Welsh Journals

BOOK PLATES IN THE NATIONAL LIBRARY OF WALES The Book Plate or Book Label or Ex Libris should have an honour- able place in every library. Its presence gives a sense of associ- ation to any book as the former property of some owner, whether important or unimportant in short, the book plate gives the pedigree of a book, and as such it should never be removed or pasted over in any volume that is acquired either for a public or a private library. The book plate came into existence shortly after the invention of printing, the early Igler and Pirkheimer being well known to collectors. Gradually its vogue spread on the Continent, though only four or five examples of Elizabethan date were produced in Britain, including the Tresham, Holland, and coloured Bacon plates. Slowly the cult of the book plate increased during the seventeenth century which saw amongst others the fine book plates of Sir Edward Littleton and Sir Thomas Gore, the portrait-plate of Samuel Pepys, and the curious coloured Eton College. From the year 1698, however, the custom of having a label of ownership pasted into books became popular, and this popularity has been maintained for over 240 years till the present day. From the artistic point of view the book plate has progressed through a well-defined succession of phases. It began in 1698 with the Early Armorial (so called), consisting of a square' shield surrounded by mantling of acanthus foliage. From this simple design the book plate became the more elaborate Jacobean in the reigns of the first two Georges, until about 1740 when its Jacobean character became merged in the Chippendale, Rococo or Louis Quinze form. The shield now appears curved or lop-sided, and a riot of fantastic ornament is added. Naval and military trophies, book-shelves, cupids, urns, curtains, mantles, musical instruments, and other fanciful decor- ations are included. The Book Pile design is also frequent. After the Chippendale comes the Festoon or Louis Seize period (circa 1775). Here the shield regains its symmetry as a medallion or is spade-shaped, and the plate is embellished with swags of fruit or flowers, chains of corn-husks and elegant pins-such things, in short, as we commonly associate with the architecture of the brothers Adam. Towards the close of the century all this mass of ornament is discarded and replaced by simple wreaths and ribbons, or with a pair of palm-leaves hence the name Wreath and Ribbon for this phase. Later, all ornament is abandoned and only the plain spade-shaped shield is retained. Curiously enough, this severe period (1795-1810) saw the appearance of the charming Landscape book plates, of which so many are