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Book sign. What is a bookplate What is it

1 Ex libris

"From books", bookplate.

The name of a book sign, pasted on the inside of the front cover of the binding or cover of a book and containing the name of the owner of the book, sometimes also an allegorical drawing, motto, etc.

The last sailor left Sevastopol... The city was burning. It seemed that the famous Sevastopol Maritime Library, the oldest in the country, had perished forever. The library to which Admiral Lazarev and Leo Tolstoy donated books... But an amazing thing: after the war, parcels began to arrive to the library more and more often. From all over the Union and even from abroad, readers sent books they had once taken with a label stuck on the back of the binding! a snake entwined around an anchor, the words “Sevastopol Officers' Library” enclosed in the oval rim, and above all this - a frigate proudly carrying sails. Familiar, honorary bookplate! (Bookplate - book compass (Izvestia, 9.X 1974).)

Bookplates, these sheets of paper with engravings or drawings, can remind you of interesting pages of history, introduce you to the life and customs of people, and even invite you on a long journey. "Ex Libris" is a word of Latin origin and exactly translated means "from books." Bookplates are created for both personal and public libraries. Usually the subjects of the drawings are related to the nature of the book collection, the world of book lovers’ hobbies - By the way, now is the 500th anniversary of the first printed bookplate. Researchers have proven that it was created between 1470 and 1480: a woodcut that has survived to this day accompanied the books of a certain Hans Knabensbvrg, nicknamed Igler (Hedgehog). And at the beginning of the 16th century, bookplates were already made by the great Renaissance artist Albrecht Durer. The first Russian bookplate, discovered on the books of the Solovetsky Monastery, dates back almost five centuries. Masters of different times paid tribute to this type of graphics, such as Hans Holbein and Lucas Cranach, Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso, Mikhail Vrubel and Nicholas Roerich, Vladimir Favorsky... (A country named ex libris (Izvestia, 13.VII 1976).)

2 Ex libris

3 depromo

4 "From books"

Books

Series "Ex Libris" (set of 38 books), . The "Ex Libris" series of the St. Petersburg book publishing house "Symposium" (or "Symposium") includes works of classics of foreign literature of the 20th century...

The bookplate originated in Germany in the 16th century, almost immediately after the invention of printing. In Russia, these “book signs” appeared only under Peter 1. However, in the last century, manuscripts from the Solovetsky Monastery, dating from the end of the 15th century, were discovered. They depicted hand-drawn bookplates.

Such different bookplates

The bookplate can either be glued to the inside of the binding or be printed using a special seal - many of them were made to individual orders. There were even such varieties of personalized book marks as superex libris, where an imprint was made on the spine of the book.

The bookplate often contained the name of the owner and was often supplemented by his occupations and interests. If we can draw such an analogy, then the bookplate was the predecessor of the mark that is placed in a virtual library, or the water mark.

Bookplates could be simple and unpretentious or very sophisticated and complex in composition. Sometimes they were just a label with the owner’s name, his signature, or a simple badge invented by the owner of the publication. In some cases it was supplemented with a personal motto or marked with an emblem.

There were also artistic, skillful works of bookplates. They were created using high (for that time) technologies and were small prints and engravings on copper or wood. In their manufacture, lithographic or zincographic methods were used. Among the authors of complex bookplates, it is worth mentioning Albrecht Durer and Favorsky.

Types of bookplates

Experts divide all bookplates into:

Armorial - they depict the owner’s personal coat of arms; in Russia, there was a special demand for such things at the beginning of the twentieth century among the nobility who did not have time or did not want to emigrate;
- monogram - simpler, but with a special ornament, the initials of the owner were indicated on them;
- plot - landscape compositions, emblems, architecture were mainly used here (they were especially popular in the twentieth century).

Nowadays, when many people collect electronic rather than paper libraries, the role of the bookplate is declining. Although, since real books are used less and less, it is possible that the artistic mark may come back into fashion as a kind of tribute to the past.

It is worth noting that there are already two bookplate museums, one of which is in Moscow. And there are thousands of collections of these book graphic miniatures.

You open the book and see a small picture on the inside of the binding. This bookplate(ex libris) – personal sign of ownership of the owner of the book. It not only confirms the owner’s rights to this book, but is also something more than just a security sign. It’s like a piece of the owner’s inner world transferred to the book. From the design of the bookplate you can tell a lot about its owner - what kind of person he is, what he thinks about, what he is interested in. Even after many years, the bookplate and book will preserve this information for many generations of the family.

Previously, bookplates had a purely security function. The first bookplates were inscriptions on handwritten books made by their owners. This inscription confirmed who is the owner of the book and was called the “owner’s inscription”: “This is the book of priest Rodion Sidorov, son, sinful and unworthy”(XVI century). Wanting to make a donation “to atone for sins,” book owners sometimes donated them to the church and indicated the purpose of their donation on the book. Such a record was called a “contribution record” and was usually placed on the first page of the manuscript, where the date and year of the donation, the name of the church, the name of the donor and the purpose of the contribution were indicated.
“On the 1st day of the summer of April 7124, the pious and Christ-loving servant of God Vasily Yaroshevich Zenkevich, a tradesman and layman of Romanov, laid this book spoken by the Apostle into the house of God for the resurrection of Christ with his wife Evdokia Zenkevich for the remission of their sins and to eternal life. Amen."

