930 and 1960..It may have something to do with the fact that I was a travelling salesman for over fifty years and spent an average of two nights a week in a hotel or motel..
In any event these paper trips to another time are fun to look at ..

1/9/2012 Here are some links I found after my initial posting.

Some offbeat adult do not disturb signs.
http://motella.blogspot.com/2011/12/more-disturbing-do-not-disturb-signs.html

Edoardo Flores has an impressive collection of do not disturb signs from many countries..
http://www.freewebs.com/dndcollector/

Here is a link to the vintage signs at another collector website..
http://www.hoteldndsigns.com/Categories/vintage.htm

Embassy Suites do not disturb design contest (ended) -winning entries
http://www.embassysuitesdndcontest.com/

The sign below this caption is one of my favorites.

If I had more disposable income I would be dangerous

2012-01-01T05:45:00.005-05:00

A new year and so much to be done.

Yesterday, I spotted a "silver bookplate " and decided to dig deeper.
http://www.adrianmorrisantiques.com/blog/2011/12/very-rare-silver-bookplate-dated-1763/

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE
I have no intention of buying the item shown above but am interested.because I have never seen one before.
My reference books were checked and I came up with nothing.
I then questioned two bookplate authorities Anthony Pincott and John Titford to whom I am always indebted.
This was Anthony Pincott's response :

"Cross with radiance, above a Chippendale cartouche bearing the inscription “Hunc Librum D.D. Teresa Wakeman de Aldridge in Agro Staffordiensi A.D. 1769”, with two winged cherub’s heads below. Eight holes for pins.

I think that what we have here is a plate that was once part of the binding of a religious book, maybe a Bible. Not surprisingly, a treasured book such as a Bible would be bound more sumptuously than ordinary books... It is correct to regard them as rare, but they fall into the category of superlibros rather than exlibris.

Concerning the inscription on the silver plate illustrated in the blog the D.D. stands here for donum dedit, ie a gift he/she gave. Pity that the recipient of the gift is not mentioned, but perhaps it was a church, ie the book would remain in the same place and ownership was self-evident.

See 'Lichfield: Roman Catholicism and Protestant nonconformity', A History of the County of Stafford: Volume 14: Lichfield (1990), pp. 155-159. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=42352

Four papists were listed in St. Mary's parish in 1705, all 'of a mean condition', and a 'very poor' widow in the Close was also recorded as a papist. In 1706 there were two papists in the Close, a German and a Frenchman who were servants of Lord Stanhope; a charwoman in Stowe Street was a reputed papist. The bailiffs and justices certified in the earlier 1740s that there were no papists in the city 'save only two or three women'. (fn. 3) In 1767 four women in St. Mary's parish were returned as papists and two in St. Chad's. There were 19 in St. Michael's parish, which included the Roman Catholic centre at Pipe Hall in Burntwood. All 19 were farmers and servants except Miss Teresa Wakeman, described as a young lady of fortune and therefore probably living in the city; she had a resident priest, the Franciscan Thomas Hall, also known as Laurence Loraine. Thirteen Roman Catholics took the oath of allegiance at Lichfield quarter sessions in 1778 under the terms of the Catholic Relief Act of that year; six appear to have been among those listed in St. Michael's in 1767. (fn. 4) About a dozen people from Lichfield attended the chapel at Pipe Hall in the early 1790s.

At http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/details-result.asp?Edoc_Id=410503&queryType=1&resultcount=1 you will see that on 28 Jan 1783 was proved the Will of Teresa Wakeman, Spinster of Louth , Lincolnshire. She is not necessarily the same person as the giver of the book in 1769, nor the catholic of Lichfield, but if you wish to spend £3.50 for a digital copy of the Will, it may or may not indicate some link to Aldridge (near Walsall) or Lichfield (lies maybe 10 miles north-east of Aldridge). It will be written in a legal hand that needs a little patience to transcribe with accuracy.

Not surprisingly if her christening was not Anglican, I cannot find with any certainty in the IGI a birth record for a Teresa Wakeman in the right locality,"

A Google search using the term 18th century silver bookplate led me to this:
http://www.myfamilysilver.com/mp/item/19289/a-delightful-18th-century-bookplate-for-birch
While at that site I clicked on other bookplates they had for sale and spotted many desirable royal
bookplates.

"Very Nice Quaint Little 18th Century Armorial-Pictorial Bookplate of Thomas Birch. F.2580

* In his Some Suffolk and Norfolk Ex-Libris (copies available from The Bookplate Society) John Blatchly writes that "the usual attribution of the Thomas Birch plate is to the historian and writer born to a coffee-mill maker in 1705, brought up as a Quaker and only confirmed at the age of twenty-five. He was never educated at university but in 1753 was created a DD of Marischal college, Aberdeen and Lambeth, Fellow of the Royal and Antiquarian Societies, acting as Secretary of the former for thirteen years from 1752. He was married to a clergyman's daughter Hannah Cox fr just over a year before she died of puerperal fever in August 1729. Ordained in 1730, amongst many livings he held was Depden in Suffolk from 1761 to his death in 1766. It is surprising but not out of the question that this Thomas should have used arms, particularly quartered arms." Blatchly illustrates the similar bookplates of Ebenezer Blackwell and P. Bringloe (the latter with the design laterally inverted ie mirror image).

Dimensions of paper: 64x55mm "

*The description was originally written by Anthony Pincott in an Ebay listing last year

By the way, if you are interested in English bookplates and have not already done so so you ought to join the Bookplate Society

http://www.bookplatesociety.org/

End Of Story- I now am the proud owner of the Thomas Birch bookplate and would love to buy some of the royal bookplates.when my finances permit.

If you are near Hartford Connecticut don't forget next weekend is the Papermania show.

http://www.papermaniaplus.com/

The Americana Exchange

Like all of you the amount of stuff I do not read each month is increasing..

This link for a bookseller/collector/reader newsletter is still one of my favorites ..

http://americanaexchange.com/AE/AEMonthly/AEMonthlyArticles.aspx

I'l be back next Sunday or Monday.
See you then.

Last Blog in 2011

2011-12-25T13:03:00.000-05:00

It's hard to believe that 2011 is winding down.

This is my fifth year as a blogger.

My very best wishes to all of you for a happy, healthy and prosperous new year

If you would a hardbound copy of the 2011 postings go to www.sharedbook.com

They do an excellent job and are reasonably priced.

The bookplate shown above is probably my last 2011 bookplate purchase.It was used by

Wanda Gag the American children's book author and illustrator.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wanda_G%C3%A1g

See you in 2012

Judaica Bookplates For Exchange

2011-12-18T12:04:00.004-05:00

Exchanging duplicates with other collectors is one of the things I enjoy most about this hobby.

CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE.

The Mortimer Cohen And The Joseph Gompers Plates
Are no longer Available

Last year when I listed duplicate Judaica bookplates multiple responses came from The U.S, Poland, Germany and Israel..This year I have accumulated many more duplicates and have scanned all of them.

I look forward to your responses .

Lew Jaffe

Bookplatemaven@hotmail.com

Guthrie Y. Barber's Bookplate by D.P. Crane

2011-12-09T18:59:00.000-05:00

I started using Google's Stat feature about one year ago . One of it's interesting features is a record of the most viewed postings.

Loose Boards , Loose Screws and Watch Papers

Jul 4, 2009, 1 comment

1,026 Pageviews

Old Labels

Sep 21, 2008, 2 comments

950 Pageviews

Bookplates and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels by Douglas ...

Oct 24, 2010

207 Pageviews

Antioch Bookplates ,Part Three

Aug 14, 2010

198 Pageviews

Puppy Bowl, Bookplates with Dogs (and Cats)

Feb 6, 2011

183 Pageviews

Antioch Bookplate Company Artists

Jun 20, 2010

162 Pageviews

Silent Film Star Bookplates -Part One

Jul 24, 2011, 1 comment

157 Pageviews

Bookplate Exchanges, Judaica Bookplates

Jun 27, 2010

148 Pageviews

British Bookplates, More Research Required

Oct 12, 2008, 1 comment

147 Pageviews

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The bookplate shown below was done by D. P. Crane in 1913 and scanned by me with new software which I have not fully mastered.

The owner Guthrie Y. Barber(1875-1941) was a Canadian born New York banker who collected Western Americana books and prints.

His prints were sold by Parke-Bernet in 1942.

All I know about D.P Crane is that they were active post-card publishers in the early 1900's. If you have any information about the company or other bookplates they did please let me know and your information will be added to this posting.
Bookplatemaven@hotmail.com

I have not yet found any other bookplates they designed but have a nagging feeling that I have a different bookplate with their logo somewhere in my collection.
There is a story about how I obtained the plate. An EBay seller offered a book which contained the Barber bookplate at a starting price of $199.00.
.
The book did not sell and I contacted the seller with two options:

Option one: Send me the book . I will remove the bookplate without any damage and return the book to you with a check for your postage plus a fair price for the bookplate.

