Week 45: Ex Libris

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Ex Libris: the Art of Bookplates, by Martin Hopkinson

A nice array of bookplates are collected in this historical survey. Many were executed by famous artists. Others were done for well-known people in all kinds of professions, and they often feature puns or meaningful imagery. I like bookplates (though I rarely actually use them) and this is a good short collection.

Here is my favorite bookplate image, which is actually an illustration by one of my all-time favorite artist/illustrators, Edward Ardizzone. It is in one of my all-time favorite books, Eleanor Farjeon's The Little Bookroom. I was lucky to find a box of these bookplates and even framed one so I could always have it.



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