Why publish bookplates?
I needed an easy project to occupy myself while enduring the brain-sapping effects of cancer treatments, and I wanted bookplates for my large research library of books about Ireland and about the First World War, so I designed my own. Then it occurred to me that others may like what I’d done, so I decided to publish them in book form.
My mother had introduced me to bookplates when I was a child. After she taught me to be a touch typist, I remember typing her name on bookplates for her enormous personal library; subsequently, she gave me a box of bookplates that were personalized with my name. I’ve purchased bookplates since then, but they could become damaged in storage (atmospheric humidity can cause the glue to make them stick together), and the little boxes easily misplaced. Technology now enables me to produce bookplate designs I like, and in the format of The Bookplate Book, humidity damage is not a problem, and I can store bookplates on the bookshelf.
Who needs bookplates?
Anyone who loves paper books! Affixing bookplates to books has been a time-honored tradition for at least five centuries. What more attractive way is there to help the books we lend come back home? A signature on a bookplate announces ownership with more cachet than does signing the flyleaf. Bookplates also make fine finishing touches to gift books, when inscribed with the recipient’s name.
Each volume of The Bookplate Book is a cut-and-paste project suitable for ages 12 through adult. Volume 1 features full-color images, and Volume 2 consists of monochrome images printed on an elegant parchment background (Volume 3 will be another full-color collection). From classic to contemporary, formal to playful, The Bookplate Book offers book labeling options for all tastes and ages.
How were the bookplates designed?
The images used for all of the bookplates are derived from public domain art obtained from several online sources. Downloaded images were re-sized to standard bookplate dimensions, and signature areas were added, using complementary colors and fonts. Instructions are provided, detailing the most effective way to attach them, to prevent the problems of paste lumps or extrusion of excess glue.
Will The Bookplate Books be available in digital editions?
Printing bookplates as needed would be desirable, but full-color images would use up a lot of very expensive ink in a personal printer. A monochrome collection of bookplates that can be downloaded and printed more economically with just black toner is in the works, and there may be the option of name customization, too, but it may be available in a limited variety of digital formats.
What if I want more bookplates of only one or just a few designs?
Contact me via plover.indie.publishing@gmail.com, and we’ll arrange a custom printing for your needs.
When will new bookplate themes be developed?
I’m collecting artwork for an Armchair General edition, and Beta readers have suggested other themes. As far as a timetable goes, I’m hoping to feel well enough by the new year to resume work on my second and third novels, so publication of subsequent bookplate collections will of necessity depend on that (perhaps a couple of times a year, as a break from my fiction work).
Where can we buy The Bookplate Books?
They can be purchased directly through my e-store at the printer, CreateSpace (recommended for high quality and fast service), as well as via Amazon outlets worldwide. Click on the cover images (at the top of this post) to visit their e-store pages, or enter the title into your country’s Amazon site search engine. The first two volumes are available now, and the third one should be ready before Christmas.
IRISH FIREBRANDS: A Novel ~ and Other Works by Christine Plouvier, Indie Author 