Option Two: I will send you instructions on how to remove the bookplate.
You remove it and I will pay you a fair price for it.

In all candor I did not expect the dealer to be amenable to either option but it does not hurt to try. To my surprise the dealer chose option two.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here Are some additional Google stats relating to page views by country.
China is not shown but I know there are are an increasing number of Chinese viewers.

United States

54,384

United Kingdom

6,413

Canada

6,386

Germany

4,000

France

2,859

Russia

2,240

Netherlands

1,899

Australia

1,662

Spain

951

Brazil

908

Always Glad To Help A Librarian

2011-12-05T11:24:00.008-05:00

I received this inquiry yesterday and my responses are inserted in Bold Type below each question

Good afternoon, Mr. Jaffe,

My name is Madeline Grzanich, and I came across your bookplate blog and was hoping to ask a few questions. I am currently pursuing my masters in Library and Information science at Dominican University, in River Forest, IL, and am writing a paper on the history and signifigance of bookplates in archiving, as well why they fell out of favor. I was hoping to get some information from a collector, to see what your thoughts are.

I understand that this is a very busy time of the year for many people and greatly appreciate any information you might be wiling to share. If you are not able to, I also understand.

Well, without further ado:

1. I saw on your blog, you mentioned you have been collecting for over 30 years, how did you get started?

There was really no defining moment. My father was a collector of sorts and I started collecting postage stamps when I was about ten years old . Many years later I worked in a bookstore and started a collection of bookmarks. One day I spotted an engraved bookplate by A.N. Macdonald
and the addiction began.

Why bookplates and not, say stamps or baseball cards?

I did collect stamps and baseball cards when I was very young . This hobby took root and blossomed but I am not sure why.

Was there a particular one that triggered your passion? Can you describe it for me and/ or send a scan? That would be awesome.

It was ,as I mentioned a bookplate by A.N. MacDonald but I can't remember now which one it was.
Here is a fine example of one that he engraved.

2. How many different bookplates have you collected?
I have never taken the time to count the bookplates but I assume it is well over 10,000

Do you have a theme in your collection?
I focus on 18th century American plates, bookplates from the libraries of famous people from any country and bookplates with Jewish signs or symbols

3. What is your favorite bookplate?

I have many favorites, some because of the design, some because they amuse me and some because
they bring back fond memories. Here is one of my favorites hand colored by a small boy in the 1920's

What would you say is your most valuable?

The scarce ones engraved by Paul Revere sell in the one to four thousand dollar range.

Oldest?
In American plates probably mid 18th century

4. What, if anything, do you do to preserve the bookplates in your collection?
How do you store them? Display them?

The bookplates are stored in loose leaf albums witch hold top loaded four pocket plastic sheets.
Follow this link for more details:
http://bookplatejunkie.blogspot.com/2008/03/storing-and-displaying-bookplates.html

Do you treat them with any type of deacidifcation spray or bath?
No

5. Why do you think they are not being used as frequently anymore?

This is the most provocative question you've asked. In America from about 1880 to 1929 vast amounts of wealth plus many cultural artifacts were moving from England to America.
This included many great libraries. Along with that came the increased usage of bookplates by the rich and famous.
I suppose the great depression and the introduction of inexpensive books for the masses all contributed the decline of custom made book plates but it did give rise to pre -packaged bookplates like the ones made by The Antioch bookplate company.
Antioch lasted for about three decades.*
With the increased usage of Nooks Kindles and I Pads bookplates and their owners are destined to be quaint cultural artifacts of the past.

From Karen Gardner

Interesting blog, Lew. I do hope you're wrong about bookplates becoming a thing of the past due to e-readers. Many people still order Antioch bookplate designs through Bookplate Ink. There was an interesting article in the New York TImes this Sunday about publishers adding high quality touches to physical books to increase sales: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/04/books/publishers-gild-books-with-special-effects-to-compete-with-e-books.html?_r=1&scp=5&sq=books&st=cse.

Karen Gardner

Bookplate Ink

www.bookplateink.com

* Rebecca Eschliman said...

Slight correction -- The Antioch Bookplate Company under that name lasted around five decades, but went on providing packaged bookplates for around another three decades as the Antioch Publishing Company as it added more book-related products beyond bookplates.

6. Do you place your own bookplate in all your books, including paperbacks that you only read once and pass along to friends or family, or just the ones that have a permanent home in your library?
I have several bookplates. They do not go into every book I own. Here is the one I use most frequently.

I do appreciate your time, even if you only answer one or two of the above questions.
I really look forward to hearing from you.

The Miraculous Internet / Mystery Solved

2011-11-28T13:52:00.000-05:00

Within hours after I posted my mystery item yesterday several readers responded.

Here is what Craig Harris wrote:

Greetings!

Your mystery object is Tibetan, the script is called Lantsa, and these are used to print monograms which are basically prayers comprised of the seed-syllables of the words of the prayer woven into a single design.

See an example here:

http://ignca.nic.in/ex_0002d.htm

and some more information here, near the end of this document:

http://www.tamilheritage.org/kidangku/DrSwaminathan/scripts/11_Tibetan.pdf

Here is what Marilyn Ding wrote:

Hi,

At the first sight of it, I immediately registered it as a religious sybmol of Tibetan Buddhism.

After searching on the Internet, I guess what I thought was correct. This is supposed to be a wooden print block of a "Kalachakra Tenfold Powerful symbol". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalachakra

The symbol is a combination of Tibetan alphabets. You can see how it is combined here:http://www.dodecyl.com.tw/epaper_016.htm#poem1

I also found a flash image here: http://kalachakranet.org/kalachakra_tantra_10-fold_powerful.html
which may better helps you understand what it is and how it is combined together.

Thank you for sharing it. I'm a lover of Buddhist art, that in Tibetan Buddhism in particular. For me it is such a coincidence because I'm also interested in bookplates as well.

I also contacted Tashi Mannox a calligrapher whose site is well worth visiting:

www.tashimannox.com

CONTEMPORARY & TRADITIONAL TIBETAN CALLIGRAPHY

Here is part of his response:

Hi Lewis

Yes ,your object could well be from Tibet if not the Himalayan region, they are wood blocks for printing.

To reverse the image helps to identify the letters, they are a combination of Lantsha Sanskrit letters, the first of which is the Kalachakra monogram flanked either side by the Eh and Vam letters.

The EhVam characters are explained here: http://inkessential.blogspot.com/2009/03/wisdom-that-binds-eh-and-wam.html

Mystery Solved. Thank you all.

Princeton New Jersey Bookplates

2011-11-27T09:05:00.000-05:00

I went to a flea market Saturday morning and was drawn to this wooden object.

The dealer who sold it to me didn't have a clue as to it's country of origin

nor it's function.

Several of the dealers thought it was used  for printing and one dealer

said it was an Islamic seal for documents.

The dimensions are 3 1/2 inches high by 4 1/2 inches high and it is 1 inch thick

Your help is always appreciated.What is it?

Bookplatemaven@hotmail.com

THE MYSTERY OBJECT

The early 19th century American Bookplate shown below was sent to me by Tom Boss

www.bossbooks.com

Robert E. Hornor of Princeton, New Jersey was a printer/ publisher who was very

active in Whig politics. Some biographical information has been copied below.

Extracted from

Early Princeton Printing 
BY 
VARNUM LANSING COLLINS

"Robert Emley Hornor was a lineal de- 
scendant of John Hornor, the early set- 
tler whose public spirit assisted in locat- 
ing the College of New Jersey at Prince- 
ton. Controlling a tannery and a pottery 
manufactory at Queenston, on the out- 
skirts of Princeton, he seems to have been 
possessed of some little means. In Sep- 
tember 1832 he had established in oppo- 
sition to Connolly's Democratic  Courier,
which supported Jackson and Van Buren, 
a paper called the "American System and 
Farmers' and Mechanics' Advocate," sup- 
porting the protection of American indus- 
tries and the election of the National Re- 
publican, or Whig, candidates. Clay and 
Sergeant. After the campaign he assumed 
the editorship himself and a new firm, that 
of John T. Robinson, took charge of the 
mechanical end. The name of the paper 
was changed to the "Princeton Whig" and 
from this period dates the present weekly 
newspaper, the "Princeton Press" edited 
by Mr. Edwin M. Norris. Mr. Hornor's 
Quaker affiliation is shown in the imprint 
of his paper — "published every sixth- 
day." 

