"Ex libris" Bookplates"Ex libris" Bookplates
A bookplate, also known as an ex libris (Latin for "from the books [of]...") is a decorative page or stamp to indicate book ownership.
Universities, monasteries, and individuals would put customized art pieces in the front of their books to proudly show their ownership. Your bookplate might say something about you, your family, or your institution.
By the 19th century, these illustrations could become very elaborate and beautiful.
Bookplates evolved out of medieval "book curses," which were inscriptions to ward off would-be thieves. Later on, curses would sometimes be printed with bookplates.
If you're interested in learning the history of book curses, check out Anathema! Medieval Scribes And The History Of Book Curses by Marc Drogin, available for free on archive.org.
The nasty curses start around page 67.
May the sword of anathema* slay
If anyone steals this book away
Si quis furetur,
Anathematis ense necetur
May whoever steals me cease
Ever to have a moment's peace
Qui me furetur,
nunquam requies sibi detur.
If anyone unfairly
This scribe puts down,
In Hell's murky waters
May Cerberus him drown
Scriptorem si quis verbis
reprobarit iniquis,
Cerberus in baratro
flumine mergat atro
May the one who takes you in theft
By the sword of a demon be cleft.
May he for one full year be banned
Who tries to take you away in hand.**
Qui te furetur
hic demonis ense secetur.
Iste sit in banno
qui te furetur in anno.
All those who do not books return
Are thieves, not borrowers, and earn
The punishment Justice demands;
Their sacrificial loss of hands.
May God, therefore, as witness see
That it be done unswervingly.
Omnis librorum
raptor nec redditor horum
Penas suscipiat
et manibus hostia fiat.
Sit justus vindex
raptus recti deus index
There are tons more great curses in the book... lots of variations on "if you steal this book, you'll rot in hell." If you liked reading these, then definitely read the book on archive.org! It also dives more into historical context.
*Anathema, or excommunication, is a pretty potent curse! Here, it's a metaphorical weapon.
**I like Drogin's poetic translation here, but a more literal translation would be like "may the one who steals you be cut by a demon's sword and be banished a year." Metal AF!!
After researching and finding so many beautiful bookplates, I wanted to add them to my books! But, I primarily read on an ereader (read the first entry on the Tech page if you wanna read my thoughts on e-ink)... so, I created some ex libris electronicis!
I set up my ereader to randomly pick an ex libris with my name on it whenever I put it into sleep mode.
So can you!
These are formatted for Kobo Clara's resolution, but you can easily resize them if you've got another device.
I've cleaned up, resized, and adjusted the contrast for e-ink displays. Additionally, I've removed the old book owner's names (it's all public domain!), so you can easily edit in your own name. Alternatively, add a book curse!
You'll notice that many of them have obvious spaces for names/additional text. Others you'll need to get more creative with placement. For font choices, I like JSL Blackletter for more gothic fonts and Copperplate for big titles. Of course, use whatever looks best!
Sources:
Old Book Illustrations
Hyperallergic
Wikimedia Commons
Library of Congress
Internet Archive
