How do we feel about them? Preferences? I kind of want to start claiming my books but I’m low-key terrified of messing up and smudging the ink, or misaligning the embosser haha.
I also don’t know if when I pass the book on (or when I die), the new owners of my books are going to be happy about it. I imagine, given that I’m a nobody, the books would lose resale value as well.
I don’t know. I’m torn.
by viveleramen_
7 Comments
>I’m low-key terrified of messing up and smudging the ink, or misaligning the embosser
Relax. You’re overthinking this. It’s really not that big a deal. Pick something you like and put your name in there. Enjoy it.
I’d say unless you’re specifically collecting rare or valuable books, don’t worry about it.
Your personal library exists to give you pleasure so put in bookplates, stamp them, highlight them, make notes and doodle in the margins- whatever you want.
Just have fun!
I use bookplates in the books that I would keep if for some reason I had to move. Moving a few times with 6 full bookshelves will make you question your life. LOL. I do have some signed books and they get a bookplate too because I don’t care about the resale value if it’s not a book that I would ever part with.
I don’t like them. My grandfather and uncle had stamps and book plates and I don’t like that they’re in the books I now have. I don’t mind ones that someone just signed their name in though. 🤷♀️
I use a self-inking stamp on the front endpaper or title page, if the endpaper is too glossy for the stamp. I just try to get it roughly centered and straight, and not care too much about it. I stamp all of my books that are newer than 100 years or so – I figure that I’ll never care about resale value and I like them to be labeled for any time I loan them. I like the provenance of previous owners’ labels in my books, so I’m just adding another layer to that.
I put my name and the year I acquired the book in pen or pencil, depending on how serious I feel about owning the book, so the next person knows whose book it used to be…if they happen to know me. I don’t bother with faceplates or stamps, but sometimes I will cheekily write “Ex Libris” with my name as well.
I love them. I collect fine editions of my favorite books and I reward them with a bookplate when I finish reading them. I love seeing bookplates from previous owners.
[This is my personal bookplate](https://i.imgur.com/M70ZNfE.png) (minus my name). I still mean to redraw it so I can carve it as a stamp. More convenient than pasting paper bookplates.