American Bookplates by Charles Dexter Allen

Published in 1894

In any collecting hobby time spent on research is seldom wasted.  And though the pile of bookplates and other paper ephemera sitting on my study desk yet to be catalogued grows steadily higher, for the past little while I've been putting more effort into building my ex libris reference library.  The latest addition to the shelf is a beautiful limited edition copy of Charles Dexter Allen's 'American Book-Plates: A Guide to their Study with Examples'.  Originally published in the 1890s, Allen's book has long served as a catalogue reference for collectors of American ex-libris, and anyone who is seriously collecting bookplates, especially American bookplates, will want to obtain a copy of this book for their own libraries.

This was an acquisition for the private library I could hardly resist.  Only 75 copies of the limited edition were produced, printed on Japanese vellum throughout.  Already lavishly illustrated throughout, the inclusion of 41 full page bookplates printed from the original coppers - including no less than 12 bookplates designed by Edwin Davis French - simply makes this tome a must have for serious collectors.

Having compared it to some other volumes in my library, at 437 pages this work was also perhaps one of the most detailed studies of the hobby at the turn of the century.  In addition to the annotated catalogue which forms the nucleus of the text, the author included extensive notes on the evolution of bookplates in America, capsule biographies of collectors of the day and their collections, details about various bookplate societies, as well as an extensive reference bibliography covering American, British, French, and German sources.  Hardly surprising, there are only a handful of Canadian bookplates included in the catalogue or the the references, but still even this small amount of information may later prove helpful to other research.

As September turns over the reigns to October, here in Canada the weather begins to chill and the days grow substantially shorter.  While I'll miss the long lazy summer days, I suppose there'll be more evenings indoors to spend on chasing the elusive histories of bookplates.  Allen's volume is a welcome friend in that happy pursuit.

Bookplate of a Real Estate Magnate - William Ernest Bolton

Designed by Stanley Harrod c.1920

I was recently offered this bookplate by a fellow collector, and having grown up in Montreal, my interest was piqued.  Who was William Ernest Bolton?  A little digging led me to discover the biography of what was very likely Canada’s Victorian and Edwardian-era “Donald Trump”.  Though I’ve yet to complete my research for my catalogue, I thought I’d share with you what I have learned thus far.

William Ernest Bolton (b.1873-d.?) was born in Montreal, Quebec, on 2 April 1873, the son of Richard Bolton and Elizabeth Alinchin.  His education was acquired in the schools of his native city, after which he entered the real estate business and became a broker.

A sharp and shrew businessman, he quickly expanded his own real estate interests while becoming involved with many important property transfers and developments in and around Montreal at the turn of the century.  Between the 1890s and the outbreak of the First World War (1914), Bolton acquired a controlling interest in some of the leading real-estate companies of Montreal, including the directorship of the Montreal Loan & Mortgage Company; the presidency of the Birmingham-Montreal Realty Company, Limited; and the directorships of the Midland Investment Company, Limited; the Richelieu Realty Company, Limited; the Renforth Realty Company, Limited; and the Riviera Realty Company, Limited.

While he avoided all calls to join politics and public office before the war, Bolton was a known Conservative supporter, and socially, he held memberships at some of the city’s finest clubs, including the Montreal Club, the Beaconsfield Golf Club, the Winter Club, the Montreal Country Club and the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association.  In 1905, he married Miss Catherine Hamilton McClure at Plainfield, New Jersey, and they later become the parents of two sons, Richard and Hamilton.

 

Masson Collection Bookplate

It is therefore little surprise that a man like Bolton would have a private library and a bookplate commissioned to identify his holdings.  The bookplates shown here were designed by Canadian artist Stanley Harrod around 1920.  Harrod employed a modern interpretation of a classic ex libris design, featuring Bolton’s coat of arms wthin a decorative arts border.  The bookplate is a brown and buff copperplate engraving, and may have had more than one printing as the specimen in the Masson Collection at McGill University looks slightly different to mine.

One thing that has me wondering is the motto.  Unfortunately it’s partially blocked so I can’t make out the entire thing.  Anyone know or have an opinion on what it might translate into?  Thanks in advance for your help!

The Bookplate Society Newsletter - Summer 2011

It's been a very productive summer for my bookplate collection, with several classic texts added to the reference library and many new ex-libris carefully catalogued and stored.  My current project examining Canadian military ex libris and marks of ownership has also progressed with just a few more stones to overturn, and then I think I may have enough research at hand now to start putting together a small book on the subject.  As a teaser perhaps I will post a few interesting bits on the subject up on this blog in due course.  Admittedly, I thought it would be a relatively compact subject to explore, but my research has uncovered much more than I could have originally imagined.

