What Is a Bookplate (Ex Libris)?

A bookplate — also known by its Latin name ex libris (“from the books of”) — is a printed, engraved, or otherwise produced label affixed to the inside front cover or front pastedown of a book to identify its owner. Bookplates are one of the oldest and most enduring forms of book ownership marking, with a continuous tradition stretching from the fifteenth century to the present day.

History of Bookplates

Origins

The earliest known bookplates date from the mid-fifteenth century in the German-speaking world. The oldest documented example is generally attributed to Hilprand Brandenburg of Biberach, dating from around 1470 — a hand-coloured woodcut depicting an angel holding a coat of arms. Early bookplates were almost exclusively heraldic, bearing the coat of arms of the book’s owner. They were used primarily by the clergy, nobility, and wealthy collectors.

Development by Period

15th–17th centuries: Predominantly heraldic. Produced by woodcut or copperplate engraving. Found in the libraries of aristocrats, monasteries, and universities.

18th century: The great age of bookplate artistry. Engravers like William Hogarth produced bookplates. Styles expanded beyond heraldry to include “Chippendale” style (rococo ornamental frames), “pictorial” designs depicting libraries or allegorical scenes, and “literary” designs with books, quills, and scholarly motifs.

19th century: Bookplate use expanded to the growing middle class. Commercial printers produced inexpensive designs. The “armorial” style persisted alongside simpler typographic and pictorial designs. The Arts and Crafts movement produced distinctive bookplates by designers like Charles Ricketts and Aubrey Beardsley.

20th century: Artists including Rockwell Kent, Eric Gill, and Rex Whistler designed notable bookplates. The Ex Libris movement organised societies and international exchanges. Photo-offset printing made custom bookplates widely affordable.

21st century: Bookplate use has declined but persists among bibliophiles and collectors. Digital printing allows easy production of custom designs.

Types of Bookplates

Heraldic or armorial. The earliest and most traditional type. Bears a coat of arms, crest, or family device. These are valuable for provenance research because the arms can often be identified and linked to a specific family.

Pictorial. Features a scene, image, or design that reflects the owner’s interests, profession, or personality. A doctor’s bookplate might show an Aesculapian staff; a lawyer’s might depict scales of justice; a bibliophile’s might show a library interior.

Typographic. Simple text — the owner’s name, sometimes “Ex Libris” or “From the Library of” — without pictorial embellishment. Common in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Signed/artist bookplates. Bookplates designed by well-known artists — Rockwell Kent, Edward Gorey, Rex Whistler — are collected in their own right. The presence of an artist bookplate can add value to a book.

Institutional. Libraries, universities, clubs, and other organisations use bookplates to identify their holdings. These are typically simpler and more standardised than personal bookplates.

How Bookplates Affect Book Value

The General Rule

For most books, a bookplate modestly reduces value. The bookplate is evidence that the book has passed through someone else’s hands, and the adhesive and label have altered the physical state of the endpapers. Collectors of modern first editions generally prefer copies without bookplates.

The Exceptions

Famous or notable owners. If the bookplate belongs to a famous person — a celebrated author, statesman, artist, or historical figure — the bookplate becomes a provenance asset, not a liability. A book from Winston Churchill’s library, identified by his bookplate, is more valuable with the bookplate than without it.

Artist-designed bookplates. A bookplate designed by a significant artist (Rockwell Kent, Eric Gill, Edward Gorey) may add interest and value. Collectors of the artist’s work may seek out books bearing their bookplate designs.

Historical significance. A bookplate that links a book to a notable library, institution, or collection can enhance provenance. The bookplate of the Huth Library, the Kern Collection, or the Estelle Doheny Collection signals distinguished provenance.

Period-appropriate bookplates. In an eighteenth-century book, a contemporary armorial bookplate is part of the book’s history and generally does not detract from value the way a modern bookplate in a modern first edition would.

The Damage Factor

The principal concern with bookplates is not the bookplate itself but the damage caused by its removal. A bookplate that has been carefully pasted in and remains flat and secure is much less problematic than the scar left by a bookplate that has been torn or scraped away:

• Bookplate present: Minor deduction, unless the owner is notable
• Bookplate removed with residue or staining: Significant deduction — the damage is often worse than the bookplate
• Bookplate removed cleanly (rare): Moderate deduction — the book may show no trace, but the pastedown may be slightly thinner or discoloured where the bookplate was

The practical lesson: never remove a bookplate from a book. The removal almost always causes more damage than the bookplate itself.

Bookplates as Provenance Evidence

Bookplates are one of the primary tools for tracing the ownership history (provenance) of a book. A bookplate can:

• Identify a specific owner by name, initials, or heraldic device
• Link the book to a known collection — many famous collections used distinctive bookplates
• Establish a terminus a quo — the bookplate tells you the book was in that owner’s possession no earlier than the bookplate’s date of production
• Connect books from the same library — if you know the bookplate, you can identify other books from the same collection

Bookplate dictionaries and catalogues (such as Franks’s English Bookplates and Lee’s British Bookplates) can help identify armorial bookplates and their owners.

Bookplates in Bookseller Descriptions

• “Bookplate on front pastedown” — a bookplate is present inside the front cover
• “Bookplate of [name]” — the owner is identified
• “Armorial bookplate” — a coat-of-arms bookplate is present
• “Bookplate removed, residue/offset on pastedown” — the bookplate was removed, leaving damage
• “Ex libris [name]” — Latin form of the ownership identification
• “Decorative bookplate by [artist]” — the bookplate was designed by a notable artist