- According to the American Society of Bookplate Collectors and Designers (ASBC&D) the art of bookplates can be traced back to the 15th century, although they became particularly popular during the Victorian era. These simple labels were viewed as a way to express individuality, and in addition to signifying the book owner's name, they often included small and intricate pieces of art, frequently commissioned by a book owner to include an image of something significant to him, much the same as a personal coat of arms.
- Through the centuries, artists famed for larger works of art, including Maurits Escher, Albrecht Durer and Marc Chagall also created bookplates. The ASBC&D names the most famous of 20th American bookplate artists to be book author and illustrator Rockwell Kent and printer and sculptor Leonard Baskin.
- Artists have employed a variety of media to create bookplates through the centuries. Etchings, woodcuts, copper engravings, silk screen printing and simple pen and ink have all been used to produce these intricate works of art, which have in some cases become highly desired by collectors.
- The personal bookplates of Samuel Pepys, Queen Victoria, Winston Churchill, Paul Revere and Rudyard Kipling are just some of the most desirable bookplates sought by collectors. One of the largest and most notable bookplate collections, consisting of some 3,000 bookplates, is held in the John Johnson Collection at the Bodleian Library at Oxford University in the United Kingdom.
- Artists who wish to design bookplates should consider joining the ASBC&D because this is often the first source that book owners refer to when soliciting bids for artwork for their bookplates. As with any other artistic endeavor, competition among artists is strong, and the association has more than 300 artists available for design commissions.
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