In the meantime I continue to tackle the pile of bookplate reading material on my desk.  Recently arrived was the latest newsletter from the British Bookplate Society (Vol.33 No.1 Summer 2011).  Available to members of the society as part of their subscription, the newsletter includes a few interesting research notes, a book review or two, a statement of accounts for the society, membership news, and an healthy email auction list.  If you collect ex libris or simply enjoy knowing more about heraldry or the history and culture of books, I'd recommend joining the society.  They offer a wonderful selection of publications and materials, and even for us "overseas" members, the content is worth is the investment.  Have a great weekend.

The bookplates of The Reverend R.H. Rokeby-Thomas

The Rokeby-Thomas Coat of Arms

For those who love books and build private libraries, chances are it’s a lifelong courtship. This also means a good likelihood that the owner has had a bookplate commissioned to mark the ownership of those books in his or her library.  For those venerable collectors, there's always a chance that they've had more than one bookplate made.  A recent find of multiple bookplates to the same owner allowed me to explore Canada's military history as well as the biography of a man who valued the books he held.  The details are as follows:

The Reverend Howard R. Rokeby-Thomas B.Sc., L.Th., MA, Ph.D. FRGS, FRSA (Ang) FRHSC was born in Eastcombe, Gloucestershire, England on 13 June 1907. He earned his B.Sc. from Philotech, Bruxelles in 1935, his L.Th. from Wycliffe College, Toronto in 1939; his M.A. in 1960, and Ph.D. in 1961.  He was ordained Anglican Deacon and Priest in 1934, and conducted missionary work between the years of 1934-1939 in Cambridge Bay, Victoria Land, King William Land and Matty Island.  Following this assignment, Rokeby-Thomas was Incumbent or Rector in Walter's Falls from 1939 to 1941.

With Canada's participation in the Second World War growing, the Reverend Rokeby-Thomas gave up the safety of civilian life and joined the Canadian Chaplain Service with the rank of Honourary Captain.  He served overseas first in the UK, and then after in the Italian campaign as the Chaplain of the Royal Canadian Regiment.  The RCR's landed at Pachino Beach at the start of the Allied invasion of Sicily in July 1943, and fought all the way through that theatre of operations - including the terrible battles of Ortona, the Hitler Line, and the Gothic Line.

After the war the Reverend Rokeby-Thomas returned to civilian ecclesiastic life, serving in Port Stanley between the years 1948-1960, as an Honorary Assistant during 1960-1962 in Scarborough, Ontario, and then later during 1963-1969 in Toronto.  He was author of, Church In The Valley, published in 1949, and, Chronicle of the Rooks and Ravens, published in 1950. He authored numerous articles in learned and popular publications, assisted with publication of the "Canadian Churchman", as well as the Diocese of Huron "Church News" during 1958-1969.  His honours included a Grant of Arms, Lyon Court, Edinburgh in 1970, and Fellowship of the Royal Heraldry Society of Canada in 1979.  The Reverend passed away on Canada Day, (1 July) 1995.

The Reverend Rokeby-Thomas (1907-1995)

The Reverend liked to maintain a good private library and had at least two bookplates designed for his own use.

1. The date of creation of the first example is unknown at this time, though it's not in Prescott, which makes it likely the ex-libris was created after 1919.  The designer is unknown.  It is a portrait bookplate displaying a traditional heraldic design and bears an earlier version of the Reverend's coat of arms.  The ex-libris is black and white and appears to be a photogravure.  It does appear to be pre-1970, however, the time at which he received a Grant of Arms from Lyon Court.

2. More is known about the second bookplate.  It is armourial in style, with his heraldry positioned within a Norman twist and shielded border. The bookplate appears to be a black and white photolithograph.  It was designed in the 1970s by R.G.M. Macpherson, CM, the Niagara Herald Extraordinary who has designed Canadian bookplates in a similar style. The bookplate's dimensions are portrait 6.8cm x 9.1cm.  In the center is depicted an ecclesiastical helm and mantling over a shield Or on a chevron Vert between three Cornish choughs Sable a Maple leaf of the First.  The motto ‘Illumino’ adorns the base.  The Royal Canadian Regiment cap badge is depicted in left lower corner and the Canadian Chaplain Services cap badge is set in the lower right corner.  The owner’s name inscribed at bottom center.

First version (post-1919)

Second version (1970s)

The Aneurin Williams Bookplate Collection

Printed by Messrs. Hughes and Son, Principality Press, 1938

It's a rainy Sunday afternoon and I'm pretty much stuck indoors for the day, so it seemed like a good time to browse through some of the recently arrived bookplate and book history literature.  As usual, not much of it is Canadian focused, but rather American or British.  So until I can find more Canadian publications on the subject, the next few book reviews will likely deal with bookplates from other countries.

