Bookplate Dilemma

I have a large, quirky, eclectic collection of books. Two categories of books come into my life. Some I buy, read and pass on and others - the special ones - become part of my beloved personal library. I will probably keep them forever.

About a week ago I bought a couple of packets of bookplates. I love the historical idea of bookplates – the notion that books were of such value that their ownership was a thing to boldly declare. Bookplates, like the books they adorned, were works of art, frequently created personally for the owner. They marked each item as treasured, and united an assortment of books into a library.

My bookplates aren’t handmade or personalised of course, but they are aesthetic, and the idea of labelling my library appeals to me. I looked forward to finding a quiet moment to put my beautiful bookplates into my treasured books, but now that the moment has come I have found myself hesitating.

They are lovely fresh out of the packet, but once I stick them on will they look like the sort of labels kids put on their schoolbooks? I certainly wouldn’t like that at all. What if, in ten years time, what seems like a harmless indulgence now feels like an affectation, defacing my books? Should I put the first one into one of ‘my’ books, or into something less important so that it doesn’t matter if I don’t like the effect? What would I then do with the book that I had claimed as my own?

I’m sure I’ll sort it out.

I know that life is sweet when I have time to ponder the finer points of bookplating my library!