Browse Items (420 total)

Published in Paris, this work does not have an ex-libris per se, but it does have a note written on the inner cover which might offer some insight into the person that owned it. The inscription reads “Il y a deux éditions postérieures l’une de…

Like their modern cousins still available today, almanacs contained information necessary for the carrying out of many aspects of everyday life. Their biggest asset was their portability. The item held by Archives and Special Collections is in…

The front flyleaf has an elaborate inscription that is quite illegible due to its flamboyant handwriting. We do see the initial sentence “Souvenir de Pierre Grospin, dit le vieux grognard à M. Ballard.” These novellas parodying the bacchanalian seem…

This item has been rebound at least once since its initial binding, this being demonstrated by evidence that the text block has been cut to fit a newer binding. The current binding is on calfskin which has been dyed green. While it is usually morocco…

This work, published in Barcelona at the end of the 16th century, has two 20th century ex-libris labels affixed to its interior cover. These two ex-libris are associated with the same owner, namely Isodoro Fernandez, a Spanish collector and…

This item’s binding is of black morocco (goatskin), one of the many colours that this very fine goatskin leather could be dyed with at the time. Its title appears in gilt on the spine, with gilt double borders on its front and back covers and gilded…

This is a tree-calf binding, with the tree-like appearance produced by pouring acid over the leather and the binding moved in a specific way to generate the desired pattern. Using a method that requires a high degree of mastery, the pattern is…

This book offers us an example of a new owner actually wishing to keep the traces of previous ownership. Besides the wish to keep track of the origin and physical journey of the book, it was also a way to assert ownership of the copy to anyone who…

A binding of parchment on cardboard, this binding has had its blind-stamped ornamentations coloured black. Its title has also been handwritten in ink on the spine. Note the demi-lune shape of the textblock’s fore-edge: this is a technique typical of…

Embossed in gold on the cover of a fine example of mottled calf, we see an as of yet unidentified, elaborate coat of arms. For those who love enigmas, do not hesitate to inform us of your findings!