Who Vasily Zenkevich was is now unknown, but his name itself has lived on for several centuries, thanks to such an original bookplate on the donated book. What a powerful mark left on the pages of history by a simple man in the street! I wonder which of the now famous people can boast that their name has survived so many generations?

The author of the very first Russian hand-drawn bookplate is also known. This is a certain abbot Dosifei, who in the 15th century founded a library at the Solovetsky Monastery. On some books of this library he drew his bookplate by hand - a round, almost closed letter “C”, inside of which the continuation of the owner’s name was written in complex beautiful script - “High-Monk Dositheus”.

The first printed bookplate in Russia was born at the beginning of the 18th century, thanks to the famous Ivan Fedorov, the first Russian printer. At first, books were decorated only with armorial bookplates, but later beautiful plot drawings also appeared - as a rule, with a short motto characterizing the owner of the library.

From about this time, with the light hand of Peter I, who laid the foundation for the widespread dissemination of secular publications, bookplates become integral parts of private libraries. The design of the bookplate becomes the subject of heated discussion and becomes almost as important as a personal coat of arms. He is gaining publicity.

As time has shown, library owners were absolutely right in paying such careful attention to the bookplate. Their books have survived many generations and now, having reached the present day, they can tell a lot about the culture and customs of the times of their creation, about the personality of their owners. It is easy to trace the continuity of generations using bookplates - a tradition was born to leave a book mark next to the bookplate of the previous owner of the book.

Now bookplates are not only faithful guardians of books, but also collectibles that can tell a lot about the culture of a given era and trace the fate of private libraries. They have become an independent genre of graphics, with their own characteristics and nuances.

Do you want to leave your mark on history and keep your name in the memory of many generations of descendants? Then you definitely need a bookplate! And its development must be approached in the most careful manner. This is the face of your library. Just imagine, because in fact, the imprint of the bookplate is an imprint in history. How will you appear to your descendants? Looking at the bookplate drawing, what will your great-great-great...grandchildren think about you in a few generations?

Creation and production of bookplates

Our Workshop employs wonderful graphic artists who can create amazing little masterpieces. This is not an easy task - to reflect the huge inner world of a person in a plot miniature of a bookplate. We've been doing this for many years. Each bookplate created and manufactured in our workshop is individual... and very beautiful. However, you can see this for yourself by looking at samples of our work :)

Imagine what a pleasure it is to look at a fancy bookplate design and realize that this THING is one of a kind! And it was made especially for you.

When you decide to immortalize yourself in history, also think about your friends and acquaintances. There is hardly a gift more exquisite and original. This is not a standard item produced in hundreds of thousands of copies, it is a unique item created specifically for a specific person. This is a thing for life.

Wanting to stand out, people spend a lot of money on expensive trinkets, expensive wine, and expensive souvenirs. But in the end, all these gifts end up being partly dumped in a desk drawer, and partly given to someone else. And of course, hardly anyone will remember the donor of the fifth bottle of brandy or that leather-bound diary.

Bookplate is a gift that will be remembered for a long time. And you can’t give it away :-)

It certainly looks expensive and stylish, and at the same time is completely devoid of banality. He's interesting. Intriguing Unusual. And most importantly, this gift will without words show your attention and care for the person to whom you are giving it.

In addition to its undoubted aesthetic value, the bookplate is an extremely useful thing. Do you remember how many CDs your friends have played? How many books from your library have ended up with friends? Now they are unlikely to forget to return your book to you!

The world is becoming increasingly computerized. Electronic signature, paperless office, electronic texts on the screen of a pocket computer... In 20-30 years, books will turn into rarities. And books, like good wine, only become more valuable over the years. Save your library for your children!

How to order and buy a bookplate?

Can't think of anything to depict on the bookplate? The inner world is so big, but the picture is so small... That’s the beauty of the bookplate, that in a small picture you can reflect the very best, that which is the basis, the essence, the core of the soul and personality. This is a reason to ask yourself the question: Who am I? What am I dreaming about? What am I going to? Now think about what image could reflect your essence. Call us and ask for advice - together we will develop a drawing idea.

If you want to buy a bookplate and give it as a gift, but you think that you don’t know the person very well, you can look at albums with samples of the works of our artists and choose some interesting but neutral topic. Believe me, even the simplest bookplate design can transform any library.

A wonderful option for a gift - monogram bookplate, which contains a beautiful interweaving of the initials of the future owner - a monogram or monogram. The uniqueness of this item is undeniable; its originality is guaranteed to arouse admiration from the future owner. And such a bookplate can also be the first step towards creating a personal style - after all, the monogram or monogram depicted in the bookplate can be used in thousands of different ways! A monogram can be embroidered on tablecloths, linens and clothes, engraved on cufflinks, lighters, glasses and dishes, carved on wood, cast in plaster, and even made into jewelry.