A new spirit enters Princeton journal- 
ism with Mr. Hornor's assumption of edi- 
torial duties. Never did a paper deserve 
its name more thoroughly than the "Whig" 
during Mr. Hornor's regime. He was an 
eager partisan and one of the most active 
and widely known politicians in the state. 
He seems to have thoroughly enjoyed him- 
self as an editor. Not content with the 
influence exerted by his weekly, when 
election times came around he was wont 
to do extra work for his party by issuing 
special campaign papers, such as the 
"Thorn" in the autumn of 1834 — an aptly 
named little two leaf sheet, which was 
sold for a cent and was issued at least 
once a week until the campaign was over. 
That its contents came practically from 
his own pen is naively revealed by a note 
in the only surviving number (September 
27, 1834) to the effect that the "severe 
indisposition of the Editor must be an 
apology for the want of interest or variety 
in the columns of this week's paper." But 
the "Thorn" so successfully justified its 
name and met with such approval from 
friends of the Whig cause, that two years 
later Mr. Hornor renewed it to counter- 
act what he was pleased to call the "ser- 
vile collar press of the Van Buren dyn- 
asty." To those who remembered the 
"Thorn" of 1834 he would merely an- 
nounce that the new "Thorn" was grown 
SO 
on the same stalk — "only a trifle sharper 
and stronger/' Its object would be to 
"place information in every man's hand 
at so cheap a rate that all may read and 
know the extravagant expenditure and 
abuses of Van Buren and his satellites." 
And with cheerful confidence in his ability 
to secure subscribers, he asks that all who 
are opposed to Van Buren will send him 
their names at once so that he mav know 
how many thousand copies of the paper 
he may start with. 
The "Thorn" had not been without ef- 
fect on the college campus. All things are 
possible in politics, and the marvel in this 
case was that the "Thorn" apparentlj'^ be- 
gat the "Thistle," a manuscript news- 
paper made up of political satire, and 
circulated, says one of its undergraduate 
editors in his reminiscences, "by the aid of 
the long entries of Nassau Hall and the 
small hours of the night." The success 
of the "Thistle" led to a more ambitious 
effort, and in the winter of 1834-35 four 
or five numbers of a small eight page 
quarto called the "Chameleon," edited by 
members of the class of 1835, were is- 
sued from the local press. The only re- 
mains of the "Chameleon** seem to be a 
fragrant memory and an "Extra/* pub- 
lished in August^ 1835^ consisting of a long 
poem on a galley-slip, announcing its 
demise. With the passing of this effort, 
undergraduate literary activity, so far as 
publication is concerned, ceased until, in 
1840, John Bogart*s press issued the "Gem 
from Nassau's Casket,** a daintily printed 
little octavo magazine of four double col- 
umn pages, purely literary and serious in 
character. The "Gem** gleamed more or 
less serenely for a very brief day, and then 
' joined the defunct "Chameleon. 

On Mr. Bogart's death Mr. Hornor en- 
joyed a practical monopoly; but, while his 
imprint occurs on many a pamphlet of the 
early forties, most of his attention was 
given to politics and the "Princeton Whig. 

One product of his press, however, the 
"Nassau Monthly, whose first number 
came out in February 1842, the unmistak- 
able and robuster offspring of the "Gem, 
cannot be ignored, even in this scant sur- 
vey. By no means so engaging in appear- 
ance as its parent, it nevertheless had the
elusive quality of permanence that the ear- 
lier periodical lacked. The "Nassau Mon- 
thly/' re-baptised as the "Nassau Liter- 
ary Magazine/' has never been conspicu- 
ous for beauty on the formal side, and is 
not comparable with the "Gem" in looks. 
But it has lived seventy years and, with 
the exception of the "Yale Literary Maga- 
zine/' is the oldest undergraduate publi- 
cation of its kind in the country. 

The campaign of 1844 gave Mr. Hornor 
another rare opportunity, of which he 
made the utmost by issuing a lively four- 
page quarto of three columns to the page, 
called the "Jersey Blue," a name the edi- 
tor may or may not have known as the 
title of a rollicking eighteenth century 
Princeton song. It was, as might be ex- 
pected, devoted to the Whig cause and was 
intended to bear especially on the state 
elections of that autumn, and when they 
were over to aid the election of Clay and 
Frelinghuysen. The opening number 
made this announcement of policy:

"It will be fearless in advocating that 
which is considered right. While it will 
concede to all men and all monopolies their 
rights and privileges, it will by no means 
allow itself to swerve from an independ- 
ent and dignified bearing. It will deal 
with the rich as with the poor. The sov- 
ereignty of the people will be defended 
rather than the sovereignty of particular 
individuals or families. All party excess 
will be discouraged, while true patriotic 
zeal will be incited. Who will help us ?

Supporting Charles C. Stratton for Gov- 
ernor, the "Jersey Blue" attacked with all 
its might — and Mr. Hornor had not mis- 
laid the *' Thorn's" pointed pen — the can- Carver.
didacy of John R. Thomson of Princeton^ 
turning to good political account his con- 
nection with the Delaware and Raritan 
Canal Company, and at the same time it 
fired broadsides at Captain — slater Commo- 
dore — R. F. Stockton, the leader of the 
Loco Foco party in the State, finding in 
his naval and political record and in his 
connection with the ill-fated gunboat 
"Princeton" plenty of campaign ammuni- 
tion. "
Speaking of Princeton, I was re-reading Bookplates of Princeton and Princetonians 
by Clifford N.Carver and found some bookplates from my own collection:
Vance Thompson(Princeton ,1863) was a writer whose bookplate was designed by the
English sculptor Theodore Spicer-Simpson
Henry van Dyke's bookplate was etched by James Smille from a drawing by Siddons 
Mowbray. His love of fishing and reading is depicted.He graduated from Princeton 
in 1873 and was also a faculty member.
The bookplate of Princeton's most famous faculty member is shown below.
If you live in Princeton or you are a Princeton  faculty member 
or graduate and would like your bookplate added to this posting
send a scan to me  and it will be included.
Bookplatemaven@hotmail.com
See you next week

Three More Bookplate Links

2011-11-24T16:55:00.000-05:00

For more information about Frances Mary Richardson Currer , click on this link:

http://ashrarebooks.wordpress.com/2011/11/10/frances-currer/

The California printer and bookplate artist Ruth Saunders is featured in this Knox College web site,Follow the link

http://library.knox.edu/bookplate_exhibit/saunders/case1.html

Here is a link to a Princeton University blog about Charles Read of New Jersey (Allen721)

http://blogs.princeton.edu/notabilia/category/bookplates/

See you on Sunday..

Two or Three Links a day

2011-11-23T18:22:00.000-05:00

I have accumulated quite a few links to share with you . If I list them all at once you might be overwhelmed so I will mention two or three each day until they are all posted. This one is written in French . If you use a chrome browser you should be able to translate to another language if needed.
http://bibliophilie.blogspot.com/search/label/Expositions%20d%27ex-libris

The Yale Law Library photo stream is quite interesting.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/yalelawlibrary/sets/72157627945791222/

A mystery plate at Yale Law Library. Can you identify it?

Here is an interesting posting about Dennis Wheatley's library.

Http://www.bookride.com/2011/10/dennis-wheatleys-library-1979.htm

I will return on Thursday with more links.

Art Deco Bookplates

2011-11-20T13:38:00.008-05:00

Some of the plates shown are probably "universal" The one for David Sarvis was done by The Antioch Bookplate company

Book Cover designed by Mac Harshberger from a book about art deco dust jackets.

It is scheduled for publication in 2012.

For further details contact the author Tom Boss

TGBoss@Gmail.com

Justice Potter Stewart said something like I don't know how to define pornography but I know it when I see it..That's my feeling about art deco.I can't quite define it but I can recognize it (sort of).

Rebecca Eschliman said..

The Sarvis bookplate was actually designed by him. David Sarvis was an Antioch College student who designed about a dozen universal bookplates for the Antioch Bookplate Company in the 1940s.

It was quite common for names of employees to show up on universal bookplates in the sample catalogs in order to demonstrate type styles available for personalization.

The "Alfred Gordon" bookplate was also a universal sold by Antioch Bookplate a few times in the early 1930s (and once for some reason in 1950), but there are no notes about who designed it.

Thank you Rebecca

I believe Carlton Noyes was a writer.

The artist who did the Wickliffe and Betty Rose plate shown below used a cipher that looks like MFW
Does anyone out there recognize it?

