In the 17th, 18th, and 19th Centuries, books were something of a luxury. Many were bound in leather, most with raised spine bands, leather labels printed with gilt, and fancy gilt rules and designs on the covers.

Those who could afford these handsome books began to add libraries to their homes. Because the books in the libraries of these great homes were quite valuable, the owners began to identify their books. Thus began the custom of placing custom made book plates on the inside of the front covers of every book in the library.

The book plates we see these days are rarely custom made for a particular library. Most are purchased in stationery stores and feature cats, sailing ships, trees, and similar designs. Of course, academic and business libraries have their ownership labels, but the practice of making unique book plates to both identify the owner and the private library has all but disappeared.

In 1893 W. J. Hardy published Book-Plates, an illustrated history of book plates from the late 16th to the early 19th century. It contains a history of book-plates in England, Germany, France, and America accompanied by 36 illustrations of the bookplates of individuals and libraries.

For those interested in adding a book-plate to their books, there are several copies of Book-Plates available on Alibris. The image below is of an early 18th Century book plate, but you should use your imagination in creating your own plate. And there are at least a couple of companies that specialize in printing book-plate to your specifications. One of the best with more than 150 plates to choose from is Bookplate Ink.

18th century book-plate