Call us and we will be happy to create for you a wonderful bookplate that you will use for many years.

We love our job :)

The word "ex libris" in Latin means "from the books." A bookplate is a paper label stuck to a book, mainly on the inside of the binding, which indicates who the owner of the book is, and, as a rule, there is a plot picture,

reflecting the profession, range of interests, hobbies, literary affections of a book lover, subject matter or character of the library. These signs are made by artists using the technique of engraving on wood, linoleum, plastic, metal, plexiglass; There are also pen and ink drawings (followed by zinc printing).

Artistic bookplates are works of printed graphics. A book sign, well executed, well printed, neatly pasted into the book, decorates it, is its kind of passport. The presence of a library bookplate turns a simple book collection into a full-fledged library.

Bookplate of Admiral I.F. Kruzenshtern

Bookplate of Emperor Alexander III

Bookplate of Arkady Strugatsky

Among the artistic bookplates there are:

armorial, which reproduce the owner’s coat of arms and are characteristic mainly of the 16th-18th centuries;
monogram with ornamentally designed initials of the owner;
plot ones, which became the most popular in the 20th century and represent images of landscapes, architectural motifs, various emblems, figuratively reflecting the tastes, interests and passions, and profession of the library owner.

The bookplate, as it exists today, arose soon after the invention of printing in the 16th century in Germany. From those times, graphic miniatures by such great masters as Albrecht Durer, Lucas Cranach, and Hans Holbein M. the Fallen have reached us.

In Russia, engraved bookplates appeared under Peter the Great. However, in the 60s of the last century, hand-drawn signs of the founder of the local library, Dosifei, were discovered on some handwritten books of the Solovetsky Monastery; These signs date back to the early 90s of the 15th century.

For many centuries, the bookplate served a utilitarian function. He first of all notified about the owner of the book. Thus, until the 19th century, most personal libraries belonged to the privileged classes, so most bookplates were heraldic with the image of the owner’s family coat of arms. Monogram book signs were also popular. But an even more spectacular way to identify the owner was the super ex libris: the same coat of arms, but embossed in gold on the top cover of the book binding.

In the 19th century, writers, scientists, artists, and the enlightened bourgeoisie increasingly became the owners of libraries, and the plot (artistic) bookplate replaced the armorial bookplate. The end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries was the time of revival in Russia of the art of book marking as a branch of graphics. It was at this time that a new form of bookplate was finally found. In contrast to the heraldic nature of each bookplate, artists - members of the "World of Art" - A. Benois, E. Lansere, K. Somov, G. Narbut, M. Dobuzhinsky, I. Bilibin, E. Mitrokhin, S. Chekhonin and others - attached everything features of a high-quality graphic work. This includes the harmony of the composition, the filigree precision of details, individuality, and a subtle plot. The artist put a piece of his soul into each sign, and in each one one can discern the graphic handwriting of the master. Among the Russian artists who contributed to the art of the bookplate are such major masters of painting and graphics as M. Vrubel, V. Vasnetsov, B. Kustodiev.

In the 1920-1930s. Leading graphic masters - V. Favorsky, A. Kravchenko, N. Kupreyanov, N. Piskarev, P. Shillingovsky, N. Brimmer and others - became involved in the creation of the bookplate. In the post-war years, famous artists E. Golyakhovsky, G. Kravtsov, and others worked on the bookplate. V. Frolov, A. Kalashnikov, N. Kalita, G. Ratner, M. Verkholantsev, V. Kartovich and many others.

The bookplate came into great fashion again in the 1960s and 1970s. This was caused not so much by the flourishing of graphics as by the rise of book collecting and the mass bibliophile movement in the country.

At the beginning of the 21st century, interest in bookplates is returning. And he returns, as always, in a slightly new form. First of all, there is a revival of interest in the bookplate as a personal book sign, as a keeper of family history.

Manufacturing technologies have also undergone changes. Now the most widespread in the modern book world are bookplates made in the form of a cliché imprint made of rubber. Modern equipment makes it possible to engrave bookplate clichés of such high quality that the smallest details of the design become visible. This manufacturing technique opens up a wealth of opportunities for the owner of a bookmark, as it allows the most complex artistic design to be realized.

For a long time, collecting bookplates has been widespread throughout the world. Thanks to this hobby, scientists can study the stages of book printing, the peculiarities of publishing handwritten books, and trace the migration routes of books. There are known collections of thousands of these graphic miniatures.

There are two bookplate museums, one of them is located in Moscow. There is an opinion that the growing popularity of book signs will help maintain the image of Russia as the most reading country in the world.

Sources:
Wikipedia http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ex_libris
Website of bookplates from the collection of Yuri Sergeevich Borodaev, a famous Moscow hereditary collector
The science of advertising http://www.advertology.ru/article23253.html
Website of graphic artist Leonid Shchetnev http://www.booksite.ru/fulltext/she/tne/shetnev_l/index.htm