John Vassos did the plates shown below when he worked at R.C.A. Here is a link with some biographical information about him:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Vassos

The Leonard Edwards plate was done by Sidney Hunt

About two years ago I wrote about Mac Harshberger.Here is a link to that posting:
http://bookplatejunkie.blogspot.com/2009/04/mac-harshbergervisiting-twilight-zone.html

Photo from Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco Mac Harshberger Exhibit Catalog
written by Karin Breuer

Good fortune smiled upon me this week.I obtained another plate by him . It is on rice paper and was designed for his sister Kay around 1916.If any of you have art deco bookplates in your collection and want them added to this posting send me a scan(s) and I will try to include include them..See you next Sunday.
Bookplatemaven@hotmail.com

Let The Buyer Beware

2011-11-16T16:05:00.000-05:00

I have listed a very important and scarce bookplate from the library of Frederic Remington on Ebay.
Here is a link:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bookplate-Exlibris-Frederic-Remington-/310359177908?pt=Art_Prints&hash=item4842d93ab4

A word of caution- There are at least two dealers on Ebay who are selling scans of bookplates on a buy it now basis .You have to scroll down quite a bit before you are told these are reproductions.I suspect many buyers are so anxious to buy what seems to be a fantastic bargain that they never scroll down far enough to see the tricky wordcraft..Here is an example of what I mean:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bookplate-Frederic-Sackrider-Remington-/300620704708?pt=Art_Photo_Images&hash=item45fe63ebc4

Like I say , let the buyer beware.

Flying Blind In Boston

2011-11-13T12:07:00.001-05:00

Paste paper design

Gilded Leather Bookplate dated 1763

6th edition of Palm Garden with gilded gauffred edges

I spent two frantic days in Boston attending two shows and have several purchases to show you.
The most interesting item was bought on instinct. I am a babe in the woods when it comes to 18th century German books.When I got home I did find a copy on the German Ebay site .which recently sold for 13 Euros;
http://www.ebay.de/itm/Himmlisch-Palm-Gaertlein-1762-JB-/350421101034
The listing did not mention any of the extra touches which I sensed were unique. Fortunately, fellow collector Richard Schimmelpfeng is very knowledgeable and was very helpful in explaining some of the finer points about the extra touches which were added to the book.
.The design .on the end papers is called paste paper Think of finger painting.
Here is a more detailed explanation :
http://cool.conservation-us.org/don/dt/dt2505.html
The edges are gilded gauffered. Here is a detailed explanation of the process.
http://cool.conservation-us.org/don/dt/dt1504.html

My original intent was to do some research and ultimately sell the book .Now that I have examined it more carefully my inclination is to have it restored by an expert and keep it.
If you have some useful information about the book please send it to me.
Bookplatemaven@hotmail.com

I have a few golf themed bookplates and this one came with the following dealer notation:
T.S. Adams went to Yale, Johns Hopkins but mostly. played golf.
The calling card shown below came from Tom Boss. I am assuming Mr Waterhouse was an engineer for the Grand Trunk Railroad,
http://www.sullboat.com/GT.htm

American Indian themed bookplates are always of interest and this one for Charles H. Glidden has lots of clues in the design about the owner . He was a Mason, a Republican and was involved with product which is trade marked "fasteners that fasten".

Many years ago I purchased a glass eye at the Maryland Microscope show. It sits in a drawer and every once in a while I look at it and it looks back at me.Fellow collector/dealer Tom Boss brought some ephemera to the show and you guessed it one of the items related to glass eyes.How could I not purchase it ?

That's about all for now. See you soon.

This Week in Bookplates 11/6/2011

2011-11-06T11:53:00.001-05:00

Here is a link to an excellent new blog about book collecting:
http://www.bookcollectinghistory.com/

I purchased Forgotten Bookmarks by Michael Popek earlier this week. The author has worked in his family's bookstore for over twenty years and has chronicled in a very orderly fashion much of the ephemera
(no bookplates mentioned) he found hidden in books.
I would call this a whipped cream book. It is light , frothy and easy to digest .It would be a nice gift for a bookseller or a lover of old book stores.
You can get more details by following this link:

http://www.forgottenbookmarks.com/

Speaking of old bookstores I was in New Paltz, New York yesterday for a family get together and much to my delight and surprise I found an old fashioned (in the best sense of the words) bookstore The stock was well organized, affordable and the owner was very helpful..
Yes, I came home with some nice bookplates and interesting ephemera.

I also received a book from the Bookplate Society this week It is, as with all of their publications very well written and reasonably priced.

The price is £14/$22.50 or £9/$14.50 if you join The Bookplate Society (plus postage.)

Payment by PayPal or dollar check.

Copies may be ordered by email to editor (AT )bookplatesociety.org

Here is some further information about the book :

Gleeson White (1851-1898) – Bookplate Artist and Luminary

The Ex Libris Society flourished in Britain between 1891 and 1908. About halfway through its life, Gleeson White, who had been a member but not much involved for reasons of artistic preference, prepared a Special Winter Number of The Studio for 1898-9.. It included a section on Modern British Bookplates and their Designers. White had founded The Studio in 1893, edited it for about a year, and remained a contributor of many articles on bookplates, also writing articles on art nouveau artist Robert Anning Bell and on etcher George W. Eve for the Ex Libris Journal. The British part of the now scarce 1898-9 Winter Number has been reprinted by The Bookplate Society, providing us with additional material – a biography of White, a short introduction, details of bookplates designed by and for White, and indexes to both the Winter Number and to other articles about bookplates in The Studio.

Born Joseph William White at Christchurch in the county of Hampshire, he went straight from grammar school to the Art Workers Guild in London, but by the age of 30 was back in Christchurch working as bookseller, stationer and organist. By 1890 he had adopted his mother Lydia’s maiden name Gleeson in place of his first names (which were also those of his father). He moved to New York City, where he conducted the Art Amateur for 1891 and 1892, then returned to England, founding in 1893 The Studio, An Illustrated Magazine of Fine and Applied Art. His editorship lasted for less than a year, but he continued to write for it for the rest of his short life. Joining Messrs George Bell & Sons, he edited the Ex Libris Series, the Connoisseur Series, the Pageant and, with E.T. Strange, Bell’s Cathedral Series. He also published three editions of Practical Designing (1893-7), English Illustrations in the [Eighteen-] Sixties (1897) and four volumes of Master Painters of Great Britain (1897-8). In November 1898, while enjoying a short holiday in Italy, he contracted typhoid fever, which proved fatal. Gleeson White died at the age of only 47. Fortunately for us, his major essay for the Special Winter Number was already in course of publication. We learn from a tribute in the Ex Libris Journal that he was an industrious worker, always genial, affable and helpful, full of art and art lore, well known as foremost in the decorative movement, and knew its history, development and occasional shams better than anyone of his day.

Quite unlike the Ex Libris Journal, which carried much heraldic and historical material, The StudioSpecial Winter Number was a comprehensive, well written and well illustrated overview of what was modern, with keen and exclusive focus on artists of the 1890s – Charles Ricketts, Cyril Goldie, Paul Woodroffe, Charles Robinson, D.Y. Cameron, John Williams, J.W. Simpson, Edmund New, J.J. Guthrie, Laurence Housman, William Nicholson, Robert Anning Bell, Gordon Craig, C.F.A. Voysey, E. Bengough Ricketts, Harold Nelson, Henry Ospovat, and sixty more. This publication illuminates our understanding of the art nouveau and other bookplate work of book illustrators and exlibris designers at the end of the nineteenth century.

The Studio Special Winter Number 1898-9, Modern British Bookplates and their Designers is reproduced at 92.5% original size in The Bookplate Journal, Vol.7 #1 (cover date March 2009 but only published in 2011).

Gleeson White

By Friday 11/11 I will be in Boston attending two excellent shows:
If you are in the area and have bookplates for sale or trade please contact me
Bookplatemaven@hotmail.com

See you again next Sunday or Monday .

Collector Profile Luigi Bergomi

2011-10-28T17:21:00.001-04:00

Luigi Bergomi

By Lev Alimov

By Walter Valentini

By Toni Pecoraro

By Yuri Borovitsky

By Viola Tycz

As a child, I remember I was an active, though quite disorganized, collector: football players cards primarily but also coins, a herbarium and so on. As I grew older, I started reading a lot of books: collecting them became a natural extension. At a certain point in my life I thought I had read “all the books ever being written”; a friend of mine showed me some reproductions of graphic works by a German artist member of the Wandervogel. The subject of the wayfarer intrigued me a lot and that time and still does it now. I suddenly decided to utilize one of Sluyterman’s images as my first ex libris, which I had printed in offset in 1985.

