Bookplates, otherwise called book labels or Ex Libris

Bookplates, otherwise called book labels or Ex Libris (Latin for 'from the library of') have a look history. They are small, decorative labels pasted inside a book, usually on the title page, and they state the name of the owner of the book. They are a way of ensuring that if you lend the book to someone, the name of who lent it is always front and centre. It doesn't guarantee you will get the book back, but it means you are more likely to than if there was no book label in the book.

The art of designing bookplates spread across Europe in the 1500s and many famous artists designed their own bookplates.

My own interest in bookplates came in my late teens when I saw examples of designs by Aubrey Beardsley. My own designs are based on the graphic impact that he put into bookplates.