When Book Lovers Guarded Their Prized Possessions With Tiny Artworks

Books aren’t quite an endangered species yet, and the Association of American Publishers reports that sales of physical books are actually on the rise. Nevertheless, many who consider themselves avid readers have still never seen a bookplate in person—which makes sense, considering the trend peaked around a century ago. In fact, the use of bookplates started much earlier, with the oldest known plates dating to mid-15th-century Germany.

From When Book Lovers Guarded Their Prized Possessions With Tiny Artworks | Collectors Weekly