I then inundated the mailboxes of all the collectors to whom I proudly sent several copies of my first ex libris. The response was overwhelming and, as the story goes, the rest is history…

I consider the contemporary ex libris a way to commission high-end “personal” art from an artist. One of the things I find fascinating about ex libris is the fact that their size and “canon” often force the artist to make an extra effort in compressing, within a somewhat defined and generally small range, a shared story and inspiration, creativity, great technique and calligraphy: defying the general perception present on the marketplace, this unique aspect (that is, the intimate shared introspection between artist and patron), if anything, makes an ex libris even more valuable than a corresponding free graphic, at least to my eyes.
Commissioning a new edition in my name is often a long process: I rarely attend meetings and congresses and as a result correspond with the artists and patiently wait for their creation. I normally request and receive a first proof or a sketch without name engraved on the plate; upon my approval the final edition gets shipped to me. Sometimes I find this process too impersonal because it does not let me meet directly with the artist but living in the U.S., a place distant from the ex libris artists more in demand, does not facilitate the direct interaction I used to have with them while living in Europe.

I have been collecting for over twenty five years and keep accumulating new prints in a disorderly fashion. In addition to a well represented panorama of the work by contemporary artists, I also have an equally important group of “Golden Age” ex libris and Heraldic ones, purchased on the antiquarian markets or exchanged.
Unlike other forms of collecting, with a limited and clear goal (that is, the coins or stamps issued from a country or during a limited period of time), ex libris collecting is by definition “infinite”: color variants, plates with or without remarques, names added after the first run of prints and so on make the overall activity of collecting them essentially unlimited.

Throughout my twenty five years of collecting I had the fortune of meeting in person and getting to know many fabulous artists, some unfortunately no longer with us and most still active and in their prime; It’s virtually impossible, and unfair, to single out THE print maker who struck me the most; what I admire the most in any given artist opus list is continuity, solidity. I don’t particularly care for artists with “mountains” and “valleys”(that is, artists who might excel every now and then but who often produce too many editions and cannot keep up with the quality): less is better, in most cases.
When I was living in Italy I attended pretty regularly regional meetings; since 1990, after moving to the US, my attendance has dropped considerably. Each meeting attended, with the exception of the Boston congress in 2000 where somehow I played “at home”, is a luxury which I try to deserve by maximizing my exchanges and meetings with friends, artists and collectors.

I am always interested in exchanging ex libris, old and new, and can be reached at
lbergomi(at)gmail.com

An Anglo-American Bookplate & A Mystery Plate

2011-10-20T17:13:00.001-04:00

Does anyone out there recognize this mystery plate?

I got this theatrical plate recently but it is a mystery. Your help with identification would be appreciated.
Lew Jaffe
Bookplatemaven@hotmail.com

Artist's Initials on The Mystery Plate

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I purchased this Anglo-American bookplate and to my delight Stephen Marsh had already done a good deal of research about the owner, Stephen Peach Peach.(No,this is not a typo)

Mr.Marsh's silver crest database is also well worth a visit.
http://www.myfamilysilver.com/

The Article Below Was Written By Stephen Marsh

"In the course of building our database of family crests
I came across a delightful bookplate for a man by the name of Samuel Peach Peach. Initially interested because the crest was not one I could find in the main published directories, I became increasingly intrigued by his repeated surname.
A little research revealed a story that, with shades of Jane Austen, indicated some of the difficulties facing a prominent New York family in the run up to and during the War of Independence. Antique Silver is frequently engraved with armorials and these, often ignored, engravings are the key to unlocking the personal history of the item; which I find more interesting than the mere date and name of the maker.

Biography

He had been born Samuel Peach Cruger in 1767, the son of Henry Cruger Jr; who had the probably unique and certainly unrepeatable distinction of having been a Member of both the British Parliament and the New York Senate.

Henry Cruger Jr was born in New York in 1739 within months of his grandfather, John Cruger, taking office as Mayor of the city; a post in which he was to die in 1744. John Cruger had arrived from Northern Europe, possibly Denmark, in 1696 to join a trading firm part owned by a kinsman, becoming a partner in the firm in 1702. Co-incidentally a kinsman of my own, Viscount Cornbury (who had a penchant for cross dressing), was Governor of New York from 1701-08 and allegedly scandalised the colony by opening the New York legislature wearing a dress, with the words “I represent the Queen and in all respects I ought to represent her as faithfully as I can”. Was Mr Cruger one of my kinsman’s detractors?

Mercantile family

John Cruger’s business prospered and in 1712 he was elected Alderman for the Dock ward, an undoubtedly useful post for a ship owner, and one that he was to hold until becoming assistant Mayor in 1735. As was common with mercantile families, he despatched his sons to major trading locations; his son Henry (Sr) to the British trading port of Bristol, another son was sent to the West Indies whilst a third, John Cruger Jr, remained in New York (subsequently becoming Mayor of New York and Speaker of the Province of New York Assembly from 1767-1775, before, as a prominent British sympathiser, being proscribed as a “suspect person”).
In due course Henry Cruger Sr was to send his son Henry Cruger Jr to represent the firm in Bristol, where he married in 1765 the daughter of a successful linen merchant and banker, Samuel Peach. She died in 1767 and I wonder if that was in childbirth with Samuel Peach Cruger? Henry Jr soon became a member of the Bristol Council and Sheriff of Bristol before being elected in 1774 as the Whig member of Parliament for the city along with the noted political philosopher, Edmund Burke (who was also the agent for the Province of New York).

From Crugar to Peach

As a New Yorker by birth and a merchant involved in the transatlantic trade, Henry Jr was inevitably pre-occupied by one of the major political topics of the day: relations with the American Colonies. In his maiden speech he criticised the Tory administration of Lord North for worsening relations with the colonies and regularly complained that not enough was being done to support the more patriotic New York colonists, including his own family. But by the time he lost his seat in 1780 he had become a supporter of American independence. He served a year as Mayor of Bristol before being re-elected to the commons as an ally of William Pitt in 1784 where he continually urged reconciliation with the former American colonies. He left the commons in 1789 and returned to America in 1790 where he was elected to the New York Senate for a single, four year term, during which he urged reconciliation with Great Britain.
His son Samuel remained in England, having inherited his maternal grandfather’s considerable estate (including Tockington) in 1788 and, in accordance with his grandfathers wishes, changed his surname from Cruger to Peach. He married Clarissa Partridge the same year and the arms on the bookplate are those of Partridge impaling Peach. Thus we have an example of a Partridge in a Peach (family) tree."

Stephen Marsh
http://www.myfamilysilver.com/

I Learned A New Word Today--Phaleristics

2011-10-17T07:37:00.002-04:00

From time to time I check Google's Blog Search and more often than not I find nothing of interest.
This morning I found two postings on bookplates and Phaleristics in Portugal..
Here is a link to satisfy your curiosity.

http://www.faleristica.org/?s=bookplate

I will be attending a library book sale in Princeton, New Jersey on Friday .
Here is a link:
http://www.princetonlibrary.org/yoursupport/friends/AnnualBookSale.html

Speaking of library book sales, I attended one on Saturday in Media Pennsylvania., a Republican stronghold.
.I arrived about one hour after the opening and by that time many of the dealers with scanners had come and gone.Much to my surprise , in plain sight there were eight signed copies of a book by Mitt Romney at two dollars each..No one seemed to be interested in them.Could this be some sort of leading indicator?

On Sunday I will be in Albany , New York visiting the 37th annual antiquarian book and ephemera fair.
Here is a link to that show.
http://www.albanybookfair.com/

If you are near Princeton or Albany and have bookplates for sale or exchange
I would like to hear from you.
Bookplatemaven@hotmail.com

I won't be back home until Tuesday October 25th so my next posting will be on Thursday October 27th

Ernest W. Oldham Part Three

2011-10-14T20:23:00.001-04:00

Click on any image to enlarge.
Many of the colored wood cuts ( my favorites) are not signed.

The following biographical information about Ernest and Mary Oldham was obtained from The Cornwall Artists website
http://www.cornwallartists.org/
"At the NAG Exhibition of 1937, Ernest Oldham exhibited Ghosting Home and Departing Shower, Manaccan Cross, two paintings in addition to displays within the Craft section (probably bookplates: not specified). Their bookplates are numerous and designed for many of their fellow artists.
He was married to the painter and bookplate designer Mary OLDHAM, and from family correspondence it seems that the Oldhams lived at the Helford, Helston, Cornwall. A recent image has been shared by Ernest's descendants of a watercolour of Wheal Trewavas and The Lizard (nd). The couple began to exhibit at Newlyn in the 1920s, and remained active until the mid-1950s, when Mrs Oldham was chosen by the Committee to serve the teas at Newlyn Opening Show Days. They are not listed in standard artist indices."

When I originally wrote to Mr Bernard Maker for additional biographical information his response was as follows:
"The reason for the scarcity of information may be that the Oldhams preferred to live and work away from the commercial world of art.
They lived at Helford village and had a studio there for most of their lives.
Helford, in case you are not familiar with it, is a small sleepy village in a remote part of a county itself quite remote from the more populated parts of Britain.
It is a charming place, once a fishing village, but for the most part of the twentieth century a place for the wealthy , the retired and day visitors.Their customers , I imagine came mostly from these sources."

