Bookplates date. back almost to the invention of printing in the mid-15th century. From their beginning, . they were more than _just means of iden- tifying the owners of books; they. were — and are — visual. ex- pressions of the- per- sonalities ‘of | those owners, of the artists who. designed them, or of both. 7 Bookplates first appeared in Germany. around 1450, with their use increasing as printed books became more prevalent. They arrived in France by 1550, and spread across the European con- tinent by 1600. Early bookplates generally were based on heraldic or armorial. motifs, and it’ was common to omit the name on these, as the family crest was considered sufficient to identify the owner. - Britain lagged behind most of the Continent and did not adopt bookplates until the reign of Elizabeth I. The oldest known English bookplate dates to 1574. Gy ] ft ke ot t i + people. During the 17th century, with the emergence of the middle classes, bookplate- designs began to feature subjects of more general interest than coats-of-arms, although heraldic motifs - remained predominant. , Throughout their history, bookplates have been designed by popular artists. Albrecht Durer is known to have devised some 20 early German examples, one before 1503. Hogarth also is known to have created several, but ‘like many of the 18th. century engravers, he left his unsigned. ‘A number of late 19th and early 20th century poster artists and __ illustrators adapted their styles to bookplate designs. Among them were Jules Cheret, Alphonse Mucha, Valentin le- Campion, Byam Shaw, Eric Gill, Kate Greenaway and Rockwell Kent. The- new. photoengraving . process, introduced near the end of the 19th century, provided better reproduction than. ever before for these artists’ work, and its lower cost put bookplates within financial reach of a greater number of = 3 = eT oui —- 1 Ceuiers wv EN Ae THIS BOOKPLATE was created for Prince Charts by Reynolds Stone in 1970. GI Gea Gencad GH GEONUEG of Gy oO 81] le | Gy 5 HA CGA Oe CQ) OSG tear sateen nara tray Ante teenie tite re tne oe Walter Dexter Broadway packs ‘em in NEW YORK (UPD Broadway's bright lights ~ - and new theatrical works - ~ attracted nearly 10 million theatregocrs during the 1978-79 season, breaking box office and attendance records. The League of New York Theatres and Producers said 9.8 million tickets were sold, bringing in $136 million William | labels. certainly are indebted to " Royalty, gentry still adhered to the traditional. heraldic designs, but the middle classes now preferred subjects ranging from classical to allegorical and even to erotic. There also were novelty plates which made a pun on the owner’s name — for example, the crane used on the plate of artist. Walter Crane. Simple book labeis were in | use as well. These: generally featured the name — often . the engraved signature —.of — with a few... decorative. flourishes. Since the owner,. they didn’t require the fine details of a picture, book Bookplates themselves have been known to be quite small. J.R Abbey, the English collector of find bindings whose library was auctioned — at gold and red circular bookplate. The diminutive plate fit comfortably into even the smallest volume of his collection. One of the largest bookplates was made to match the size and opulence of a 17th century collector's magnificent books. Belonging to Count Maximilian Louis Briener, an official of the emperor of Austria in Lombardy, it measured 35.5 cm. (14 in.) high. The Victorians, who collected just everything, have been given credit for organizing bookplate collecting into a hobby. Modern collectors them for preserving many old plates which might otherwise have been lost of destroyed. Bookplates occasionally appear in the shops of an- tiquarian booksellers and in other stores that specialize in paper collectibles. They also are sold at auctions but usually as collections, as the value of an_ individual - unless it is a rare example — is not sufficient to warrant separate lotting. An average price would be about $7 per plate. during the season that ended recently. That was 200,000 more people and $22 million more than the previous season. A measure of the in- fluence of Broadway theatre in the English-speaking world is the fact that of 30 productions currently on the boards in London, nine originated ¢ on Broadway. nobility and” usually. were. _ somewhat smaller in size. Sotheby’s, several years ago, used a tiny. about « l Page C5, September 30; 1979.- Sanday News: Bookplates are as old as printed books collecting — Ob; y toni dabbs | Save 21” to 61” Thousands of yards! More than we can mention here'!! ” Look What You can buy: | While quantities last. Store selections vary. Dress Prints & Solids Gauze, Flannels Sportweights Sheers & Fancies ~ %& Our orig. low 1.49-2.49 48 yard Printed Corduroy Satin & Chiffon Prints Knits, Dress Prints Decorator Prints % Our orig. low 249-399 Knitted Stripes Disco Prints & Solids Pant Weights Challis Prints % Our orig. low 1.99-2.99 Lied Tee Knits Double Knits Poly/Wool Challis Qullts, Corduroy Decorator Fabric - %* Our orlg. low 399-599 Rembrandt Galleries invite you to an exhibition of new work by the well known potter Walter Dexter. Also exhibiting Gwen; Curry - mixed media drawings. Working with Wools & Wool Blends. Thursday, Oct. 4 at1&7pm Soune laviled FREE DELIO spoons VANCOUVER & 2690 Granville & 11th Ave 736-4566 Show continues ‘til Saturday October 6th. R A N AI 11th & Arbutus 736-0538 REM vad G , LNERTES a NORTH VANCOUVER ice Mon. Sat 10-5:80 megeryaree pity 341 Lonsdale 980-4433