Browse Items (91 total)

EnglishPrinted in Oxford in 1707, at the Sheldonian Theatre, which is seen in the printing device on the title page (not seen here). A travelogue of a journey through the Holy Land, the text is open to an architectural plan, which like engravings,…

EnglishPublished 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…

EnglishLeathers and parchments could be dyed so as to add colour to their external covers; they could also be painted. This third edition of the works of Olympia Morata, humanist, poet and linguist, of Italian origin, is an example of a parchment…

EnglishWilliam Morris (1834-1896), product of an upper-middle class upbringing of the 19th century, was actually a socialist with a great reverence for the skilled craftsman whose output was a product of labour done by hand, rather than that of…

English 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…

EnglishThis example of mottled paper, a very classic design, displays much more modern colours, with its tones of burgundy, black and cream. FrançaisCe papier marbré au motif caillouté, un motif relativement classique, offre des teintes beaucoup plus…

English This is likely a 20th century rebinding of a work stemming from 500 years earlier. This binding most likely dates to the first half of the 20th century and is stamped “e stato rilegato da Campari e De Marco, Modena”: the book has been bound…

EnglishThis 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…

EnglishHere we have yet another example of hand printblock paper. However, in contrast to the previous example, this is a relatively recent paper, a product of a highly mechanized process. We can see the regularity of the design and the uniformity of…

EnglishThis 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…