Well , the Oldham project is just about completed. If you find any other examples please send scans to
Bookplatemaven@hotmail.com and they will be added to this posting.
On my next posting I will be writing about some unusual bookplates I recently purchased.
See you soon.

Ernest W. Oldham PART TWO

2011-10-10T17:26:00.001-04:00

The Mabel Colborne plate is unsigned. If you click on any image it will (hopefully) enlarge.
I am behind schedule for this project because the scanning is (for me) tedious.
I hope to complete the scanning before next Sunday .

The John Stotmont/ Mary Hays plate is unsigned

Ernest W. Oldham Part One

2011-10-02T17:06:00.002-04:00

Several weeks ago I spotted an E Bay listing for eight bookplates designed by Ernest W. Oldham, an English designer I had never heard of.. The seller, Mr. Bernard Maker also sold me an additional twenty four duplicates from his own collection. All thirty two will be scanned and listed throughout the week .Mr. Maker and fellow collector Anthony Pincott have been most generous in sending biographical information and checklists of the approximately 200 bookplates Mr. Oldham designed ..The ciphers and signatures for the bookplates will also be scanned.

If you have any bookplates by this artist please let me know the owner's name(s) so they can be added to the checklist.. Here is my contact information:
Bookplatemaven@hotmail.com
Stay tuned for more scans and biographical information .

The M.F. Bray and I.S. Clarke Plate is unsigned

California Bookplates For Exchange

2011-09-25T17:13:00.002-04:00

Four Bookplates by James Webb

One of the things I enjoy most about this peculiar hobby is exchanging duplicates with other collectors.
Although I am not usually at a loss for words I have difficulty precisely describing why I enjoy exchanges so much. The words that come to mind don't capture what I feel with precision but the best I can do for now is to say it is very gratifying .
Years ago when I was more involved with art pottery and ceramic tiles California artists were my favorites. This has carried over to bookplates. Many of these bookplates are by California artists or for California residents or institutions.

These two are by Leota Woy

These two are by Paul Landacre

If you would like to learn more about the bookplates of California I would recommend
Historic Bookplates In California by Clare Ryan Talbot

9/30/2011- I traded the Huntzinger plate shown below with fellow collector Jim Lewis and he was kind enough to send the following information:
"I stopped by the library and looked the former address of Ada Thacher Huntzinger, and then went by the place to see what is still extant.
The address is 1180 Shenandoah Rd. in San Marino, just over the border from Pasadena. It is a huge, beautiful house and as you can see from the attached photo, the gateway still looks as it did when the bookplate was made. As I recall, the Thachers were Colorado mine money."

Upper left (with Scottie) by Olive Percival

Okay, if you see something you can't live without send me an Email about your duplicates for possible exchange.. I also have many other American and English bookplates for exchange. Let me know what you are looking for. Bookplatemaven@hotmail.com

Two Plates By John Comstock

On another note, this months Antiques magazine( Sept./Oct ) has an interesting article about The Whiting Manufacturing Co. where E. D. French was employed.I mention this because one of the illustrations in the article shows the carry over from his silver engraving days to his bookplate engraving.

SEE YOU NEXT SUNDAY

Google Stats and Clark Gable

2011-09-18T07:57:00.002-04:00

Clark Gable like Rockwell Kent changed bookplates as he changed wives

The folks at Google have enabled bloggers like myself to tap into all sorts of analytical data

I can for, instance determine where my audience is located by country (China excluded)

what sites they came from and what word(s) they searched for to arrive at my site

Listed below is an overview of the word search feature for the last three months.

Most of what you see is what you would expect until you get to the last item on the list:

Clark Gable's Grandson

Why have forty people been searching for him and why did they get to me ?

Bookplate 570

Confessions Of A Bookplate Junkie 485

Bookplate Junkie 414

Book Plates 152

Antique Bookplate 83

Book Plate 67

Confessions Of A Bookplatejunkie 46

Clark Gable's Grandson 40

For starters here is what I wrote about Clark Gable in 2008:

"Audrey Arellanes used to live near Hollywood and would come up with remarkable celebrity bookplates for exchanges. From what I recall Clark Gable had a very fine collection of books about fishing. According to Audrey's notes she originally got the Kathleen & Clark plate from Justin Turner ,who was Gable's attorney in the 1960's

Kathleen Gable was originally Clark Gable's dramatic coach.

I got the second Gable plate from James Pepper in Santa Barbara, California. He tends to get celebrity libraries"

If you take the time to look up Clark Gables grandson on Google you will find hundreds of references about his stupidity. He allegedly pointed a laser at an L.A.P.D. Chopper.

Why this is newsworthy is beyond me but I am assuming that many newspapers and bloggers were looking for background information and if they dug deeply enough they got to my site.

Additional Information Received 9/19/2011

First, I want to let you know how much I enjoy and look forward to your weekly newsletters. Coincidently, I found you by conducting a search of "Clark Gable bookplate" on Google being a fan of M. Gable's and bookplates.
Via this search I was able to locate and purchase several books from Mr. Gable's personal library. My first book find being from James Pepper.
I have books with both bookplates examples you displayed that being "Clark Gable" and "Kathleen And Clark Gable". I just wanted to make a correction to something you stated...Kathleen was Clark's fifth and last wife. Kathleen had been an actress in the 40's. Josephine Dillon was his first wife in the 1920's and was his dramatic coach (not Kathleen). And I totally agree, what an act of total stupidity (sadly) by Clark's grandson.
I thought I would take this opportunity to thank you for all the help and information you have given to me in my search or bookplates.
Keep up all your good work. I find each of your newsletters fascinating!!
Pamela Ewing
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Important Research Tool
Chronicling America- The folks at the Library Of Congress deserve a standing ovation.They have digitized newspapers from 1836-1922 and the data is searchable by keyword. In other words you can at the click of a button see hundreds of articles about bookplates or Grover Cleveland or whatever topics interest you.
Here is a link to the bookplate search.

http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/search/pages/results/?state=&date1=1836&date2=1922&proxtext=bookplate&dateFilterType=yearRange&rows=20&searchType=basic
See You next Sunday.

Bkplates

This Week in Bookplates 9/11/2011

2011-09-11T15:57:00.003-04:00

The bookplate shown above is listed by Charles Dexter Allen as #911. It was engraved by
Cephas G. Childs. His signature is in the copper plate but it is so small that Allen did not see it.
Here is some biographical information about William Warren:

"William Warren (b. Bath, England, 10 May 1767; d. Washington, D.C., 19 October 1832) was an actor. His first appearance was as Young Norval in Home's tragedy of Douglas. Soon afterward, Warren came to this country, making his debut at Baltimore, Maryland, as Friar Lawrence in Romeo and Juliet. In 1805 he went to England, as agent for the Philadelphia Theatre, to collect a company of comedians, and on his return in 1806 he married the actress, Mrs. Ann Merry. Later, Warren became manager of the Chestnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he made his last appearance on 25 November 1829 as Robert Bramble in the Poor Gentleman. His son, also named William Warren, was also an actor. "
Since the father and son had the same name and Cephas Childs was active during both their lifetimes it is possible the plate may have been for either or both of them.

In any event, this is the oldest Early American actor's plate that I am aware of.

Two of the eleven bookplate themes available from Erika Stefanutti

Fellow collector Erika Stefanutti has designed an elegant group of bookplates and desk accessories.
They are for sale through her website .
If you have been thinking about purchasing bookplates they are worthy of your consideration.
http://www.parvumopus.com/Ex_Libris.html

PicClick is a relatively new service which shows all the EBay images pertaining to the search word(s) you choose.I played with it for a while and was not all that impressed but I did find it helpful when searching for watch papers On any given day there may be hundreds of watches and only one watch paper. Because the watch paper image is distinctive it did speed up what is a time consuming search.
http://picclick.com/

Richard D. Sheaff has designed a wonderful ephemera site with many illustrations.
http://www.sheaff-ephemera.com/

I have always wanted a bookplate from the library of the English Shakespearean actor Henry Irving so when one was offered to me in 2008 at the Boston Book and Ephemera Fair I purchased it.
Last week when my copy of The Bookplate Society Newsletter arrived I read a most informative article
about this plate.The plate was reproduced in color in English BookPlates by Egerton Castle. To prevent people cutting out the plate and selling it as an original the colors were reversed .What should be in red on the original plate was shown in black and vice versa. You guessed it. I bought a bogus plate. If you are offered a plate like the one shown above don't buy it.
Let the buyer beware.

