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A Dictionary of Bookplates of Irish Medical Doctors
With short
biographies. Illustrated. Dublin. De Búrca. 2003. pp.xiv. 160. Illustrated
boards in illustrated d.j. €20.00
Bookplates or ex-libris have been in use since the fifteenth century. Placed usually inside the front cover, they indicate ownership of the book. In the dim past a representation of the coat of arms could be enough. As time went by designs evolved to more complex armorial plates. Then came pictorial designs symbolic of aspects of life of the owner.
Most were commissioned from an artist. Often a family or personal motto was a feature.
Bookplates peaked in popularity at the end of the nineteenth century. The introduction of this book provides a brief historical account. Today bookplates are of interest to a small fraction of bookowners, but they still hold fascination for historians and collectors alike.
The author attempts to locate and illustrate as far as possible the bookplates of Irish doctrs through the centuries, and to supply a short biography of each. Some have been rescued from unmerited obscurity. Their lives illustrate aspects of Irish social and medical history.
Last updated: 05/04/05 © Deburca 2005