One simple yet interesting book I scored off the Internet was a work titled National Library of Wales Catalogue of the Aneurin Williams Collection of Bookplates.  Authored and compiled by Herbert M. Vaughan, then Chairman of the Books Committee of the National Library of Wales, this publication offers a concise overview and listing of the 854 bookplates in Mr. Williams' collection.

Aneurin Williams (1859-1924) was a British Liberal Party politician who stood as a member of parliament for Plymouth, North West Durham, and Consett.  A life long interest in literature and the formation of a good private library encouraged his collection of bookplates, which was wide and general in its scope but also containing a small number of ex libris not previously known or listed in Franks at the time.  What interested me in particular was the listing of bookplates associated with University of Oxford, a place with which I am happily familiar with.

The catalogue itself is straightforward, offering heraldry and biographical notes of the various owners of the bookplates.  The entire list is also cross-refernced with the Franks catalogue, which is helpful.  The book itself is clothbound, 142 pp., illus. and was published in a limited edition of 500 unnumbered copies in 1938.  Though hardly a rare volume it seems, my own copy smells like it's been sitting on a dusty shelf of some private study for a long time, and one does wonder how many copies have actually survived.  Regardless, it's a good reference added to my slowly growing library of books on ex libris.  For your notes.  

Finding "A List of Canadian Bookplates" edited by Winward Prescott

Canadian summers are all about the weekend, and since we typically only get about eight of them before the colder weather returns one must take every opportunity to spend them outdoors and away from the keyboard.  Thus I apologize for this blog’s silence over the past several weeks, but without making any lengthy excuses, I had people to see and better things to do.

The Holy Grail for Canadian bookplate collectors?

One of those things was continuing my hunt for Canadian books, ex libris, and library history. I did a good deal of reading outdoors (at times with a libation in hand), and also hit just about every second hand book shop and book sale I came across in my travels.  I am very pleased to announce that those efforts hit pay dirt a couple of weeks ago.

After following down a promising lead I managed to locate and purchase a coveted original copy of Prescott’s edited List of Canadian bookplates.  Published in 1919, the production of this book was limited to an edition of only 250 copies, of which the first 25 were numbered and signed.  Though the copy I acquired sadly isn’t a numbered and signed edition, it is otherwise complete and in excellent condition with all of the bookplates still tipped in.  Previous ownership marks in the book revealed that at one time the volume was in the private library of noted 20th century American librarian and bookplate collector Louis J. Bailey.  Other notations in the margins and throughout the book include details on other plates not on the list that he must have otherwise discovered.  In many ways Bailey's own notes make this an even better copy to own.

Original copies of this book present a real treat for the bibliophile, the art collector, and the historian.  Many of the finest examples of Canadian bookplates may be found among the detailed list of known Canadian ex libris, including several that I’ve detailed in previous entries on this blog.  Here are a few photos of other various pages and their tipped in bookplates for your enjoyment.

Ex Libris for W.W. Alexander and Morley Ayearst

E.D. French's only Canadian Bookplate designed for Queen's University

Bookplate for the Toronto architect Rolph and also Sir Edmund Walker

I must admit I thought it might be years before I’d be able to secure a decent original copy of this must have volume, if at all, so needless to say I’m grateful to be adding this Holy Grail to the private reference library reasonably early in my collecting career.  I also picked up a few other books on bookplates during my travels, explorations, (and shopping), which I'll review here in subsequent blogs soon.  Watch for more updates later this week.  Cheers!

The Eatons

Timothy Eaton (1834-1907)

When Timothy Eaton sold his small dry good business in 1869 and opened a new general purpose and Haberdashery, he probably did not realize that he had embarked on a path that would make his name a common household brand, as well as one of the largest department store and retailers in Canadian history.

Needless to say, the Eaton family were the holders of substantial libraries and produced a number of bookplates for their collections.  The Phillipe Masson Ex Libris collection at McGill University has a number of the Eaton family bookplates in their collection.  I recently acquired one for my own collection from fellow collector Lew Jaffe who writes the ' Confessions of a Bookplate Junkie' blog.  This led me to explore not only the history behind the Eaton's empire, but also their libraries.  The result was a plethora of interesting and diverse pictorial and armourial bookplates.  In no particular order I've included a number of these below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

As you can see there was a broad diversity not only in the style of bookplate (pictorial, armourial, labels, and memorial) but also the composition.  Lady Eaton's full colour bookplate is an interesting departure from the others, for example.  As of note are the clearly Canadian icons - the maple leaf, the beaver - all of these are the hallmarks of a legendary Canadian family.