Book-Plates

Hardy, William John, 1857-1919Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.0

Word count: 300K words
Chapters: 31

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Book-Plates by William John HardyAuthor: Hardy, William John, 1857-1919,Language: English, Class: Z: Bibliography, Library science, Release Date: Oct 22, 2012

Editor's review

This book is a specialized work on book-plates by the British scholar William John Hardy, falling within the fields of bibliography and library science. Written in English, it centers on the book-plate, an object that is both a practical mark of ownership and an art of printmaking, and surveys its forms, uses, and cultural context. It serves well as an introductory reference for understanding the Western tradition of book-plates. As a public-domain eBook from Project Gutenberg, it is easy and inexpensive to obtain and convenient for reference at any time. Its value for reading lies not in plot or narrative but in its documentary and topical nature: readers interested in the origins, types, and identification of book-plates can build a basic framework from it, and those interested in textual scholarship, book history, and print collecting will also find leads. It is best used as a reference work, read alongside actual specimens or catalogues for best effect. Note that the original was written long ago, and some views and terminology bear the marks of their time; it should be read in conjunction with more modern research.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Beginners interested in book-plates and printmaking who want basic knowledge
Students and researchers in book history, bibliography, or library science
Collectors of old books or prints who need background knowledge for identification
Readers who need English-language topical material and are used to public-domain eBooks

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking a purely visual, richly illustrated album experience
Readers hoping for systematic modern standards of book-plate identification and market prices
Readers who struggle with English and are unwilling to use reference tools

Reading tips

Read the table of contents and introduction first to build an overall framework of book-plate types and history, then read chapters of interest closely.
While reading, compare with actual images or catalogues of book-plates to help understand the descriptions of forms and ornament.
Note early terminology and proper names as you go and check them against modern sources, rather than understanding them in isolation.
Use it as a reference work to consult in stages rather than reading straight through; searching by topic suits its documentary nature.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book in Chinese or English? Is there a language barrier?

The book is in English. Readers with general English reading ability can finish it with the help of a dictionary; those with weaker English are advised to first learn the basics of book-plates in Chinese materials, then consult relevant chapters of this book selectively.

Is this book suitable as a manual for identifying book-plates?

It should not be used directly as a modern identification manual. The book was written long ago and emphasizes topical survey and background rather than contemporary market standards and systematic identification procedures. It can serve as historical and background reference; practical identification still requires modern professional materials.

How can I use this book more efficiently in electronic form?

Use the eBook's search function to locate chapters by keyword, first look at the table of contents to grasp the structure, then jump to topics such as book-plate types and uses. Comparing with external image resources is more efficient than reading straight through from beginning to end.

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About the author

Hardy, William John, 1857-1919 Author · British · 1857–1919

William John Hardy (1857–1919) was a British historian and archivist who devoted himself to the arrangement and cataloguing of British historical documents. The bibliographies of British historical sources he compiled made it easier for researchers to locate original materials, reflecting his scholarly emphasis on source criticism and bibliographical method. In the field of bookplate studies he wrote Book-Plates, an introduction to the forms, designs and uses of bookplates that combines informative content with readability and remains one of the more accessible introductory works on the subject. Hardy's writing is generally grounded in historical sources and clearly organized, serving both the arrangement of documents and the popularization of knowledge. Because public information is limited, the details of his life and the full range of his scholarly activities cannot be described in depth, and only one of his works is currently held in the collection.