See you next Sunday.

A Literary Door Comes To Life

2011-09-03T15:30:00.002-04:00

Theodore Dreiser's Plate was designed by Franklin Booth

William A Kittredge's plate was designed by Rockwell Kent

Gardner Teall designed his own plate

Genevieve Taggard's plate was designed by J.J. Lankes

In the early 1920's Frank Shay's bookshop at 4 Christopher St. in New York City was a magnet for writers, publishers and designers. Within the shop there was a magic door upon which 242 of his patrons left their mark..The door is now at The Harry Ransom Center at The University of Texas at Austin.
If there is an academy award for an intelligently designed interactive site it should be given to
The Harry Ransom Center. Click onto this link .You will not be disappointed..
http://research.hrc.utexas.edu/bookshopdoor/home.cfm#1

If you have bookplates from some of the other people on the door please send a scan(s) and it will be added to this posting.
Bookplatemaven@hotmail.com

See you again next week.

Recent Discoveries and Pending Research

2011-08-28T11:55:00.003-04:00

One of the joys of bookplate collecting is doing research and discovering new information.The Internet speeds up the process at the price of sometimes copying some one's sloppy research.
Here are a few recent finds and what I have unearthed: so far:
The black circular plate shown below was already in my collection when I purchased the blue variation at Papermania last week. I knew the plate was illustrated in Bookplates Of The Nineties by Keith Clark
(Plate XIV). Here is what I learned on page 15.

The Willis Plate is Allen # 943

It contains a hidden engraved date not mentioned by Allen.

.It is so well hidden it sometimes takes me several minutes to find even though I know where it is located.

8/30/2011-New Information

Upon further research I believe the Willis plate shown above may not be Early American.

In the British Museum Catalogue of the Franks Collection it is listed as #F31975

with the following notation " The plate of Richard Willis with altered inscription and Mountaine's

signature erased 1751"

9/5/2011 -Additional Information from fellow collector Anthony Pincott:

Concerning the Willis bookplate, details of it as the second state of a bookplate for a Richard Willis are to be found in the 1st series of Bookplate Journal in Vol.20 No.1, p.46.

However, I’m not 100% certain that this correctly identifies the bookplate’s owner. There was a Richard Willis, son of Richard, christened on 28 May 1719, but this was at Morland, Westmorland (now Cumbria), not Marland.
I have also tried to find a marriage of an Elizabeth S. with Richard Willis, or alternatively an Elizabeth daughter of a Richard Willis, but again nothing convincing so far – the name Willis is too common

I know very little about the two transportation plates shown below.The Traffic Club of Chicago is still around so I will send them an inquiry this week.Does anyone out there have any information about Will and Lucy Humbert the owner's of the other plate ?

Here is my contact information:
Bookplatemaven@hotmail.com

That's it for now-
See you next Sunday

Guest Article By Michele Behan

2011-08-21T10:58:00.003-04:00

Featured Writer Michele Behan

Lew’s recent blog post of July 16, in which he asked Keith Cranmer to explain the design elements of the bookplate he engraved for James Goode, inspired me to analyze this unusual bookplate for Harold Schjoth Palmer.

Harold Schjoth Palmer (1890-1959) was the first professor of geology at the University of Hawaii and a pioneer in the geologic and hydraulic study of ground water in Hawaii.

Harold Palmer’s bookplate is full of curious symbols and mysteries, including the designer, whose initials, F. S. P., do not correspond to any known bookplate engravers.

Both Lew and a friend suggested that perhaps the designer was related to Harold Schjoth Palmer, since the last two initials in their names, S.P., are identical.

That little clue led me to further research, which revealed that Palmer’s mother, Fredrikke Marie Schjoth Palmer, was born in Norway in 1860.

According to a memorial biography of Harold Schjoth Palmer published by the University of Hawaii, she “also showed much artistic ability and later studied with the best teachers of portrait painting in Christiania (now Oslo) and Berlin.”

So it is reasonable to conclude that Fredrikke Schjoth Palmer (F.S.P.) was the artist and designer of her son’s intriguing bookplate.

Fredrikke Schjoth Palmer is listed as an artist known for magazine illustration and figure painting. She was a staff artist for Woman’s Journal, a women’s rights periodical published from 1870-1931.

The curious traveler on Palmer’s bookplate bears a strong resemblance to Gandalf, the wizard character created by J.R.R. Tolkien. Aside from the staff, the traveler is holding in his other hand something that looks like a large leaf or an enormous feather.

This puzzled me until I remembered Lew writing that bookplates often contain rebus symbolism. Of course! The traveler is holding a large palm leaf, corresponding to the last name of Palmer.

Harold Palmer’s Norwegian ancestry on his mother's side explains the Viking ship at the top of the bookplate. But what about the Gandalfian traveler?

It was said of Gandalf that Tolkien derived his inspiration from Odin the Wanderer. In a letter of 1946, Tolkien wrote that he thought of Gandalf as an "Odinic wanderer." Other commentators have also compared Gandalf to the Norse god Odin in the guise of a "Wanderer" --- presenting as an old man with one eye, a long white beard, a wide brimmed hat, and a staff.
So again, Harold Palmer’s Norwegian mother incorporated the myths and symbols of her native land in her design of this bookplate.

The symbolism at the bottom left corner of the bookplate is a reference to Harold Schjoth Palmer’s graduation from Yale in 1912. The “miner’s badge” of crossed pick and sledgehammer directly above Harold Schjoth Palmer’s name is a representation of his profession as a geologist.

The last symbol on the bookplate is the only one that still has me stumped. If anyone can explain the winged griffin pictured on the lower right corner, please post a comment!

Comment Submitted By Jennie Coleman:
Before I read through the text in its entirety I had already studied the bookplate and consequently expected to read some reference to the Welsh dragon (as opposed to winged griffin) at bottom right hand corner of the plate. Might it be that there is some Welsh ancestry in Palmer’s background? There’s mining aplenty in Wales – coal in the south and slate in the north. Or, did Palmer have academic associations with the Welsh mining industry?

I could well be drawing a rather long bow here, but you did ask for suggestions!

Kind regards
Jennie Coleman

8/25/2011
Additional thoughts from Michele

Harold Palmer’s bookplate was full of curious symbols and mysteries. In my article which Lew published on August 21, I wrote, “The last symbol on the bookplate is the only one that still has me stumped. If anyone can explain the griffin pictured on the lower right corner, please post a comment!”
Thank you for the comment(s) which have been posted so far.
In the time since I wrote that article on analyzing the design elements of a bookplate, the mystery of the griffin haunted me. I kept thinking, "How can a mythical griffin relate to Harold Schjoth Palmer?"
From Wikipedia:

“The griffin, griffon, or gryphon (Greek: γρύφων, grýphōn, or γρύπων, grýpōn, early form γρύψ, grýps; Latin: gryphus) is a legendary creature of the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle. As the lion was traditionally considered the king of the beasts and the eagle was the king of the birds, the griffin was thought to be an especially powerful and majestic creature.”
The duality of the griffin creature kept resonating in my brain: Half lion, half eagle.
Then, an idea hit me: Harold Schjoth Palmer’s ancestry was half Norwegian (mother) and half American (father). The eagle is a distinctly American icon, but what about the lion? I had a hunch that there might be a connection between the lion and Norway.
When I researched the country of Norway, I was astounded to discover that the coat of arms of Norway is described as “a crowned, golden lion rampant holding an axe with an argent blade, on a crowned, triangular and red escutcheon.”
A griffin is a cross between a lion and an eagle. Harold Palmer, in the eyes of his artist mother, could certainly be no less!
The griffin on Palmer’s bookplate may have been meant to symbolize Harold Palmer's mixed maternal and paternal ancestry ... the lion of Norway blended with the eagle of America.

I want to thank Michele for submitting this article and encourage you all to submit articles and bookplate questions.
I also wish to thank Jim Lewis for submitting scans of silent movie stars which I will be adding to last week's (August 14th) posting.
Lew Jaffe Bookplatemaven@hotmail.com

Silent Film Star Bookplates -Part Seven-The Shakers & Movers

2011-08-14T13:47:00.004-04:00

Bookplate Submitted by Fellow collector Jim Lewis

He was born Roderick La Rocque in Chicago, Illinois. He began appearing in stock theater at the age of seven and eventually ended up at the Essanay Studios in Chicago where he found steady work until the studios closed. He then moved to New York City and worked on the stage until he was noticed by Samuel Goldwyn who took him to Hollywood. Over the next two decades, he appeared in films and made the transition to sound films.
In 1927, he married Hungarian actress Vilma Bánky in a lavish and highly publicized wedding. They were married until his death in 1969.

