The Bookplate Journal - Autumn 2012

I was very pleased to receive the latest bookplate society journal this past week, which includes in its pages an excellent updated version of Colin White's comprehensive study on the Scottish artist Jessie M. King.  As the society's web page notes:

Vol.10 No.2 Fall 2012 

It forms a major part of the Society’s Autumn 2012 issue of The Bookplate Journal, which has been sent out to members in the last days of October 2012. Not only does this article (32 pages in all) update the checklist that appeared in March 1995, but 15 of the bookplates are reproduced in colour. In his book A Guide to the Printed Work of Jessie M. King, 2007, Colin White listed King’s bookplates, but two or three have since come to light, and the book does not have his extensive comments which are now appearing in this forthcoming journal.

Bookplate by Jessie M. King

This issue also includes articles examining the bookplate designs of Graham Rust;  makes inquiries into whether or not Catherine the Great had a bookplate; displays the ex-libris work of English painter Keith Vaughan (1912-1977); as well as a great little piece about how one might design one's own bookplate (something I'm currently working on myself...).  In addition there are collecting and personal notes, etc., and along with the journal was the October 2012 society newsletter containing the details for Auction 67.

I've acquired some nice new items this past week for my collection but I'll post these tomorrow after I get them scanned in later today.  Also, I want say 'thank you' for the many kind emails and comments I received concerning my previous post on hoarders and snobs.  It seems this attitude is a bit more prevalent on this side of the pond and I encourage folks not to be bullied out of enjoying what is a great learning hobby.

As always, if you have bookplates for sale or trade, I'm always interested in buying whole collections or individuals items from any period.  As well, if you have any questions or want to share some of your own finds on this blog for everyone to see, don't hesitate to get in touch.  Until next time...

Hoarders, Snobs, and the Endangerment of a Hobby

Given the title of this blog I need a bit more space than usual to cover the rant that follows.  It's a subject, however, that's been on my mind over the past couple of years as I've delved into library and book history, not to mention as I continue my pursuit of Canadian bookplates and the stories of their sellers and owners.

Having come from a long line of antiquarians, dealers, and collectors, I've been exposed to just about every known hobby as well as the characters they attract.  And while every hobby has its ups and downs, nothing endangers the longevity of one's enjoyment of collecting something more than having to deal with two particularly troublesome folks in the collecting business - the hoarder and the snob.

We've all met them in our travels.  The hoarders often like to style themselves as 'acquisitors'; they treat everyone as competition; they're knowledgeable enough of the hobby to be dangerous; they're shameless in their pursuit of new material often using subtle shoving, poor manners, and a lack of bathing as weapons to move others out of their way at shows.  They often derive a guilty pleasure from the feeling that another collector might covet what they've already hoovered into their own basements.  They care little for the objects they possess other than to own them.  They do nothing to enrich their artifacts through research, show no interest in sharing any knowledge of their finds with others unless it makes you jealous of course, and they actively encourage you to give up collecting the same things as they declare a corner on the market.  In essence, they want you to go away.

At the other end of the spectrum are the snobs.  They style themselves as 'experts'; they treat everyone else as idiots; they're knowledgeable enough of the hobby so why aren't people impressed by this?  They're shameless in their disdain for others who apparently are unaware that the said collectible is in fact a type E version only issued in July of said year, not the B version issued in much smaller numbers in February of said year and therefore much rarer (idiot!).  They often derive a guilty pleasure from pointing out things you've missed in the most condescending manner possible.  That said, they usually care little for taking the time to answer questions about their hobby at all, show no interest in getting others excited about it or cultivating new generations of collectors, and actively discourage you from trying to retain your interest in the hobby since you obviously don't know what you're doing anyway. And you're bothering them. Again. Sigh.  In essence, they also want you to go away.

This past week I've run into both of these archetypes.  One guy shoved in next to me at a show and seeing the bookplates I had found, actually tried to outbid me with the dealer right as I was paying for my purchase.  He then announced his claim to first refusal on any other bookplates at that table.  When sending another guy an email asking a question about the provenance of a particular bookplate, I was condescendingly informed that as he was the only "serious" dealer in his entire country of over 300 million people how dare I challenge his opinion and bother him with such trivial queries.  And then these people wonder why everyone thinks their hobby is lame and marked for extinction.

I've had a couple of friends who took up bookplate collecting, only to leave the hobby after their encounters with the hoarder and the snob, and it's a shame really.  Given that even the most organized bookplate societies have only a couple hundred members worldwide at best, if people are discouraged from joining the hobby by such folks or treated with disdain when they show a genuine interest, more bookplates will end up in the bin than in albums.  Worst of all, no one will really care.  Food for thought.  Until next time...

2012 Ottawa Antiquarian Book Fair

Time to break out the debit card!

I stumbled upon this event last year and highly recommend it if you're in the area.  The Ottawa Antiquarian Book Fair is Canada’s oldest book fair. This year it will include over 40,000 items, dating from the 15th century to the present day, displayed for sale by 40 dealers from across Canada and the United States. The fair will be held on Sunday, 4 November, at Tudor Hall, 3750 North Bowesville Rd.  10:30am – 5:30pm Admission: $5.00  Free Parking.

There is a great range of subjects covered at this show, some great book dealers, and obviously something for all manner of interests and budgets.  I am certainly looking forward to what might turn up here.

Have a great Halloween everyone and I'll report back on this event next week!  Until next time...

