Book Plates: We have a New One!

Writing about bookplates (or Ex Libris) is a journey into what one might call "the art of the owner." While books tell the author's story, the bookplate tells the story of the person who appreciated it.

Thomas Minkler is known as a dealer and collector. His granddaughter Mikaela Minckler has created a bookplate for him that’s both useful and whimsical.

Recently he sold his collection of Montan-iana to Southern Methodist University and is of course working on his next collections. To keep them sorted and identified his nearest and dearest created this lovely way to keep track of his material by collection.

Of course, this means she’ll be making more bookplates for him in the future because he is a serial collector. A single collection at any given time simply won’t do.

But for the time being we have one and it’s a beauty.

As a side note, bookplates are a useful tool for book collectors of all ages. In the later 19th century, they were more common. These days not so much. As an organizing tool and as a way to strengthen a collector’s identity, they are useful.

Hat’s off to Mikaela!