Richard Wallace's Bookplates was designed by Leota Woy and submitted by Jim Lewis

Co-founder of Vitagraph Studio

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitagraph_Studios

Herbert Brenon's plate was desihned byW. Wilke and printed by J.H. Nash

Herbert Brenon (13 January, 1880 – 21 June, 1958) was a film director during the era of silent movies through the 1930s. He was born in Dublin, Ireland, and was educated at St Paul's School and at King's College London. Before becoming a director, he performed in vaudeville acts with his wife, Helen Oberg.

Some of his more noteworthy films were the first movie adaptations of Peter Pan (1924) and Beau Geste (1926), Sorrell and Son (1927) for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director in the 1st Academy Awards, Laugh, Clown, Laugh (1928) with Lon Chaney, Sr., and The Flying Squad (1940), his last. He died in Los Angeles, California and was interred in a private mausoleum at Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx, NY.

Ernst Lubitsch (January 28, 1892 – November 30, 1947) was a German-born film director. His urbane comedies of manners gave him the reputation of being Hollywood's most elegant and sophisticated director; as his prestige grew, his films were promoted as having "the Lubitsch touch."

In 1947 he received an Honorary Academy Award for his distinguished contributions to the art of the motion picture, and he was nominated three times for Best Director.

Cecil Blount DeMille (August 12, 1881 – January 21, 1959) was an American film director and Academy Award-winning film producer in both silent and sound films. He was renowned for the flamboyance and showmanship of his movies. Among his best-known films are The Ten Commandments (1956), Cleopatra (1934), and The Greatest Show on Earth (1952), which won the Academy Award for Best Picture.

This series went on longer than I expected and will eventually become a limited edition book for my own enjoyment and a few gifts for friends and family.
If you have additional scans of bookplates that belong in this series please send them to me at
.Bookplatemaven@hotmail.com

Thats a wrap !

Silent Film Star Bookplates - Part Six

2011-08-08T11:09:00.005-04:00

John Gilbert (July 10, 1897 – January 9, 1936) was an American actor and a major star of the silent film era.

Known as "the great lover," he rivaled even Rudolph Valentino as a box office draw. He was often cited as one of the high profile examples of an actor who was unsuccessful in making the transition to talkies.

John Gilbert's bookplate was designed by Leota Woy

WallaceReid designed his own bookplate

Lois Moran appeared in a couple of silent movies in the early 1920s. She is probably best known for her role, as Laurel Dallas, daughter of the title role in the 1925 film Stella Dallas. She appeared in early sound movies such as Behind That Curtain (1929), and some musical movies, such as A Song of Kentucky (1929), Words and Music (1929), and Mammy (1930). Like many actors and actresses from the silent film era, she did not make a successful transition to the talkies.

She also had a brief affair with writer F. Scott Fitzgerald while he was married to Zelda Fitzgerald. He once remarked that she was "The most beautiful girl in Hollywood". She was also an inspiration for the character of Rosemary Hoyt in Fitzgerald's novel Tender is the Night (1934)
In 1935, she married Clarence M. Young, Secretary of Commerce, and retired from Hollywood.
Moran also had a co-starring role in the short-lived TV show Waterfront (1954–1955). The show starred Preston Foster as Capt. John Herrick, and Moran as his wife May Herrick.

That's all for today. I'll be back on Sunday at which time I hope to have the final installment.

Silent Film Star Bookplates - Part Five

2011-08-07T17:47:00.001-04:00

Yesterday I had a brief posting about cowboys in silent films and mentioned that I usually display these bookplates in an album along with contemporary cigarette cards.
This is where I purchase the cigarette cards
http://www.moviecard.com/
I should also mention that I generally print out biographical information from the Internet but have no recollection of which websites this information originally came from.
Stay tuned for episode number six tomorrow.

Mabel Normand used two different bookplates.The one on the left was designed by Lucille Lloyd

Bookplate Designed by Willie Pogany

Silent Film Star Bookplates - Part Four (The Cowboys)

2011-08-06T20:13:00.000-04:00

Ken Maynard's Bookplate Is Printed On Silk Thread Paper

I get many period photos to display along side bookplates from cigarette cards and Dixie Cup lids.

The Philadelphia Free Library has a well stocked used bookstore located at 311 North 20th street.
Yesterday, I purchased a copy of Whatever Became Of (Fourth Series) by Richard Lamparski.
The format is quite simple .A brief biography of the entertainer,a photo from his or her prime and a 1970 photo.It was saddening to note how many of the celebrities did not save for a rainy day or are selling used cars..According to the author "The man (Ken Maynard) who for several years was among the top screen money-makers lives alone in a ramshackle trailer filled with dusty mementos of his years of glory"

Tom Mix used a flocked paper for his bookplate to simulate rawhide..
That's all for now I will continue on Sunday morning.

Silent Film Star Bookplates - Part Three

2011-08-01T08:28:00.001-04:00

This third episode focuses on bookplates from the libraries of some of the better known stars who appeared in silent films. Many, but not all went on to talkies.

Biographical information and film clips will be added throughout the week. as time permits .

Here is an excellent link to find out more about silent movie actresses:

http://www.stanford.edu/~gdegroat/index.htm

Greta Garbo's plate was designed by A. Herry around 1939.,

Rudolph Valentino's bookplate was designed by William Cameron Menzies

Erich Von Stroheim's bookplate was designed by Victor Bassinett

Gloria Swanson used a rebus plate.The artist's cipher is R.
Does anyone out there know who that might be? Stay tuned for part four on Sunday.

Silent Film Star Bookplates - Part Two

2011-07-31T04:27:00.001-04:00

Charlie Chaplin (1889-1997) had at least two bookplates
.In addition, to his many other talents he also designed at least one bookplate for his wife , Paulette Goddard (1910-1990) .

Bookplate for Paulette Goddard designed by her husband Charlie Chaplin.. They appeared together in Modern Times.
Here is a film clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjoDZ-g3Ugo
I underestimated the scope of this project when I started it.

I suspect it will take at least four postings, especially if I start adding film clips.
I have also added some new links and film clips to last weeks posting (part one).

Jack (Grandson number two) is visiting this week end . What a delight.
See you again tomorrow.

Silent Film Star Bookplates -Part One

2011-07-24T14:24:00.006-04:00

When television sets first become available to the general public in the late 1940's there were a number of silent films shown because there just was not enough original content to feed the TV monster..I was hooked on those early silent flicks and to this day I actively purchase silent film star bookplates.Not every bookplate I will include today is from the library of a silent film star .Some of these entertainers had long careers and some were not even in silent films but many started in silent films.
If you want to read more about this collecting niche I would recommend:

The 1930 Year Book of The American Society of Bookplate Collectors and Designers .
It has a 15 page article by Hattie Gray Baker about motion picture bookplates.

Morris Ankrum (1896-1964) was a character actor whose film career spanned thirty years (mostly B films)
For instance, He appeared in Invaders From Mars, Rocket ship X-M and Cattle Queen of Montana.

7/25/2011 Additional information fromKate Doordan Klavin

"Morris Ankrum became a fixture of 1950-60's television, courtesy of the early Perry Mason shows. Ankrum was ubiquitous (if relatively quiet) as a judge who frequently presided over Perry's cases. In fact, with 22 portrayals refereeing Perry and DA Hamilton Burger, he was among the actors who appeared most often on the series other than the regular cast members."

7/26/2010

Excellent blog posting about Hollywood homes and bookplates by Steve Vaught

http://paradiseleased.wordpress.com/2011/06/03/bookpl

77/27/2011 Another excellent link about Hollywood bookplates:
http://www.readinkbooks.com/home/bookplatehollywood.htm

Photo shows Lionel Atwell (1885-1946) with his second wife Elsie Mackay. His bookplate was designed by Bank Gordon.

Here is a film clip with Richard Barthelmess 1895-1963) and Lillian Gish

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06m6aqHwUiw

Marie Anne Boland (1882-1965) American stage and film actress

Mary Louise Brooks (1925-1938) was an actress ,model and dancer.Here is a film clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bk7hLN44-uM

Theo Bikel is a character actor, folk singer and musician.He made his film debut in The African Queen and was nominated for an academy award for his supporting role as Sheriff Max Muller in The Defiant Ones.
It took me over thirty five years to get this bookplate.I wrote to him back when celebrities responded to inquiries. He wrote back that he had used a bookplate at one time but no longer knew where they were.
This copy was in a recently purchased collection.

Harrison K Ford1884-1957)

Florence Eldridge(1901-1988)

On my next posting I will be adding more silent film star bookplates.
If you wish to add biographical information about any of these stars or send scans of similar bookplates from your own collection my contact address is Bookplatemaven@hotmail.com

See you next Sunday.