Browse Items (259 total)

A Venetian, Gabriele Giolito de Ferrari (1508-1578), established a bookstore and printing shop in Venice with his father, named “Liberia del Fenice” (the Phoenix bookstore). As we have seen with other printer’s devices, the mark may illustrate the…

The marbling technique for this decorative paper has been achieved with the use of the comb tool. The colours used are also date to the mid-19th century and are not the classic and uniform blues, reds, yellows and whites colours typical of the 18th…

This image displays yet another example of a register of signatures, with the colophon appearing just be- low. Here we see the beauty and finesse of printed text as realised by Aldus Manutius, The italic font, the spacing of characters and the…

This item is on display to show the exquisite richness of the engraving shown. Note the texture and pristine whiteness of the paper used; this was intended for a reader seeking luxury. The engraving would have been passed through the press at a…

This bookplate of Fréderic Lachèvre (1855-1943), French bibliophile, literary critic, editor, and specialist in 17th century literature of the Libertines, is remarkable for the finesse of its engraving. The image of the skull resting on a pile of…

Visible is the printer’s mark of printer and bookseller François l’Honoré (1673?-1748?), originally from the town of Sedan, Alsace. Initially basing himself in Den Haag where he collaborated with Etienne Foulque, he subsequently set up a printing…

The paper that makes up the cover for this little French comedy of the 17th century has been created with a technique new for this era: hand block printed paper, termed “dominoté” in French. The motif used here has been printed and then the colours…

In the 20th century, in addition to the pasted-in ex-libris bookplate, we find many different styles and formats of ex-libris indications. The stamped ex-libris turns out to be not only a less onerous form but also one that is much more practical. We…