The Bookplate of Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine

Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine (1807-1864) 

It's been a rather busy year for me, and always the hobbies must come last.  That said, however, there's nothing like a cold rainy Sunday in October to create some downtime for casual collecting and research.

One area of my bookplate collection that has been growing nicely lately is my section on Canadian political leaders.  Fortunately, many of these men were originally merchants, lawyers, doctors, businessmen or similar professionals, which meant that they often had reference libraries and thus a tendency to have bookplates made for themselves.  One that I recently acquired from Tomas G. Boss Fine Books was a bookplate for the great Canadian politician Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine.

Sir Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine, 1st Baronet, KCMG, was the first Canadian to become Prime Minister of the United Province of Canada and the first head of a responsible government in Canada.  Born in Boucherville, Lower Canada in 1807, he was a jurist and statesman, being first elected to the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada in 1830. He was a political supporter of Louis Papineau and member of the Parti canadien. After the severe consequences of the Rebellions of 1837 against the British authorities, Lafontaine advocated political reforms within the new Union regime of 1841.  He has been immortalized in statue more than once, and is perhaps one of the most significant political figures in early Canadian history.

Lafontaine's bookplate

Lafontaine lived, worked, and acquired books for his library at at time when, according to Prescott's study on Canadian bookplates, "the most tiresome and inartistic style, the die sink armorial, was popular in England."  Prescott also suggested that there were practically no pictorial plates produced in Canada for book owners during this period but as my own collection continues to grow I would begin to argue that his assessment may have been incorrect.

Lafontaine's bookplate is a classic example of an early nineteenth century die-sunk Canadian pictorial label.  It is possible he chose a pictorial rather than an armorial de-sink simply as a reflection of the mood of the period - in post-revolutionary France any references to royalty and heraldry were out, even on bookplates (see Walter Hamilton's book on French bookplates for more detail on this trend). Nevertheless, it is a very attractive plate for its age and it does stand out nicely against my other Canadian political armorial ex libris.

I'm always on the look out for other Canadian bookplates like these, so if you have something you want to part with don't hesitate to get in touch.  Until next time....

The Modern Bookplate - An Example

Modern Ex Libris

Living where I do I often come across discarded military history and other defence studies books.  Every now and again I'm pleased to find that some of these books include bookplates.  Recently I picked up a couple of items that contained what could be considered very modern bookplates by typical standards, even though these ex libris appear to have been created during the 1970s or 1980s.

The plate on the left represented the library of the Canadian department of national defence's operational research division, whereas the plate on the right was for the DND Operational Research and Analysis Establishment.  A bit of research has suggested that neither of these libraries still exist, so I don't think I'll come across these ex libris again anytime soon.  I would still like to pin them down to a more definitive date, but in the meantime I'm glad I was able to pick up good specimens for my collection.

I don't know why exactly, but I find it interesting that the bookplate on the left appears to have been created with a dot matrix printer.  It gives the whole bookplate a very specific early computer tech look, which seems appropriate given the library the plate was made for.  Meanwhile the bookplate on the right clearly demonstrates the bilingual nature of the country's armed forces, as well as the connections to the commonwealth by the inclusion of the official crest.

Two modern bookplates, rather different from the usual fare that appears here.  Makes me wonder what other organizations were using bookplates well beyond the 'golden era'.  Until next time...

The Bookplate Journal - Spring 2012 Reprint

Spring 2012 - Reprint

Earlier this summer members of the Bookplate Society received a replacement copy of their spring 2012 journal as a result of printing errors in the original edition.  The following caveat was posted on the Bookplate Society Website:

Members please note that we discovered that some copies were defective. This issue was mailed direct to members by our printers, who have apologised for, and have rectified, the error. In some copies (we think about half of those sent out) there are pages where the paper is tinted cream and is glossy on one side, but is white and matt on the other.
In mid-August we sent to ALL members a reprinted journal, together with our Summer Newsletter. Please now destroy your copy of the earlier issue.

Needless to say this was a very thoughtful gesture and speaks highly of the bookplate's society commitment to bringing its members the best possible journal on the subject.  For those non-members who may be acquiring an individual copy by means other than through subscription, you'll know you have a corrected version if the word reprint appears on the last page of the journal.  Until next time...

Bookplate Society News - Summer 2012

Vol.34 No.1 Summer 2012

Nothing like a new addition to the family and the completion of an academic manuscript to deplete one's time for a hobby.  Happily, the book is finally done and life is returning to normal after a great summer away from the keyboards.  I was sifting through my pile of bookplate related material sitting on a corner of the study desk and since it's a quiet rainy Sunday, it seems like a good time to finally post an update or two.

First on the pile is the latest Bookplate Society newsletter.  This issue includes a great little article by Bryan Welch titled, "On the identification of bookplates", which offers some preliminary guidance on how to go about researching your ex libris.  Welch briefly outlines what might constitute intrinsic and extrinsic evidence for the identification of a bookplate, as well as how this evidence may be clarified or confused depending on how it is derived.  Though he doesn't specifically say it, Welch's article does infer that provenance can play a big role in determining the owner and/or designer of a bookplate.

Other news includes a panegyric to the British designer Reg Boulton (1923-2012), who created many interesting bookplates for the Hereford region.  Other news items include the society's annual report as well as the catalogue for Auction 66.  Additionally, there are the usual notes on online auctions and other sales, member's news, library news, and book reviews.  All in all it's a great update with something for everyone.  Until next time...